Mirroring the first scene of the previous issue, Peter Parker is giving J. Jonah Jameson mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (though in the previous issue Peter was kissing a girl). After what seems like an eternity, paramedics show up on the scene and take over for Peter. Taking charge, Joe "Robbie" Robertson tells Gloria Grant to call Marla Jameson to let her know what happened and Betty Brant to ride with Jonah in the ambulance, so that she can keep him up-to-date. He then tells the rest of them to stay on their stories, because that's what Jonah would want them to do. When Peter asks if there is anything he can do, Robbie takes him aside and tells him that what the paper needs are pictures of Spider-Man in action and only Peter seems to have what it takes to get these type pictures; Robbie hopes that it will be enough to save the Daily Bugle, as well as save Jonah. Peter takes his leave, heads into a nearby storage room and dons his Spider-Man costume, minus one web-shooter. He then takes off into the night.
Meanwhile, Harry Osborn, his girlfriend Lily Hollister, and Carlie Cooper, who was just attacked, along with Peter, by the infamous "Spider-Mugger", head into the Coffee Bean. Carlie expresses concerns about Peter’s well being, as the last time she saw him, he was running after the mugger. Harry tries to reassure Carlie that Peter will be okay and offers to buy Lily and her a cup of coffee. As Harry owns the Coffee Bean, he tells the head waitress to kick everybody else out so he and his friends can have the place to themselves. In exchange, he will compensate each and every one of them on their next two trips. Seeing as Carlie appears still to be worried about Peter, Lily asks her if she is all right. Carlie answers that she is and mentions that she ought to call her credit card company to advise them that her card was stolen. She asks Harry if he has Peter's number so she can tell him to call his cards in too. Harry responds with a snort and tells Carlie that it is very unlikely that a credit card company would trust Peter Parker with a card.
However, as clearly pointed out in the next frame, Peter Parker does happen to have a credit card and the "Spider-Mugger", whose name is revealed to be Boyle, is offered $200.00 per card from a buyer named Dooley. Boyle wants more but Dooley’s offer is final. Boyle reluctantly accepts the deal and asks what Dooley is willing to offer for the watch, which is in fact one of Spidey’s web-shooters. As Dooley calls the watch a piece of crap, the action switches to the bar a few feet away from them where a man named Bruno Karnelli is complaining about the fact that he wasn't invited to partake in a meeting of the two main maggia families in New York City, the Karnellis and the Manfredis. It so happens that Bruno is the heir apparent and he thinks he should be there; he does not understand why they didn't invite him. The bartender responds that perhaps he wasn't invited because he runs his mouth too much. Dooley grabs the web-shooter and throws it back at Boyle, telling him that the watch is worthless, as there is not even a clock on it. Boyle insists that it is a good product so Dooley answers that he can keep it to himself if he likes it so much. As Boyle continues to try and sell the web-shooter-watch, he accidentally launches a small spider-tracer across the room, which attaches itself to Bruno Karnelli's jacket, unbeknownst to Dooley, and Bruno, who is still complaining about not having been invited to that maggia meeting. Bruno mentions that he's just recently made a deal with someone else that will guarantee he will be leading the families really soon. Back at the table, Boyle finds the web-shooter trigger and presses on it. A strand of webbing shoots upward, past Dooley, who is oblivious to the whole thing. Realizing what he has in his possession, Boyle covers the web-shooter with his sleeve.
Spidey is web-slinging across the city when he picks up the signal from his spider-tracer. As he pinpoints where it is emanating from, the signal suddenly splits in two; the reason being that the mugger has one on his person, and Bruno also has one on his jacket from inside the bar. Spidey does not know which one to follow. That is, until a van pulls next to Bruno and he’s grabbed and thrown inside the van. As Spidey swings after the van, the van accidentally slams into the side of a large crane hoisting a Daily Bugle sign with J. Jonah Jameson's face plastered all over it. The crane's cable breaks and the sign starts to plummet toward the ground. Spidey performs a series of acrobatic moves and catches the sign in the nick of time, saving the lives of innocent people in the process. However, the citizens he just saved from certain death blame him for the sign falling down and almost killing them. They tell Spidey that Jameson was right when he said they were better off without him. Though Spidey is frustrated with them, and Jameson for putting those thoughts in their heads, he nonetheless hopes "ol' flattop" is doing all right.
At Mt. Sinai Hospital, a doctor comes out and tells Marla Jameson to follow him, so she can talk to Jonah before he heads into surgery. Betty Brant, who was with Marla in the waiting room, tells Marla that she'll be waiting for her; Marla follows the doctor. She finds Jonah's room and stays in the doorway, unable to bear seeing her unconscious husband hooked up on a ventilator and other machines, or get closer to him. She speaks to Jonah – unsure if he can hear her – and she tells him that she always knew this was going to happen; that the Daily Bugle would eventually kill him or at least cripple him. She cannot allow that to happen anymore. Having said that, she calls their lawyer to verify if she has power of attorney because of Jonah’s current health crisis. The lawyer responds in the affirmative. She consequently tells him to draw up the necessary papers and call Dexter Bennett, the man who his trying to buyout the Daily Bugle from Jonah, to let him know that they are prepared to sell him all their shares. "If he wants the Daily Bugle so badly", she says, “then he can have it".
In Chinatown, in a secret medical facility owned and operated by Mr. Negative, Bruno Karnelli awakens to find himself strapped to a steel table, giant syringes tapped into his body. Mr. Negative and his posse are watching from nearby. Bruno demands to know what is going on and comments to Mr. Negative that they had a deal, whereby he was supposed to be made head of the Karnelli and maggia families. Mr. Negative replies that, if he survives the "procedure", he will be. Confused, Bruno asks what they are doing to him. Mr. Negative explains that they are extracting large quantities of his blood for an unrevealed plan. Just then, Mr. Negative becomes aware of the small spider-tracer on Bruno's jacket, which lies on the ground. Mr. Negative turns to his men and tells them to ready themselves, as they are expecting company.
On cue, Spider-Man comes crashing through the skylight and into the makeshift lab. Mr. Negative instructs his henchmen, referred to as "Inner Demons", to take down Spidey. As Spidey buckles down to take care of business, Mr. Negative seemingly analyzes Spidey and comments that he's proving himself to be a worthy foe. Fending off the Inner Demons' attack, a confused Spidey asks Mr. Negative if they’ve ever met before. Mr. Negative tells Spidey not to play the fool with him, as he’s certain he’s set his sights on stopping his power play, starting with him apprehending his courier, the villain known as Overdrive, from delivering a special package to him (this happened during the Free Comic Book Day – Swing Shift Spider-Man Comic Book). This special package is revealed by Mr. Negative to be none other than the ancient hieroglyphic clay stone he acquired from Detective Willowby in the previous issue. Seeing the stone, Spidey comments that he is tired of mob bosses obsessing over that "piece of rock". Mr. Negative responds that this tablet is not the same Spidey encountered before. Whereas that one was the tablet of life and time, the tablet Mr. Negative has in his possession right there and then is the tablet of death and entropy, which contains a formula to brew a poison called the "Devil's Breath". Seeing an opening between his attackers, Spidey snags the tablet from Mr. Negative using a webline and destroys it with a well-placed punch. Unfazed, Mr. Negative responds that he took the precaution of writing down the formula. Just then, a man covered in scrubs tells Mr. Negative that their work is done and that the mixture is completed. Pressing a few keys of a nearby computer keyboard, Mr. Negative tells Spider-Man that he has but five minutes left to save Bruno Karnelli before the pumps he's hooked up to bleed him dry. With that said, he walks out the back door. Spidey yells at Bruno that he's on his way, though he is still battling the Inner Demons, with only one web-shooter.
Meanwhile across town, the "Spider-Mugger" is in the process of attacking a man and his wife, using the web-shooter he stole from Peter in the previous issue. The man bravely comments that he will eventually get caught by either the police or one of the real heroes. The Spider-Mugger laughs at the man, telling him that he's not the real Spider-Man. As those words escape from his mouth, he realizes that the real Spider-Man had to be that guy he stole the web-shooter (and wallet) from, outside the club. If he can get back that wallet from Dooley, he can find out his identity and where he lives.
At the Parker home in Forest Hills, Queens, Aunt May stops by the house to check up on Peter. But Peter is not there. Aunt May checks his room and finds the bed unslept in; no sign of a note, nothing. She comments that it reminds her of Peter's high school year, when she used to worry day and nights about him. He’s an adult now; so she refuses to worry about him anymore.
Back at Mr. Negative's secret medical facility, Spidey has defeated the Inner Demons and rescued Bruno Karnelli (off-panel). Spidey realizes that Bruno could not have been the spider-mugger, leaving him confused and his questions unanswered. As he and Bruno talk about just what happened, Bruno reveals that Mr. Negative had promised he would be the head of the Karnelli and maggia families, as part of their agreement. Spidey comments that he cannot see Bruno as the head of the families, unless all the other family members are dead. As Spidey utters that last sentence, Bruno realizes what Mr. Negative is up to. All his brothers are at the big family meeting at the Vandemere Hotel and Mr. Negative could easily arrange to have them killed; Bruno implores Spidey to do something.
In the lower levels of the Vandemere Hotel, Mr. Negative and his henchmen are busy inserting canisters of the poison in the hotel's ventilation system. Several floors above, the Karnellis and Manfredis are slowly starting their meeting. At that moment, Spider-Man arrives via the balcony and enters the penthouse, disrupting the meeting. He tries to tell the maggia members that their lives are in danger but doesn't have the opportunity to even finish explaining what is going on, as they start shooting at him. Spidey dodges the bullets, using his trusty spider-sense, and – at the same time – tries to persuade his attackers that they are in danger. Suddenly, reddish gas starts to spread rapidly through the room. Within seconds, every man present is writhing in pain, acking and coughing, the skin on their hands and faces wrinkling, giving them a zombie-like appearance. Then, one after the other, they fall to the ground, dead. And it appears as if Spider-Man also succumbs to the deadly gas.
To be continued.
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