Al Williamson! The master’s subtle inks and thin lines actually do the best job yet of bringing Alex in line with the emerging 90s sensibilities despite Al being in the biz since the early days. This all-star cover inker business is really fun. This first page of this is pretty jarring.
Makes you think the location of last issue was accidentally changed, but no, just jarring.
It’s really interesting to make the 4-part “Last Rites” story in Daredevil weave into this one so closely, especially given that the final installment came out the same month as part 1 of this. Issue 84 of Web began with a note saying it takes place before Daredevil 300, published the same month, wherein DD finally brought down The Kingpin. DG Chicester, Lee Weeks, and included a 1-panel cameo in that book I wanted to make mention of, but couldn’t find a place for, so let’s put it here. As DD is whupping Fisk in the street for all to see, some of the observers are known to us:
Kind of silly (And surely doesn’t line up with what’s going on here), but it does seem like Spider-Man should have some kind of representation in the fall of the Kingpin. Anyway, he’s out of power now, on the run somewhere, and now a military helicopter is hovering outside his ransacked office, about to shoot Richard. As one of the goons dives him to safety, he gets grazed in the head by a bullet. The so-called Praetorian Guard start trying to hustle him to safety, while Hobgobiln’s eager to fight the helicopter, and Spider-Man gets loose in the confusion.
That’s not good. Quick look at May & MJ in the mountains, MJ trying to hide how worried she is that she hasn’t heard from Peter, then over to The Daily Bugle, where Robbie announces to the staff that the picture that started this mess was taken by Katzenberg.
That’s the guy who was tossing The Parkers’ apartment last issue.
Hilarious. Richard talks about how all he’s been motivated by all these years was bringing down his dad, and now it’s happened and he didn’t even get to participate. He tells his goons he doesn’t think he needs them anymore, that now it’s time to settle down with Rebecca, but his goons disagree. Meanwhile, the guys how kidnapped Spider-Man, are, of course, The Rose’s men, and he’s been brought to The Rose to talk about their mutual desire to take out Richard. Who, The Rose tells him, knows where MJ & May are. Spidey is very angry now.
As Fisk’s goons fight these goons, he sees one of them heading for his bedroom, and panics about Rebecca, but we cut to MJ & May, who discover in short order that their phone’s dead and their car won’t start before a guy beyond the tree line tells them they’re surrounded and cut off. MJ wonders where Peter is.
Fisk orders his men to do as they’re told. Fisk creeps toward the guy, telling him to let Rebecca go, but then lunges for him, grabs him and breaks his arm putting him in a hold. Fisk has his men hold the guy while ushering Rebecca out of the room. The goon tells him there’s an open contract on his head with the fall of his father, and Fisk responds by producing a knife and stabbing the guy. This event seems to change Richard’s mind about just running away from his life of crime, but we cut to The Catskills, where the mercenary guys have kicked in the door to MJ & May’s place, where they’re hiding in the basement.
Everything seems to be over as The Rose entreats Spider-Man to help him take down Richard, but then The Praetorian Guard bursts in guns blazing.
Boy, at this point, seems like it could be almost anybody under The Rose’s mask back in 1996.
That is just hilarious. Richard was ripped in the first few issues! Muscley as any guy in a superhero comic tends to be! He’s put on like 150 pounds in the last 2 issues. This has taken a pretty wacky turn. Let’s see how they wrap it all up next time.