Web of Spider-Man #59

Issue Details

Synopsis

WITH GREAT POWER Peter Parker is brooding on the roof of his Soho apartment when he is joined by his wife Mary Jane. Peter tells his wife that he feels like he is losing his mind. He tells her how he was just an average superhero until he was jolted with an overloading energy field and now he has more power than he thinks he could ever control.  Mary Jane assures Peter that he is still the man that she loves, and that no matter how much power he has, he will always use it responsibly. When she suggests that he come downstairs to talk about it, Peter tells her that he needs to get to the Daily Bugle for a meeting in ten minutes. Putting on his Spider-Man mask, Peter then swings off. Mary Jane wishes her husband would think about how he worries how his decisions affect others when he should be more concerned with himself.   Elsewhere, Doctor Doom is carrying on his scheme in the Acts of Vengeance conspiracy. He has tracked down Titania who escaped from the Vault along with many other supervillains during the Wizard's jailbreak.  Titania hopes that Doom wants her to battle She-Hulk again, but Doom tells her that she was soundly defeated by her last time they fought.  Doctor Doom explains that they are pairing villains up against foes that have not battled with them before. He points out his own constant defeats against the Fantastic Four, reminding Titania of her own failed attempt at battling the heroes. Doom tells her that she will be targeting Spider-Man. However, Titania still has an irrational fear of the hero after their last clash.  Using a device to alter Titania's emotions, Doctor Doom convinces her that Spider-Man is much weaker than she is and that he must have somehow tricked her when he beat her in battle. Her fear becoming rage, Titania vows to crush Spider-Man with her bare hands. As she leaves, Doctor Doom muses over his ulterior motives, that the battle between Spider-Man and Titania will allow him to further examine Spider-Man's new powers so he can figure out how to take them for himself.   While at the Daily Bugle, the staff has a meeting with Thomas Fireheart, the new owner of the newspaper.  He tells them that the Daily Bugle is changing their editorial policy regarding Spider-Man, saying that from now on they will only be reporting on the wall-crawler in a positive light. When Peter Parker arrives, he bumps into Nick Katzenberg, who is less than enthusiastic to see Peter Parker. Meanwhile, Kate Cushing is accusing Fireheart of being as biased as J. Jonah Jameson was, telling him that they need to maintain balanced journalism. Thomas is intrigued by what Kate has to say and invites her into his office so they can discuss it further. Joy Mercado and Peter comment on the difference between Fireheart and Jonah. Nick Katzenberg adds his own two cents, complaining about Fireheart being a sellout. While he is ranting, Joy grabs his envelope of photographs and finds a number of pictures of Cynthia Bernhammer, the Daily Bugle's legal counsel who is defending Joe Robertson.  Seeing that Nick has feelings for the lawyer, both Peter and Joy tease him about it.   Suddenly, Peter's spider-sense begins going off and Titania comes crashing into the office demanding to know where Spider-Man is. As she rampages across the office, Peter sneaks into a dark room to change into Spider-Man. Hearing the commotion outside, Thomas Fireheart knocks out Kate Cushing so he can change into the Puma. Outside, Titania is threatening Nick Katzenberg, demanding that he tell her where she can find Spider-Man. That's when the Puma tries to attack her but Titania knocks him out the window. However, Spider-Man is outside to catch the Puma and safely deposits him on a nearby rooftop. Distracted, the wall-crawler is grabbed by the throat by Titania. Spider-Man struggles to get free, sending both he and Titania falling out of the building to the ground below. They crash through the street, both surviving the fall, but Spider-Man is quickly knocked out onto the street. Spider-Man can hardly believe that he survived a 30-story fall and how he has been able to shrug off Titania's brutal attacks. As he tries to figure out what is happening to him, Titania climbs up onto the street, but before she can attack Spider-Man anew, the Puma leaps in to stop her. During their struggle, the Puma rips a part of Titania's costume which had a remote camera that allowed Doctor Doom to observe the battle as well as maintain her rage.   No longer under the influence of Doctor Doom, Titania begins to fear the wall-crawler again. When Spider-Man tells Titania that they have been fighting for the past 20 minutes, she overcomes her fear and attacks him again, much to Spider-Man's chagrin. She begins pounding on the wall-crawler until he loses his temper. Suddenly, he unleashes a powerful blast of energy that knocks her out. In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man's spider-sense begins going off. Looking for danger, Spider-Man is shocked to discover that he has telescopic vision. All he can see is Nick Katzenberg taking photos. The wall-crawler is unaware that Doctor Doom has re-established visual contact with Spider-Man and is more determined than ever to acquire Spider-Man's new power.