Blah blah snappy intro blah blah.
Okay, we open with Peter and Urich taking pictures of an apartment building as it burns down. Firemen are rushing in and out, people are fleeing the building, and one little girl doesn't make it. In narration, Urich says Pete's idealism has by this point started to rub off on him - but only a little. He's still got the stuff to give Peter the score, which he does when they're in his darkroom.
People don't have jobs so they can't make rent. So the landlord lowers the rent, and packs in more tenants to make up for it. But this only expands the problem, because the new guys can't pay the rent, either. The business is going sour. The only way to see money out of this building now is to torch it and collect insurance, because nobody's going to buy a place filled to the rafters with the dregs of humanity. Peter points out that a girl died - that's murder! Urich retorts that with all the people stuffed into that place, it's a miracle only there was only one death.
Peter's upset; Urich isn't even shocked! Urich says that you can't spend your life being disgusted and outraged or you'll go crazy. Besides, all that stuff he just told him was only a theory. He can't prove it, but it's probably true. Peter notices something in one of the pictures: Fancy Dan. The Goblin did this. Urich plays Devil's Advocate - it's entirely possible Fancy Dan was just passing by. Narrators Urich remarks that he's starting to get worried about Peter. He's so full of rage, he's afraid it won't be too long before he does something he can't take back.
Peter's still outraged. They have to go to the police! They can investigate the fire and see if it was arson/insurance fraud! But Urich tells him they wouldn't even if they did give them a call - it's like he said last issue, everybody takes their cut. Peter insists someone can do something, but Urich doesn't think so. The system is rotten from top to bottom. Nobody whose decisions will make a difference wants to change the "I make extra money" arrangement they've got going on.
Peter tells Urich about Uncle Ben's days as a pilot in the Great War. Narrator Urich notes that every time Peter says that name it's like a punch right in the gut - after all, Urich stood there and watched the Vulture eat the flesh from his bones. Anyway, Peter says his uncle told him there was no reason for the fighting, that it was a war for markets. The old colonial empires carving up the world. They sent boys out by the millions to guard their profits. Urich tries to get away from the topic by saying he doesn't see the connection, but Peter isn't stopping. Uncle Ben told him that if those in power can't be trusted, it's the responsibility of the people to remove them. Narrator Urich says he regrets trying to dodge the issue. Peter worshiped his uncle, and all he could do is mock his legacy.
Urich tells Peter that he should just get these pictures to the Bugle. Pete agrees - the public needs their daily dose of misery. As Peter leaves, Urich glares at the picture showing Fancy Dan watching the fire. "...everyone takes their cut." Later, Pete returns to Urich's place. They made the late edition! However, Urich's, er... occupied. He lies catatonic in his chair, and upon finding his syringe Peter figures out why. Urich's phone rings, and Peter figures he should answer in case it's important. The caller asks if he's talking to "The Spider" and claims to be "the Fly". Pete plays along.
The Fly is calling from a phone booth, and he's got a hot tip: 1:00 AM, Rooney Imports Warehouse, Pier 57. The Goblin's goons are picking up some antiques that "went astray" on their way to the Metropolitan Museum. He's asking for his usual rate, 40 bucks, whether Urich uses the info or not. Noticing a guy in a heavy coat reaching for something inside it, the Fly thinks he should split and hangs up. Peter doesn't understand. "The Spider? What are you up to, Ben?" Still, he obligingly writes "PIER 57 1 AM" on a copy of the Bugle by Urich's phone before he leaves.
Later, at the imports warehouse, the Enforcers and Kraven are loading the antiques into a truck. Montana wonders what the Goblin even does with this stuff. Fancy Dan says it's for his personal collection - the guy's into a lot of mystical stuff. He says he read in the Bugle about these statues have some kind of curse on them - anybody touches them, they die. Ox is intrigued. "Oh, yeah? Like that curse on King Tut?" Kraven can't stand their prattling and tells them to get back to work. "That's enough! You're squealing like a pair of castrati. Get these statues loaded." Ox takes offense, and frankly I'm surprised he knows what "castrati" means. It looks like Kraven had the right idea, though, because while the Enforcers are talking they accidentally drop the crate housing one of the statues - an African tribal sculpture that depicts an impish spider-man.
It falls on the ground, and to Fancy Dan's befuddlement it seems to start spawning spiders. Lots of spiders. They creep onto his body en masse, clearly intending to eat him. We now see that Peter's been on the scene the entire time, watching from up in the rafters. Kraven uses a hose to get the spiders off Fancy Dan, but it's too late - he's dead. That's about when Peter notices that one of the spiders is on his hand. He tells himself not to scream - and to his credit, when it bites him, he only lets out a low groan. However, now he sees a vision: he's naked in a giant web, where a mammoth, beastly, and positively demonic spider speaks to him. "Why do you tremble, little man? My bite brings death only to those with evil intent... I will bestow upon you a greater torment... the curse of power..."
Peter rises groggily, asking what happened, and discovers himself suspended from the rafters in a tangled, black web. It looks like Kraven and the Enforcers have cleared out by now, luckily. As he frees himself from the web and climbs back on top of the rafter, he feels a bizarre sensation - a strange sense that he is somehow more than he previously was. He leaps across the warehouse, Wall Jumps off a support mean, and makes a perfect landing on the ground. Peter looks at his hands as if he'd never seen them before. "I'll be damned."
Now, Urich goes to see the Goblin at Osborn Enterprises' penthouse office suite. One of the Goblin's goons says the boss will see him in five minutes, and instructs him almost threateningly to make an appointment next time. Urich enters the Goblin's office, and let's just say our pal Kraven's been a busy boy; the place is full of hunting trophies, from a mounted elephant's head to a stuffed tiger and bald eagle. Osborn asks what Urich wants; doesn't he pay him to stay out of his hair and not bother him at work? Urich mentions the fire yesterday. Osborn heard, but he doesn't see what some poor dope smoking in bed has to do with him.
Urich shows him the picture of Fancy Dan, and Osborn smugly says that Fancy Dan is no longer in his employment. On the next page, we see that Osborn has the statue - and that Kraven actually kept all those spiders, housing them in a large glass habitat. Osborn says if Urich wants to blackmail him, he'll have to do better than that. Urich tells him that he's got enough dirt to bury this whole freak show. The Vulture lets out a guttural hiss and the Goblin admits this to be the truth. As a pragmatist, he'll buy Urich's photo this time, but warns him not to push his luck too far. Montana shows him out and hands him 50 bucks.
Wait, what's that outside Osborn's window? Nevermind, he's inside now. That's right, in his first venture as Spider-Man, Pete has crashed through the window of the Goblin's office seeking an Executive Suite Fight. He's not wearing the costume from the covers yet, but rather a hastily thrown together black-and-brown ensemble of things he already had in his closet and a Western bandit mask over his face. He clocks Kraven and, sensing danger, the Vulture before leaping onto Osborn's desk. He's got a message for him: It all stops. The drugs, the prostitution, the protection, the extortion, all of it. The Goblin calmly tells Montana to shoot their esteemed guest, but Pete (he's not really quite Spider-Man yet) covers him with web, grabs Osborn by the collar, and reiterates himself. "...It stops."
Osborn wonders, though, "Or what? You'll beat me up? Arrest me? The only way you'll stop me is to kill me. Are you ready to do that?" Trying to think of an answer to that, Pete sees the picture of Fancy Dan. "Urich..." He leaps out of the Goblin's office, finding Urich not far outside. There, Peter delivers a monstrous rant about Urich's involvement with the Goblin. Recognizing him, Urich wants to talk about this, but Peter doesn't. He never wants to see Urich's lying face again. Kraven, Montana, and the Goblin have followed Petey outside, and open fire on him as he escapes. It's a good thing for Peter that he's developed an incredible talent for Le Parkour, because he gets away with ease.
Osborn notices Urich, and tells him to find out who "that lunatic in the mask" is and earn himself a nice, fat bonus. But Urich's had enough. He doesn't work for Osborn anymore. He throws his 50 bucks on the ground, saying he doesn't want his money, either. As he walks away, Osborn and Montana weigh their options. They can't kill Urich just yet because they need the files he has on them. Urich's going to spill his guts, but when he does he'll find out the Goblin's always two steps ahead.
Back at his house, Urich gives J. Jonah Jameson a call, telling him he's got Pulitzer material here: The Goblin. He's giving JJJ the Goblin. He's got names, dates, photographs. Jameson tells Urich to stay where he is, because he's coming right over - if what Urich's saying is true, he doesn't want him on the street right now. Urich says this one's gonna make 'em weep.
Narrator Urich talks about his career. He used to know who he was. Ben Urich, photo-journalist. He started out looking for truth, but the truth was complicated. Tainted. It corrupted him. Tonight, he's doing the right thing. Tonight he buries the Spider. Tonight, he knows who he is. He's Ben Urich - and he's buying back his life. Urich hears a knock at his door, opens it, and gets shot by his visitor - J. Jonah Jameson, who then uses Urich's phone to inform the Goblin that the Spider is dead.
Narration switches to Peter. He talks about Uncle Ben... how he earned all those medals in the war but never felt like a hero. How he hid his uniform, like he was ashamed of it. But this time, the war needs to be fought. He sews up a costume out of Uncle Ben's old uniform and grabs his service revolver. He's going to make Uncle Ben proud. Suiting up and heading up to the roof, Peter closes the chapter with "Say your prayers, Goblin! Here comes the Spider-Man!"
End of Issue #2.
