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Amazing Spider-Man #531

Jun 2006

J. Michael Straczynski, Tyler Kirkham

Story Name:

Mr Parker goes to Washington, part 3 of 3

Synopsis

Amazing Spider-Man #531 synopsis by Rob Johnson

Rating:

Spider-Man is in Washington hanging on to a rocketing Titanium Man by a webline. He attaches another webline to the Washington Monument and swings the bad guy down to the Lincoln Memorial. Spidey glides over there with his new webwings. But he's distracted by the imposing statue of Lincoln and is taken unawares by T-Man who carries him aloft and drops him. But S-Man glides back up and lands on his back, forcing them both to crash.

Boris Bullski starts to strangle Spidey, explaining his plan as he does so (as villains do). He's been a mercenary since the Soviet Union broke up. Now he's been hired by an unknown party to kill Tony Stark, the intention being that without his opposition the Superhuman Registration Bill will be passed and then the US Government will kill all the US superheroes - leaving the country defenceless.

But Peter Parker was only waiting to hear the whole story. Now he reveals another new addition to his armoured costume - the mechanical arms which damage Titanium Man's faceplate. The armoured baddie starts swinging wildly, but its Spidey who gets in the telling blows. So Bullski jets off in retreat, and this time Spider-Man's webline misses him.

Next day Tony Stark is back at the Committee hearing about the Registration Bill. It turns out that Spider-Man used the audio-visual capabilities of his new suit to record Titanium Man's confession. Stark plays it to the Committee. He claims that the proposed Act could easily lead to making the use of superpowers illegal, which would please the country's enemies.

Senator Bickerson queries the authenticity of the tape. At which point Spidey drops in and vouches for it. This was all he was supposed to say, but just like he did as Peter last issue he goes off-script. His worry is that Registration will lead to regulations as to what problems superheroes should tackle. He believes this would hamper him from sticking up for the underdogs. He suggests an alternative Good Samaritan Law to protect superheroes from blame if their good-intentioned actions have bad consequences. He also throws in the fact that some superheroes deal with things that the Government would rather not know about.

But Dickerson says his comments can't be accepted unless he's willing to reveal his identity and make them under oath like Stark. (Although last issue it was established that testimonies here including Tony's were not given under oath.) This of course Peter can't do, so Spidey has to leave.

Later Peter Parker meets Tony Stark and apologises for Spider-Man's outburst. Tony says it's OK. The intention here was to slow the Bill down and hope it dies of inertia.

Peter wonders how Titanium Man knew that Tony would be here to be targeted. The reporters last issue were surprised to see Stark. But he doesn't quite go so far as to accuse Tony of planning the whole thing for publicity and to make a point to the Committee. Instead they contemplate the brave choice Lincoln made to risk civil war to hold the nation together, which led to his assassination.

But later Iron Man (still pretending to be just an employee of Stark) pays Titanium Man his fee.

Even later Peter is home in Avengers Tower with Mary Jane when they hear the news of the Stamford disaster.

Review / Commentaries

Amazing Spider-Man #531 Review by Rob Johnson (April 4, 2016)

That last bit which kicks off Civil War has to occur a lot later because Spider-Man's got a lot more appearances before Civil War, in his other titles and elsewhere. See his Official Index and the Marvel Chronology Project for details.

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J. Michael Straczynski

Tyler Kirkham

Sal Regla

John Starr

Ron Garney (Cover Penciler)
Ron Garney (Cover Inker)
Ron Garney (Cover Colorist)

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Amazing Spider-Man #531

Mr Parker goes to Washington, part 3 of 3

Synopsis

Review / Commentaries