Prowler, The # 3 - Enlightened Gloom

Our hero is falling like a rock, complete with dialogue from the end of the last issue. Unfortunately, his efforts to save himself fail and he is splattered on the concrete below, as Spiderman arrives too late and slaps his own head for letting the Prowler continue this insane career (just kidding; of course, he saves himself through luck and one of his Batman-like gadgets).

Later in the issue, we find that Nightcreeper is conflicted about the murders he has committed, and we find out why he is so ruthless; thugs killed his young daughter in a drive-by shooting, and he went off the deep end. However, by this time we find out who the mystery character is; none other than the youthened Vulture, who has discovered that Yuppie crime pays big, with little or no penalties (showing his precognitive genius ten years ahead of Enron! Hmm, maybe he went into energy trading after this...). I was as nauseated as everyone else regarding the bogus "youthened/re-aged Vulture fiasco, during which this apparently occurred, and found it easier to pretend this character was one of those Vulture wannabes that ripped off Vulture's technology, rather than the real Vulture, who this character looks and speaks nothing like. (There is nothing in this young character's personality or dialogue that makes him similar to the original Toomes character).

Unfortunately, the Vulture, in addition to having murdered the chairman in the last issue, also wants to rip off the Prowlers pneumatic technology to add to his own costume. Hobie overhears the Vulture gloating with some high-tech bugging, and knows he has to be stopped. Unfortunately again, the Vulture decides to put an end to both Prowlers; one at a time, he gets the advantage on them, swooping down from above and shredding their "gliding" capes with his razor-tipped wings. Nightcreeper almost dies in a fall and is "partially paralyzed, and the Prowler is only a little luckier. Prowler vows revenge on the Vulture, which sets the stage for the last issue. Meanwhile, Mindy, Hobie's long-suffering wife, discovers Hobie is the Prowler, and begs him to stop going out at night. Naturally, Hobie proceeds to go right back out again, as his wife tearfully watches him.