Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man # 16 - Taking Wing: Conclusion

The story picks up where last issue left off. Spider-Man is unconscious in a free-fall over the city. Several onlookers, including Deb Whitman, Flash Thompson, and Betty Brant yell to try to get Spider-Man to snap out of it before he hits the ground. During his fall, Spidey is having visions of Deb blaming him for her troubles and ruining her life.

With seconds to spare, Spider-Man wakes up and manages to swing up rather than hitting the ground. As luck would have it, he flies right into the Vulture, who now seems unconscious.

On the street, Flash and Betty have words with Deb about being wrong for blaming Peter for her problems. Nurse Arrow, from the high school both Flash and Peter work, walks up just as Deb slaps Flash and calls him a dumb jock. Not pleased with this, we see a talon pop out of Arrow's wrist as she makes her way towards the trio. Arrow then finds out that Flash and Betty had dated before and we can see that there is some jealousy present.

The Vulture wakes up in a hospital (where Spider-Man brought him) and is told he had a stroke. He is informed that he may be able to regain full movement with physical therapy and the Vulture begs to be killed.

Next we see an orderly walk into Vulture's room which turns out to be Spider-Man using an image-inducer. Vulture taunts Spider-Man to the point where he picks up a pillow and pushes it against the Vulture's head.

At the same time, Agent Madrox of S.H.I.E.L.D. (one of Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man's dupes) appears at the hospital looking for Spider-Man. It seems that Spider-Man's attempt to smother the Vulture was his way to make him see that he, in fact, wants to live. Spider-Man escapes out the window before Agent Madrox enters.

Deb Witman paid a visit to Betty telling her that she is in debt over her mother's hospital bills and the writer of her "tell all" book about Peter and Spider-Man was not what she had planned. She feels guilty about it now but can't afford to give back the money. Betty says the truth eventually comes out.

The next day at the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson is furious over an exclusive in the Daily Globe written from anonymous sources that revealed that Deb Whitman was taken advantage of with the writing of the book. Jamesons demands to know who was responsible and puts Betty on the story. She looks at him and tells him she'll get "right on that."