Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man # 21 - Consuming Passion

Overview

BACK IN BLACK continues as Spidey finds one his oldest friends in the fight of her life. Could this be the end for Betty Brant!? Spidey vs the police. Spidey vs Arrow. Robbie vs Jameson? All this and find out why Spidey's butt was buzzing. Really.

Spider-Man sits in Flash's friend's truck, trying to figure out what to do after Arrow has taken him away. A police officer has his gun pointed at Spider-Man, trying to tell him not to move. Flash's cell phone goes off and it turns out to be Betty, trying to see if Flash is okay. The officer still tries to get Spider-Man to raise his hands so he webs the gun. Spider-Man tells her to stay where she is as they try to figure out where Arrow may have taken Flash. He tells her that Arrow is literally made of supernatural spiders. Meanwhile, the officer goes to the trunk of his squad car to get another gun. Spidey notices this. The cop tells him to give up because he's called for backup. He goes off on how he would've loved to give up long ago so his loved ones wouldn't have been placed in danger. He mentions how Captain America gave up and is dead now. All of this was video taped by an onlooker.

In the church where Arrow's cocoon was, Flash is webbed to the ceiling. Arrow is in pain as the time for her eggs to be born is approaching. She pulls an egg sack from herself and mentions that Flash is to be their "daddy." Because Flash has been "out of action," due to his coma, he has a lot of tantric energy built up inside. When the eggs are ready to hatch, hundreds of beings like Arrow will be born. The downside for Flash is that they will be eating their way out of him. The egg sack has to go down his throat. When he refuses to open his mouth, she threatens to rip off his lips and knock out his teeth if he doesn't cooperate. Spider-Man arrives and they begin to fight. Both of them begin using their stingers.

At the Daily Bugle, a worker shows Jameson the video of Spider-Man and the officer that has been uploaded to U-tube. Jameson is loving it. He wants the guy responsible located for an exclusive interview. Robbie comes and tells him "No." He says that Peter deserves a break. He mentions all of his recent troubles including his aunt being in the hospital. He says Captain America's death is partially Jameson's fault too with all his raving about masked menaces. He asks how could he have been so blind over all these years. There were so many "coincidences" with Peter and Spider-Man. Deep down, he must have known, like he did, that Peter was Spider-Man. He says the man on the screen is a co-worker and possibly even a friend. He tells him for once not to add to his grief, but he is the "boss" so it's up to him.

Spider-Man is glad his stingers have come out at this time. Arrow says they only appear when he faces someone that is "rooted in primal forces of chaos and darkness." When he lands a blow on her, it has little affect other than displacing some of the many spiders she is made of. Arrow manages to get him in the shoulder. She says the venom won't kill him outright but will slow him down. She has him on the ropes now. She decides to place her eggs inside of him instead of Flash. Even though only hundreds will be born rather than thousands, at least it will result in his death. Lifting his masks, she prepares to force the egg sack down his throat.

Back at the Daily Bugle, Robbie walks into Jameson's office. He apologizes for his outburst in front of everyone. He says it was unprofessional and inappropriate. Jameson simply tells him he's fired and to get out of his building.