In the 1990’s, Spider-Man comics were divided into four monthly titles called “Web of Spider-Man”, “Spectacular Spider-Man”, “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man.” My first two parts of the ‘Clone Saga’ were divided between these titles but after “Pursuit”, the stories went back to their respective titles. I have decided, that when doing so, I will call these articles A, B, C and D to help save confusion and seeing as these titles ran at the same time, to avoid what came first.
In Web of Spider-Man #113 Terry Kavanagh wrote a four part story called “Live and Let Die” guests starred Gambit, a member of the X-Men, and the always sultry Black Cat, making this a classic who-dunnit or in this case who-is it?
The other Spider-Man titles also ran four part stories but what makes me remember these is the fact that “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” was debuting in a few weeks and with the monthly titles came a different four color animation style print based on the show that I cherish to this day. The small booklet was filled with all sorts of information on the show. You could however buy a standard issue without these also.
Web of Spider-Man was more about the cast of Peter Parker’s life, rather than necessarily a Spider-Man story. “Live and Let Die” starts with the grand opening of the new Macro Science Museum in New York where scientists are there to see the fundraising demo of Morelle Pharmaceuticals new breakthrough in bio-organics. Here, they unveil F.A.C.A.D.E (Full Acclimation Combat and Defense Exo-Skeleton) basically a version of Iron Man controlled by a cybernetic helmet.
Whilst swinging by, Spider-Man notices a weird flash of light where the gala is being held and investigates only to find Gambit was the cause. In traditional style, superheroes tend to battle before they begin teaming up and this is no different (what you didn’t know that?!?) Gambit says he is there as a blood member of the Thieves Guild and Spider-Man being on a short fuse as of late, doesn’t needs to hear anymore to kick start the fight. It’s during the fight that Gambit explains his intentions are to stop a thief. Black Cat hears the fighting on the rooftop and break up the fight. She informs them about a real thief currently in the building. The three form a team and search for the thief when they get attacked from the Silencers, four mercenary stealth experts that specialise in stealing state of the art technology, including the light-refractive materials and sonar reflective implants that effectively cloak them from sight and sound to use in top dollar assassinations. With Black Cat’s new Tinkerer (an ex-super villain who builds technology for the criminal underworld) technology, Spider-man’s spider-sense and Gambit well just being Gambit, they make short work of them.
The three part ways and Spider-Man swings off grateful at the distraction from his personal problems, but back inside the museum, a couple who were making out in the closet, exit only to find the museum empty. The male of the two Lance Bannon (daily bugle employee) sees someone climbing into the F.A.C.A.D.E armor and takes some pictures for a story, only to get busted and then hospitalized by whoever is controlling the armor. When the person inside F.A.C.A.D.E is about to destroy the camera, security shows up and starts shooting, forcing F.A.C.A.D.E to flee. Especially because the thief does not know how to power the armor properly yet, ending the issue.
Web of Spider-Man #114 “Live and Let Die, part 2 ” starts with J.Jonah Jameson, his son John Jameson (yeah we know) working out their personal problems. Jonah doesn’t like the fact that his son works at Ravencroft Institution and is also dating Dr. Kafka, a psychologist who supports Spider-Man and is always surrounded by the worst super powers criminals in the world. Nothing gets sorted and John leaves. Meanwhile Lance Bannon, who has been released from hospital, wants to develop his film of whomever stole the F.A.C.A.D.E armor in private. At the same time F.A.C.A.D.E secretly walks out of a closet in the same building thinking to himself how much more easily the armor is to use the more he uses it. F.A.C.A.D.E goes from room to room until he finds Bannon, kills him and takes the footage, only for Betty Brant to find Bannon’s body. The police arrive to the Bugle and question everyone including J.Jonah Jameson. John Jameson lies to the police, protecting Jonah. Betty Brant decides to do her own investigation much to F.A.C.A.D.E ‘S displeasure.
When Aunt Mays telephone rings, she starts talking to someone readers are not clear on. A mysterious person who says he hasn’t heard such tension in her voice since they first “connected”. The mysterious person (whom we cannot see the face of) says to himself “There must be trouble in the Parker family.” Aunt may ends the call by saying she hoped they could finally meet in person.
Meanwhile, Peter wants to go home but is too afraid to put Mary Jane through anymore grief and at the same time F.A.C.A.D.E tracks Betty to a morgue, where she is getting closer to figuring out who is inside the armour. Spider-Man discovers F.A.C.A.D.E breaking into the morgue and they fight, only for F.A.C.A.D.E to get the upper hand and leaves Spider-Man trapped under debris while he continues after Betty, who has been summoned by Arthur Bryce to attend his loft.
Web of Spider-Man #115 is a classic who-dunnit book. The whole time you’re wondering who could really be F.A.C.A.D.E and the possibilities are endless. Is it Jameson’s son? or one of the bugle employees?
Mary Jane then decides to pay Aunt May a visit because she’s been so lonely lately, only to walk in on May unconscious on the floor. An image, that to this day, still gives me a jolt. Spider-Man enters Bannon’s apartment to look for clues when Amy Powell also appears crying over Bannon and Spider-Man promises her Bannon will be avenged. Rich philanthropist Arthur Bryce asks Betty to join him in his loft so they can both put their heads together over F.A.C.A.D.E and work out who he is.
At the Parker residence, the phone rings and Mary Jane answers it in hopes it’s Peter. The voice on the other end of the line apologizes for the late call and says he’s been trying to contact May but she hasn’t been answering. Mary Jane informs the person she has been hospitalized and he’ll need to call there. The stranger on the other end accidentally grips the phone too hard and it breaks in his hands. The stranger runs outside and leaps on a motorbike screaming “Not May. NOT MAY….” And rides into the night.
Betty Brant now believes Arthur Bryce is F.A.C.A.D.E due to the corrupt nature of his wealth that she has discovered and at that moment, F.A.C.A.D.E then smashes through the wall to kill her. Spider-Man interrupts the attacks by F.A.C.A.D.E with such force (as he’s still feeling so much hatred with what’s happened to him recently) that he leaves Betty hanging on a ledge to save herself, causing Betty to notice Spider-Man isn’t his usual self. F.A.C.A.D.E recovers from the blow and the fight continues. Spider-Man webs up F.A.C.A.D.E’s hands to stop him blasting but to Spider-man’s surprise the webbing conducts his bio-electrical charge and paralysis him, ending the issue.
Web of Spider-Man #116 is the conclusion to “Live and Let Die” and before F.A.C.A.D.E can deliver the killing blow to Spider-Man, Betty saves him in time for Spider-Man to double back and counterattack. With cop cars not far away, F.A.C.A.D.E flies off but not before Spider-Man can snag a spider tracer on him.
Its here that you notice for the first time, Peter separating the spider from the man. He cannot get a lock on his tracer and says to himself that he needs to check on “Peter Parker’s” family but the hunt for F.A.C.A.D.E is where “the spider” belongs. When he attempts to think about Mary Jane or his Aunts condition, he freezes and pushes the thoughts aside.
After everyone finishes going to Lance Bannon’s funeral, Jameson and Betty head to The Daily Bugle where they get interrogated again by the police for more info on F.A.C.A.D.E. Jameson decides to come clean and admit to the officer that his son had lied earlier to cover Jameson’s whereabouts. It’s at this stage, F.A.C.A.D.E attacks but not before Spider-Man can intervene again. After another battle, this time ending in Spider-Man literally tearing off F.A.C.A.D.E’s armor nearly killing him before the person inside escapes.
At the hospital, Aunt Mays condition hasn’t gotten any better and Mary Jane waits by her side wondering why Peter hasn’t been around for so long. Outside the hospital, the mystery man who called May rides up on a motorcycle saying he swore he’d never come back to New York. He enters the building but readers cannot see his face. A guard stops the man and says to him that only family can go in and when the man takes off his helmet, Peter walks in asking to see May. The mystery man quickly puts his helmet back on and runs outside. The guard, confused, turns around and sees Peter and is even more confused. When the nurse tells Peter that Mary Jane is also upstairs, Peter leaves saying he can’t face any of this yet…..”the spider” cannot face this yet. Outside the mystery man is back on his bike, talking to a nurse making sure May is ok, ending the issue.
So, we never got to find out who F.A.C.A.D.E was and readers are now intrigued as to who this mystery man is. Aunt May still lies in a hospital bed and Peter’s descent into darkness is getting gloomier by the issues. If I was being honest, this story line was not that great, only based on the fact that it really was a filler of sorts, to get to the next stories. Never learning the identity of F.A.C.A.D.E in hindsight is annoying but writers must have assumed they’d get to it one day or the clone saga, in the coming months just had too much already. Either way, I remember it well because it really was the last Spider-Man story I read before the clone saga came into full effect.
Next week starts a four part series starting in Spider-Man #46, starring my favorite Hobgoblin of all time Jason Macendale, the Demogoblin, the son of Kraven, Coldheart and of course Spider-Man, who is on the edge of madness. This is where things start to really go insane.
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