Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #154

Story 'Claws'

The main event of this issue is Spider-Man's big fight with the Puma. But other things of interest to us take place while the wall-crawler is occupied.

At Hammerhead's mansion on Long Island, the Chameleon assumes the guise of the Arranger in order to dupe Vermicelli, one of the Kingpin's lieutenants, into telling him where the Kingpin is. Vermicelli doesn't know but promises to relay any information he finds.

At the Daily Bugle, the real J. Jonah Jameson orders Gloria Grant to bring Nick Katzenberg to his office. Nick is shaking in his boots, now that he knows that the man he was chumming with was actually the Chameleon, but he obeys the order. Kate Cushing follows Nick in. She is worried about Gloria Grant who seems "as skittish as a rabbit" these days but she doesn't let that detract from the pleasure she is expecting when Jonah gives the sleazy Katzenberg the boot. The meeting starts as she expects. Jonah tells Nick his pictures "are the most incompetent photos I've seen in thirty years". But in spite of "lousy composition, lousy focus, lousy cropping", Nick has taken shots of exactly what Jameson wants. Pictures of Spider-Man acting suspicious. To Kate's surprise, Jonah gives Nick a cigar and tells him to keep up the good work.

At a Manhattan gun shop, the proprietor offers some bullets to the (real) Arranger. They are composed of a "silver and lead alloy" as the Arranger requested. "What are you hunting, Arranger" he asks, "werewolves?" The Arranger is not amused. He loads his gun and tests the bullet on a straw dummy set up as a target. As he blows the dummy's head off, he tells the proprietor, "I've arranged for the disposition of several men whose inquisitiveness got the better of them. Should you persist in questioning me about werewolves, I'll consider an arrangement to add your name to that list." The proprietor gets the hint and clams up.

Elsewhere in town, a distraught Glory Grant walks slowly home from the Daily Bugle. She is still trying to reconcile herself to the fact that her lover is a gangster and "some kind of mutant werewolf". (And who can blame her?) Suddenly, Eduardo stands behind her. He tells her that he was waiting for her at the Bugle building but she did not see him. Gloria explains that she was deep in thought and starts to talk about the gang war. But Eduardo interrupts her. "Forget the war," he says, "Your love is all that matters to me now. Only your love is real." And he takes her in his arms and kisses her.

After fighting the Puma as Spidey, Peter goes to the hospital to see Kristy. She still doesn't believe she is too thin or bulimic. Dr. Ransome explains that "until she admits and accepts her condition no one can help her".

And now the big finish...