PREVIOUSLY: In Spectacular Spider-Man #241, Peter Parker and Mary Jane decide to move out of their house in Forest Hills, Queens and move back into the city to leave painful memories behind and start a new life. Meanwhile, at Ravencroft Institute, Dr. Ashley Kafka, long-time friend of Spider-Man, orchestrates the escape of Dmitri Smerdyakov, the Chameleon, because she fears that taking him away now will undo everything they have worked for and will only serve to further fragment his already fragile mind and create more pain and suffering. And why the heck is Jack O'Lantern spying on J. Jonah Jameson?

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.

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.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #245, Spider-Man tries to free Dr. Kafka and John Jameson from the electrified steel cage only to be felled by a poisoned dart from an unknown assailant. When he awakens, he finds himself trapped inside said cage, with the Chameleon taunting him by transforming into Mary Jane and telling him that he is going out on the town to pay a special visit to an old friend (meaning MJ of course). A ticked off Spider-Man manages to break free from the electrified steel cage and races after the Chameleon. Spider-Man arrives at the Parker home and, to his amazement, Mary Jane has knocked the lights out of the Chameleon with a baseball bat. As they laugh it off, the Chameleon escapes only to run into Kraven the Hunter who, before shooting the Chameleon, reveals that he is not a hallucination, as it was he that felled Spider-Man earlier. As all these events take place, a new group of super-villains is formed. Its members are the Grizzly, the Kangaroo, the Gibbon, and the Spot.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #246, Spider-Man goes out in search of the Chameleon, who has disappeared. At Ravencroft, Dr. Ashley Kafka is told by Senator Roeberg that she is no longer the director of the institute and John Jameson is fired on the spot for doing such a poor job as Head of Security; both as a result of the Chameleon’s escape. In another part of the City, the Spot, the Gibbon, the Kangaroo, and the Grizzly break into a bank as a group but when they realize that their ultimate goal is not the same, they split into two groups; the Spot and the Kangaroo and the Grizzly and the Gibbon. Spider-Man, who is web-slinging nearby, catches wind of the break-in and tries to put a stop to it. Unfortunately, Spider-Man underestimates his opponents (all four of them) and is captured. Fortunately for Spider-Man, the quartet argues about what to do with him and a fight ensues during which the Spot and the Kangaroo are neutralized. Spider-Man comes back to and agrees to let the Grizzly and the Gibbon go and gives them a second chance to change their destiny. As the issue concludes, J. Jonah Jameson is found inside an elevator badly bruised and battered to within an inch of his life, courtesy of the Jack O’Lantern.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #247, J. Jonah Jameson is taken to the hospital, where he slowly starts to recover from his injuries sustained during his beating at the hands of the Jack O'Lantern. Outside his hospital window, Spider-Man watches on, worried that whoever did this to Jonah might come to the hospital to finish what they started. On cue, the Jack O'Lantern shows up and tells Spider-Man that he has no beef with him and that he is only interested in the Jamesons. In the ensuing battle, the Jack O'Lantern manages to flee the scene when Spider-Man is hit with another bad case of vertigo (the result of a bite from Morbius in Peter Parker Spider-Man Volume 1 #77). Later that day, Marla Jameson meets her stepson John and girlfriend Dr. Ashley Kafka for lunch but the appearance of a cat that rubs against John's leg sends him in some kind of trance and he leaves them in a hurry, citing that he has somewhere important to be. A short time later at the hospital, Spider-Man is visited once again by the Jack O'Lantern and the two rivals engage into a long battle. The Jack O'Lantern gets the upper hand but flies away, telling Spider-Man that he was just distracting him long enough for his man to do his work. Quickly, Spider-Man leaps through Jonah's hospital window to discover that Jonah's own son, John, is stuffing a pillow over his father's face in an attempt to suffocate him.

Peter Parker and wife Mary Jane are having supper at a fancy restaurant, yet Mary Jane appears to be in a rotten mood. When asked why she is feeling so glum, MJ explains that she sometimes gets tired of him always being on the run, either swinging around town on a web or taking pictures for the Daily Bugle. And then there is the whole issue of someone else finding out who he is every five minutes. Kneeling down next to her, Peter tells MJ that, as Spider-Man, he has to follow his Uncle Ben's adage: "With great power, there must also come great responsibility". MJ understands that but feels that Peter should have a responsibility to her. She tells Peter that she has always accepted who he is and what he does; however, she feels quite vulnerable at the moment and she needs him. Peter replies that he is there for her and MJ tells him that she needs to know that when it comes down to it, she is more important than Spider-Man. Peter tells MJ that she is.

At the hospital, J. Jonah Jameson is on the phone with someone when his wife Marla arrives for a visit. Jonah quickly hangs up the phone when he sees her, prompting her to ask whom he was talking to. Jonah replies that it was nobody important. Marla comments that he has been acting very strangely since the incident with his son John and Spider-Man and asks if he is all right. Jonah grabs hold of her hand – kissing it – and responds that as long as she is beside him, he is right as rain. He then tells her that he thinks it is time for him to come home. Marla tells Jonah that the doctors have said he is not ready to leave. Jonah replies that what the doctors have said is that he just needs to take it easy and get lots of bed rest; therefore, he should be fine. Jonah comments that he hates hospitals, especially knowing that his wife is at home sleeping alone. Marla tells Jonah that she does not mind having him at home but before she can finish her sentence, she notices the book of poems that was stolen from her apartment sitting on Jonah's night table. Grabbing the book, she asks Jonah how the book got there, as she was looking all over the apartment for it. Jonah, knowing full well that it was the Jack O'Lantern that stole it and brought it to him, tells his wife that he has no idea how it got there.

Dr. Ashley Kafka awakens, lying down on the floor of her apartment. As she wonders what hit her, she suddenly realizes that John (Jameson) is gone. Throwing her jacket on, she races out the door, hoping to find him before he hurts himself.

Flash Thompson is shooting hoops at a local basketball court when his sister Jessie shows up to talk to him (Flash called her up as he wanted to talk to her). When Jessie asks Flash why he called her, Flash reveals that he wants to talk about their dad. Jessie is kind of ticked off at Flash for dredging up the fact that their father was an abusive drunk when they were kids and tells him that they are now grown up and that it should be the end of the story. Flash tells Jessie that the past does not go away that easy. In fact, it sits inside like some kind of demon and just when it is least expected, when your guard is down and you feel good about yourself, that demon shows its ugly face and tears you to pieces. He then tells Jessie that he cannot get rid of his dad, as he will not let him go. Jessie is impressed that those words are coming out of his mouth, until she realizes that he is drunk and points it out. Flash claims that he only had a couple of beers but Jessie does not believe him and tells Flash that she also started destroying herself the way their father did but then she got herself into Alcoholic Anonymous and straightened out. Flash argues that he does not have a drinking problem, that he is not a drunk like their father. Jessie simply walks away, leaving Flash to deal with his problems on his own.

Peter and Mary Jane are making their way to the movie theater when screams are heard coming from the street. Turning around to see what is going on, they witness what looks like a man terrorizing innocent bystanders, though the man is moving and growling like a wild animal. Realizing that this "man" may be connected to the new Kraven (the Hunter), Peter ditches Mary Jane and takes off after him, as Spider-Man.

As Spidey swings after the "wild man", he wonders who this new Kraven is, speculating that perhaps it is the Chameleon in disguise. Spidey finally finds his prey and confronts him on a rooftop, only to realize that the "wild man" is in fact John Jameson, who appears to be exhibiting the behavior of his alter ego – the Man-Wolf, though still in his human form. John gets the upper hand during the initial encounter and grabs Spidey in a chokehold.

At the Daily Bugle, Betty Brant is knee deep in a story for the morning edition when someone approaches her from behind, puts a hand on her shoulder, and tells her that she has passion and devotion, which will take her far at this newspaper. Gasping, Betty turns around and comes face-to-face with Norman Osborn.

Spider-Man manages to break free from John's chokehold, all the while trying to convince John to let him help. John roars loudly and starts to run toward the edge of the rooftop. He stops at the ledge for a second, then he dives toward the ground down below. Realizing that John is going to be a smear on the sidewalk unless he helps him, Spidey jumps after him and catches him in mid-air. John starts to claw and kick at him but Spidey holds on until they safely reach the ground. When Spidey feels the pavement underneath his feet, he takes one shot at John and knocks him out, just as Dr. Ashley Kafka arrives on the scene. Dr. Kafka tells Spidey not to hurt John, as it was she that accidentally unleashed John’s personal demon – the Man-Wolf – while he was under hypnosis to break through whatever blocks the Jack O'Lantern had put in his subconscious. Spidey is confused, as the Man-Wolf transformation is usually physical as well as mental. Dr. Kafka is not sure what happened; she can only surmise that the guilt over what he did to his father made John feel like he had to punish himself, and transforming into the Man-Wolf is simply the worst punishment he knows. Hearing sirens in the distance, Dr. Kafka asks Spidey to help her take John back to her place before the police get there. Spidey argues that she cannot do that because John is out of control and could hurt her. Dr. Kafka tells Spidey that she has restraining devices at home and that she can reverse this; however, she needs him to back her up in case things get out of hand. Spidey reluctantly agrees, grabs both of them, and swings into the night, leaving Mary Jane, who is waiting at the movie theater, to wonder what has happened to him. Needless to say, she is not surprised that he cancelled on her, once again.

In New Jersey, an excessively drunk Flash Thompson is driving his car like a maniac, all the while complaining about the fact that his sister will not help him. Suddenly, a kid and his dog step in the street in front of his speeding car, forcing him to quickly swerve to avoid hitting them. But, in so doing, his car flips over and slams into a nearby tree. Whether Flash survives the crash is not revealed.

J. Jonah Jameson, who has just been released from the hospital, tricks his wife to stop by the Daily Bugle to check up on things. Needless to say, Jonah is quite flustered when he sees cops standing in the newsroom – Betty called them – and even more so when he discovers that they are questioning Norman Osborn, the new owner of the Daily Bugle!!

To be continued.