Spider-Man swings through the city, feeling that
things are noticeably quieter than they have been lately. Realizing he’s been
neglecting his personal life, Spidey heads for a payphone to call Gwen, dealing
with an obnoxious loudmouth before he does. Pete calls Gwen, who says that she
isn’t free tonight, as we see that she’s secretly with Flash Thompson! Trying
not to feel paranoid, Spidey swings back to his apartment, waiting until Harry
goes to bed to sneak back in. Though he tries to study, Peter just can’t get
Gwen off his mind and decides to take a stroll to various places she might be.
Peter passes by the Coffee Pot, where he sees Gwen with Flash, and assumes the
worst. Inside however, Gwen is simply asking Flash if he knows anything about
Peter’s frequent disappearances. He states that Peter’s always been like that,
disappearing when something exciting happens. Gwen refuses to believe that
Peter is a coward and determines to get to the bottom of it, fearing Peter may
need her help.
Peter dejectedly walks away, absentmindedly bumping
into two guys while he’s lost in thought. Peter casually brushes them aside
when they try attacking him, before snapping to his senses and getting out of
there. Still down the dumps, Peter spots a window washer at the Daily Bugle and
expresses to himself how lucky the guy must be not to have all these worries.
However, we then discover that the man in question, Hobie Brown, has plenty of
worries of his own. Hobie feels lost in life, stuck as a window washer despite
being a gifted inventor. His girlfriend left him when he wouldn’t stop feeling
sorry for himself, so he decided to show some of his designs for improved
safety equipment to his boss. However, his boss quickly told him to cut it out
and get back to work.
Having been so lost in thought, Hobie doesn’t notice
J. Jonah Jameson trying to say something to him inside. Jameson tells Hobie
that his boss is asking why he’s taking so long and even sticks up for Hobie
when his boss comes to yell at him. Frustrated with his treatment, Hobie quits,
causing his racist boss to lash out, saying he’s fed up with Hobie’s “type.”
Showing tremendous character, Jameson once again defends Hobie and tells his
boss to take a hike, unable to tolerate his racism. Now unemployed, Hobie makes
his way back to his apartment, where he decides on another way to make it in
life. He uses his various inventions to fashion himself a costume and gadgets,
initially planning to become a superhero called the Prowler! However, he
realizes that earning good publicity may be too slow that way and decides to
commit crimes as the Prowler, so he can then recover the stolen items as Hobie.
Hobie tests out his new equipment and heads out to
figure out where to stage his public crime. Meanwhile, Peter heads to the Daily
Bugle to see if Jameson will give him an advance on some of his photos. Jameson
pointedly tells him that there’s no way he’s paying him when Peter hasn’t
brought him any photos in such a long time. Meanwhile, the Prowler lurks
outside, having decided to rob the newsroom, figuring hitting the source will
spread the news the fastest. After Peter leaves Jameson’s office, his spider-sense
starts going off and he finds the Prowler in the middle of his robbery. Just as
Peter grabs Prowler, Jameson walks in, with Peter realizing that he can’t let
Jameson see him holding his own against a supervillain, lest his secret be
found out! To be continued!