Nothing to Fear

Spider-Man has stumbled upon a robbery at a railroad switching yard begin committed by two brothers named Willy and Gunther. Spider-Man leaps into action to try and stop them. Spooked, Gunther tries to shoot the wall-crawler, who easily dodges them thanks to his spider-sense. The bullets strike some canisters of chemical waste which douses the masked hero. While Spider-Man is disorientated, Willy and Gunther make a break for it. Spider-Man manages to web up Gunther and corners Willy. Willy begs Spider-Man not to web him up, explaining that he has a wife and children and that his brother Gunther forced him to assist him in his crimes. Spider-Man discovers that he feels sorry for the guy and decides to let Willy go, but warns him to keep his nose clean. As Spider-Man swings off with Gunther, Willy gloats over the fact that he tricked Spider-Man with pictures taken from a wallet he stole earlier that day.

The next day, Peter tries to sell his photos to the Daily Bugle, but Joe Robertson turns them down because they are too dark. Joe notices that Peter doesn't look well and asks him what's wrong. Peter isn't sure, but something is giving him a headache. As they leave Joe's office, they both catch a news broadcast where a famine relief charity that was threatened by some masked crooks the day before. Even though they are wearing stockings on their faces, Peter recognizes the two thieves as the men he confronted the night before and rushes off. Changing into Spider-Man, Spider-Man begins trying to track down the thieves. He goes to a nearby dive bar and begins asking the bartender if she might know who Willy is. When some of the patrons pull out guns and threaten the wall-crawler, his spider-sense goes off. However, this time, his warning sense causes him a great deal of pain. Spider-Man is about to get beaten up by the thugs when some police officers arrive on the scene, scaring them off. As the officer questions the bartender, Spider-Man recovers from a strange headache and departs from the scene. Upon a nearby rooftop, Spider-Man wonders what is wrong with him.

While in the Bowery, Willy frantically packs his bags hoping he can get out of town before his brother Gunther is released by the police. Unfortunately, Gunther is already out and has been waiting for his brother to return home. Gunther tries to shoot his brother, but Willy flees outside. There he tries to get away in his car, but the engine won't start. He thinks he is saved when a police officer pulls up. Unfortunately, the cop tells Willy that he is illegally parked and tells him to move his vehicle before driving off. Getting out of his car, Willy is confronted by Gunther, who tells his brother that he isn't going to kill him outright, as he wants to make some sport out of it and lets Willy flee. While in Chelsea, Peter worries that the change to his spider-sense is permanent. To test this out, Peter blindfolds himself and tries to walk around his apartment. As expected, his spider-sense kicks in to warn him of nearby obstacles, however, each time he is struck with painful headaches. Realizing that he is effectively crippled, an exhausted Peter Parker passes out from the pain. While Peter sleeps, Joe Robertson tries to call him to tell Peter about a strange advertisement that was published in the Daily Bugle. An anonymous message asking Spider-Man for help and asking to meet where the wall-crawler gave the writer a second chance.

Meanwhile, Willy stops at a diner to eat but finds that his brother is still on his trail and flees. Back in Chelsea, Peter wakes up and discovers the message for Spider-Man in the Bugle. At first, he doesn't want to risk his life to save a lowlife crook, but then remembers the charity money and how it could be a great help to the poor. Unable to shirk his responsibility, Peter changes into Spider-Man and heads to the switching yard where he first met Willy and Gunther. At the yard, Willy continues to flee from his brother and seeks cover in a rail tunnel. There he bumps into Spider-Man and is grateful that the hero answered his call. Unfortunately, when Gunther arrives and prepares to shoot the wall-crawler, his spider-sense strikes him with another jolt of pain. Although he is at Gunther's mercy, Spider-Man is saved by the passing of a train that puts an obstacle between the two. As Spider-Man recovers from the pain, Gunther finally corners his brother and preparing to fire. To try and stop him, Spider-Man constructs a dummy out of webbing and tossing it between the two brothers. Because it is dark in the tunnel, Gunther thinks this is Spider-Man and empties his gun into the webbing. With his gun out of bullets, Gunther is easily subdued by Spider-Man. Willy tries to make a break for it, but Spider-Man catches him and convinces him to return the stolen charity money. He then catches a news report about Willy and Gunther, who were arrested and being arranged in the next week. This news is followed by an editorial by J. Jonah Jameson who protests the plans to build a nuclear facility on Staten Island, warning that radiation creates "menaces" like Spider-Man. Amused by this latest tirade, Peter says "goodnight" to Jonah and turns off the television.

The next day, Peter Parker once more tests out his spider-sense in his apartment and finds that things have returned to normal.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson

Continuity Notes

• This is a fill-in story that takes place in prior to the events of Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #88.