A Subtle Shade of Green

J. Jonah Jameson has called a meeting of his staff to show them news reports of a wild animal that has been terrorizing people in Connecticut. Jonah tells Peter Parker that he wants him to join Betty Brant and take photos while she covers the story. Peter is surprised because he thought Betty joined up with Jameson Publications to be Jonah's secretary. She explains that Jonah thought she had proven herself as a reporter and gave her this assignment. Before they leave, Joe Robertson pulls Peter aside to talk to him. Peter fears the worse since Joe has been critical of him after an ethical slight.[1] At that moment, at the Cyber-Biokinetic Institute of Greater New York, Armand Jones also catches the news story about the wild animal. He believes that this could be just the thing to test out his new Biokinetic Energy Absorber. Armand has based the invention on notes provided by his brother Ricardo, who had built a similar device to steal the powers of the Fantastic Four's Thing. However, his brother disappeared shortly thereafter, and Armand believes that the Fantastic Four had killed his brother.[2] He hopes to perfect the device so he can get revenge for his brother.

While back at Jameson Publications, Joe Robertson apologizes to Peter for how he has been treating him, and that he recently learned an important lesson in forgiveness. Peter is happy to hear it and the long time colleagues bury the hatchet.[3] While in Connecticut, state police have gathered on the Merritt Parkway where the alleged wild animal had been spotted. They soon see a large figure falling out of the sky. As they try to identify it, they narrowly avoid being crushed under the feet of the Hulk, who is carrying Betty Banner. Seeing that the Hulk has a woman in his arms, the officers held their fire as the Hulk leaps away. As they flee the scene, Betty convinces the Hulk to hide out in a nearby ice house so they can be safe from the authorities. Inside, Betty manages to convince the Hulk to calm down enough to cause the gamma-spawned brute to revert back into Bruce Banner. Disorientated from the episode, Bruce is comforted by his wife, who assures Banner that she will never leave him to face the Hulk alone again.

While in Queens, Kristy Watson has completely recovered from her heart attack triggered by her eating disorder.[4] After saying goodbye to her doctor and the other patients, Kristy leaves with her cousin Mary Jane. Mary Jane tells Kristy that her parents are still in Paris on business and that Kristy can stay in New York until they return. She also reveals that the Osborns have asked that Kristy work as a live-in babysitter for their son Normie. When they meet up with Liz Osborn and her son, Kristy happily accepts the job. When Liz makes a comment about romance being important to a marriage, it gets Mary Jane begins to worry that a lack of romance may be what is making Jason Jerome so attractive to her.[5]

Meanwhile, Betty Brant and Peter Parker are en route to the wild animal sightings. Along the way, Betty explains that she decided to start a new career after the death of her husband Ned Leeds and her subsequent nervous breakdown.[6] They soon hit a police barricade are ordered to turn around. Peter tells Betty that he is going to poke around to get photos at the scene, but in reality, it allows him to get away and change into Spider-Man. Suspecting that there is something more going on, the wall-crawler finds a set of jeep tracks in the woods and decides to follow them. The jeep in question is being driven by Armande Jones who has been tracking the "wild animal" since discovering that it has been giving off gamma radiation. His device brings him to the ice house where Bruce and Betty Banner are slumbering. When he uses his biokinetic absorption device on Banner, he drains away some of his strength. However, this doesn't stop a transformation into the Hulk. The Hulk swats Armand away, but before he can harm the scientist further, Spider-Man comes crashing through the window. As the two battle it out, the floor gives weight under the combined weight of the two combatants sending them crashing to the floor below.[7]

Both Betty and Armand fall down the hole, and that is when Betty discovers that Armand is dead. As Spider-Man and the Hulk struggles, Spider-Man is sent reeling back into Betty who is holding onto Armand's device. The device jolts Spider-Man, stunning him long enough for the Hulk to hit Spider-Man with enough force he goes crashing through the wall and into a pond outside. The Hulk leaps in after him. Betty waits at the water's edge as the brute beats the wall-crawler seemingly to death. The Hulk then grabs Betty and leaps away, leaving her wondering if the Hulk had killed the wall-crawler. However, Spider-Man survived, and after crawling himself out of the water Spider-Man assures himself that the fight was worth it as he got photos of the entire brawl. All in all, Spider-Man will recover, however, he is mildly bothered by how itch his back has become.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Hulk, Betty Ross, Mary Jane Watson, Kristy Watson, Liz Osborn, Normie Osborn

Continuity Notes

1. Joe Robertson took issue that Peter "faked" a photo of Spider-Man for a Daily Bugle photo in Web of Spider-Man #63.

2. Ricardo stole the Thing's powers in Fantastic Four #53. He was not killed by the Fantastic Four however, he willingly sacrificed his life to save Reed Richards from the Negative Zone.

3. Mention is made of Joe failing to report a murder committed by Tombstone. That happened 20 years ago as seen in The Spectacular Spider-Man #139.

4. Kristy has been staying at the Queens Medical Center since suffering a heart attack in Web of Spider-Man #53 when it was revealed she was bulimic.

5. 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. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here. At the time of this story, actor Jason Jerome has been trying to seduce Mary Jane starting in The Spectacular Spider-Man #166.

6. Ned Leeds was murdered in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1. The death had a negative impact on Betty's mental health until Web of Spider-Man #63.

7. Spider-Man is surprised to see the Hulk. At the time of this story, the Hulk was believed to have been killed in Incredible Hulk #245.