Amazing Spider-Man #123

Issue Details

Synopsis

...JUST A MAN CALLED CAGE! The police and the press have come to the scene of Spider-Man's final battle with the Green Goblin. J. Jonah Jameson and Joe Robertson arrive and see Norman Osborn's body being taken out of the warehouse. Someone has secretly removed the Green Goblin's costume, leaving everyone (especially Jameson) to believe that Spider-Man murdered Norman Osborn. Leaving the scene in his limo, Jameson begins to contemplate how he can capture Spider-Man when he finds an advertisement for Luke Cage's Hero for Hire business.  Three days later is Gwen Stacy's funeral, everyone is there (except Jameson) to pay their respects to Peter, especially Mary Jane who takes Peter out for coffee after. While at the Manhattan office of Luke Cage, J. Jonah Jameson sees as Cage tosses out a rude potential client. Jameson offers Cage his next job: For five thousand dollars, Jameson wants Spider-Man captured dead or alive.   As Spider-Man web-slings through the city, puzzling over his feelings and over who could have removed the Green Goblin costume from Osborn's body, he's attacked by Luke Cage. After a brief battle across the city, Spider-Man gets the upper hand, and Luke vows to get him because he needs the money. Spider-Man returns home, and changes back to Peter Parker and is shocked to find Harry Osborn at home. When Peter asks why he isn't at his father's estate, Harry can only angrily glare at him.   Later, when Peter is dragged out to a school concert by Mary Jane, it is interrupted by Luke Cage, who bursts in calling out a challenge to Spider-Man (not sure if the wall-crawler is really there, but hoping that since he's frequently seen around Empire State University he may be in the crowd.) Sure enough, Peter slips away and changes into Spider-Man to battle Luke Cage.   During their fight, Spider-Man finally gets through to Luke Cage, and the two find a camaraderie, in that they both initially got into super-heroing to make money, and that they have both been treated as outlaws. Later, Luke Cage pays a visit to J. Jonah Jameson and literally stuffs his money down his throat. Back at the concert, Peter has changed back into his civilian identity, and he and Mary Jane call it a night, Peter telling her that after talking with someone he realized that he's not really alone dealing with his problems after all.