A new villain calling himself the Schemer looks to
take over the Kingpin’s operations. Some of his guys intercept one of the
Kingpin’s trucks, and the scuffle is soon discovered by Spider-Man! Spidey sets
up his camera and tackles the two quarreling gangs. He recognizes one of the
goons as one of Kingpin’s guys and realizes that he may still be in business.
Meanwhile, the Kingpin himself is confronted by his wife Vanessa about a
newspaper article claiming their son Richard has died in a terrible accident in
Europe. Kingpin admits to having known about it, but doesn’t believe his son is
really dead. Vanessa surmises that Richard couldn’t live with finding out what
his father really does, which Kingpin denies as well. This drives Kingpin back
into action, to seek answers.
Later, Peter takes his photos to the Bugle, and J.
Jonah Jameson pays him even less than usual for them. He then heads to see Dr.
Bromwell about Aunt May’s medical bills and finds a shred of good news when
he’s told that her Medicaid will pay for most of it. Still, Peter feels he
should scrounge up some extra money, in case she needs special care. Meanwhile,
the Schemer is brought one of Kingpin’s old men, to get as much information as
he can out of him. Elsewhere, the gangs sees off Flash Thompson, who’s shipping
out once more. Gwen and Mary Jane both give him a big kiss, a farewell he’ll
really remember, to the annoyance of both Peter and Harry. The two pairs split
off and Peter and Gwen are heading down the street when Peter’s spider-sense
suddenly goes off! A car sideswipes a nearby truck, sending it heading straight
for Peter and Gwen! Peter takes the brunt of the truck’s weight, protecting an
unconscious Gwen, while flicking a spider-tracer onto the fleeing car, noting
how it was no accident!
After Peter wedges a parking meter under the truck,
Peter and Gwen are rescued, having looked like they were saved by good fortune.
Peter leaves Gwen at the hospital, feeling there’s nothing else he can do for
her, and heads out looking for the car as Spider-Man. He scours the city until
he finds it parked near a warehouse, peeking inside to see the Schemer and his
men. Spidey surprises them, entering through the window, and takes care of the
Schemer’s men in his usual stylish fashion. Spidey gets caught in a hydraulic
press after avoiding another trap by the Schemer. He braces himself, exerting
enough counter pressure that the hydraulic press finally breaks and explodes!
Spidey finds that the Schemer escaped in the meantime and heads back to the
hospital to see Gwen. When he gets there, he’s greeted by Captain Stacy, and
finds that Gwen doesn’t want to see him, thinking that Peter had avoided seeing
her until now. Peter heads back out, despondent, feeling that things may be
reaching a turning point, and unsure how they’ll turn out! To be continued!