Nova (1976 series) #12

After promising a complex mystery, this issue opens with Nova flying to a long island train station to meet his uncle. Though his uncle is late, Rich sees another man speeding past, who then frantically runs into the police station. The man introduces himself as Jason Dean and claims there’s been a murder! He recounts that he was at the house of Dr. Ralph Rider, as one of several people there to bid on Rider’s newest invention. Suddenly, a hole was melted in the wall and a costumed man calling himself Photon demanded to know where Dr. Rider was. Photon swatted Dean away and continued his search through the house, leading to Dean heading to the police station as fast as he could, stating that Dr. Rider could already be dead! It’s at that moment that Rich comes into the station looking to use a phone and hears that his uncle may be dead! Rich, Dean, and Captain Steele drive back to Dr. Rider’s house, where they discover the hole melted into the wall. They enter to find another one of the guests named Harry Daze waking up after having been knocked out. They continue farther in to find Dr. Rider dead in his library next to a groggy Peter Parker! Rich attacks Peter, thinking he’s the murderer, and Captain Steele restrains Rich and allows Peter to tell his side of the story. Peter recounts how he was studying through Rider’s physics library, when Photon melted through the wall and threatened Rider. Peter tried to hold Photon off but ended up getting grazed by a shot and only just woke up when they found him.

Rich still thinks Peter is hiding something and excuses himself to a side room to let his dad know what happened. Rich heads out as Nova to prowl around the area and look for clues, while Peter similarly decides to sneak away and change to Spider-Man. Spidey patrols around the grounds of the house and spots someone fleeing the scene. Spidey catches up to the man, just as they’re spotted from the air by Nova! Nova barrels down into Spidey, leading to a scuffle between the two. After Spidey manages to convince Nova he’s not the bad guy, they both grab the suspicious man and take him back to Captain Steele at the house. The man identifies himself as Michael Lincoln, Rider’s lab assistant. He claims that Rider never appreciated his genius and he’s glad Rider is dead, but that he didn’t kill him! Captain Steele wonders where Peter got off to, and Spidey offers to go get him, quickly returning as Peter. Captain Steele wants all of the suspects to remain in that room, while he goes to have a chat with yet another suspect named Franklin Risk. Turns out Risk is a businessman with a reputation of doing anything necessary to get what he wants. Risk claims he was downstairs in Rider’s game room when he heard Rider’s scream. Steele dismisses Risk, when Rider’s butler Manners claims he has some information to share!

While Captain Steele goes off to talk with Manners, Daze and Dean both excuse themselves, leaving just Nova and Peter in the room. Not long after, another hole is melted into the wall and Photon appears yet again! Nova attacks Photon while Peter runs off to change to Spider-Man, and soon joins the fray as well. The two are surprised by Photon’s strength, while in the next room, Manners tells Steele he heard something that may reveal who the killer is! Spidey and Nova continue to fight Photon until Photon is able to make a run for it, setting the curtains on fire as he does. While Spidey gets to work snuffing out the fire with his webs, Nova flies through the corridors but loses track of Photon. He runs into Daze who claims that no one came by! Spidey and Nova reconvene and conclude that Photon is gone, and then meet up with everyone else. Lincoln claims that he was the true brains behind Rider’s latest invention and Steele reveals that he learned that Lincoln was fired that morning. Steele then reveals things he learned about each of the suspects that lend to a possible motive. Turns out, Harry Daze is a member of AIM who hoped to get the invention for his group, while Jason Dean works for the Maggia, with a similar agenda!

Steele runs through his four main suspects, Michael Lincoln, Franklin Risk, Harry Daze, and Jason Dean, each with their motives to want to kill Dr. Rider. While Nova clears Peter due to his presence during Photon’s second attack, someone suddenly cuts the lights! By the time Nova manages to turn the lights back on, all of the suspects, save Lincoln, have vanished! Steele then drops the final bombshell: just as Manners was about to tell him who the killer is, Manners was killed as well! To be continued!

Story continued in Amazing Spider-Man #171