Sal didn’t go to a big head for a cover too often. I must say, an effective cover. It’s what this story is all about boiled down to the essentials: Spider-Man is angry. This comic is wavy. Like it got wet. That seems unlikely. Huh. Mike Lackey is on hand to script this one, with Grant gone and DeMatteis moving over to ASM. In Sal’s no de rigor splash into a 2-page splash, Spider-Man is beating up thugs for info on Chameleon. Like last issue, even tho that didn’t work.
Panel 3 is super, super weird. That’s an Erik Larsen panel. It’s such an Erik Larsen panel that I’d accuse most people of swiping it, but I cannot imagine Sal swiping. But it’s such an Erik Larsen panel to draw. Speaking of Chameleon, he’s throwing a hilarious cartoon fit.
Chameleon loved acting and wasn’t bothered by Kraven’s death so many times since Kraven’s death. This is so lazy. I looked it up, Chameleon appeared in 35 comics between Kraven’s death and ASM 387 (All of them on the blog!) never once whining about his dead buddy. This simply makes no sense. But he spends another page rambling about how he’s lost with Kraven.
I am so glad I don’t have to spend too much more time with this era. So awful. Doing this blog chopped up like this has often been frustrating and awkward, but it let me get rid of the clone crap as early as possible, and I’m grateful. While Peter is awful to MJ and ignores her reasonable advice, Chameleon, in his guise as that cop, hires STILL ANOTHER armored nobody called Tracer to kill Spider-Man. He apparently fought Deathlok in his own title. Ok, fine. Tracer’s target is swinging around saying MJ doesn’t get it and forecasting terrible doom for all his loved ones due to the stress of dealing with this, while he refuses to be there for them. Chameleon is going through the cop’s computer, and says, “This MODEM hooks me up with all the information I need to arrange a full scale PRISON BREAK!” I have ranted enough about the internet in 90s comics, but… ugh. Spider-Man is now telling himself he needs to calm down.
Whatever. Back at the house, MJ is feeling terrible and wishes she had someone to talk to. She goes down a preposterous list that includes the FF and The Avengers (???) before reaching Black Cat, but Felicia’s not home. MJ thinks she’s totally alone. Good job, Peter! Back at the fight, those magic gas pellets go off, and Spider-Man’s dazed long enough to get tagged pretty good and then get ANOTHER net thrown over him.
Blarg. Spidey rips out of the net, obviously, breaks a gun off Tracer’s gauntlet and starts beating him with it. Then Tracer (“Cheers, luv!”) shoots a hole in the roof, sending Spider-Man and debris crashing down on innocent people, and you know how Spider-Man feels about that. But…
Gee, really beat us over the head with it, why don’tcha. “It… it’s like this ain’t my daddy’s Spider-Man, person on the phone!”
It’s what all the 15-year old reading comics in 1994 were clamoring for. “I wish Spider-Man was mean to his wife!” You got it, kids! Two issues of this 4-part nothing and the principals haven’t even seen each other. Yay.