Spider-Man's Tangled Web #7
Gentleman’s Agreement Part 1
Then
Bullets fly as a taxi cab and police car collides on a rain-slicked street. As someone watches from the shadows the gunmen run. Amid the chaos, Charlie Clemmens is pinned under his taxi cab in the pouring rain.
Now
Charlie Clemmens is sitting in his doctors office and is given some bad news: He has cancer and the tumor in his brain is inoperable.[1] If he’s lucky, he has about a year to live but the doctor warns him that he will eventually go blind the headaches he is suffering will get increasingly worse making it impossible for him to do his job as a cabbie. When it is suggested he get a second opinion, another doctor tells Charlie that the tumor can be operated upon but without health insurance, it will cost over half a million dollars. Feeling defeated, Charlie goes down to his car in the parking garage. As he tries to put his keys into the ignition he is struck with a headache so powerful he screams out in agony.
Then
An NYPD police car skids in the rain. Running men. Flying bullets. Crumpled steel and broken glass. As an officer climbs out of his overturned squad car, Charlie Clemmens finds himself pinned under his taxi.
Now
Charlie snaps back to reality when a man checks on him after hearing his screams. He dismisses it as only a headache and speeds off. Charlie soon finds himself watching a nearby alley as three muggers try to rob a woman. Deciding that the odds aren’t in his favor, Charlie rushes to a payphone and calls the Daily Bugle. Entering the extension for Peter Parker, he tells Parker about the mugging and hangs up. Moments later, Spider-Man arrives on the scene and begins nabbing the thieves. One tries to escape by trying to flag down a taxi. However, the only one passing by is the one driven by Charlie Clemmens, who ignores the mugger, allowing Spider-Man to capture him.
The next morning, Charlie pays a visit to his ex-wife Gladys, who is not happy to see him as she has a busy day cleaning the house ahead of her. However, he has come to ask for advice. He asks her what someone should do if they had a secret they promised to keep, but the secret was valuable even though it could ruin someone’s life. However, Charlie can’t find the words to explain himself when he looks into the bedroom of his son Jimmy. Gladys tells Charlie that his son is not home and offers a sarcastic answer when he asks how Jimmy is doing.
Returning to his apartment, Charlie begins knocking back shots as he looks through a scrapbook that contains newspaper articles about Spider-Man and photos of Peter Parker. Thinking about his diagnosis and how much the surgery will cost, he eventually puts the scrapbook back on the shelf when he is suddenly seized by another headache.
Then
Charlie Clemmens is pinned under his taxi cab in the pouring rain. Nearby an injured police officer is surrounded by a gang of men. One of them pulls his gun and is about to kill the officer when something knocks the gun out of his hand.
Now
Charlie wakes up and pulls himself off the floor. Remembering how much surgery will cost Charlie decides to go for the phone.
At that same moment, a gangster named Seeds is playing poker with his men when one of his working girls tires to leave. When she says she is going to the movie, Seeds stopped her and wrests three hundred dollars out of her hands.[2] She then changes her story, saying she was actually going to buy a dress. Seeds decides to punish her for lying by shoving the money in her mouth and tells her to go. That’s when the phone rings Seeds answers it, but the caller hangs up before he can find out who it is and what they wanted.
The following day, Charlie goes to confessional and asks the priest if it is a sin to break a word of trust, saying that breaking it could ruin the life of one while saving the life of the other. While the priest tells him that all life is sacred to the Lord, he can’t say if life is more sacred than keeping one’s word. The priest cannot provide an answer, only telling Charlie that he should pray to God for guidance. Leaving the confessional, Charlie heads back to his cab but pauses when he notices a spider spinning it a web on the side of a crucifix.
Recurring Characters
Charlie Clemmens, Gladys Clemmens, Spider-Man
Continuity Notes
The doctor is depicted smoking a cigarette here. This should be considered a topical reference as indoor smoking has been banned in New York City since 2003.
The prostitute says she is going to see a Tom Cruise movie. This should also be considered a topical reference.
