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| Amazing Spider-Man #51 | |
 WRITER: J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILLER: John Romita Jr. COVER BY: J. Scott Campbell INKER: Scott Hanna STORY TITLE: Digger REVIEW: ACT 1: The story of the Vegas Thirteen starts in Las Vegas on July 3rd 1957 and involves a meeting of some of the most powerful Wise Guys from New York and Nevada. The meeting was called at the height of the struggle between the Mafia families fighting for control of the Vegas casino, money laundering and prostitution business. Seven bosses and seven lieutenants, all unarmed, met to resolve the conflict peacefully. As the evening progressed, the other bosses noticed that Morris Forelli, a boss from New York, was absent. Since his trusted lieutenant, George Sims, was present, the rest were unconcerned, assuming that Forelli had simply been delayed. The truth was that Forelli had found out that Sims was working for one of the rival families that had helped arrange a recent hit on one of Forelli's sons. Pissed off, Forelli pre-arranged the simultaneous elimination of Sims and all the leading Mafia figures and their lieutenants on that same night. Having learned a few lessons since the last time something like this had been attempted, Forelli and his men destroyed all evidence of the brutal murders and piled the bodies into a large grave once used for dumping illegal chemicals from several nearby factories. ACT 2: What Forelli did not expect was that several years later, the American government was going to begin experimenting once again with gamma rays in the exact spot where the bodies had been buried. What Forelli also did not anticipate was that one of those gamma experiments was going to lead to the creation of a monster…vowing revenge on him and his family. ACT 3: Meanwhile, we are treated to another cute moment between Peter and Mary Jane, which shows how strong their relationship has been and will always be. ACT 4: Meanwhile, at the train station, a security guard searches the wagons to ensure that there are not any clandestine passengers hiding in them when he suddenly discovers something or someone hidden in one of them. It does not appear that he lives to recount his story. ACT 5: Across the city, Spider-Man rejoices about the fact that Mary Jane is back while nearby, some of Forelli's goons are threatening a local pimp about getting the money he owes them. What happens next is totally unexpected. The monster seen earlier appears out of nowhere, grabs one of the goons, throws him out of the window (at this point the pimp flees the scene), and then destroys the building while he is still inside with the other goon. A pair of glowing eyes is seen amidst the darkness of the collapsed building. ACT 6: Later, the cops are on the scene investigating the strange cave-in of the edifice. The lead detective – Lamont – notices a steel column crushed by what appears to have been a hand. He notices something else too. We, the readers, have to wait a few more pages to find out what he’s just discovered. ACT 7: Again we are treated to an interlude with Peter and Mary Jane rekindling their romance. ACT 8: Later that night, Spider-Man web-slings across the city when his spider-sense kicks in overdrive. From a nearby rooftop, someone is screaming for help. When Spider-Man lands on the rooftop, he is surprised to see Detective Lamont, holding a radio from which the screams are coming. Lamont and Spidey make their way to the collapsed building where Lamont explains what he found out earlier that day. The handprint on the crushed steel column had left some impressions on the steel and after having those impressions analyzed for fingerprints, Lamont discovered that the five fingerprints found on the column belonged to five different men, men who all disappeared close to 50 years ago, more precisely in 1957. Lamont also tells Spider-Man that eyewitnesses heard the monster say "Tell Forelli the boys are back in town". ACT 9: Meanwhile, the creature has made its way across town to a local dance club. Disguised to hide its deformities, it enters the club, which used to be a high-class joint for mafia bosses, and it becomes angry. A black guy standing nearby tells him to chill out and pulls out a knife. The creature grabs him by the wrist and throws him across the dance floor. Out of nowhere a bottle is thrown at the creature. The creature freaks out and starts to rampage the dance club. People flee in all directions. That's when Spider-Man finally shows up. To be continued.
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