Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #15
Flesh and the Devils
Having just burned out her most recent host while trying to find her missing sister.[1] As she regurgitates this latest body, Miss Itch and Mister Scratch once again reiterate their offer to help her, offering her the gift of freedom. That’s when they use their canes to pin Flesh to the wall.
Elsewhere in the city, Spider-Woman is once again lamenting the fact that she hasn’t been able to find any criminals while on patrol. That’s when she sees some squad cars racing by and follows them. She soon arrives at the scene where there are a number of men in Mandroid armor battling Captain America. At first, it appears that Cap had it under control, but Spider-Woman decides to help up. Unfortunately, during the course of the battle, Spider-Woman gets in the path of Captain America’s shield and is struck in the back. However, despite this, Captain America is able to defeat the last of the Mandroids. He then checks on Spider-Woman and determines she’s going to be okay. Completely smitten by the star-spangled avenger, Spider-Woman surprises herself when she tries to ask him out for coffee. Although Cap is flattered by the offer he tells her that he has to clean up the scene of the battle.
Six hours later, Mattie wakes up for the day and is still thinking about Captain America. She remarks how even her mother thought he was handsome and stops herself because she hasn’t thought about her mother in a very long time. She reminds herself that thinking about her mother gets her upset and she’ll start obsessing again and tries to make herself forget. However, as she prepares for school and gets on the bus she thinks about how her mother died when she was still very young, yet even after all these years it still upsets her. On the bus, Mattie’s friend Cheryl Lansing notices that there is something wrong but Mattie tells her it is nothing. That’s when the class bullies decide its time to pick on Mattie and Cheryl.[2] When they keep pushing things, Mattie gets fed up and tosses one of the bullies to the front of the bus with a single throw. This lands everyone in the principal’s office. There the bullies insist that they didn’t do anything and when Mattie accuses the principle of defending the wealthiest students over herself and Cheryl, the two girls find themselves suspended until further notice.
Soon, both Mattie and Cheryl are walking home from school, while Mattie isn’t concerned about her suspension Cheryl is mortified as to how she will tell her parents. That’s when they are both ambushed by Flesh, who has been stitched up all over her body and had her head shaved. Flesh reveals that she knows that Mattie is Spider-Woman, blowing her cover in front of Cheryl who was already suspicious about Mattie’s double-identity. While Mattie struggles with Flesh, she tells Cheryl to go and get help. Flesh then wraps herself around Mattie and then drags her into a nearby alley where Miss Itch and Mister Scratch are waiting. When Flesh lets go of Mattie, Mister Scratch blasts her with narcotic energy that knocks her out. When she wakes up, Mattie can’t see anything even though she has opened her eyes. Struggling to get off a table she suddenly realizes — to her horror — that she is inside Flesh and someone has sewen her foe’s eyes and mouth shut.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Woman, Flesh, Miss Itch, Mister Scratch, Marla Madison, Cheryl Lansing, Captain America
Continuity Notes
Flesh has been looking for her sister, Bone, ever since their bond was severed in Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #4. Although Bones seemingly perished, she will resurface in Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #16.
The bullies keep calling Mattie a witch. They have been teasing her about this since she secretly used her psychic spider-legs to trip them all in Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #5.
