Web of Spider-Man #27

Issue Details

Synopsis

SCARED TO SUCCEED! At the murder trial of Lee Camino, the jury is shown a television commercial produced by the car manufacturer for Sterling Motors. In the ad, Camino gives an impassioned speech about creating jobs in the automotive industry in America in the face of a flood of import cars. Featured in the advertisement is an endorsement Anthony Deandri, his friend and famous race car driver. Deandri is also that victim that Camino is alleged to have murdered. After viewing the video, the prosecution rests and leaves the verdict to the jury. Two hours later, Lee Camino is released and announces to the gathered press that he was found not guilty. Among the members of the press are Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich and photographer Peter Parker. Although Camino was found innocent, Peter wonders how this will help save his failing car company as his workers are on strike. As Camino makes his way to his limo, he denies knowing who really killed his friend. However, he thinks about he witnessed his friend being decapitated by a massive man with an equally large ax. Getting into his vehicle, Lee spots the man among the crowd and panics, orders his drive to floor it. Peter wonders what could have made Camino panic like that when he sees the massive man standing next to him. Suspecting something might be up, Peter snaps a photo of the man. Furious at having his photo taken, the man crushes Peter's camera with his bare hands and walks away. Thinking that there is something more going on, Peter manages to tag the brute with a spider-tracer.   Later, Camino's limo pulls up at his home, where he considers the appearance of the Headhunter was a warning. Entering his home, Lee sees that his son Danny is cleaning up so they can celebrate his court victory. Lee brushes his son off to see the news about the ongoing strike. However, the news is not good as the labor negotiations are still stalled and Sterling Motors is still facing potential bankruptcy. That's when Danny finds a contract from Executive Services, Inc. in the trash. He questions a clause that requires Lee to turn over his son should his business fail. Camino assures the boy that the contract is nothing and retreats to his office. Fearing for his son's safety, Lee puts a call in to increase security around his home. However, when he goes to check on Danny, he discovers the boy has been kidnapped. Looking out the window, he sees that the guards he already has on place have been murdered. In a panic, Lee races down to his car and speeds off. He calls his assistant and tells them to restart talks with the union and give them everything they ask for.    Meanwhile, Peter Parker has returned to his apartment and changes into Spider-Man so he can track the Headhunter. At that moment, at the offices of Executive Services, the Headhunter draws a chalk square around the chair Danny is sitting on. He warns the boy that if he crosses that line, the boy will die. While on the penthouse floor, Lee Camino meets with the head of ESI. He demands that his son be released, but the head of the company reminds him of the contract he signed. Lee Camino admits that he read the entire contract and signed it, he thought the clause where the company takes his first born and Camino's life was a joke. However, ESI was serious about the 100% success clause in the contract. As the contract deadline looms, Lee tells them to turn on the television as proof that he is back on track. Unfortunately, the news broadcast reports that the union has walked out of talks yet again. The head of the company tells his men to bring Lee down to the basement so the last thing he sees before he dies is his son Danny.   At that moment, Spider-Man has traced the signal of his spider-tracer to the offices of ESI. Climbing down into the ventilation system he happens upon Lee Camino being led to his death. The wall-crawler comes to his rescue, knocking out all the guards. He is then told that his son Danny is in the hands of the Headhunter. Entering the next room, Spider-Man learns that the entire room has been boobytrapped. He tells Lee to stay put while he tries to cross the room from the ceiling. This is observed by the Headhunter who activates some explosives. When the some of the guards come rushing in, they are killed in the resulting explosion. The room is also rigged for sound and the explosion is amplified through massive speakers. The deafening blast bowls Spider-Man over. It also shakes loose a filing cabinet which falls on Danny's leg. Spider-Man rushes to Danny's aid, but the Headhunter activates all the death traps in the room. Even though the deafening roar from the speakers are disorientating him, the wall-crawler. When a fire starts, Lee rushes to his son's aid. Noticing that the filing cabinet trapping his son is full of bonds that could help save his company, however, he resists the urge in order to save his son. Lifting the filing cabinet off of the boy, he then grabs the file drawer full of bond and hurls it at the boobytrapped exit door.   Meanwhile, the Headhunter has used flares to blind the Spider-Man to give him an edge in battle. He promises the wall-crawler that he will chop off the heroes head and join it to his collection. However, Spider-Man's spider-sense allows him to leap out of the way of his ax and lands a knockout punch that sends the Headhunter crashing into the shelf that holds jars of severed heads. With the building catching fire, Spider-Man carries the Headhunter out of the building. Meanwhile, the head of ESI escapes in a helicopter. Seeing the blazing office building, he considers this only a minor setback to the goals of his business. In the aftermath, Lee Camino realizes that his job is not worth the life of his son. When Spider-Man asks Camino what happened, the businessman tells the wall-crawler that it is a long story.   A few days later, Peter Parker is still thinking about the situation when he returns home from grocery store. When he turns on the television, he sees the new commercial for Sterling Motors. This is a complete change from his past commercials as it focuses on his family.