The Amazing Spider-Man # 551 - Lo, There Shall Come A MENACE!!

Overview

Jackpot! Spidey vs. the Police! Menace! Triumphs, twists, turns and tragedy pack these two issues by Marc Guggenheim and Salvador Larrocca. And would you believe...Spider-Man sued? (Hey, that's what we get for having a former lawyer write these things...)

Spider-Man was about to investigate the explosion in the direction of Harlem when he found himself surrounded by police helicopters. Jumping out the window, they begin firing at him as he tries to crack jokes. Once again, he is out of web fluid. Falling to the streets below, he is saved by Jackpot, swinging by on a cable.

The police are still following and firing at them. Spider-Man actually doesn't mind them following as he's heading to the Apollo Theatre where the mayoral debate is going on. Menace has Councilwoman Parfrey in his grips. As Spider-Man and Jackpot arrive, Menace carries her out on his glider.

Spider-Man gets the idea to jump into a police helicopter. He promises them he'll let them arrest him if they help save the councilwoman. Jackpot joins them. Using his exhaust tracer, they manage to track down Menace and Parfrey. Spidey jumps down to them. He gets Parfrey out of Menace's grasp and literally throws her to Jackpot. Menace is ready to follow through with his earlier threat when Spider-Man decks him.

The fight goes on and Jackpot decides to help Spidey by jumping on Menace's back. Things get out of control. Spider-Man falls to the ground with Menace and Jackpot soon following. With the glider un-manned, it flies out of control...straight towards Councilwoman Parfrey. Spider-Man and Jackpot are too far to do anything other than yell for her to duck. Too late.

Menace tells Spider-Man it's all his fault even though they know it's really Jackpot's, who is on her knees crying. Menace disappears in a cloud of smoke. Jackpot pushes Spider-Man and tells him to get away from her. The police arrive to arrest him. He tells him it's not a good time. Even though he promised they could arrest him, he had his fingers crossed and leaves.

At the DB, he tries giving the best picture he could get of Menace. Dexter Bennett informs him that it's not the first picture. At the debate, there were television cameras plus cell phone cameras in the crowd. The picture Peter did manage to get shows Menace flying off with the late councilwoman. Dexter admires the impact of the photo and offers Peter two thousand since he can't rightfully give him the ten thousand dollar bonus. Peter says Jameson would've just given him fifty bucks and thinks to himself that'd be just enough to buy all the ingredients he needs to make more web-fluid. Things are looking good at the new DB.

Later Spider-Man tracks down the address of Sara Ehret. Knocking on the window, he sees a dark, short-haired woman. He asks if she wears a wig as part of the costume. She doesn't know what he's talking about. Spidey asks if her name is Sara and she says yes. Then he tells her that Jackpot gave her name as her identity. He doesn't know why his spider-sense didn't go off if she lied. Sara tells he should just stay out of it and closes the window.