Time to close out Steven Grant’s strangely short career as writer of Spectacular. This month, credit goes to Grant & Buscema for Story & Art, with Bob Sharen coloring. On the splash, Spidey sees a building so surrounded by cop cars “it looks like the grand opening of Donuts ‘R Us!” and decides to investigate.
Considering The Foreigner is sporting a new suit with that “F” on it on the cover, I think I know, Spidey. He gets a tingle from his danger sense, but it fades almost as fast, as Foreigner decides shooting him would be a waste of resources. But has Big F flees the scene, he’s nearly hit by a big energy beam.
Yes, Foreigner has an “F” on half his face. It’s both clever and goofy. I cannot believe I’m seeing these losers again. It’s Fory’s goons last seen in Web 92. Apparently under new management. Foreigner kills the Spawn one with his own sword, but then the purple one unleashes an explosion that gets Spider-Man’s attention.
Uh.. that guy covered in “F”s is shockingly unmasked as The Foreigner. Was that supposed to surprise the reader, or just Spider-Man? Not sure it should’ve done either, but it gets our hero. Their reunion is cut short by the cut rate baddies, and Foreigner manages to trigger the self-destruct built into one of their suits. He escapes Spider-Man in the explosion, but the final jobber is still on the loose. For a couple panels, anyway.
Another mystery man. That guy can track Fory’s “residual aura tracks” as Foreigner himself tracks Spider-Man into Manhattan, where Peter Parker has gone to work. He sees Jonah walking out with a big smile on his face.
Even Sal’s drawing Marla way too young. This is a surprise. I don’t… I don’t think they actually ever got divorced? Is this just gonna be forgotten when Grant’s off the book in a month? Uh, back at The Bugle. Peter’s learning about the new journalistic standards JJJ has implemented in the wake of his breakdown last block, but then he sees Foreigner enter the building, and makes an excuse and runs off. Asked what he’s here for by Glory Grant, Big F says to tell Spider-Man he’d like to speak. Then Spider-Man is leaping in with a big punch to the jaw. He smashes Foreigner out a window and begins webbing him across town, but Fory says he needs help, and if Spidey will hear him out and help him, he’ll turn himself in and confess to all his crimes.
If you piled up all the generic armor-and-gun types from 90s comics, you could build a tower to the moon. TAC continues to have backups in this run, this time by Grant, Nelson Ortega, Harry Candelaro & Chia-Chi Wang and featuring Black Cat. She’s flipping through the city on a mission, coming to a stop across from a movie theater as the captions tell us now she knows what real danger is:
Is this gonna be how they break up? That’s a plot I don’t remember resolving. I am 1000% more interested in this backup than the main feature, but I think we’ll see both resolve next time.