Starting right off from last issue, the Green Goblin,
with an unconscious Spider-Man, has crashed the Crime-Master’s takeover
meeting! Goblin orders some goons to chain up Spider-Man, as they still
struggle to remove his mask. Having brought a defeated Spider-Man, the Goblin
is now the criminals’ choice to lead them, as he plans to unmask Spider-Man
before finishing him off for good! Patch, the stoolie from last issue, hopes
that the police got his tip and that they arrive soon. Spider-Man comes to and is
able knock away the goons holding him, even while chained. Spidey then flips
out of the way of both Goblin’s finger blasts and Crime-Master’s gunshot,
causing them to narrowly miss each other. A bunch of the goons pile on Spidey
as he continues to resist when suddenly three police officers arrive to help
round up the goons!
Spidey breaks free from his chains, as he dodges
around the Goblin’s and Crime-Master’s attacks once again. Spidey sets his
camera up on a rafter before jumping down to help the police, who are being
overrun by the goons. Spidey helps them turn the tide, webbing them up, but the
frantic action causes his cheap costume to start to come loose again. Fixing
his costume and once again avoid attacks from the big threats, Spidey webs up
the remaining crooks and attempts to web up the Green Goblin, who makes a strategic
retreat. Knowing Goblin will be too fast to catch, Spidey chases after the
Crime-Master instead, avoiding his shots as they make their way under the pier.
The Crime-Master heads through a large pipe, spraying some nerve gas behind
him, so as not to be followed. Spidey circumvents this by crafting a web helmet
to conserve air and make it through the cloud. Spidey eventually escapes the
tunnel and finds himself right in the middle of the city’s sewer system, with
the Crime-Master having escaped in any number of directions.
Spidey checks that the police have rounded up all of
the goons before heading once again to Frederick Foswell’s apartment, thinking
he must be the key to all of this. While there, Spidey finds his abandoned
spider-tracer and a false compartment in Foswell’s closet, which he surmises
could store either a Goblin costume or a Crime-Master disguise! Spider-Man
makes his way to the Bugle, while being unknowingly followed by the
Crime-Master from a distance! Spidey arrives at the Bugle and warns
J. Jonah Jameson that he believes Foswell is either the Green Goblin or the
Crime-Master! Foswell then arrives himself, and denies being a criminal any
longer. Meanwhile, on a rooftop across the street, the Crime-Master is watching
over everyone, planning to take Spider-Man, Jameson, and Foswell out at once,
when he is suddenly cornered by the police. From inside, the three hear a
gunshot and Foswell tells them that it’s the end of the Crime-Master!
On the rooftop, the police have fatally shot the
Crime-Master, who dies just as he’s about to reveal the Green Goblin’s
identity! Betty Brant then enters with police in tow, there to thank Foswell
for all his help. As Spider-Man and Jameson stand there confused, Foswell
reveals that he figured out who the Crime-Master was, Nick “Lucky” Lewis,
having known him during the time that Foswell was the Big Man! Foswell reveals
that he knew that Lewis had it out for him and acted as bait for the police to
catch him! Spider-Man heads out, his costume once again coming apart, as he
remembers he forgot to pick up his camera from where he left it! Spider-Man
returns to find that his camera is missing, before falling into the river,
having sensed someone else coming. Turns out, it was just a bunch of kids, who
were the ones who had his camera, as they return it to him.
As Spidey swings home, the cheap costume starts to
shrink and he finally has had enough of it, changing back to Peter Parker.
After developing his photos, Peter decides to sell them to another paper for a
change, taking them to the Daily Globe. There, the editor, Barney Bushkin,
happily buys the photos from Peter, but Peter finds him too pushy, ironically
preferring Jameson! When the Daily Globe releases, Jameson ends up seeing the
photos and thinks they look an awful lot like Peter’s work, deciding to try and
charm him back. Back at home, Peter resigns himself to having to sew a new
Spidey costume. Aunt May then comes home in a sad mood, and Peter suggests they
go out to a movie together, to cheer her up, deciding his costume can wait. We
then cut to Foswell disposing of his secret outfit, revealing that he was
Patch, the informant, the whole time! Our issue ends with the obscured Green
Goblin back at his lair, promising to get his revenge on Spider-Man, planning
to strike when he least suspects it!