Superior Foes of Spider-Man #13
Supposed to be Art
During a raid on the Chameleon’s hideout, Overdrive flees with a painting of Doctor Doom that the Owl hired them to collect. Only Boomerang knows that the painting is a fake.
Meanwhile, Mach-VII is out shopping for some new furnature when he gets a call from one of his Vil-Anon sponsors, Mirage. He is tied up in the Chameleon’s hideout and tells Abner how he slipped up and joined a gang. Mach-VII only becomes interested when he hears that Boomerang was said to be the leader. He asks Mirage for the address. In his hurry to get to the scene, Mach-VII accidentally shatters the glass on the shop’s automatic doors.
When Mach-VII arrives on the scene the police have already taped off the area. The hero is a little nervous when he hears that there are more than a dozen costumed villains in the Chameleon’s hideout and is reluctant to go in without police back-up, as the officers have union rules about these things. Luckily for Mach-VII the villains come out on their own and surrender. An EMT quickly rushes Mirage into an ambulance and drives off before Mach-VII can question him. This is because the “EMT” is actually the Chameleon in disguise. He begins threatening Mirage to reveal the name of his employer and is amused to hear that it is the Owl, someone who hates Boomerang as much as he does. At that same moment the Owl is in a fit of rage, pouring gasoline all over his hideout.
Meanwhile, the Beetle and Overdrive have fled into the sewers with the painting of Doctor Doom and are waiting for Boomerang to show up. He arrives just as the Beetle is finished telling Overdrive that their recent fling was a one-time thing. He is surprised they are waiting for him, but this is because he told them that he knew who could appraise the painting. Boomerang admits that he lied about that and tells them to follow him back to their safehouse.
While at the Shocker’s apartment, Hammerhead and his gang have arrived. They demand that the Shocker hand over the head of their boss, SIlvermane. The Shocker instantly begins fearing for his life and asks Silvermane — who he stuffed in a bowling bag — for advice. However, Silvermane has no advice because he thinks Hammerhead is nuts and only kept him around because he was good at killing. The Shocker decides to show them that he has Silvermane’s head and pleads with them not to kill him. Silvermane then speaks up and tells Hammerhead and his minions that the Shocker wants to be made the head of the Maggia. The Shocker begins freaking out because the mobsters downstairs are going to kill him. Silvermane admits that he doesn’t want to go back to the mob either and both run for cover when Hammerhead and his men begin opening fire.
When Silvermane suggests that they get out, the Shocker points out that there are no secret exits out of his apartment and that he avoids situations like this by not picking fights with lunatics like Hammerhead. The elderly cyborg gives the Shocker some inspiration when he suggests using his vibro-gauntlets to fly away. He quickly figures out the formula and then uses his gauntlets to launch himself and Silvermane out of the apartment and across the city. The sight of the Shocker getting away with his boss causes Hammerhead to start crying. That evening, the Shocker gets Silvermane to one of Boomerang’s “safe houses”, which is just a house that is being sat while the owner is on vacation in Tampa. With this downtime, Silvermane tells Herman is that his problem is that he lacks confidence and nobody respects him. Silvermane then offers to show the Shocker how to make a name for himself. That’s when Herman hears a noise and fears that someone is in the house with them and begins looking for a place to hide.
By this time, Boomerang, the Beetle, and Overdrive has stolen a taco truck and are using it to get to their safehouse. They are joined by Speed Demon who has just scouted ahead and reports that the coast is clear. When they arrive, Boomerang discovers that he doesn’t have the keys but this is a moot point when he finds the front door unlocked. As the Sinister Six enter the house, Boomerang is glad to have the gang back together. Little does he realize how true this is as the Shocker and Silvermane are hiding in one of the other rooms.
Recurring Characters
Sinister Six (Boomerang, Beetle, Overdrive, Shocker, Speed Demon), Mach-VII, Mirage, Hammerhead, Silvermane, Chameleon, Armadillo, Bi-Beast, Clown, Cyclone, Owl, Squid
