Open All Night

On the evening of Valentine’s Day, Spider-Man is battling the Vulture within view of the Daily Bugle, much to the delight of publisher J. Jonah Jameson who hopes Spider-Man will finally meet his defeat. Joe Robertson reminds Jonah that the Vulture is the real villain, pointing out that he robbed a high-end jewelry store.[1] Jonah has a photographer named Edwin Edwards try to get photos of the fight since Peter Parker is nowhere to be found, unfortunately, Edwards fumbles with his camera.[1] Outside, Spider-Man tries to snare the Vulture with webbing and gets pulled into the air. The Vulture then swings the web-slinger toward a smokestack that he has planted an explosive on. Setting off the bomb, Spider-Man is caught in the blast and is sent crashing into a trash-strewn alley. Considering Spider-Man defeated, the Vulture then flies away. Seeing this from the window, Jameson also cheers over Spider-Man’s defeat

As this is happening, Bugle reporter Jillian Blythe has just finished writing another article for the newspaper and sends it to copy. When her assistant, Spencer Williams, asks if she wants anything from the Coffee Bean, she tells him to get her a triple espresso as she has a date that evening. He also stops at the desk of Ksitigarbha Cohn,[2] and asks if she wants anything as well. She politely declines, as she, like Jillian, also has a date that evening. Spencer then moves past a gang of reporters rushing back to the office. Outside, he passes by a shop selling Valentine’s Day gifts and pass the alley where Spider-Man is still passed out in to get to the Coffee Bean. There, Spencer is mocked by Angus the head barista at the Coffee Bean. However, Jenny, another employee, thinks that it is cool that Spencer is an intern at the Daily Bugle, making Angus jealous. When Jenny reminds Angus that they are not in a relationship, he decides to get back at Spencer making time with her by putting laxatives into the coffee meant for J. Jonah Jameson.

Meanwhile, a stray dog tries to wake up Spider-Man by licking his face. Thinking it is Aunt May and that he’s sleeping in his bed back in Queens, he rolls over and tells “Aunt May” that he needs a few more minutes rest. By this time, Spencer has returned to the Bugle where Jillian chugs down her triple espresso in mere moments and J. Jonah Jameson is still berating Edwards for screwing up the photos of Spider-Man’s battle with the Vulture. In the ladies room, Ksitgarbha is putting on make-up when the sudden flush of one of the toilets startles her causing her to smear her face with lipstick. That’s when Jillian emerges from the stall and dumps out an entire bag of make-up to do up her face for her date. As Miss Cohn storms out of the bathroom, J. Jonah Jameson is about to drink his coffee when he gets an angry call from his wife Marla Madison, who demands to know why he hasn’t come home yet. As Spencer is sitting down to drink his own coffee, Jillian emerges from the women’s room and he is completely taken away by how beautiful she looks. When Spencer asks who her lucky date is, she tells him that it’s Peter Parker.[3]

A short time later, Ksitgarbha arrives at the Coffee Bean to wait for her date. When Flash Thompson arrives and tries to pick her up, she shoots him down immediately. That’s when Jillian enters the coffee shop, getting attention to all of the men who trip over themselves to get a look of her. Interested in who Miss Cohn is going on a date with, Jenny asks for more detail and she says she is waiting to meet with Peter Parker. Hearing this comes as a shock to both Jillian, as well as Flash Thompson because he is surprised that two attractive women could be interested in Peter. At that same moment, J. Jonah Jameson is cursing Peter Parker for not being around as he does not have any exclusive photos of Spider-Man’s battle with the Vulture, cursing the day Parker quit his job to become a teacher.[4] His ranting and raving is interrupted as his wife Marla arrives. Jonah is glad to see her and tells her they can leave while he wraps up a few things. When Jonah leaves his office, Marla notices the cup of coffee resting on his desk. By this time, Spider-Man finally wakes up after getting knocked out. He feels awful and can’t help but think he’s forgetting something important. While trying to get up, the disorientated wall-crawler passes out again. As he falls to the ground, the sleave of his costume gets pulled up revealing an 8:00 reminder written on his arm with a heart drawn around it.

Meanwhile, back at the Coffee Bean, both Jillian and Ksitigarbha are fighting over who actually has a date with Peter Parker. Miss Cohn recounts how she asked Peter, unaware that Parker was preoccupied over Doctor Octopus and his looming rent payment, assumed that he agreed to go out with her after seeing him write something down in his notebook. On the other hand, Jillian tells Ksitigarbha how she cornered Peter in the lunchroom asked him out there. Unaware that Peter wasn’t really paying attention because he was busy worrying about Electro and Aunt May’s medical bills, she wrote a reminder on Peter’s arm in marker. They then argue about what type of guy Peter is. Cohn thinks he is quiet and sensitive and will become a smart scientist. While Jillian thinks he is a man of action and envisions herself going out with him to photograph Spider-Man’s exploits. That’s when Flash Thompson interrupts the two women to tell them that it’s well after 8 pm and Peter has stood them up angering both women.

At the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson is ready to go but Marla is suddenly sick and in the bathroom. Seeing that she drank from his cup of coffee he calls in Spencer to find out what happened. Spencer tells him that the coffee was prepared by Angus down at the Coffee Bean. Recalling how Angus was turned down as an intern at the Daily Bugle, Jameson realizes what happened and dismisses Spencer. At that same time, Jillian and Ksitgarbha decide to head over to Peter’s apartment to give them a piece of their mind. Meanwhile, Spencer finds a Valentine’s Day card from Jenny and goes to the Coffee Bean to pick her up so they can go out on a date. Jameson comes in shortly thereafter and tells Angus how his wife got sick from drinking some of the coffee he prepared and demands that Angus drink the rest. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is woken up by a homeless man who is concerned that Spider-Man might freeze in the snow. Freezing cold, the web-slinger agrees to give the homeless man his costume in exchange for some warm clothes he is lugging in his shopping cart. Exhausted after his ordeals, Peter returns home where he is angrily confronted by the two women who thought they had dates with him that evening. When he collapses on the floor, the two women go from being angry to concern for his well being

As for the Vulture? Adrian Toomes calls on an old flame he hasn’t seen for twenty years. She is touched when he presents the ring that he stole earlier that evening and invites him in for some evening love making.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Vulture, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Spencer Williams, Jillian Blythe, Ksitigarbha Cohn, Flash Thompson, Marla Madison

Continuity Notes

1. Edwin Edwards is depicted using a camera that uses actual film. This should be considered a topical reference since most journalism photographers use digital cameras these days.

2. In this story, everyone called Ksitigarbha Cohn “Miss Kay”. Her actual name is revealed in the Daily Bugle entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3.

3. Why do these women think they have a date with Peter Parker? Well at the time of this story, Peter and Mary Jane were in the middle of separation since Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2001. They will ultimately get back together in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #50.

4. Peter Parker had a long career as a freelance photographer almost exclusively at the Daily Bugle since Amazing Spider-Man #2. At the time of this story, Peter Parker had just recently got a job as the science teacher at Midtown High in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #31