Spider-Man: The Manga #27

Background

This is part three of the last big arc in Spider-Man: The Manga.

Story Details

Spider-Man has a nightmare that his mirror reflection no longer obeys him. When he removes his mask, he sees a gruesome skull beneath. Awaking in a sweat, Yu is convinced that his spider-sense is warning him, through his dream, that he is about to die.

Later, out in the city, he rescues a woman who is so deep in thought that she is almost hit by a car. The woman turns out to be Yukiko and she is very worried about her brother. She tells Yu that her father once ran a "big iron factory" until he was betrayed by his "most trusted executives" who were bribed by a rival company to ruin him. Her father lost all hope and he and Yukiko's mother committed suicide. Their relatives "gave us the cold shoulder" once they realized that there was no money left. Yukiko had to find a job. Mitsuo became a hood, thinking "only about revenge". Yu empathizes and tells Yukiko that he may have turned out like Mitsuo in the same situation. Yukiko refuses to believe this and flees when Yu presses her on how her brother is doing.

In the days that follow, a mysterious crime wave begins. Dozens of offices are robbed, often for very small amounts of money. The offices are in Toyko's tallest buildings, apparently inaccessible except by climbing the very walls themselves. The thief begins leaving messages taunting the police and challenging Spider-Man to defeat him. Soon, Yu receives a letter from Yukiko. In it, she reveals that Mitsuo "is back to his old tricks again", that "he has lots of money but I don't know where he got it". She finishes with, "Komori, I need your help, please". If the taunts didn't work, the plea from Yukiko does. Yu dons his Spidey duds and takes to the webs. "I have to face Mitsuo, the mystery thief."

Overall Rating

Some of the wording is a bit funny, but it's easy to put that down to translation. But the underlying story has plenty of heart. Four webs.