Electro! He’s not a robot! Or is he? Probably not. Spider-Man’s bouncing through the city, getting another low level Spider Sense warning, but with no idea why, because of all the little robot spiders around the city watching him. He changes to Peter Parker, and we see a guy in a van is tracking Spider-Man via the spiders, but has of course lost him now that he’s changed clothes. Peter’s on his way to meet various cast members at ESU.
Obviously, I get why Peter and Flash spent over 40 years constantly reminding each other that they used to hate each other and are now friends apropo of nothing… for the benefit of new readers, or for the writer trying to make a point… but it’s pretty weird if you imagine it happening to real people. “Hey, dude, I just met your parents, remember how we used to hate each other?” “Wh- what?” Mention must also be made of Felicia’s insane hair. Funny how Bagley seems unwilling to go as big with MJ’s hair as McFarlane did, but is really going bonkers with Felicia.
The “MJ is smoking” plot rolls on. It’s such a nothing. I mean, smoking is stupd, and MJ doing it is disappointing, but what else is there to this? How much drama can possibly be wrung from something so small? I wish MJ had been given more of a life when they were married. The writers systematically removed her friends, her job, her life, they reduced her to nothing but a piece of furniture in Peter’s life, with so few dramatic hooks that “randomly picks up smoking” is the best they can do. At any rate, Spider-Man is soon on the case. As he’s approaching the area Electro was sighted in, he spots that FBI guy from last issue, but doesn’t have time to worry about him. And now that he’s out in the open, the little robots pick him back up for the guy in the van, called “Kriegstein” by his employer, the guy from the last page of last issue, who we see lives in a very fancy house somewheres. That guy, who has 5 random people strapped to metal sci fi chairs, “deploys a suitable assault unit.” Back at campus, Electro is happily blowing up cop cars and suggesting they just let him go to save money.
Spidey’s got the upper hand, but before he can do much, a big pink laser shoots out of the sky, and the robot on the cover swoops in behind it. Electro sees an opportunity as Spider-Man webs onto the thing and is whipped across the street by its strength and speed.
People are just constantly demolishing NY buildings in old comics. Electro, having lost his diamond case in the fight, just concentrates on joining his “new partner” in trying to kill Spider-Man. Spidey flees inside the building, and the robot follows. He empties both webshooters at it, cocooning it, only for it to zap its way loose. When our hero runs back outside, Electro is waiting with some zaps of his own, almost frying Spidey.
The weird history of Black Cat’s powers continues. ⅓ of the way through this story and poor Spidey still doesn’t even know what’s going on. The rest of the issue is a Harry Osborn back up by DeMatteis, Tod Smith, Don Hudson & Bob Sharen. Harry has been moved to The Vault, and Liz is there to visit him. He’s in a metal harness that encases his arms and torso.
Still having fun.
Harry gets really amped, and is sweating like a pig, dismissing it as a “low grade fever” when Liz points it out, and then smashes out of his harness, yelling that he’s stronger than anyone realizes. He’s ranting and working his way toward choking Liz when the Guardsmen burst in and zap him into submission.
I’m sure that’s not gonna go anywhere. Next month, more robots, more on Black Cat, another classic villain, and another terrible backup story.