Issue Description

Doctor Octopus is re-forming the Sinister Six for a mysterious scheme he's planning. So far he's recruited Electro, Sandman, Hobgoblin, and Mysterio.

MJ's director was mysteriously injured on the set of her soap opera, after he yelled at her. The Police suspect Jonathan Caesar, the psychotic who is romantically fixated on her, and kidnapped her before.

Aunt May's fiancee, Nathan Lubensky, is dying from a weak heart. He recently acquired a lot of cash through unknown means. What he intends to do with the cash is still a mystery. But Peter intends to find out what.

Plot

The story opens with the Vulture soaring through the air, carrying a dummy in his hands. He smashes the dummy to pieces in front of the Kingpin, and several of his associates. It seems the Vulture has been hired by the Kingpin to eliminate a certain Raymond Trask, who is being uncooperative with the Kingpin regarding some business matters. One of the Kingpin's associates, Mr Grouper, is unsure whether the Vulture is the right man for the job. And since he has bet his last dime on this hit, he intends to get a little "insurance", just in case something goes wrong.

Peter heads over to Aunt May's house, so he can question Nathan about the money he mysteriously acquired. As Peter gets Nathan alone, he gets Nathan to confess where he got it, saying he found out about the money through his connections as a photographer. Nathan tells Peter that he cashed in his life insurance. Peter is shocked, as Nathan has a terminal heart condition. Nathan tells Peter that he should forget all about it if he really cares about his Aunt.

At a Manhattan penthouse, Mr Grouper visits a Mr Nick Powell, also known as a gun for hire named Chance. He doesn't charge for his services, but rather bets them against his success. Grouper offers him ten percent of a million dollars, if he backs up the Trask hit. Powell gladly accepts.

Nathan tells May that he can't stand the waiting. Not knowing when he'll die. May tries to console him by saying he'll be around for a long time. Though she clearly doesn't believe it, as she sheds tears in sorrow. When May leaves the room, Nathan phones bookmaker to check on the odds for a bet he's placed. It's a bet on the Trask hit. Nathan feels guilty for betting on the death of another human being, but he sees it as the only quick way to leave a nest egg for May when he's gone.

MJ kisses Peter goodbye, as he heads out on a photo assignment to photograph the christening of Raymond Trask's new yacht "Trask Duchess". At the docks, where the christening is taking place, May is pushing Nathan in a wheelchair. She wishes she'd never brought him, but Nathan insists on staying. Peter senses a source of great power nearby, but sees nothing. Up above, Doctor Strange hovers in his astral form. He watches briefly as people mass to view a man who they honor for his possessions. He then leaves as it is of no interest to him. Raymond Trask appears on stage, and Peter begins snapping pics. Suddenly several grenades hit the stage and explode. The Vulture swoops in, tossing more grenades. Peter ducks out from the fleeing crowd, to change into Spider- Man.

The Vulture uses his whirlwing gust to take out Trask's guards, and then is about to grab Trask himself, when Spidey webs his hand and swings in for the attack. The Vulture takes off into the air, with Spider-Man in tow. Spider-Man creates a little slack on the webline, and then swings up above the Vulture, and then dives back down again, causing enough momentum to knock the Vulture down into the pavement. Suddenly, more shots are fired at the stage. Chance has arrived, and immediately opens fire at Spider-Man with his wrist blasters. Spider-Man tries webbing up the blasters, but Chance easily melts the webbing off. Spider-Man then webs up Chance's helmet, obscuring his vision. This sends Chance crashing into a water tower. He decides to fly straight up as the best means to escape, since he cannot see.

Meanwhile, the Vulture has recovered, and decides to grab Aunt May as a hostage so Spider-Man won't try to stop him. As he grabs May, Nathan grips the Vulture, and tells him to let May go. The Vulture releases May, and takes off in flight with Nathan still hanging on. Nathan panics when he sees how high up in the air he is, and lets go of the Vulture, as he begins to fall. Spider-Man snags his foot with webbing, just before Nathan hit the ground. Dozens of Police choppers begin to converge on the area. The Vulture finds himself surrounded. Suddenly an air ship arrives above him, as a voice asks if he needs a lift. It is Doctor Octopus, who tells the Vulture that he's been looking for him, and after hearing about this Trask business, he took advantage of it. The Vulture gladly accepts a lift off Doc Ock, as the police helicopters get closer. As Ock's air ship speeds off, Spider-Man recognizes it as the same one Ock used when he rescued Electro.

Down below, May holds Nathan in her arms. He chokes out his last words about how he failed her and has left her with nothing. But May sobs and says he's given her everything. Nathan then dies in May's arms.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963)

Publisher

Marvel

Volume Description

After the success of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) a few months later the same creative team came back to start an ongoing series focusing on the character the two of them created.

The book's run continued until issue number 441 (Nov. 1998) when Marvel relaunched the title as Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 with a new number 1 in January 1999. After issue #30 (#471) Marvel used a dual numbering system, yet the indicia still stated The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2. On the title's 40th anniversary the numbering was reverted to go from issue 58 to issue 500 (Dec. 2003) as The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1.

This volume ends with #700 and is picked up by the Marvel Now! revolution volume Superior Spider-Man.

Collected EditionsMarvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 (#1-10)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 (#11-19)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 (#20-30)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 (#31-40)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 (#41-50)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 (#51-61)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 (#62-67)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 8 (#68-77)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 9 (#78-87)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 10 (#88-99)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 11 (#100-109)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 12 (#110-120)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 13 (#121-131)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 14 (#132-142)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 15 (#143-155)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 16 (#156-168 and Annual #10)Spider-Man vs. Black Cat (#194-195, 204-205, 226-227.)Spider-Man: Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut (#224-230)Birth of Venom (#252-259, #298-300)The Amazing Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga Book 1 (#252-258)The Amazing Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga Book 2 (#259-263)Kraven's Last Hunt (#293-294)The Amazing Spider-Man: Life in the Mad Dog Ward (#295)Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane (#296-329)Sinister Six (#334-339)Powerless (#341-343)Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Round Robin (#351-360)Round Robin (#353-358)Maximum Carnage (#378-380)

Collection of sequentially numbered trades, Amazing Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Mark of the Tarantula (#231-237)Coming Home (#471-476)Revelations (#477-480)Until the Stars Turn Cold (#481-486)Life and Death of Spiders (#487-491)Unintended Consequences (#492-497)Happy Birthday (#498-502)The Book of Ezekiel (#503-508)Sins Past (#509-514)Skin Deep (#515-518)New Avengers (#519-524)

Individual trades with their own volumes because of sub-titles.

The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Great Power (#1-17)Punisher vs. the Marvel Universe (#161-162)The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past (#259-272)The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Return of the Sinister Six (#334-350)Spider-Man: The Gathering of Five (#440-441)The Other (#525-528)The Road to Civil War (#529-531)Civil War (#532-538)Back in Black (#539-543)One More Day (#544-545)Brand New Day Vol 1 (#546-551)Brand New Day Vol 2 (#552-558)Brand New Day Vol 3 (#559-564)Kraven's First Hunt (#565-567)New Ways to Die (#568-573)Crime and Punisher (#574-577)Death and Dating (#578-583)Election Day (#584-588)24/7 (#589-594)American Son (#595-599)Died in Your Arms Tonight (#600-601)Red-Headed Stranger (#602-605)Return of The Black Cat (#606-611)The Gauntlet, Vol 1 (#612-616)The Gauntlet, Vol 2 (#617-621)The Gauntlet, Vol 3 (#622-625)The Gauntlet, Vol 4 (#626-629)The Gauntlet, Vol 5 (#630-633)The Grim Hunt (#634-637)One Moment in Time (#638-641)Origin of the Species (#642-647)Big Time (#648-651)Matters of Life and Death (#652-657)The Fantastic Spider-Man (#658-662)Big Time Ultimate Collection (#648-662)The Return of Anti-Venom (#663-665)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 2 (#663-676)Spider-Island (#666-673)Flying Blind (#674-677)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 3 (#677-687 and 679.1)Trouble on the Horizon (#678-681, #679.1)Ends of the Earth (#682-687)No Turning Back (#688-691)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 4 (#688-697)Danger Zone (#692-697)Dying Wish (#698-700)Amazing Spider-Man: Peter Parker The One And Only (#700.1-700.5)

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