New friends Spider-Man and
Gargoyle return to New York City and hang out together high above Central Park;
Isaac recounts his origin and decision to use his powers for good. Then they
hear an old woman calling for help, surrounded by a gang of five punks.
Gargoyle descends from the sky, scaring the punks so that they run into
Spidey’s web. He binds them up and leaves them for the police. The lady seems
all right but when she says her life wasn’t worth saving, Isaac (now disguised)
stops her, telling her that her life is worth more because of her wisdom and
experience. Spidey excuses himself and Isaac walks the lady, Sadie Bass, home.
She invites him in for a cup of tea. Then Sadie’s daughter Beatrice walks in
and screams at the sight of the Gargoyle. But Sadie soon calms her down,
introducing her new friend….
Meanwhile, Peter Parker goes to
the nursing home to visit Aunt May and finds her frantic; her fiancé, Nathan
Lubensky is gone, having sunk into a depression after learning more friends of
his have passed away, and he couldn’t bear to live anymore. Peter goes out to
find him, searching the city as Spider-Man….
Nathan, a former vaudeville
performer, has asked a young man named Jose to wheel him around the theater
district, so he can remember the good old days. And then Nathan is accosted by
a gang of punks, the same gang that attacked Sadie Bass earlier but, since the
police never arrived, they escaped when Spidey’s webbing dissolved after an
hour….
Sadie and Beatrice get into an
argument over several issues including whether the older woman should see a
doctor. Isaac intervenes and points out that they clearly care for one another.
He then takes them flying over the city, pointing out all of the joys and
wonders of life, calling it all scared. He returns the ladies to Sadie’s
apartment where the old woman says she needs some sleep….
Meanwhile, the punks have dragged
Nathan into the shuttered theater and harassing and threatening him. But
Spider-Man, after a fruitless search, has had a hunch and he arrives at the
theater to see what’s going on. He captures three of the baddies silently and
webs them up out of sight. When Nathan defies the two remaining hoods, the punk
slaps his face. But before Spidey can intervene, Aunt May arrives, demanding
the punks let Nathan go. She whacks one with her umbrella and Nathan runs
another down. The punks are about to get dangerous when Spidey shows himself
behind May and Nathan and the punks flee. Nathan thanks May for helping him
realize that life is precious and he wants to spend what is left of his with
her. Awww.
Back at Sadie’s apartment, the old
lady is dying but dying happy. Beatrice thanks Isaac for helping her see what
her mother saw. Isaac takes his leave and encounters Spider-Man a few blocks
away. Both men have something to share but they can’t put it into words so they
just sit quietly on a rooftop together….
Excelsioring your collection