Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #95

Background

Gwen was devastated after the accidental death of her father. She went to England to live with her uncle Arthur, which broke Peter’s heart.

Story 'Trap for a Terrorist!'

Swinging through New York, Spidey couldn’t get his mind off of Gwen. Desperate to see her, he decided to travel to London to explain the situation. He didn’t have classes that week but didn’t have money. He went to the Bugle to ask Jonah for an advance but knew it would never happen. He ran into Robbie, who asked how he was holding up after George Stacy’s death. He explained the situation and Robbie told him that he would send Peter to England if he brought back pictures of a news story. Peter was ecstatic and said he did believe in Santa Clause before running off to get a travel voucher. Jonah appeared to ask what Peter was so happy about and Robbie said he gave Peter an assignment. Jonah called him a lazy good for nothing teenager.

Peter went to tell May about the situation and the Watsons were visiting. May explained that she was helping MJ make a costume for a show and Peter interrupted to say he was going to London. He wished MJ luck with her show and ran out, leaving May amazed that her nephew was in love. MJ said it didn’t take any special talent.

Harry dropped Peter off at the airport and told him not to do anything that he wouldn’t do and he’d do anything. (We know, Harry.) Peter was nervous during the flight, not sure what he’d say to her. A kid in the seat behind him asked why he was still wearing his seatbelt when everyone else had taken theirs off. The boy’s father hoped that the kid wasn’t bothering him, it was his first flight and was excited. The kid said that his dad was an American delegate but was shushed by his father. Later, Peter realized that he’d left in such a rush that he was still wearing his costume until his clothes and he had to find a way to repay the Daily Bugle.

As the plane landed, the pilot warned the passengers to stay in their seats. Terrorists had placed a bomb under the loading ramp to be triggered by remote control. Passengers began to panic and Peter ran to the bathroom to change to Spider-Man. He smashed out of the plane and crawled along the bottom of the fuselage to where the bomb was suspected of being. He kicked it away and it exploded far enough away to prevent damage. The plane was evacuated but the delegate and his son were captured by the terrorists.

He followed the getaway car and landed on the roof, planting a spider tracer on the roof just as a terrorist opened fire from inside. Another terrorist shot at him from the sunroof and Spidey fell from the roof. He planned to follow them but was stopped by the police. A detective named Hargraves told him that he was impressed but wanted to know why he wore a ridiculous costume. Spider-Man said he liked to be noticed in a crowd. The inspector said other terrorists had been captured and were being interrogated but he wanted to know more about him. Spider-Man got defensive and said there was no law against wearing a costume. The inspector said they had a file on him and was curious to learn more. Spidey said to do it but he’d be going after the delegate and his son. After Spider-Man left, an officer told the inspector that Spider-Man was a wanted fugitive and was told that Spider-Man would stand out like a sore thumb. He’d be watched.

Spider-Man searched London for the delegate but was eager to find Gwen. He was shaken up by the ordeal but was eager to find the hostages. He webbed his clothing to a wall to keep them out of the way but noticed his spider sense tingling. Gwen was watching from a window and was terrified to see him. She fainted and her uncle laid her down on a couch. Meanwhile Spider-Man felt his sense tingling again and found the getaway car. Spider-Man set up his camera and they immediately opened fire. He defeated the terrorists and demanded to know where the Americans were being held. He was told that the government knew their demands to release their comrades or else the hostages died at 7:00. Spider-Man began to panic about more deaths on his hands when the police arrived. They refused to negotiate with them and Spider-Man left to find them himself. He had less than two hours to find them.

He thought of the terrorist’s warning that their fates were sealed “by time itself.” He guessed that he meant that they were being held at Big Ben. He found them outside the tower and saw wires running to the clock face. He webbed all four of the clock faces, hoping to prevent an explosion. He grabbed the hostages and escaped with them before going back to defuse the bombs. As Spidey swung away, the inspector asked why the Americans hated Spidey so much. The delegate didn’t know but he said maybe they were prophets without honor.

Peter finally went looking for Gwen but realized that Spider-Man and Peter Parker being in London at the same time was too suspicious. He wanted to know why even when he won, he still lost. At Arthur Stacy’s home, he saw on TV that Spider-Man had been seen in London and had stopped the terrorists. He said that maybe Gwen had been too quick to blame him for her father’s death. She admitted that her father always respected Spider-Man and that she was confused. She wished Peter was there with her and had hoped he would come to England to see her. Peter made his way to the airport, thinking that Gwen hadn’t even written to him and had probably moved on.

General Comments

This wasn’t a great issue. As Peter even said himself, it was too suspicious for both he and Spider-Man to be in London at the same time. He might as well have unmasked to everyone. It is kind of interesting how everyone cuts Peter and his alter ego so much slack. They just shrug and say he doesn’t seem so bad, when we know that he’d be investigated by both the British and American authorities for meddling in an international incident. Compare that to modern stories where everyone does hate Spider-Man and he can’t catch a break. The suspension of disbelief is asking a lot in this issue.

It was also a dull story. Spider-Man gets shot at a few times and then swings around London until he has an epiphany out of nowhere about the location of the hostages.

Gwen is surprisingly manipulative. She’s disappointed that her boyfriend, whom she’d left suddenly without saying goodbye, hadn’t followed her to another country to talk to her. She has more issues than anyone remembers. Peter, meanwhile, moped that she hadn’t written to him so must be over him. Dude, she just left two issues ago.

Overall Rating

Like I’ve said, I like when reality inspires fiction in a comic but this wasn’t best thought out story.