I Dwelt in Darkness, Dreaming

In order to learn more about the Shadowcaster, Mattie Franklin and Jessica Drew have paid a visit to the cluttered pawnshop of Morris Maxwell, who knows the answer to anything provided you ask him the right question. Mattie explains that Marris got his abilities from the same Gathering of Five ceremony that gave Mattie her spider-powers.[1] Unsure she can believe this, Jessica asks Morris to tell her who she is. This question causes Maxwell to have a seizure, but when he snaps out of it, he adequately recounts how she was the original Spider-Woman, how she got her powers from the High Evolutionary, and that she operated as a private eye in Madripoor until recently when her powers were stolen from her.[2] This convinces Jessica, but after having two seizures to tell them this information, Morris needs a moment to recuperate.

Meanwhile, at the New York Museum of Anthropology, the Egyptian exhibit is invaded by the Shadowcaster. He easily ambushes the guard thanks to his ability to become a disembodied shadow. There before a display of an Egyptian pharao, Shadowcaster resumes human form revealing that he has dressed himself up in a similar fashion. He then smashes the statue and takes it place on the mock throne. There, the scepter he is holding begins to glow with mystical energy.

At that same moment, Mattie Franklin and Jessica Drew are arriving at Shadowcaster’s home after asking Morris Maxwell where the villain lived. After breaking in they quickly discover that the house is empty. That’s when they are telepathically contacted by Madame Web who tells them that they are too late and Shadowcaster is making his move. She tells them she isn’t sure what Shadowcaster is doing, but whatever it is has caused a shockwave of psychic energy in the center of Manhattan. She warns them that whatever the source of Shadowcaster’s new power it is something very old and very evil. After changing into her Spider-Woman costume, Mattie flies back to the city as quickly as she can.

When she arrives at the museum she finds that the building is glowing from inside. Entering the building she is attacked by mannequins of Egyptian soldiers that Shadowcaster has brought to life with his spell. She then finds Shadowcaster making out with a female statue and smashes it. This infuriates Shadowcaster whose wrinkled face disturbs her. When the villain attempts to blast her with mystical energy from his scepter. Spider-Woman wrests it out of his hands and uses its power to shatter Shadowcaster’s throne. This stops the mystical glow in the room, prompting Shadowcaster to rip off his robes and merge with his shadow. The Shadowcaster manages to overpower Mattie and recover his scepter. With only moments to act, Spider-Woman realizes that Shadowcaster doesn’t become a shadow but makes himself invisible to the naked eye. She then gains the upper hand, forcing Shadowcaster to become visible again. Realizing that he has been defeated, Shadowcaster refuses to fight anymore and after pulling apart his necklace he disintegrates leaving behind a shadow on the ground.

Without any answers as to what this was all about, Spider-Woman races back to Long Island to see what Jessica has found at Shadowcaster’s home. There Jessica shows Mattie a number of diaries that she found. Only the last few are in English and they claim that Shadowcaster was born in ancient Egypt and was entombed alive. He sold his soul which is how he managed to live this long and escape from his tomb. However, Jessica dismisses this as the ravings of a madman. Later, back at home, Mattie is amused that J. Jonah Jameson is losing his temper over the lack of information about Shadowcasters attack on the museum. When he thinks about blaming it on Spider-Man, Mattie jokingly suggests that Spider-Woman was responsible, sending Jameson into another rage. As she leaves his study, Mattie tells Marla Madison that she is going to enjoy living with them.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Woman, Shadowcaster, Madame Web, Jessica Drew, J. Jonah Jameson, Marla Madison, Morris Maxwell

Continuity Notes

1. Gathering of the Five gets mentioned about as often in this title as Uncle Ben getting killed in regular Spider-Man titles. Check out Sensational Spider-Man #32-33, Amazing Spider-Man #440, Spider-Man #96, and Spectacular Spider-Man #262.

2. Morris Maxwell glosses over a fair amount of Spider-Woman history. The facts:

   • Jessica Drew indeed got her powers from the High Evolutionary as explained in Spider-Woman #1.

   • Jessica was the original Spider-Woman from Marvel Spotlight #32 until Avengers #241 when she retired her costumed identity.

   • She continued operating as a private eye and eventually moved to Madripoor in Wolverine (vol. 2) #2

   • Jessica last her powers after they were drained by Charlotte Witter, the evil Spider-Woman in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #5.