Web of Spider-Man #12

Issue Details

Synopsis

LAW AND ORDER Following an apparent fire in his apartment, Peter Parker and Mary Jane survey the damage done. Peter is furious that this has happened and plans to get back at the three local hoods who have been harassing him the past few days. That's when the fire marshal comes in and tells Peter that the cause of the fire was a crude incendiary device. As Peter moves to hide his exposed Spider-Man costume, the marshal tells him that he is lucky that the device was so crudely made as most of the damage done was due to smoke. After the marshal leaves, Peter complains about the damage done to his costume. Mary Jane suggests that they look around to see what can be salvaged.  Peter complains that everyone keeps saying how lucky he is, but he doesn't have a decent place to stay. Mary Jane offers to put Peter up for a while. Peter declines the offer, unwilling to allow himself to get driven out of his home by three hoods. Peter figured that his reputation as a menace would have scared the thugs off when he threatened them as Spider-Man. Mary Jane then suggests that he should get them arrested, an idea that didn't even occur to Peter. However, thinking it further, Peter realizes that he doesn't know the names of the kids bullying him. When he thinks about a way to find out, Mary Jane gets annoyed that he's thinking of going out as Spider-Man again. She storms out, telling Peter to call her when he needs help refurnishing his apartment.   Peter feels bad because Mary Jane is his only friend who knows that he is really Spider-Man, and she isn't dealing with it very well.  Still, he changes into Spider-Man and goes out looking for the teens who set fire to his apartment. At that moment, Reno and his friends are departing after their latest stunt, Reno assures his pals that he will get his brother Hector deal with Spider-Man and Peter Parker once and for all. As Reno heads home by himself he is unaware that Spider-Man has been following him. After confirming which apartment Reno lives in, Spider-Man takes off. Unfortunately for the wall-crawler, he doesn't hear Reno try convinces his brother, a hitman, to deal with his problems with Spider-Man. Hector is shocked and tells Reno that he doesn't want to mess with a costumed super-hero. This upsets Reno, who gives his brother a look that makes him feel guilty for refusing family.   Later, Spider-Man returns to his apartment building to see that the "Peter Parker Patrol" is lurking around his apartment to protect it from further vandalization. Unable to get into his apartment skylight, Peter slips into the alleyway where he has previously stashed some clothing.  Finally getting to his apartment, Peter discovers that his phone is ringing. On the other end of the line is G. David Guntley of Time Magazine. Guntley is telling Peter that he has been nominated crime buster of the month and will be featured in Time. Peter is about to refuse it when he hears that he is being rewarded two thousand dollars. Since he needs the money, Peter grudgingly accepts the check. One of Guntly's writers is upset to showcase a Bugle photographer, however, David explains that the Bugle buried Peter's story deep in the paper, giving them an edge. When J. Jonah Jameson hears this, he is furious, even though burying the story was his idea. Jameson decides to counter this by writing an editorial hailing Peter Parker as a hero. Joe Robertson reminds Jonah that the Bugle has a policy against vigilantism and that he has to put a disclaimer on the editorial. After a tense moment with Joe, Jameson relents and storms out. However, Joe admits to Kate Cushing that Jonah was right and that he let his personal opinions prevent him from reporting a newsworthy story.   Meanwhile, the NYPD has caught Reno Candelario and put him under arrest. When he refuses to tell them who his accomplices are, they remind him that he will be taking the fall by himself. Reno gives up his friends and Freddy and Dumbo are quickly arrested as well. Peter Parker and the woman at the laundromat are brought into the police station to identify the gang in a police line up. While Peter quickly identifies the teens who tried to hold up the laundromat, the attendant refuses to get involved. Lawyer Jean Hillman tells Peter that this case is not going to go well with a reluctant witness. Remembering Hillman from the Reaper trial, and hears that it isn't going well unless more witnesses come forward.[Continuity 4] When Peter returns to his apartment, he is harassed by his landlord, Maimie Muggins who tells Peter that he is behind on his rent again. Furious at being badgered during this stressful time, Peter angrily writes Muggins a check that get him ahead on his rent. After so many years, this is the first time Peter's been ahead of his rent while living in Muggin's building. Something that makes Maimie speechless for once. Peter is satisfied until he realizes that he blew all his award money to pay his rent when he had other expenses to worry about.   While at the courthouse, Hector has his brother and his friends released on bail. The next day, Peter Parker arrives at the Daily Bugle office to look for a photo assignment. When he arrives he is cheered by his co-workers and shown the front page of the paper, which heralds him as a hero. He is told that J. Jonah Jameson wants to meet him. In Jonah's office, Peter hears the publishers plans to exploit Peter's celebrity status when he gets Now Magazine off the ground. He tells Peter to read his upcoming editorial about him. Peter is mortified to see that Jonah is using this a platform to convince New Yorkers to form groups to get rid of costumed vigilantes like Spider-Man. Peter briefly considers the idea of giving up his double-identity and using the Peter Parker Patrols to carry out his duty without being despised as Spider-Man. That's when he gets a call transferred to him from Jonah's phone. It's Reno, who mockingly tells Peter that he and his friends are out of jail and that they plan on getting him. This is the last straw, Peter storms out of the Daily Bugle office and changes into Spider-Man. Having reached his wit's end, Spider-Man vows to no longer play Mister Nice Guy.   Back at Reno's apartment, his brother Hector tells him that he has decided to deal with his problem by assassinating Peter Parker. When he leaves to carry out this task, Reno and his friends begin having second thoughts, they were fine with eliminating Spider-Man, but a normal person is going too far. Realizing they will be compliant in the murder, Reno and his friends rush after Hector to try and stop him. Meanwhile, Hector is on the roof across the street from Peter's apartment waiting to get a shot on Parker. Before he can get a proper shot, Parker zips past the window. Inside the apartment, Peter's spider-sense saved him from the sniper's shot. Suspecting that it is the three youths are about to attack him again, Peter has had enough and changes into Spider-Man. When the wall-crawler is about to leave via his skylight, his spider-sense warns him that someone is watching. At that moment outside, Hector becomes tired of waiting for Parker to appear in one of the windows and decides to go inside for a personal confrontation. As he does so, Spider-Man's spider-sense ceases to buzz, so the masked hero slips out while he can. As the wall-crawler swings off, he doesn't hear his phone starting to ring. It's Mary Jane, but when she gets no answer she decides that Peter needs someone to talk to and heads to his apartment. By this time, Hector has forced himself into Peter's apartment and sits down on the couch to wait for Parker's return.   Meanwhile, Spider-Man finds Reno and his friends running down the street. He quickly webs them up, but when they try to warn him about Hector he webs their mouths shut before they can tell him. Thinking that they had just mugged someone, Spider-Man decides to wait for their victim to catch up. After a time, the wall-crawler realizes that nobody was coming, he takes them down the street and asks store owners if they had been robbed by the youths. Finding nobody who has been victimized by the three youths, Spider-Man rips the webbing off Reno's mouth and demands to know what's going on. When Reno tells the web-slinger about his brother Hector, Spider-Man fears the worst and swings off to stop Hector before someone gets hurt. At that same moment, Mary Jane has arrived at Peter's apartment building and heads inside unaware that Hector is pointing his gun at the door, intending to shoot whoever walks in. Just as Mary Jane opens Peter's apartment door, Hector is stopped in the nick of time by Spider-Man who webs up his rifle. After telling Mary Jane to run for it, Spider-Man orders Hector to surrender, but he pulls a pistol on the wall-crawler and threatens to shoot. Spider-Man knows this and threatens to take his head off as soon as he squeezes off his first shot. It's then that Reno and his friends come bursting in and beg him not to kill Peter Parker.   Reno convinces Hector to put his gun down, but Spider-Man is still spoiling for a fight. Before he can harm anyone, Mary Jane returns with some police officers who quickly arrest Hector. With the situation under control, Spider-Man swings off and quickly changes back to Peter Parker. Returning to his apartment, Peter tells the officers that the three youths were not responsible for his attempted murder. After Hector is taken away by the police, he calls Jean Hillman and tells her that he is dropping the charges against Reno and his pals, much to her frustration. The youths are grateful and Peter tells them to keep their noses clean in the future. As they leave, the Peter Parker Patrol arrives to tell Peter that they have finally organized their skylight patrol. When Peter tells them that he dropped all charges so the gang has a chance to live a law-abiding life, his supporter turned sour. Feeling betrayed, the vigilante mob decide to disband. Peter is frustrated because all he wanted was his normal life back, wondering if that was too much to ask. Seeing that Peter's costume is poking out of his shirt, Mary Jane buttons him up and agrees that it isn't too much to ask.