Last issue, Spider-Man reached his breaking point - and J. Jonah Jameson may have paid the price. Back in Amazing Spider-Man #68, the Kingpin stole a mysterious ancient tablet from an Empire State University exhibit. Spider-Man defeated the Kingpin and recovered the tablet, but after police blamed Spider-Man for the theft, the hero declared that he might as well be a menace if he was going to be treated like one. Of course, Jonah was leading the charge to treat Spider-Man like a criminal and when he confronted the Wall-Crawler, Spider-Man couldn't take it any more. He angrily confronted the Daily Bugle publisher, aiming to scare him. But instead, Jonah collapsed in an apparent heart attack!

"Everything I try -- everything I do -- seems to end in disaster," Peter Parker thinks as he sits alone in his apartment, the petrified ancient tablet at his feet. However, he stops feeling sorry for himself long enough to develop his latest batch of film. He discovers that some of the photos may prove Spider-Man's innocence. But with Jonah in the hospital, who is going to buy them?

Meanwhile, the speedster known as Quicksilver arrives in New York. Although he and his sister the Scarlet Witch had been members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, they weren't truly evil and simply had been coerced into following Magneto. Quicksilver plans to seek out the Avengers, explain their situation and try to get on the right side of the law for a change. When he learns that Spider-Man is wanted by police for the apparent theft of the ancient tablet, he figures he can prove that he is a good guy by bringing Spidey to justice. "Fate has give me the means to redeem myself at last!" he says, reading over a newspaper.

Over at the hospital, we learn that Jonah merely suffered from a case of shock, not a heart attack, and will be fine. Peter drops by the Daily Bugle and delivers his photos to Joe Robertson. "Say! These are dynamite!" Robbie declares. The photos prove that Spider-Man tried to prevent the Kingpin from stealing the tablet. After writing Peter a big check, he orders the photos printed in the next day's edition. "Face it, Petey, things are looking up at last!" Peter thinks. "Now all I have to do is get rid of that nutty tablet. As Spider-Man, he thinks he can do just that. So he drops the tablet off at the office of NYPD Captain George Stacy (the father of Peter's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy), figuring Capt. Stacy can get it back to its rightful owners.

So Spidey has a big paycheck, he's proven his innocence and he has gotten rid of the ancient tablet. Life is good, right? Well, not if your name is Peter Parker. As he's swinging away, making plans to spend his new-found loot and celebrate his turn of good fortune, he is taken down by Quicksilver. While the mysterious mutant cannot match Spider-Man's strength or agility, his speed is far greater. "Don't you realize to me, you're moving in slow motion?" he says. Quicksilver repeatedly punches Spider-Man, nearly knocking out the hero. Quicksilver decides to finish Spider-Man off by running around him in a circle, creating a vortex and siphoning off the oxygen around him. However, Spider-Man sticks his arm out and, like a stick shoved through the spokes of a bicycle wheel, it brings Quicksilver to a sudden, stunning halt. When Quicksilver wakes up, he realizes that his foe isn't the bad guy he is made out to be in the media. "I shall find another way to win my redemption! Not at the expense of one such as you!" he says as the two part.

Overall, a decent "middle story" issue that keeps the ancient tablet storyline going. The Quicksilver storyline seems kind of abrupt, though. Perhaps the editors had plans for him in another book (the Avengers?) and wanted to showcase him in a popular title like Amazing Spider-Man. But it largely comes off as a way to fill a few pages around the more important material. The stuff with the ancient tablet and Jonah's health concerns are far more interesting, though. This eight-issue ancient table storyline definitely will pick up steam before it concludes.

Next issue: Think the ancient tablet storyline is finished? Think again - as the Shocker enters the scene!

Reviewed by Bruce Buchanan.

Reprinted In:
Spider-Man Comics Magazine (Digest) #7
Spider-Man Essentials IV