Corner Business

A drug dealer named Winston Shepherd is waiting on his street corner for potential customers. Soon, a kid who is going through withdrawal comes to purchase some drugs. Unfortunately for the boy, he doesn't have enough money to buy more. Suddenly, Spider-Man arrives on the scene. He tells the kid to beat it and get some medical help for his addictions. He then webs up Shepherd and dumps his drug supply, all the while his camera is snapping photos of the encounter. With Winston webbed up to a lamp post, the wall-crawler swings away and recovers his camera. The drug dealer wonders what he ever did for Spider-Man to get on his case. The wall-crawler doesn't respond, but he thinks about how he targeted this particular drug dealer because of his wife, Mary Jane.

It all started that morning when Mary Jane spotted her friend and fellow model, Lorraine Mandell. Lorraine was with Winston and apologizes for blowing off Mary Jane for their lunch date. Lorraine make up an excuse, and after introducing Mary Jane to Winston, she invites her friend up to her apartment. There, Mary Jane wonders where Lorraine has the energy to hustle like she does. Lorraine says she takes speed, but Mary Jane thinks that she is joking. A few minutes later, Mandell excuses herself to go to the bathroom. Suddenly, Mary Jane hears a crash from the bathroom and goes to see if Lorraine is okay. Seeing drugs on the floor, Mary Jane realizes that Lorraine wasn't joking about the drugs. Lorraine is feeling sick and MJ suggests that they go to a hospital, but Lorraine refuses, telling her friend to bring her to bed instead. Meanwhile, Peter Parker is meeting with Kate Cushing at the Daily Bugle, looking for a photo assignment. That's when the phone rings for him, it's Mary Jane and she tells him how Lorraine is in trouble and he rushes out of the building. Changing into Spider-Man, Peter swings down to Lorraine's neighborhood.

Changing back into his civilian guise, Peter is soon in Lorraine's apartment. He and Mary Jane try to explain her the dangers of doing drugs and suggest that she go to a drug rehabilitation program. Lorraine explains that she tried that already, but it was too expensive and didn't help. When they suggest a state-run facility, Lorraine refuses this as well, saying it is pointless. However, the Parkers refuse to give up and insist on getting her help. Outside of the bedroom, Mary Jane points out Lorraine's drug dealer from the window and tells him to go after the dealer as Spider-Man, as getting the police involved won't be a strong enough deterrent to get rid of the dope pusher. Peter caves in and leaves as Spider-Man, intending to come back at night to give Winston a visit. Meanwhile, Mary Jane keeps trying to call various facilities to see if they can take Lorraine in, but the lines are all busy. Lorraine once more tells MJ to forget it, however, she refuses to give up on her friend and decides that they will show up in person the next day. Later, Peter returns to the Daily Bugle and pitches an idea about tailing a drug dealer for a Bugle story. Kate thinks this would be dangerous, but tells him to get on it. This is what brought Spider-Man to the street corner to confront Winston that night.

Returning home, Peter discovers that Mary Jane is not home yet and calls Lorraine's house. He learns that Mary Jane is still there and had decided to stay the night to keep an eye on her friend. Peter tries to convince her that she can't force Lorraine to go to rehab, she has to want to go herself. Mary Jane tells him to worry about Winston, while she deals with her friend. Peter explains that he gave Winston a good scare as Spider-Man but also tagged him with a spider-tracer so he can continue to harass him and force him to leave. The next day, Spider-Man finds Winston in the Village trying to sell drugs there. Once again, Spider-Man catches him, discards his drugs and warns him to get out of town. In a panic, Winston goes to a payphone to call his supplier, Sal, and that he needs to get more supply. Concerned that Spider-Man might follow Winston, he tells him to take the subway to the drop location, thinking that Spider-Man won't be able to follow him there. While at a rehab facility, Mary Jane is frustrated with the amount of time she and Lorraine have had to wait. They are told to fill out some paperwork and that there is a long wait list for treatment that could take up to six months. Mary Jane is upset because Lorraine needs help right away.

Meanwhile, Winston arrives at the drop and recovers the drugs from a trash can. No sooner does he have it, Spider-Man gets the drop on him again and dumps the drugs. Once more, Spider-Man warns the drug dealer to leave town. Getting desperate for money, Winston continues to try to sell his drugs, but Spider-Man is there every time, scaring away his customers away. At the same time, Mary Jane and Lorraine go from facility to facility, finding that none of the free clinics have any room. Giving up on these, Mary Jane decides to take Lorraine to the Mount Vernon Drug Rehabilitation Center. There, they learn that they can take Lorraine right away, however, she will have to be at the facility for eighteen months and it will cost a great deal of money. Since Lorraine allowed her health insurance to lapse, she gives up and storms out of the facility. Taking a cab, Mary Jane suggests that Lorraine get help from her parents. However, Lorraine explains that her parents didn't approve of her going to New York to become a model and is mortified about asking them for money to go to rehab. Still, Mary Jane still isn't ready to give up yet. In another cab, nearby, Winston is having a cab driver zig-zag across town in the hopes he can lose Spider-Man and make some money.

Later, Mary Jane drops Lorraine at home and tells her to hang tight before leaving. As soon as Mary Jane is gone, Lorraine decides to leave her apartment, unable to take her addictions anymore. Meanwhile, Spider-Man continues to track Winston through the city. Along the way, he worries that Mary Jane is going overboard trying to help Lorraine. In the warehouse district, Winston goes to the drug lab owned by Sal to ask for help. Sal is furious that Winston would come when Spider-Man has been following him all over the city. Drawing a gun, Sal shoots Winston. Hearing the gunshots from outside, Spider-Man realizes that he is too late and comes crashing through the window. Sal and his men begin opening fire on the wall-crawler. At that moment, Mary Jane returns to Lorraine's apartment with good news: she was able to get some people in the fashion industry to get the money together so she can get help. Unfortunately, Lorraine is still gone, so Mary Jane decides to wait for her to come back. Back at the warehouse, Spider-Man easily knocks out Sal and his men. He then approaches Winston, who wants to know why the hero was harassing him. Spider-Man explains that he was after him for what he had done to Lorraine. Surprisingly, Winston doesn't know who Lorraine is and dies from his wounds. Although Winston won't hook anyone on drugs again, Spider-Man feels dirty about the whole ordeal. Still, he snaps the photos he needs for the Daily Bugle.

Getting the photos developed, Peter turns them into Kate Cushing who is impressed by the whole series of photos. She thinks that the pictures a Pulitzer material, but Peter isn't exactly pleased with the prospect. Going back to Lorraine's apartment, Peter finds Mary Jane standing outside in tears. She explains that Lorraine was found in an alley after having a drug overdose and she was rushed to the hospital, although the doctors don't think her chances are very good. She tells Peter that she called Lorraine's parents and that they are coming out to look after her. Still, she feels like there was ore she could have done. Soon, Peter and Mary Jane head for the hospital to see Lorraine. Not long after they have left, a cab pulls up on a street corner and a new drug dealer gets out and begins working the corner.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Kate Cushing, Lorraine Mandell

Continuity Notes

• Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by the demon Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. In the new timeline they are engaged but unmarried.