Both covers to this bad boy feature Octavius menacing Spider-Man with his mechanical arms, though I prefer the normal one over the variant because you really get to see Octavius for the monster he truly is - attacking Spider-Man with inhuman fury rather than calculated precision.
We pick up right where we left off: Peter re-unites with Robbie, but his old friend isn't quite himself after being subjected to one of Octavius' procedures. A patch on his forehead conceals the scar from having his frontal lobe drilled to shreds. He has a face so blank and emotionless he's almost like a mannequin. Peter narrates that he's too late; he's always too late. He couldn't save Uncle Ben, he couldn't save Urich, and now he couldn't save Robbie. I didn't notice this last issue, but Spider-Man's fight with the Sandman really wrecked his mask — the goggles are still shattered and it looks like the seam holding the bottom half to his face has come undone. One of the other prisoners tells him that they all come back like that when Octavius is finished with them. Pete tries to get Robbie to stand up - they're going home.
Unfortunately, they can't get out of the stairwell without being seen by the Crime Master's men. It looks like the Crime Master's come to kill the livestock as Ansell ordered him. Spider-Man suspects this can't be good. In Octavius' office, the doctor is furious. He's dedicated his entire life to this research, and now that it's finally bearing fruit they want to shut him down? When the Crime Master says even the prisoners have to go, Octavius' rage reaches new heights — but he finds himself silent when the Crime Master pulls out his switchblade and cuts the throat of the young black woman Octavius had made his servant. Octavius calls the Crime Master an animal, but seriously, look who's talking, you know? The Crime Master actually calls him out on this; it looks like both men actually have their consciences, however little it excuses their actions. The Crime Master tells Octavius that if they don't destroy all the evidence immediately, this is going public. He can call Ansell if he wants to confirm it. The Crime Master loads Octavius' journals in a cart and heads for the incinerator.
Octavius gives Ansell that call, and Ansell assures him that this short term loss will result in a long term gain. As it is, the Friends of New Germany are finished if any of their activities are discovered, and that can't happen. Besides, he's already got a nice new lab for Octavius in Tuskegee, Alabama. Nobody's going to make trouble for him there. Yikes; Tuskegee really was the site of decades-long and extremely inhumane experiments on healthy black men - essentially, the closest thing to Octavius' work to ever happen in real life. Anyway, Ansell also tells him that he knows the Crime Master's becoming a problem. After this is over, he'll be dealt with.
Down in the incinerator, the Crime Master and his stooges are feeding Octavius' files into the fire. Connors suggests they take care of the prisoners in this fashion as well. Tossing in the body they have already, it takes a little longer than expected. "There are at least two dozen prisoners." "Then the sooner we start, the better." The Crime Master instructs his men to shoot them in their cells to make it a little easier. In the hallway, one of them mentions that they should be careful — the basement's soundproof, but any shots above ground will bring in troops from the detention center. Remember, this is Ellis Island.
Spider-Man attacks from above, ensnaring them in his webs and starting a huge melee before being joined by the prisoners. Well, except for Robbie, who continues to stare into nothingless like a zombie. The Crime Master hears the noise and goes to investigate - and takes Robbie hostage the first chance he gets. "That's enough! Back off, bug-man, or I'll kill him like I killed your cat-loving floozie!" I can't even begin to imagine how Pete feels right now. His best friend is a vegetable and the woman he loves is dead. Spider-Man realizes the Crime Master was Felicia's lover. With untold fury he angrily shouts at the Crime Master, who tries to justify himself by saying he's not the sharing type. He then gets word that a boatload of Bureau agents just arrived on the island.
The Crime Master tells his men to hold them off, and Spider-Man laughs at the idea. The Crime Master's the only one who's killed anybody here; all they have to gain by fighting the feds is a comfy cell on Death Row. The mooks accept this as true and make a break for it. Octavius wheels in and says it looks like they're headed for the Crime Master's boat — and he's betting they won't wait for him. Spider-Man in front of him, Octavius behind him, the Crime Master's trapped. He threatens to slit Robbie's throat if either of them come any closer, but Octavius is preparing his arms for a little emergency surgery. He tells the Crime Master that he's got nowhere to run... not that it matters, because he isn't going to give him the chance, stabbing him in the back with what has to be the longest knife in his repertoire.
Spider-Man hands Robbie over to the other prisoners, telling them to find the feds and take him with them. Meanwhile, Octavius isn't finished with the Crime Master; he's equipped all of his arms with various cutting implements and isn't holding back on using them. He says he's heard the Crime Master likes to cut up his victims — that he's practically an artist. That being the case, he'll no doubt appreciate what Octavius is about to do to him. Octavius cuts the mask from his face, and the Crime Master has the nerve to beg Spider-Man for help. Spider-Man just looks at him as Octavius delivers the killing strike. Octavius says he hopes Spider-Man will put in the good word for him after that. At his trial, that is — if there is a trial. Octavius has friends in very high places, you see. Spider-Man grabs the Crime Master's mask and tells Octavius there isn't going to be a trial.
He grabs two of Octavius' arms and breaks them in two. Octavius calls him a fool and asks him if this is worth dying for; Spider-Man repeats the question back to him - is he willing to die for his research? After tearing all of his mechanical arms to shreds, he wraps his hands around Octavius' throat and tells him he's never operating on anyone again. He's stopped just in time - by Jean DeWolfe. If Spider-Man kills Octavius, they'll never find out who was behind all this. Spidey tells him to stay out of it, but Jean insists he sent for him. Spidey's girlfriend tipped him off, he didn't get her name. Spider-Man knows it must be Felicia. Strange, because the Crime Master told him she was dead. Jean comforts him as his men carry Octavius away, saying "That's the thing with these psychotic mass murderers — you can't trust a thing they tell you."
On the boat back to Manhattan, Jean gets word that the harbor patrol picked up the Crime Master's cronies. That means this is all wrapped up... unless you consider who was pulling the strings. Jean thinks Octavius will talk eventually. As the boat pulls in, Spider-Man says goodbye to Robbie and assures him that he'll be taken care of for now. Jean sees him off, asking him to tell his ladyfriend thanks for the help. As Spider-Man leaps into the city, he narrates that he hates to leave Robbie there — but he just has to see Felicia. He has to know she's okay and he needs to tell her how he feels about her. He finds her balcony door open, only to be met by Felicia's doorman, the gargantuan, scar-faced stoic, Lippy. Lippy tells him that Felicia isn't home; she's at a private clinic. She got hurt, but she'll recover. Spider-Man insists he has to see her, but Lippy says she doesn't want to see him ever again; he's the reason she got hurt. Lippy tells Spider-Man to leave her alone, and it's clear that the big guy cares about his employer very much.
One month later, Peter goes to visit Robbie with Aunt May and Mary Jane. Robbie's being cared for by his grandfather and Gloria. Peter narrates that Robbie doesn't remember any of them, and there's no way to repair the damage to his brain. He has a large indented scar on his forehead. Carver tells Pete that Octavius isn't going to trial. Carver says Agent DeWolfe called and told him all about it, sounding sincerely apologetic and seeming like a decent man. Gloria has tears in her eyes as she spitefully implies that "decent" men are the ones who let these injustices happen. Anyway, Octavius was working on government projects and it was decided that putting him on trial would expose state secrets. They're deporting him to Germany. Peter's disgusted; Octavius is just going to start over from scratch and go back to his twisted experiments. He apologizes to Robbie again.
Mary Jane invites Peter outside for a little talk. He needs to stop blaming himself - there was nothing he could have done! Peter insists that he's losing everyone he cares about. She says he has her, and things will get better - but he's not buying it. Gloria's right: the world is full of decent men. But that's not enough, is it? "There's something coming. Something so bad all the decent people will be crushed like insects."
Cut to Berlin's Tempelhof airport, where Octavius arrives in Nazi Germany. He is greeted by Heinrich Himmler, with whom he has exchanged many letters. Octavius is honored to finally meet him in person. However, Himmler looks at Octavius' chair with revulsion. He had thought Octavius was in a wheelchair due to some injury. Octavius hangs his head and says he has a congenital disorder. Himmler orders that Octavius be taken out of his sight. One of his underlings claims his research could prove valuable, but Himmler disagrees. "A defective human can only produce defective ideas. The National Socialist vision of the future does not include deviants and cripples. Our goal is a land peopled by a pure Nordic Aryan race of perfect minds in perfect bodies. Everything else will be swept aside." Octavius is wheeled away sullenly, a look of extreme melancholy on his face.
I just have to say how much I love this. Octavius got exactly what he deserved; he finally arrived in the one land where his research would be welcomed, only to be considered equal to if not in fact worse than the "lower races" he so despised. If they let him live that long, he'll be sent to the camps along with them. I can't think of a villain whose comeuppance was more perfect.
Peter narrates that Felicia came back eventually. She doesn't leave her apartment anymore and has no visitors aside from Lippy. He respects that she never wants to see him again, but sometimes he sees her looking out at the city from her balcony. Lippy told him that he had found her with the phone in her hand. She hadn't told DeWolfe what the Crime Master had done to her - she didn't want anyone to know. She walked with a cane for a while, but her injuries seem to have healed by now. "The broken bones are mended, her damaged organs have recovered...", he thinks as we see Felicia on her balcony - wearing a featureless white mask. "Only the scars remain."
End of Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face. You may notice that this series also had a Sequel Hook, but so far nothing's come up. That said, this was published just last year, so maybe.
Coming up: Luke Cage Noir
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