Amazing Spider-Man #286

Issue Details

Synopsis

GANG WAR PART 3 - THY FATHER'S SON! When Spider-Man prevented the Punisher from killing representatives of the various mobs at war in the city, the wall-crawler found himself doused with knock out gas. As the hero recovers from the gas, members of the NYPD arrive on the roof. While on the street below, the Rose and his lieutenants are in a nearby alley trying to find a means to escape. In order to distract the police, the Rose calls in the Hobgoblin who dive bombs the officers allowing the Rose and his men to escape in their limo. Meanwhile, back on the roof, Spider-Man webs up the police officers and tries to make his escape down the side of the building. However, as he attempts this move, he is caught under the spotlight of a police helicopter. Spider-Man leaps to safety and as he flees the scene he realizes that if he hadn't stopped the Punisher, the gang war would have been over. However, taking a rest in an alley, Spider-Man admits that he couldn't have let the Punisher murder, anyone, even criminals.  The following morning, Lance Bannon is at a police precinct waiting for Sargent Tork to come out so they can get to work together. While in Washington Square Park, Richard Fisk is reading the newspaper on a park bench after riding his bike. He is interrupted by a woman named Dina who needs help fixing a flat tire on her bike. When she begins hitting on him, Richard eventually relents and agrees to go for coffee with the woman. There they get to talking about the ongoing gang war. Fisk tells Dina that he believes that someone on the inside could take control of the city mobs and make a real difference. When Dina asks what would stop that person from becoming a criminal themselves, Richard believes the strength of character will prevent that. Impressed with what Richard has said, Dina asks him to take her home.   Meanwhile, Spider-Man wakes up in the alley he hunkered down in and realizes that he slept for eleven hours. Still too groggy for web-slinging, the wall-crawler is forced to take a city bus, much to his humiliation. When Spider-Man finally gets home, he discovers that Mary Jane Watson is still there waiting for him. When she asks him where he had been all night, the hero explains the previous evening's incident. Although he saved lives, Peter feels bad about it since they are criminals. When Peter decides to take a shower, Mary Jane insists that he needs some cheering up and sneaks a peak of him as he is getting undressed, much to Peter's embarrassment. Meanwhile, Sargent Tork and Lance Bannon are meeting with a reformed crook named "Honest" Vinnie at a used car lot. Vinnie needs to talk to Tork, alone and takes him downstairs. There, Vinnie tells Tork that there is going to be a meeting that night in Jackson Heights. It was called together by the Rose, and the intent is to broker a treaty. When Tork leaves, Lance is upset that he has to cancel his evening plans in order to get this exclusive.   While at his Greenwich Village loft, Richard Fisk thinks about what he can do to stop this gang war. That's when Dina comes out of the shower and is amazed by how expensive this loft must be. Richard explains that his father is incredibly wealthy, thanks to crime. He goes on to explain that he has been working on the inside to take down his father's empire. When Dina asks if this makes Richard a criminal, Fisk explains that while he deals with criminals, he himself have never committed a crime. When she asks if he killed anyone before, he tells her that it wasn't anyone who didn't deserve it. That's when he gets a call from Mr. Varley to inform him of the evening plans. Meanwhile, back at Peter Parker's apartment, the weary hero has fallen asleep on the couch next to Mary Jane. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door, and Mary Jane answers it. It's Lance Bannon seeking to pawn off his hot lead on to Peter Parker. While she is discussing things with Lance, the phone begins to ring, waking up Peter. It's Matt Murdock, who asks Peter that they need to meet. Peter dismisses the call, and when he asks Mary Jane who was at the door, Mary Jane keeps the truth from him, shoving the details about the gangland meeting in her back pocket. Later that evening, Richard Fisk pays another visit to his mother. When he tells Vanessa about the woman he met, his is surprised to discover that his mother is lucid once more and remembers who he is. The doctor comes in just as she falls asleep again and he tells Richard that she comes and go. When Richard leaves, the doctor scolds her and decides to increase her medication.   Later, in Forest Hills, Peter Parker has paid a visit to his Aunt May in order to get away from Mary Jane. This also allows Peter to kill time while he waits to meet with Murdock before the midnight meeting with the cities crime bosses. Meanwhile, Sgt. Tork is staking out the bowling alley where the mob bosses are expected to meet. Suddenly, the Hobgoblin and Jack O'Lantern attack the bowling alley who warn the leaders of the Blue Boys gang that they have come in advance as security, warning the rival gang that they will be killed at the first sign of treachery. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is waiting atop Verrazano-Narrows Bridge waiting for Daredevil. He begins to worry about why Murdock is running late. At that moment, Richard Fisk is running late for the meeting. When Dina asks what's taking him so long, he tells her that he went to visit his mother and he isn't feeling in the mood to deal with this. When Richard asks if Dina will be there when he gets back, she decides he might. Meanwhile, back at the bowling alley, Tork begins shouting at the guards around the bowling alley. When they open fire with a rocket launcher, Tork orders his men to make their move. At that moment, Spider-Man calls his apartment and asks Mary Jane if Matt Murdock called. She tells him about the gang violence in Jackson Heights. She then admits to him that Lance Bannon came by with the tip and she hid it from Peter.   Hearing this, Spider-Man heads to Jackson Heights, however, there is nowhere he can web-sling to get there. When he asks some police officers to give him a lift, at first they don't want anything to do with it until news of the gang violence reaches them as well and they as for the wall-crawler's help. Meanwhile, The Rose and his men arrive at the bowling alley to discover that it is a war zone. As Mr. Varley and Johnson provide cover fire, the Rose is still struck by some bullets. Merely winged, the Rose begins to panic and flees the scene, hating the idea of being treated like a common crook. That's when Spider-Man arrives on the scene, prompting the Hobgoblin to order Jack O'Lantern to help him attack Spider-Man. However, Jack has no intentions of fighting the wall-crawler and leaves. Hobgoblin attacks the hero, Spider-Man fights off the Hobgoblin. This convinces him that the villain is not Flash Thompson, and is through fighting with him. Knocking the villain away, the wall-crawler tells him that he came to save lives and if the Hobgoblin wants to try and kill him now would be his chance. Surprisingly, the Hobgoblin retreats instead. While Spider-Man is helping firefighters pull people out from the nearby burning buildings, the Rose flees down an alley. The Rose runs into a rookie police officer who orders him to flee. Not wanting to be captured, the Rose fires his gun.   Much later, an exhausted Peter Parker returns home to Mary Jane who is proud of Peter for all the lives he saved that night. Peter is just glad that nobody died this evening while he was there. Unfortunately, this idea is crushed when a news report about the Rose killing a rookie police officer is reported on the news. As the report is being told, Richard Fisk returns home to find Dina waiting for him. Still wounded, he tells Dina to get him a doctor and rests on her side. However, the pair realize that because the Rose killed someone, this changes the whole situation.