Description
Spider-Man #26 (1990 McFarlane Series)
WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY–!
A young man named Stewart Smalls is running down the street in a panic because of a strange device strapped to his chest that projects some kind of force-field that he can’t control. His brother, Bill calls out to his brother to keep calm because they are on the run from John Maxwell and his goons. Maxwell orders his men to stay back as they want to keep a low profile in public. Meanwhile, up the street, Peter Parker and his wife Mary Jane are out for an afternoon stroll as a means of relaxing. When they see Stewart Smalls running down the street, Peter slips away so he can change into Spider-Man to see what he can do, and get some photos for the Daily Bugle. Not far down the street is a young man named Jimmy Costas, who is down on his luck. He’s been trying to find work for weeks with no prospects in sight. Without any money, the young man is becoming desperate but doesn’t want to end up like his “bum” of an uncle. That’s when Jimmy notices the commotion happening down the street. He witnesses as Stewart Smalls gets into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. When the vehicle strikes the force-field around Stewart, both motorcycle is sent flying into the air. That’s when Spider-Man arrives on the scene, seeing the cyclist in trouble, he begins using his webbing to sling-shot himself up to save them. It’s then that Jimmy decides to take advantage of the distracted crowd to snatch a purse. As he flees the scene, Spider-Man lands in front of him. Although this scares Costas, Spider-Man has no idea what he has been up to. Although he hears the woman calling Jimmy a thief, Spider-Man has to focus on rescuing the cyclist. Spider-Man not only manages to save the motorcyclist but also prevents the motorcycle from crashing into the crowd below. In all the confusion, Bill Smalls decided to break into a car in order to catch up with his brother faster. Meanwhile, Stewart has managed to run into a nearby alley and gotten the device under control. That’s when he is surrounded by Maxwell and his men. However, before they can remove the harness from the young man, his brother Bill comes speeding into the alley in his stolen car. Stewart manages to leap into the car and they get away. With his recovery of the harness a failure, John Maxwell goes to a nearby electronics store where he gets in touch with his employer Sunset Bain. She orders Maxwell to recover the harness immediately, otherwise, she will take it on him. A few hours later, Peter and Mary Jane are back home where Peter is upset that he let the purse snatcher get away earlier that day. This is because it reminds him of the burglar he let go when he first became Spider-Man. He recounts the events to Mary Jane, how he got bitten by the radioactive spider that gave him his powers. His early career in showbiz and his letting the burglar go one night, the same burglar that murdered his Uncle Ben later. Even though Peter knows he can’t catch every crook in the city, this purse snatcher reminded him so much of the burglar he allowed to get away so many years ago. Elsewhere in the city, Jimmy Costas can’t believe he stole the woman’s purse. He worries about getting caught because of his uncle and the grief he caused the family. He is also afraid because Spider-Man saw his face and could identify him. He’s been jumping at shadows and struggles to keep himself calm. While elsewhere in the city, Bill and Stewart Smalls have retreated to a rundown building. The pair are tired of being treated as stooges at Maxwell’s company and how the stolen harness is their ticket of the big time. However, Maxwell is trying to close in on them using a tracking device that detects when the device is activated. Although they have lost the signal, for the time being, he is certain that they will pick up the trail again when they inevitable moment when they reactivate the device. That evening, Peter is changing into his Spider-Man costume so he can go out and get some fresh air. Mary Jane tells Peter not to stay out late because she has other plans in store for him when he gets home. At that moment, Bill and Stewart use the harness to break into a market so they can ransack it. Their break-in is heard by Spider-Man who goes to investigate. He catches the pair off guard, and Stewart begins to panic and struggles to control the device. When he finally gets his act together, he strikes Spider-Man with the force field with enough strength to send him flying outside of the store. There, Spider-Man finds himself between Stewart and Maxwell’s armed men. When the bullets start to fly, Spider-Man leaps out of the way, and the munitions bounce harmlessly off Stewart’s forcefield. While Spider-Man is busy beating up Maxwell’s men, Bill catches up with his brother and suggests that they get out of there since Spider-Man will be after them next. Sure enough, when Spider-Man is done with Maxwell’s men, he chases after the Smalls brothers. Stewart thinks he can outsmart Spider-Man by keeping his forcefield up. Spider-Man responds by unloading all of his webbing on the young man. When the webbing obscures his view, Stewart turns off the force field causing the webbing to harmlessly fall to the ground. Although Stewart thinks this is a brilliant plan, it leaves him open to an attack from Spider-Man. The wall-crawler knocks Stewart out with a flick of his finger. With Stewart and Bill webbed up, they beg to be let go because they will be killed by Maxwell and his men if they are taken under police custody. When a van of officers arrive, Spider-Man turns the pair over to them, but his spider-sense warns him that something isn’t on the level. Those cops turn out to be impostors under the employ of Maxwell. However, when they arrive on the scene where Maxwell intends to kill them, they find the real police on the scene. At is turns out, Spider-Man saw through their ruse and signaled the real authorities. With Maxwell and his goons in police custody, the wall-crawler heads home. On the way, he is called out by Jimmy Costas who has decided that he can’t live with the guilt of stealing the purse and surrenders to the web-slinger. Hearing Jimmy’s story, Spider-Man decides to give the boy a second chance and lets him go, saying he will return the purse to the police. When Spider-Man asks Jimmy who his uncle was, Jimmy states that he is was a loser who ended up dead. Jimmy figures that Spider-Man may have encountered him a time or two, as he was a simple burglar. This comes as a shock to Spider-Man, as he wonders if Jimmy is somehow related to the burglar that killed his Uncle Ben. However, he ultimately decides that it doesn’t really matter. He thinks about what has happened in his past and what the future has in store, and that no matter what happens, Spider-Man is here to stay.
THESE GREAT POWERS
When Peter Parker returns to his apartment the lights are off. As he walks around in the dark, a female form comes out of the shadows and tries to strike him with something. Thanks to his spider-sense, Peter manages to leap to safety and turns on the life. He is surprised to discover that his “attacker” is actually his wife, Mary Jane, trying to hit him with a pillow as a joke. Peter apologizes for reacting in such a way, thinking he was perhaps he was tired, hence why his spider-sense reacted to her in that way. Since they are both awake, Peter decides to sit down and have some tea with his wife and explain to her how his spider-sense works. Peter explains that his spider-sense warns him of danger so that nobody can attack him from behind without a warning from his spider-sense. The spider-sense is so sensitive it can pick up on dangers that may not be obvious or visible, such as detecting someone carrying a concealed weapon. In addition, his spider-sense also works like an internal radar, helping him navigate around obstacles, through mazes and walk in the dark. For example, if he is pacing around the apartment while reading a book, his spider-sense can direct him to avoid furniture without looking. His spider-sense assists him in battles, allowing him to instinctively move out of the harm’s way, allowing him to take on up to three foes at one time. They also assist with his enhanced speed and reflexes, allowing him to leap across buildings in the city. He then begins talking about his reflexes, explaining that they assist in his acrobatics. He has amazing balance, allowing him to balance himself on the top of a flagpole using only his index finger. His speed is 40 times faster than the average person, allowing him to run rings around more powerful opponents, such as the Hulk. He then goes on to explain his abilities to cling to any surface. That this ability is subconscious and that he keeps the material of his costume thin so he can use it even though he is wearing gloves and boots. He explains that his grip is so strong, even someone as powerful as Colossus of the X-Men cannot pull him off of a surface he has clung to. More often than not, the surface itself breaks under the strain before Spider-Man releases his grip. Lastly, he explains how his web-shooters and webbing work. Explaining that different settings the shooters have that affect the consistency in which his web-fluid is ejected. The webbing itself has incredible tensile strength but usually dissolves after about two hours. He can also spin his webbing into objects that he can use, such as blunt objects, gliders, and even use it to sculpt. Peter concludes that a combination of all of these powers allow him to hold his own against some of the heavy hitters of the super-hero world, suggesting that he could fend off Adam Warlock, Mister Fantastic, the Silver Surfer, Mister Fantastic, Wonder Man, and Wolverine all at the same time. By this point, Mary Jane begins to yawn and Peter asks her if she is getting bored. She is far from and wonders how his powers stand up against the menace of the “tickle monster”. Although Peter’s spider-sense begins going off, Peter allows his wife to tickle him.
