Spider-Woman (vol. 5) #6

Dec 23

Dec 23 Spider-Woman (vol. 5) #6

The criminal known as the Porcupine is upset that he has been kept a prisoner overnight at Spider-Woman’s apartment, particularly since some is threatening his daughter if he doesn’t steal enough money. However, Jessica insists that she will keep him safe and tells him to stop bitching.[1] She goes over a file compiled by Ben Urich about the missing family members of super-villains. However, she can’t understand who would blackmail a bunch of c-list super-villains to commit bank robberies. She points out that there is usually an end game with kidnapping and figures this has more to do than money.

She keeps trying to pump the Porcupine for information but all he knows is that he gets phone calls from the person who has his daughter. He gets to hear her voice for a bit before being given instructions on how much to rob next. Breaking down in tears again, Roger tells her that he keeps doing it because his daughter is all he has. Jessica corrects him by saying that he has Spider-Woman on his side and takes off to investigate this further, leaving the Porcupine tied to her apartment radiator. Outside, Jessica soon takes off on her motorcycle unaware that someone has been watching her apartment. Inside, Roger is still complaining about being tired to the radiator when the person casing the place starts breaking in.

Spider-Woman soon arrives in the Bronx where she tracks down Señor Suerte, the husband of one of the missing women, at a fried chicken place.[2] He freely admits that he just robbed the place and didn’t pay for his meal, but asks to be allowed to finish eating first. Spider-Man agrees as long as Suerte answers her questions. When she asks him when the last time he spoke with is wife. Señor Suerte denies his wife is missing and when Jessica presses him further, he spins the wheel of death on his chest and warns her to get going before the wheel stops spinning and powers his gloves with lethal charges of electricity. Seeing she is getting nowhere with him, Spider-Woman slams Suerte’s head on a table until he is knocked out and leaves.

Spider-Woman then travels to Queens where she catches Big Wheel trying to steal a pair of alpacas. When she asks why he is stealing alpacas, Big Wheel says that breeding them can make a fortune. As she tries questioning him about his missing girlfriend, Big Wheel also denies anything. That’s when Jessica’s phone begins to receive a stream of text messages. A screened caller is sending her texts telling her that nobody is going to talk and tells her to go to a specific address for answers. Seeing that this is just another dead end, Spider-Woman sets the alpacas free and takes off on her motorcycle.

Jessica soon arrives outside a foreboding looking building down by the docks. As she drives up to the building, she has to bail off her bike as a car tries to run into her. As it turns out, the driver is Ben Urich who was trying to stop Jessica from falling into a trap. Moments later, the front door to the building slams shut, and then the building suddenly explodes. Jessica thanks Urich for saving her life and learns that the building was once co-owned by the Mauler and the Tinkerer. Seeing how deep this is going, Jessica finally agrees to help Urich solve the mystery. That’s when she discovers that the Porcupine is in the back seat of Ben’s car. As it turned out, Urich broke into her office and freed him and, as it turns out, Roger wants to help out as well.

Back at Jessica’s office, she, Ben, and Roger all put their heads together to try and figure out who is behind the kidnappings. She decides the best way to find out is for the Porcupine to go back out and commit another robbery. She figures that another robbery will cause the person communicating with Roger to possibly slip up. They then begin setting things up unaware that the Porcupine’s mask has been rigged with a hidden camera and the person making the ransom demands is watching.

Later that evening, Jessica is disguised as the Porcupine and commits a robbery. Waiting in a nearby car are Ben Urich, and Roger who, for some reason, is dressed in Jessica’s old Spider-Woman costume. With the safe in hand, Jessica gets a text message ordering the “Porcupine” to drop it in the back of a nearby garbage truck. That’s when Jessica is ambushed by Señor Suerte, the Mauler, Kangaroo, Big Wheel, and Gold Bug. They know that the “Porcupine” squealed and beat him into seeming unconsciousness. They then haul “Porcupine” into the subway where they toss “him” into a train that will bring “him” to the person who has kidnapped their family members. None of these villains are aware that it’s actually Spider-Woman wearing th costume and she smiles when he hears that everything is going according to her plans.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Woman, Porcupine, Ben Urich, Señor Suerte, Big Wheel, Mauler, Kangaroo, Goldbug, Cyclone, Cat (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

Jessica mentions that her office/apartment is down the hall from She-Hulk’s law office. She-Hulk moved into the building in She-Hulk (vol. 3) #1.
It’s interesting to note that Señor Suerte died when he was last seen in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #11. As of this writing (December 2020), there is no explanation as to how he managed to cheat death.