He feels even less safe when the Tarantula suddenly emerges from the shadows and tells him that he will now pay the ultimate price for speaking against the regime and defying the state. Armando tries to run away, telling the Tarantula that he cannot kill him here in America, but the Tarantula replies that there is nowhere to hide and that all traitors to the state will be punished. Having said that, he delivers the deathblow using one of the retractable poison-dipped spikes sticking out from his boots. Armando Ruiz falls to the ground; he is dead. Standing over him, the Tarantula spits on the ground and calls him a "puerco" and says "death to all traitors".
Web-slinging nearby, Spider-Man hears Armando’s scream coming from the Daily Bugle building. He swings down to ground level where he notices somebody running out of the building through the basement access. Spidey confronts that person, who is revealed to be the Tarantula. At first, our hero is shocked because the Tarantula is supposed to be dead, having supposedly been killed back in Amazing Spider-Man #236. The Tarantula confirms this when he briefly explains that he's taken over for his predecessor. Suddenly, Spidey's spider-sense kicks in big time, warning him of danger. Just as it does, four of Tarantula’s men start shooting at him. Spidey manages to dodge the bullets by jumping out of harm's way. But when he lands back on his feet, the gunmen are gone and so is the Tarantula. Spidey wonders how the Tarantula managed to disappear so quickly and realizes that only highly trained military personnel have the ability to maneuver that fast. Hearing police sirens approaching, our hero swings away, pondering about the intentions of the new Tarantula. The Tarantula is seen in a car on the last panel of the page; a car that is driving on the street right beneath Spider-Man.
Meanwhile at the offices of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson is furious that the police don't have a clue about who murdered Armando. He asks Joe Robertson in his office and tells him to tell Kate Cushing to drop everything she is doing and to put Ben Urich and Peter Parker on the Ruiz story. Joe Robertson conveys the message to Kate and tells her to call Peter. All the while, Joe struggles with the fact that he might have seen Tombstone a few nights before. Meanwhile, at a photo shoot, Mary Jane consoles her hairstylist, Elvira, who happens to be an illegal alien in the U.S., and who might be deported back to her country. MJ tells Elvira that her husband, Peter, works for the Daily Bugle and that he might be able to help. She then gives her phone number to Elvira and tells her to call her if she ever needs anything.
In another part of town, a government secret agent named Gullivar South makes his way to the New York wharf where he climbs aboard a garbage barge. He then enters a secret passageway that leads him into the entrails of the barge, where the Tarantula and his men have their base of operations. In there, he meets the Tarantula and compliments him on his choice of headquarters. The Tarantula asks Gullivar for whom he is working and Gullivar replies that he is working for men that want to assist the Tarantula in his endeavors to bring stability and democracy to South America. On that note, Gullivar provides the Tarantula with a FBI file that contains information about his (the Tarantula's) country's political refugees. Very pleased with Gullivar, the Tarantula says: "we strike tonight". The family that is pictured on the photograph is that of Elvira, Mary Jane's hairstylist.
Meanwhile, at a local café, Mary Jane and Peter are having lunch and are discussing the possibility of Peter returning to university to obtain his college degree. MJ tells Peter that she is willing to foot the bill but Peter politely refuses, saying that he wishes to pay for his own education as it gives him a greater sense of accomplishment. MJ replies that she accepts his decision and tells him that Kate Cushing called for him and that she wants him to meet Ben Urich uptown. On that note, Peter finishes his burger and pop and takes his leave. Mary Jane is stuck paying the bill and remembers that she forgot to talk to Peter about Elvira. She resolves into talking to Peter later that night when she sees him again.
In another part of the city, Joe Robertson buys himself a hotdog from a hotdog stand and begins to walk, pondering about how many people know that the Kingpin has a building right there in the middle of the city. Suddenly, he notices Tombstone coming out of the Kingpin's building; he follows him. A few blocks further down the road, Tombstone suddenly turns to the left into a side street. Joe is just about to follow him in but as he turns around the corner, he comes face to face with Tombstone, who is simply leaning against a wall. Tombstone grabs Joe by the neck and lifts him off the ground. Then he tells him to stay out of his way if he wants to live a long long time. He adds that "it was good advice then, and it is good advice now". He then throws Robbie back to the ground like a bag of potatoes and walks away.
Peter switches to his Spider-Man costume (the black one) and makes his way to Spanish Harlem to meet with Ben Urich to investigate the death of Armando Ruiz, the Bugle worker killed earlier. Ben, who is already there, is talking with Maggie Michaelson, a legal aid lawyer who knew Armando Ruiz. Maggie explains that Armando was a political refugee, but not according to the INS. She goes on explaining that Armando's country is an ally of the US so the US government won't recognize the political status of its refugees; therefore Armando was an illegal. Ben asks her about the Amnesty Program to which she replies that most of the illegals won't apply for amnesty out of fear of being deported back to their country where the death squads are waiting for them. On that note, Peter arrives and asks them if he can take pictures of them. He asks Maggie if she thinks Armando was killed by some kind of death squad to which she replies that there are always rumors and that military dictatorships control their people by force and fear. The three of them begin walking when Peter's spider-sense suddenly kicks in just as some guy walks past them and makes his way across the street. Peter leaves Ben and Maggie and follows him into an alley. As he does so, he realizes that the man is in fact the Tarantula in his civilian clothes. But as he makes his way deeper into the alley, he comes to a dead end and the Tarantula is nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he hears something behind him and as he turns around, he comes face to face with a gang of Spanish men who think he is an immigration worker. The men surround him and attack him all at once. But as they huddle around him, Peter uses his spider-like abilities and escapes their attack by jumping up onto the nearest rooftop.
A short time later – staring away at the city skyline – Peter tries to make sense of what is happening with America. Elsewhere, Luis Corona and his wife, Elvira, Mary Jane's hairstylist, and their children are under attack by the Tarantula. They manage to lose him but the Tarantula calls up more of his men and continues the pursuit. Back at Peter and Mary Jane's apartment, Peter and MJ are busy washing the dishes when the phone suddenly rings; MJ answers the phone. The caller, Elvira, is very upset and tells MJ that she and her family are at Saint Jude's Church on Second Avenue and that "he" has come to kill them. MJ asks Elvira who is trying to kill them to which she replies that it is the Tarantula. On those words, Peter switches to his Spider-Man costume and makes his way to the church.
Moments later, Spider-Man is swinging across the New York City skies on his way to the church. He realizes that Armando Ruiz was indeed killed by the Tarantula and that for some reason he wants Elvira and her family dead too. Meanwhile at Saint Jude's Church, the Tarantula crashes through a stained glass window and lands inside the church. His men blast the church's door open with their guns and follow their master in. Elvira and her family and the church's padre try to hide between the pews but the Tarantula tells them that "there is no escape" and that "they must die to protect the state". As he approaches the pews where they are hiding, Spider-Man suddenly arrives on the scene and confronts the Tarantula and his men. The Tarantula's men start shooting at him but Spidey dodges their bullets. The Tarantula attacks Spidey and manages to tackle him, which makes him fall to the ground. Outside the church, the police have arrived at Saint Jude's Church where they have established a perimeter around the building. Back inside the church, Spidey is still busy fending off the Tarantula's attack. Suddenly, two of the Tarantula's henchmen prepare to shoot Spidey down but the church's padre warns him and our hero manages once again to dodge the bullets. He then performs a series of summersault and flips and sneaks behind the two shooters. He then knocks them both out by smashing their heads together. The Tarantula uses that opportunity to flee the scene through a broken stained glass window. As Spidey turns around to make sure that the Corona family is all right, he comes face to face with an agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), Agent Dunphy, who informs all of them that Elvira and her family will be detained for a deportation hearing. Spidey and furious and swings away.
A short time later, Peter returns to his apartment and tells Mary Jane that he cannot stand what happened to Elvira earlier that night. MJ tells him that he'll find a way to help Elvira and her family out. Meanwhile aboard the garbage barge that serves as his secret headquarters, the Tarantula is furious that Spider-Man made him look like a fool and compromised his plans. Gullivar South, who is visiting, tells the Tarantula that his Department has decided to offer some special help in the event he has to go up against Spider-Man once again: Captain America.
To be continued.
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