Web of Spider-Man #13

Issue Details

Synopsis

POINT OF VIEW Spider-Man is web-slinging across the city when an unemployed man named Buddy Corbett sees the masked hero and panics. He begins to run down the street against the traffic and puts himself in the path of an oncoming truck. Seeing this danger, Spider-Man braces himself on a lamp post and uses a web-line to try and stop the truck. Although Buddy is still struck, he is not as seriously injured as he would have been had Spider-Man not intervened. Swinging down to check on the man, a crowd gathers around the wall-crawler, accusing him of causing the accident. Spider-Man is angered that they would accuse him when there is an injured man on the street and orders them to call an ambulance. One finally arrives and as Corbett is being loaded into the EMT vehicle, Spider-Man swings off. The entire scene is photographed by a young man named Friel who hopes to make a career in photojournalism. Later at the Daily Bugle, Friel shows his photos to publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Jameson is impressed by the photos but only wants to use the ones that make Spider-Man look bad. Overhearing this while passing by, Joe Robertson complains that Jonah is overstepping himself and Kate Cushing to publish these photos. Jonah assures Joe that once he gets Now Magazine off the ground, he will get out of Joe's hair. The next headline on the Daily Bugle screams "Spidey Goes Berserk!", and the accompanying story paints a jaundiced account of what happened.   Soon, reporters show up at Buddy Corbett's hospital room to get statements about his injury and the alleged attack by Spider-Man. When Buddy's doctor sees what is going on, she orders the nurse to clear out the room. On his way out, Ben Urich is suspicious of Buddy's account, thinking that he is hiding something. Shortly, J. Jonah Jameson arrives with Peter Parker, looking to get exclusive photos of Corbett. Peter is furious that Jonah continues to crucify Spider-Man in his newspaper for nothing more than making money. When the doctor tries to stop them from disturbing Buddy Corbett, Jameson reminds him that he is on the hospital's board of directors. With the threat of being fired, the doctor allows them to see Corbett and the rest of the press to stay. When Jameson begins playing up the situation, Buddy Corbett explains that he wasn't attacked by Spider-Man, that he just panicked when he saw the hero because of the public perception of the hero being a menace. However, Jameson insists that Spider-Man intentionally attacked him, and plies Corbett to accept this narrative by offering to pay his hospital bills.   Meanwhile, across town, news reporter Michelle March begins interviewing eye-witnesses regarding Spider-Man's alleged attack on Buddy Corbett. A local businessman didn't see much but is convinced that Spider-Man was pulling the truck toward Corbett. Alternatively, a homeless woman witnessed the whole thing and says that Spider-Man saved his life. With the trucker out of town, March has to choose between the businessman or the homeless woman as they only have 10 seconds left for their report. After briefly thinking it over, Michelle decides to go with the businessman because he is more photogenic. At that moment, Ben Urich calls up a friend in the police force and asks him to look up any records the police may have on Buddy Corbett. While at a bank, a man is being held up at the outdoor ATM machine. They want him to make a withdrawal, and when he does, they put a piece of TNT into the machine to blow open the machine. However, their plan backfires as the money is ruined. Spider-Man swoops in, dodging bullets, and quickly incapacitates the thieves. Soon an angry mob forms and they accuse Spider-Man of being a menace. Fed up with being blamed for everything and swarmed by the mob, Spider-Man barely manages to flee. Returning to his apartment, he is further upset that his apartment is in shambles and he has no money or insurance to repair the damages. Turning on the television, Peter catches the news interview with the businessman who claims Spider-Man intentionally tried to harm Buddy Corbett.   At his wit's end, Peter puts his mask back on and is about to go out to vent his frustration when the phone rings. It's Mary Jane, and she tries to calm Peter down, but he refuses to do so and hangs up on her. Back at the hospital, Ben Urich manages to catch Corbett before he is discharged.  Ben reveals that he has learned that Corbett is a con-man and asks if this is the latest in a string of crimes he has committed. Buddy confesses that he didn't plan this, that he just saw Spider-Man and panicked. Although this clears Spider-Man, the wall-crawler is unaware of this when he comes crashing into J. Jonah Jameson's office. He is furious and is looking to take out his anger on the newspaper publisher. When Jonah tries to flee, Spider-Man webs the door shut. The commotion draws Joe Robertson and the rest of the Bugle staff, who try to get into the office. Spider-Man is angry that Jonah has continued to push him even after all the times the wall-crawler saved his life from villains like the Scorpion and the Kingpin.  Spider-Man explains how sick he is of being on Jameson's hit list and decides that enough is enough and threatens to put his fist through the publisher's head.   Jameson tells the wall-crawler that he can't be blamed for making anything up, he interpret's facts like any other journalist. He then points out that if Spider-Man truly wasn't a menace, he managed to convince the hero that he is a menace because he is sure acting like one now. This causes Spider-Man to pause and his anger abating tells Jonah he stinks and leaves. He is gone when Joe Robertson and the others manage to force their way into Jonah's office. Jameson tells Joe that Spider-Man attacked him and for the first time in his life, he actually feels like he was in danger. That's when Joe Robertson tells him that Ben Urich managed to dig up the true story on Buddy Corbett. Hearing that only the Daily Bugle has this exclusive story, Jonah tells Robertson to run it. Jonah asks Joe what he would have done had Jameson told him to kill the story. Robertson tells him that he would run the story anyway and resign. Jameson knew this, and says he wouldn't have accepted the resignation, a fact that Joe also knows. Looking out his broken office window, he says to himself that he still publishes the retractions of accusations over the years, that he is not the souless monster Spider-Man makes him out to be. Although he will never admit it to anybody, Jameson thinks that perhaps they are both wrong, depending on your point of view.