PREVIOUSLY: Peter Parker's life over the past few months has been hit with constant waves of turmoil and torment, and events that have transpired during that time have directly and indirectly led to the demise of his beloved Aunt May, his clone Ben Reilly, and his newborn daughter. The pinnacle of all these events has undoubtedly been the return of Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin, who had been thought dead since the fateful night where he was impaled by his own goblin glider during a deadly battle with Spider-Man. Not only was Norman revealed to be the mastermind behind the whole clone saga, he was also responsible for the murder of Ben Reilly during the fateful all-out battle that took place in Peter Parker: Spider-Man Volume 1 #75, the conclusion to the long-lasting ill-received clone saga.

Now, weeks later, Peter tries to re-adjust to a semblance of a normal life. However, he is well aware that it is only a matter of time before Norman Osborn strikes again, despite his apparent demise in the above-noted issue of Peter Parker: Spider-Man. Meanwhile, he can only continue to do what he does best and that's fighting crime and saving lives.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #242, there is a brief confrontation between the Kangaroo and Spider-Man, resulting into another humiliating defeat for the super-villain. In another part of town, the Chameleon betrays Dr. Ashley Kafka and turns against her, despite the fact that she was responsible for his escape from Ravencroft Institute. Soon after, while impersonating Dr. Kafka, the Chameleon lures John Jameson into a trap and shoots him. Later, the Chameleon uses a fake holographic projection of Dr. Octopus attacking Peter Parker to lure Spider-Man into an even bigger trap. When Spider-Man awakens a short time later, Dr. Kafka confronts him and, as she removes his mask, explains that his name his Herbert Filmore Smith, a science-fiction author who recently suffered a trauma, which has caused him to retreat into a delusion that he is the superhero known as Spider-Man.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #243, it is revealed that John Jameson was not killed after all, as he was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting. Deducing that it was the Chameleon in disguise that shot him, he prepares to head back to Ravencroft to check up on the real Dr. Kafka but is stopped in his tracks by the nefarious Jack O'Lantern, who seems to have taken, as of late, a particular liking to the Jamesons, both son and father. John is attacked, right there and then, only to be find safe and sound, with no apparent memory of the attack, a short time later by the real Dr. Kafka. The two head out in search of the Chameleon, unaware that Jack O'Lantern is watching them from afar.

While all this takes place, the Chameleon – impersonating Dr. Kafka – continues on with his evil plan to make Peter Parker/Spider-Man believe that he is in fact a science fiction writer by the name of Herbert Filmore Smith who had a breakdown and who now believes that he is the superhero known as Spider-Man. Despite being fed these lies by the Chameleon, and almost coming close to believing them, Peter breaks through the spell cast by the Chameleon and sends him running for his life. At issue's end, while on the run, the Chameleon runs into Kraven the Hunter?

In Spectacular Spider-Man #244, Spider-Man goes in search of the Chameleon, after first defeating the Kangaroo and then stopping home to check up on Mary Jane. At Ravencroft, Dr. Ashley Kafka and John Jameson are trying to find the Chameleon as well, before the government catches wind of his escape. Unbeknownst to them, the Jack O'Lantern watches their every move. While all this takes place, the Chameleon is caught in the midst of a hallucinatory battle with the late Kraven the Hunter. When the Chameleon finally defeats his (non-existent) opponent, it is revealed that he and Kraven were half-brothers. In the middle of dealing with this revelation, Spider-Man finds him and a confrontation ensues. The Chameleon, however, has the upper hand, as he reveals a steel cage, inside which Dr. Kafka and John Jameson are being held captive.

At Ravencroft, Dr. Kafka is in hot water for not preventing the Chameleon's escape. Senator Roeberg, who pulled some strings to get Ravencroft reopened after the Carnage fiasco, tells Dr. Kafka that Dr. Leonard Samson is taking over as director of Ravencroft the following morning. When John Jameson steps in to try and convince the ticked off Senator to give Dr. Kafka another chance, she fires him on the spot for doing such a crappy job as Head of Security. Before Senator Roeberg can continue on ragging on the two of them, Spider-Man shows up and forces her – by way of his humorous wit – to take her leave. However, before leaving, Senator Roeberg tells them all to vacate the premises within a half hour.

In Manhattan, the Midtown Savings Bank receives the most unexpected visitors. An inter-dimensional hole opens in the middle of the vault, from which the Spot, the Gibbon, the Kangaroo, and the Grizzly emerge. As the Spot fills a duffle bag with loads of cash, the Gibbon asks why they are robbing a bank when the real reason they decided to form a team was to get revenge on Spider-Man. The Spot explains that he wants them to have financial security for after they defeat Spider-Man so they can retire in style. The Kangaroo daydreams about all the great equipment he will be able to buy with that much money. Conversely, the Grizzly does not care about the money; all he wants is to pay Spider-Man back for humiliating him. The Spot mocks the Grizzly by saying that he has done a good job humiliating himself, without Spider-Man's being involved. Ticked off, the Grizzly tries to punch the Spot but his fist goes into one of the Spot's spots and comes out several feet away. Fed up with the Spot's shenanigans, the Grizzly decides to leave...through the vault's door. As he prepares to open it, he asks the Gibbon if he is coming with him. The Gibbon replies that he is with him and is about to suggest to the Grizzly not to open the vault's door because it will set the alarm off. However, he does not get to finish his sentence, as the Grizzly has already opened the door and the alarm can be heard ringing through the bank. The Spot and the Kangaroo grab the money and leave via one of the Spot's inter-dimensional hole, while the Grizzly and the Gibbon leave through the front door, only to come face-to-face with a barrage of police officers, their weapons drawn.

At the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson is hard at work on another anti-Spider-Man editorial, while on the phone with his wife, who wants him to come home. When she finds out what he is working on, she hangs up the phone, forcing Jonah to stop what he is doing and head home. He reaches the elevators and when the door opens, he comes face-to-face with the Jack O'Lantern. Jonah tries to run away but Jack O'Lantern ensnares him.

Elsewhere, Spider-Man has left Ravencroft and is web-slinging across the city in search of the Chameleon (once again) when he hears gunfire coming from down below. It turns out that the Grizzly and the Gibbon are on the run from the cops that were surrounding the bank. They do manage to make it into some kind of basement, where they think they will be safe. However, they soon come to the realization that they are not alone when Spider-Man drops down on a webline. The duo attacks him immediately, only to be humiliated by Spider-Man, who barely has to put up a fight to fend off their attack. Just then, the Spot and the Kangaroo appear via one of the Spot's holes and their presence is distracting enough to Spider-Man that he is unable to stop the Gibbon from punching him and the Kangaroo from knocking him out. Rather then leaving Spider-Man there, they decide to take him to their headquarters, the Grizzly's apartment.

In New Jersey, Betty Brant stops by Flash Thompson's apartment to see how he is doing. When Flash opens the door, Betty is horrified at the sight of her friend. Flash is unshaven, his hair unkempt and he can barely stand up he is so drunk. Betty helps him out to a chair and remarks that he smells like a brewery. Flash replies that his mother used to say that to his dad all the time and that one time, his dad smacked her across the face because he was so sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. Betty is stunned that Flash would think that it is funny and prepares to walk out but Flash falls to his knees and begs Betty to stay and help him. Knowing full well that if she agrees to help him, she is in it for the long haul, Betty tells Flash that she will do everything she can to help him.

At the Grizzly's apartment, the Spot is contemplating what to do with Spider-Man who lies unconscious hanging upside down. The Grizzly suggests that perhaps they should give back the money and forget about getting revenge on Spider-Man, since Spider-Man was willing to cut them a break earlier. The Kangaroo freaks out and calls the Grizzly crazy for wanting to give the money back. The Gibbon intervenes and tells the Kangaroo that the Grizzly is right about Spider-Man always trying to do right. Using one of his new weapons, the Kangaroo sends the Gibbon flying across the room. The Grizzly comes to his rescue and punches the Kangaroo across the room as well. The Kangaroo bounces off the wall and propels himself towards the Grizzly in full attack mode. The Grizzly bends over at the last possible second and the Kangaroo ends up disappearing inside one of the Spot's inter-dimensional portal, only to reappear seconds later and slamming hard into the floor, losing consciousness. Using his inter-dimensional abilities, the Spot attacks the Grizzly. Thankfully, the Gibbon is back on his feet and he grabs both of Spot's arms, which are sticking out from two different portals. The Grizzly does the same thing with the Spot's legs and on the count of three, they both pull in opposite direction, forcing the Spot to lose control of his portals and getting knocked out. The Grizzly and the Gibbon are excited to have defeated their opponents and the Grizzly comments that they should cut Spider-Man loose. The Gibbon tells the Grizzly that Spider-Man is not where they left him, just as Spider-Man is heard telling them to look up. Seeing Spider-Man hang from the ceiling, the Grizzly asks why he is not unconscious anymore. Spider-Man explains that he pretended to be unconscious so he could see what he and the others were up to. Having said that, he drops from the ceiling and grabs hold of the unconscious body of the Spot and the Kangaroo. The Grizzly asks if Spider-Man is going to take them in and Spider-Man tells them that he is going to talk to the cops and clear the whole thing up, as long as they stay out of trouble from now on. As Spider-Man swings out the window, the Grizzly and the Gibbon contemplate forming a team of superheroes called "The Gargantuan Grizzly and his partner Gibbon, the Boy Monkey".

At the Daily Bugle, a security guard is doing his rounds when he goes to take the elevator. When the doors to the elevator open up, he is horrified to find J. Jonah Jameson badly bruised and battered to within an inch of his life.

To be continued.