Spider-Man goes to check on Captain Stacy, who was
injured by the Shocker last issue. Spidey hides when Gwen comes in, feeling
like an idiot hiding in his Spidey costume when he could be with her. After
Gwen leaves, Spidey makes his presence known and asks if Captain Stacy knows
anything about where Shocker could have hidden the priceless clay tablet that’s
been constantly changing hands. Captain Stacy mentions an old girlfriend of
Shocker’s that lives on the west side and Spidey heads off to see if she has
it. He swings around for awhile until his spider-sense leads him to her
apartment. Spidey peeks in the window to see Shocker’s unnamed girlfriend in
terror, her apartment being torn apart by a large bruiser calling himself Man
Mountain Marko, searching for the tablet! Spidey smashes through the window and
lays one on Marko before asking about the tablet himself. Marko turns out not
to be so easy to put down and he and Spidey re-engage their fight.
Meanwhile, the man that the Kingpin had hired to
decode the tablet, Wilson, is bailed out of jail by someone called Caesar
Cicero. They get into a car with the understanding that Wilson will help them
decipher the tablet once they soon have it! Back at the apartment, Spidey finds
Marko hard to take down, while Marko gets his hands on the tablet. Elsewhere,
Joe Robertson and his son Randy continue to debate their different points of
view. Robbie doesn’t want Randy to quit school but Randy wonders if it’s worth
it and if he’ll still be able to make it in a world stacked against him. Robbie
argues that education is the greatest weapon someone can have to fight against
bigotry and injustice when suddenly J. Jonah Jameson storms into Robbie’s
office, irate at his handling of the paper in his absence. Robbie stands up to
Jameson who “accepts his apology” and leaves. Randy points out that’s what he’s
talking about, that his father shouldn’t have to take that from a racist like
Jameson. Robbie makes sit clear that whatever his other faults, Jameson is not
a racist and blanket assumptions like that aren’t going to help anything.
Back with Spidey, Marko holds Shocker’s girlfriend out
of the window before dropping her. Spidey dives after her, snagging her on a
web-line while Marko makes his escape. Meanwhile, Wilson is taken to Cicero’s
boss, the aged boss of the Maggia, Silvermane. Silvermane tasks Wilson with
helping him decode the tablet, when Marko arrives at that moment with it. With
no leads, Spidey swings home to his apartment. There, he remembers his idea of
possibly getting a summer job working for Curt Connors and tries calling him.
Peter learns that Connors recently left unexpectedly with two men, which Peter
notes as a worrying sign. Worrying indeed, as Connors is brought before
Silvermane, in order to help with deciphering the tablet. Connors warns them
that bringing him here is dangerous but won’t elaborate, implying the imminent
possibility of his becoming the Lizard again! To be continued!