Back to Gatefold
“It’s going to cost you.”
Luke Cage sneered, thinking of all the money he was going to make. He stretched his muscular arm over the back of the leather chair he had sprawled his tall frame across, either ignorant or careless of any social grace. Ever since he had forced his incarcerated scientists to grant him superhuman strength and unbreakable skin* the man now known as the Warden didn’t seem to mind ruffling a few feathers.
* [As seen in Fascinating Features #27]
Luke just stared daggers into the back of the other man’s head, who was standing behind his desk, gazing out over the city. His city. Or so he claimed. There were more than a few crime bosses in New York that had hired the Warden to do their dirty work.
Silence blared.
Even though he didn’t give a sweet Christmas about niceties, being given the silent treatment was just plain rude.
“Double the last time,” Luke finally added. The other man in the tailored suit twitched. Luke’s sneer broadened. “I mean, you’re asking me to take out the big guy, you know? All by myself, too. That’s definitely upping the ante.”
“Not by yourself,” the other man stated. “I’ve taken the liberty of hiring a few associates for you to work with.”
The Warden jumped up. “I work alone,” he spat. “End of story. Haven’t you always gotten your money’s worth before?”
The brown-haired man finally turned around to face Luke, keeping his hands clasped behind his back. In the business world, he had held this posture against the fiercest negotiators while he took their client’s companies. He firmly believed that body language played a large role in the board room and he always kept himself composed.
It was this same steady-hand attitude that won him his first billion, made Parker Technologies an international tour de force, and kept his company on the cutting edge of perfection. He did have another side, though. A darker side. It was that aspect of his identity that made him a feared leader of the underworld.
He had learned long ago that with great power, comes great opportunity. Now Peter Parker simply took what he wanted, when he wanted it. In his plans to overtake the city, however, a certain masked figure had repeatedly ruined his opportunities, an unforgivable act.
“Indeed,” Parker replied. “You have always delivered. It’s why I’m putting you in charge of this little group. I think you’ll find them adequate to the task at hand. Make no mistake, Mister Cage: I want the Goblin dead. With this group you shouldn’t have any trouble.”
Manipulating players like the Warden was now what Parker did best. He knew that his presence had been felt throughout the city. He had strings tied around the necks of politicians, local law enforcement, enterprises, and even a few of the so-called heroes. All he need do was pull those strings in a specific order and his will be done.
His partner and vice president, a sexual creature he could barely trust, had said that his strings were more akin to a web, given how intricately they were woven together. This had led to the underworld calling him the Spider, although few knew his actual name. Felicia has a penchant for the animal kingdom. In bed she purred.
Parker ran his fingers through a holographic display on his desk, sparking new projected images to appear in the middle of the massive office. Just a few feet in front of Luke three holograms appeared, each a life-size representation of an actual notorious figure.
The first was a dark-haired man with scars running back and forth over his face. Amongst the superpowered community the man was a legend. He was wanted in connection to thirteen murders, all of which were street-level vigilantes that the public had deemed heroic. Due to the loss of his family because of the reckless actions of such a “hero,” the man once known as Frank Castle had made it his life’s mission to purge the city of vigilantes. Donning black armor, he hunted them, tortured them, and became their nightmare. He was their Scourge.
The second, a lithe woman with silver hair, was the latest in a long line of trained killers. Dating back to World War II, the Symkarian royal family trained their daughters not only in the arts of assassination, but in the toppling of entire economies. Provided that the political favor-as-payment aligned with the family’s machinations, Silver Sable could be hired to do just about anything.
Lastly, a man that Luke knew quite well. They had been hired by opposing bosses several times and bashed against one another to the ruination of entire city blocks. He knew Danny Rand like he knew a fellow soldier at arms. Kicked out of a mystical city for seeking forbidden techniques, he had taken his revenge on them by slaughtering the dragon they worshipped, stealing its power for himself. As the martial arts mercenary, Dragon Fist, he was quite a force to be reckoned with.
Luke rubbed his hands together and he stalked through the holograms, sizing them up. His eyes lingered on Silver Sable the longest. “Oh, yes,” he said. “Yes, yes. This will work out just fine.”
The hint of a smile graced Parker’s lips. “Good. They’re waiting for you at your standard drop point and have been fully briefed. They’ll provide you with specific details regarding where you’ll find the target and when you should strike. For what I’m paying the four of you I expect results. Tonight.”
“You on some kind of a deadline?”
Parker turned away to look out over the city from fifty stories up once more. His city. “Something like that,” Parker said.
Luke took his leave of the plush office, almost gleeful in the planned destruction that would commence. Back behind closed doors once more, Parker contemplated the various chess-like moves he was currently undertaking. Many deals had been brokered to get him to this point. Many lives had been sacrificed.
All that remained was the death of the man responsible for cutting apart his “web” of influence, and the city would be his again.
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“See you tomorrow, tiger.”
Harry Osborn sure hated to see his girlfriend go after dinner, but he loved watching her leave. With the kiss she had just placed on his cheek still fresh, he turned and nearly slammed into a street performer. He was sure that he was going to dream about the soft lips, smooth curves, and deep eyes of Calypso Ezili tonight. He still didn’t understand why she had initially gone out with him in the first place, except that maybe something had been lost in translation since she was an exchange student.
With graduation from Empire State University a mere week away, a job with Parker Technologies all lined up, and his last final behind him Harry felt like he could finally relax.
And what better way for a young man to unwind than to skip through the clouds?
Ducking down the side alley next to their favorite restaurant, Jameson’s Pub, Harry was instantly lost in the shadows. The sun had set a few hours ago while he and Caly had polished off a bottle of red wine. He loved that he could talk to her, and tell her practically everything. In fact, he had almost told her his biggest secret, right there on the sidewalk, but for some reason he had let her get into the cab anyway.
What was he scared of? He had told important people in his life about his dual identity before. Did that mean he doubted the strength of their relationship? He mentally added it to the list of things to seek advice from his father on, then shoved it to the side. Now he really did need to clear his head.
Given that he and Caly dined there frequently, he was accustomed to the particular bricks that made up its rear wall. With precision that any world-class mountain climber would kill for, Harry scaled the building with ease. His familiarity with the wall helped, of course, but his enhanced speed, perception, and strength would have made it easy regardless.
Ever since his father had irradiated him with a special serum* he could do amazing things. Spectacular things. Things that no other man before him was physically capable of doing. Harry would have preferred to been born into wealth, but his father didn’t care about money, although his genius research could have easily made them rich behind their wildest dreams.
* [Don’t tell me you’ve never read the classic Mark of the Goblin #1? C’mon!]
Instead of money Harry had been born into a legacy. His father had been somewhat of a local hero in his youth, even making a few headlines. For the most part he had been an urban myth. But an injury sustained from an old rivalry left him broken and out of the field, leaving Harry to take up the reigns. At first he was hesitant, like any teenager, but with a few years’ experience under him now he actually loved it.
Once he reached the roof he snatched up the backpack he had left behind when he had first arrived to meet Caly. Inside was his dark green uniform, altered from his father’s original design to be more sleek and modern. The light mesh could protect against most small-arms fire and blades, which he found himself coming up against more and more these days. It was truly a magnificent and life-saving piece of attire.
During his first time out testing his serum, his father had spotted a woman being attacked. Not wanting to blow his identity, he originally grabbed a random mask from a nearby costume shop before saving the woman who would become his mother.
That mask had been a macabre trademark of his father’s. It wasn’t quite to Harry’s taste, however. With a little updating, his helmet was more of a technological wonder than a grotesque horror to strike fear into criminals.
Despite the difference in appearance, the papers had linked him to his dad. After he had saved a reporter from the Daily Grind from one of his arch foes, word got out that the “phenomenal Goblin” was back in action (from the headline the editor ran).
Harry donned the helmet, hiding his features behind goggles and encased electronics. His father had once worn a purple hood to accentuate the look, and Harry had tried it, but actually lost it in the wind his first time out. He kept the color scheme but thought that without it he looked more mysterious and intimidating as opposed to a court jester (something he often teased his father about).
Stuffing his regular clothes into the backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, he slapped his belt buckle to summon his other trademark. The glider was a sleek instrument of precision and beauty, and it came hurtling down through the sky toward him, homing in on his buckle. His father had been purely street level, but the glider made Harry a virtual one man army.
Packed to the brim with non-lethal weapons, scanners, and other surprises the glider would have fantastic military applications. It dropped to waist level in front of Harry and he hopped on, the shroud already billowing behind him. By leaning into the pedals he could control speed and altitude, and cut corners around buildings with blinding supremacy.
When linked, the helmet provided him with data from the glider’s sensors, feeding him real-time information about his surroundings, potential targets, and broadcast emergencies.
Rising quickly through the air, the Goblin was once more amongst the skyscrapers. Even if no crime presented itself, he would often skip upward into the heavens, weaving between the skyscrapers. The exhilaration helped to clear his head.
He rounded the Empire State Building near the thirtieth floor, taking his usual route home to Queens. He caught sight of the Latverian embassy, smiled at the memories it brought to mind, and twisted again in midair to direct his trajectory back on course.
WHAM!
His head started spinning and it took a minute to realize that it wasn’t just his head, but his entire body that was spiraling. Something had rocketed into him, knocking him off of the glider and sending him plummeting to the ground.
The Goblin shook his head free of the cobwebs and righted himself in the air, spreading his arms wide. Keyed to his specific movements, freefall mesh webbing snapped into place between his torso and arms, giving him some small measure of control. It was the same tactic that skydivers used to control their descent, and it had saved his life more than once. This wasn’t the first time that he had been knocked free from his trademark glider, but it was the first time he hadn’t seen who did it.
He smacked his buckle again and the glider rapidly descended down toward him. He quickly angled himself, using the mesh between his arms, to slow his fall as much as possible. He dropped 25 stories before the glider caught up with him. The next part was tricky, though.
He couldn’t just land directly on the glider. He had broken both his ankles that way. Despite his augmented strength, gravity was just too much for him. Instead, the glider was programmed to fly vertically, match his velocity, and wait for him to magnetically clamp his boots into place. Once he did that the glider could level off safely.
As soon as he was righted again, the Goblin initiated a wide scan of the immediate area. He instantly locked onto some kind of missile that was headed directly for him.
“Crap!” he shouted.
He pulled his glider out of the way just in time to avoid being struck by the incoming missile, but couldn’t just let it keep going. If it struck a building there was no telling how many could die.
And that couldn’t happen on his watch. It was part of an adage that his father had taught him, a mantra of sorts that had kept him going years ago on the mean streets of New York. ‘Every life matters.’
The Goblin tapped a series of commands into his wrist-mounted controller, and three heat-seeking orange orbs spat out the back of the glider. The orbs tracked the exhaust from the missile and smashed into it, detonating on impact, and destroying the missile before it had a chance to harm anyone.
His heads-up display in his helmet traced the missile’s flight path back to a nearby rooftop and the Goblin felt a shiver run up his spine. He recognized the black-armored man with a white skull painted on the front of his helmet. He had tangled with Scourge before, usually to keep him from killing one of his vigilante friends.
Now that he had spotted Scourge, the missile made a lot of sense. It was one of his patented ‘impact missiles,’ which were designed to knock down a target so he could then proceed to beat the living daylights out of it. No explosives in the cone, just a hell of a rocket-propelled punch.
Goblin smirked and shouted, “Hey, buddy! Long time no see!”
Scourge wasn’t one to trade quips. He simply reloaded his rocket launcher and took aim again. In response, the Goblin spiraled upward on his glider, ensuring that he could dodge the next missile without having to worry about slamming into a building.
“Heads up, skyskipper!” a feminine voice shouted at him from above. “Tonight is your final flight!”
He had just enough time to look up and see a beautiful woman leap off of her perch, nosediving directly for him. She tackled him around the waist, dislodging his magnetic boots from his glider, and sending them tumbling straight down toward the asphalt below.
Her firm grip coupled with his sudden shock kept him from sending the necessary order to his glider to come and retrieve him. As the wind roared by him, he started to feel like he might panic.
“Always appreciate the <ugg> attention,” Goblin said. “Especially from the super-model types. But unless you let me save us we’re both going to go splat!”
“Oh, we have much more fun things in store for you than that!” she purred.
She slipped a cable around his waist and released him just before her own bungee cord stretched to its limit. There was a split second where he was still falling, but gravity was still fighting to keep them together, holding her in place over him. She winked and her silver hair blanketed her face as the cord yanked her back upward to safety.
Goblin, however, continued to fall another four stories until his cable snapped him back up. He bounded upward, now ensnared by the cable, which he furiously fought to untangle and remove.
At the apex of his ascent, he was stunned to come face to face with yet another individual: a man in a yellow headdress and a black gi who was standing on a ledge in a fighter’s stance. Goblin briefly wondered just how exactly this group could have planned their positioning so precisely, but dismissed the thought trail when he saw Dragon Fist’s curled fingers begin to glow.
“Oh, shi-“ was all Goblin managed to say before the kung fu villain struck out with his glowing, empowered fist, landing a solid blow in the center of his torso. The punch sent Goblin flying outward, once more descending like a yo-yo, but this time with two shattered ribs and his brain lit up like a Christmas tree.
Sucker-punched by Scourge, tangled up in the cable that Silver Sable had wrapped around him, knocked senseless by Dragon Fist…the phenomenal Goblin was beginning to think that someone had it in for him. He had to get out of this mess immediately or his next date would be with the undertaker instead of Caly. He was also regretting that his partner wasn’t here to help him.*
* [Where is the Ghost? Starring in his new solo series, on newsstands now!]
With a flick of his wrist, an orange razorang flipped out of his forearm. One of many, the ‘rang was a titanium alloy and sharpened to split hairs. Grabbing it, he sliced through the cable and started to unwrap himself, praying that he could get his glider to retrieve him before he smashed into a building or the ground. He had taken some hard hits before, and his augmented strength offered him a degree of endurance, but at this velocity he might as well have been a flightless bird.
He smacked his buckle once more, but could see that the glider would never reach him in time. He was going to have to save himself the hard way. From the equipment pouch resting on the small of his back, just under his backpack, he retrieved one of his signature bolos.
The bolos were three carbon-fiber cables joined at one each by an orange disc that he could adjust to either shorten or lengthen the cables. With a deft press of the disc, he extended the bolos to maximum length and sent one flying at a series of power lines protruding from the closest building.
The first bolo hadn’t even finished wrapping around the power lines before he had the second one in hand and was gripping it not by the disc as per usual, but by the knob at the end of one of the cables. He brandished it like a whip, flinging it at the first bolo where the end lashed on. Thanks to the first bolo, the power lines were grouped tightly together, serving as a decent anchor point for him to swing from.
“Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaw!” Goblin shouted as he rode the upswing of his makeshift grapple line.
His momentum under control, and now at a reasonable height, the phenomenal Goblin waited for the backswing before he released the bolo and dropped three stories to the pavement below. It hurt his feet, but his strength would allow him to walk away from this one.
“I need a better catchphrase,” he muttered. “Sounding like a cowboy in a rodeo doesn’t mesh with my brand.”
From behind him, he heard, “You’re grounded, skyskipper!”
He turned to see a wall of muscle named Luke Cage charging straight for him. He had brawled with the Warden once before* and had barely come away from it with more than a few bruises. If he let the Warden lay even a single hand on him he was a dead man.
* [In the now legendary Exceptional Tales #17!]
“Stepping out of your comfort zone, Warden?” Goblin said as he leapt over Luke, avoiding a pile-driving fist that left a crater in the pavement where he had been standing. “Who’s watching your precious scientists?”
“Heh.” Luke turned and tried to drive the back of his fist into Goblin’s head, but his adversary ducked just in the nick of time. He had forgotten how fast the guy could move. “They aren’t the group you should be worried about right now.”
Goblin twisted and flipped sideways out of Luke’s reach, flinging a bolo at his legs. The cables wrapped themselves around Luke’s ankles, giving Goblin another moment to breath and get his bearings.
“You mean Scourge, Silver Sable, and Dragon Fist?” Goblin inquired. “What are you, some kind of synth band?”
Luke snapped the bolo’s cables easily and lunged for the emerald Goblin. Backpedaling, Goblin jumped at a light pole, grabbing it, and swinging around to drive his feet right into Luke’s face. The move stunned the Warden, but he was too practiced in street brawling to let it get the better of him. Goblin had to act fast if he was going to get out of this alive.
Deftly extracting two precise items from his equipment pouch, Goblin boxed Luke’s ears and back-flipped away. Luke staggered for a moment, eyed up Goblin, and said, “Stand still, you-AHH!”
The sonic disruptors that Goblin had adhered to Luke’s temples went into overdrive, dropping the freight train of a man to his knees in agony. Not one to miss such a prized opportunity, Goblin raced forward and drove his knee into the Warden’s face, putting all of his augmented strength into it, and actually drew blood from his nose upon impact.
SHING!
SHING!
Goblin winced and cried out in both surprise and pain. Twin silver throwing stars had embedded themselves in his left calf, despite the protection of his suit. He managed to yank one out before the owner came looking for them, and she had brought more toys with her.
Silver Sable wielded a pair of Bukharin knives a foot long each, their blades singing in the air as she expertly slashed and stabbed. It was all Goblin could do to keep from being skewered, but his augmented reflexes, thanks to his father’s irradiated serum, enabled him to keep up with each lung and slice from the assassin.
“You guys don’t typically <ack!> work alone!” Goblin said as he barely avoided having his throat slit. “But you all love the sweet smell of cash. Who <whoa!> who hired you?”
Silver Sable smirked, replying, “Our employer hates you possibly even more than I do. I didn’t think it possible, but you seem to have cut one too many of his webs.”
Goblin danced away from yet another slash of her vicious knife. “Webs?”
“I wonder if your head will bring me a bonus?” Silver Sable quipped. “Good night, bug!”
Silver Sable briefly crouched, flipped her blades over in her hands, and then sprung up with her arms raised. Goblin realized that she had been toying with him, driving him back until he was literally against a wall. There was nowhere for him to go…except through her.
With a surge of adrenaline, Goblin stepped into her leap and drove his fist up faster than she could react, landing a perfect augmented uppercut under her chin. Her teeth chattered and several came loose, and when she hit the ground she was unconscious.
Standing over her, Goblin said, “I don’t look like a bug…do I?”
“With the backpack,” a new voice said, “yeah, maybe a little.”
Goblin, worn and just now starting to feel how bad his ribs hurt, looked up to see Dragon Fist standing just a few yards in front of him. The man was a legendary killer, ruthless and unforgiving. However, Goblin also knew something about him that his partners tonight probably did not: they had a history together.
“We don’t have to do this, Danny,” Goblin said, trying to suppress a cough. “You promised me at Ravencroft, when you helped me take down Shang-Chi,* that you wouldn’t come after me if I didn’t interfere with you taking over his insane school.”
* [Just a few months ago in Ghost & Goblin #176]
Dragon Fist let a small laugh slip from his otherwise serious expression. “Yes, his Dangerous Dojo. Already I have found many worthy students to populate my kung fu army.”
“Right. The Dojo.” Goblin winced. “You going back on our deal?”
Dragon Fist shook his head. “Hardly. I came to offer you a position at the Dojo.”
Beneath his goggles, Goblin raised an eyebrow. “Uh…excuse me?”
“You have defeated me and my ilk many times over,” Dragon Fist said as he took a few careful steps forward. “I have seen you first hand topple giants, defy all odds, and come away relatively unscathed.”
“Not so much today,” Goblin mumbled.
“Shang-Chi should have killed you, but you live. You have done all this with no training. Just think of what you could accomplish with the proper instruction!” Dragon Fist curled his fingers tightly in a figurative sign of strength. “Join me at the Dangerous Dojo! Together we could rule over any adversary!”
“You…you came here to recruit me?”
“And to cash a check, of course. I’m not foolish. However, I will respect the bargain we made at Ravencroft. For tonight and tonight only, I will walk away. However, if you do not accept my offer now, then in the future I will not be so generous. Consider this gift as repayment of my debt to you.”
Goblin steadied himself. Dragon Fist was one of the most dangerous men he had ever come across, and he was lucky to be alive after their last encounter. If not for appealing to his greedy nature by bargaining with Shang-Chi’s training temple, Goblin was sure that he would have been next on Danny Rand’s hit list.
Did he really want to make even more of an enemy of this man?
“Sorry,” Goblin finally replied. “I’m about to graduate from school. I’m not interested in a graduate program right now.”
“Are you sure?” Dragon Fist asked sincerely.
“I don’t think I can afford the student loans. Sorry, but I’m going to pass.”
Dragon Fist pressed his lips together. Goblin prepared himself for a strike by palming a razorang, knowing that in his current state it would likely do very little against the martial artist.
But then Dragon Fist seemingly relaxed, and surprisingly, bowed. “A missed opportunity,” he stated. “When next we meet I will not be so lenient. If there is a next time.”
“I’m not dead yet. I’ll be ready for you.”
Dragon Fist smirked. “Perhaps. But I was referring to him.”
Goblin whipped his head around to see Scourge stomping down the middle of Fifth Avenue. Cars honked, but upon seeing the man in black powered-armor and his dreaded painted on white skull, they abandoned their vehicles and took off running. His rocket launcher had been dumped, or perhaps deposited back into his battle van, and he now wielded a pair of MP-5s flicked to full auto.
Bullets pilfered the sidewalk near Goblin, who dove to the side and scrambled around the corner of the building to safety. He looked back to Dragon First, but the martial artist was gone.
“Just great,” Goblin muttered.
He chanced a peek around the corner and was greeted with a fresh barrage of gunfire from Scourge, who had now made it to the sidewalk. Goblin’s ribs were already screaming at him. His calf was still bleeding. Chips of brick and mortar were flying everywhere as the corner of the building was pummeled by Scourge’s assault. There was no way he could pull off the acrobatics he would need to take down the gun-toting vigilante killer.
Luckily, he wouldn’t have to.
With a few deft commands put into his wrist-mounted controller, he heard the slight whine of his glider’s jets come closer and closer. Scourge was oblivious to what was coming up behind him, fully intent on taking down the one vigilante target that had gotten away from him more than once.
The hail of bullets momentarily stopped as Scourge paused to reload. Seizing the opportunity to make sure his attention was focused on him, Goblin poked his head out, brought his open hands to the sides of his head, and stuck out his tongue.
Scourge stood still for a moment, surprised by the audacity of his prey. Growling, he slammed home a fresh magazine and took. That’s when he heard the signature whine of the glider coming up behind him. He had just enough time to turn and see--
SLAM!
The three-hundred pound glider smashed into Scourge without slowing down, forcing him down and off the sidewalk. His arms and legs flailed, but to no avail. Goblin couldn’t help but smile as he watched the now-harmless murderer lash about like a fish out of water.
“Nighty, night,” Goblin murmured. With a quick tap on his controller, the glider came to a stop, sending all of the built up momentum into Scourge, who was flung forward at nearly seventy miles per hour.
The killer punched marquee hanging over the front entrance of One Police Plaza. His powered armor was cracked, and the white paint on the helmet was smeared, but he was alive. Goblin watched as he tried to get up and failed.
He quickly checked the other two mercenaries, seeing that both Siler Sable was the Warden were still out. One would need some serious dental work and the other migraine medication strong enough for an elephant. Dragon Fist was the only one who had gotten away, but if he lived up to his promise, they would run into each again soon enough.
As he ordered his glider to come back and pick him up, that just left him with one burning question: who had hired them?
NEXT: Harry starts his job at Parker Technologies, but can he balance his new career with his alter ego when the stumbles across the villainous Prowler? Plus, Peter Parker takes a very special interest in his latest employee
Luke Cage sneered, thinking of all the money he was going to make. He stretched his muscular arm over the back of the leather chair he had sprawled his tall frame across, either ignorant or careless of any social grace. Ever since he had forced his incarcerated scientists to grant him superhuman strength and unbreakable skin* the man now known as the Warden didn’t seem to mind ruffling a few feathers.
* [As seen in Fascinating Features #27]
Luke just stared daggers into the back of the other man’s head, who was standing behind his desk, gazing out over the city. His city. Or so he claimed. There were more than a few crime bosses in New York that had hired the Warden to do their dirty work.
Silence blared.
Even though he didn’t give a sweet Christmas about niceties, being given the silent treatment was just plain rude.
“Double the last time,” Luke finally added. The other man in the tailored suit twitched. Luke’s sneer broadened. “I mean, you’re asking me to take out the big guy, you know? All by myself, too. That’s definitely upping the ante.”
“Not by yourself,” the other man stated. “I’ve taken the liberty of hiring a few associates for you to work with.”
The Warden jumped up. “I work alone,” he spat. “End of story. Haven’t you always gotten your money’s worth before?”
The brown-haired man finally turned around to face Luke, keeping his hands clasped behind his back. In the business world, he had held this posture against the fiercest negotiators while he took their client’s companies. He firmly believed that body language played a large role in the board room and he always kept himself composed.
It was this same steady-hand attitude that won him his first billion, made Parker Technologies an international tour de force, and kept his company on the cutting edge of perfection. He did have another side, though. A darker side. It was that aspect of his identity that made him a feared leader of the underworld.
He had learned long ago that with great power, comes great opportunity. Now Peter Parker simply took what he wanted, when he wanted it. In his plans to overtake the city, however, a certain masked figure had repeatedly ruined his opportunities, an unforgivable act.
“Indeed,” Parker replied. “You have always delivered. It’s why I’m putting you in charge of this little group. I think you’ll find them adequate to the task at hand. Make no mistake, Mister Cage: I want the Goblin dead. With this group you shouldn’t have any trouble.”
Manipulating players like the Warden was now what Parker did best. He knew that his presence had been felt throughout the city. He had strings tied around the necks of politicians, local law enforcement, enterprises, and even a few of the so-called heroes. All he need do was pull those strings in a specific order and his will be done.
His partner and vice president, a sexual creature he could barely trust, had said that his strings were more akin to a web, given how intricately they were woven together. This had led to the underworld calling him the Spider, although few knew his actual name. Felicia has a penchant for the animal kingdom. In bed she purred.
Parker ran his fingers through a holographic display on his desk, sparking new projected images to appear in the middle of the massive office. Just a few feet in front of Luke three holograms appeared, each a life-size representation of an actual notorious figure.
The first was a dark-haired man with scars running back and forth over his face. Amongst the superpowered community the man was a legend. He was wanted in connection to thirteen murders, all of which were street-level vigilantes that the public had deemed heroic. Due to the loss of his family because of the reckless actions of such a “hero,” the man once known as Frank Castle had made it his life’s mission to purge the city of vigilantes. Donning black armor, he hunted them, tortured them, and became their nightmare. He was their Scourge.
The second, a lithe woman with silver hair, was the latest in a long line of trained killers. Dating back to World War II, the Symkarian royal family trained their daughters not only in the arts of assassination, but in the toppling of entire economies. Provided that the political favor-as-payment aligned with the family’s machinations, Silver Sable could be hired to do just about anything.
Lastly, a man that Luke knew quite well. They had been hired by opposing bosses several times and bashed against one another to the ruination of entire city blocks. He knew Danny Rand like he knew a fellow soldier at arms. Kicked out of a mystical city for seeking forbidden techniques, he had taken his revenge on them by slaughtering the dragon they worshipped, stealing its power for himself. As the martial arts mercenary, Dragon Fist, he was quite a force to be reckoned with.
Luke rubbed his hands together and he stalked through the holograms, sizing them up. His eyes lingered on Silver Sable the longest. “Oh, yes,” he said. “Yes, yes. This will work out just fine.”
The hint of a smile graced Parker’s lips. “Good. They’re waiting for you at your standard drop point and have been fully briefed. They’ll provide you with specific details regarding where you’ll find the target and when you should strike. For what I’m paying the four of you I expect results. Tonight.”
“You on some kind of a deadline?”
Parker turned away to look out over the city from fifty stories up once more. His city. “Something like that,” Parker said.
Luke took his leave of the plush office, almost gleeful in the planned destruction that would commence. Back behind closed doors once more, Parker contemplated the various chess-like moves he was currently undertaking. Many deals had been brokered to get him to this point. Many lives had been sacrificed.
All that remained was the death of the man responsible for cutting apart his “web” of influence, and the city would be his again.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
“See you tomorrow, tiger.”
Harry Osborn sure hated to see his girlfriend go after dinner, but he loved watching her leave. With the kiss she had just placed on his cheek still fresh, he turned and nearly slammed into a street performer. He was sure that he was going to dream about the soft lips, smooth curves, and deep eyes of Calypso Ezili tonight. He still didn’t understand why she had initially gone out with him in the first place, except that maybe something had been lost in translation since she was an exchange student.
With graduation from Empire State University a mere week away, a job with Parker Technologies all lined up, and his last final behind him Harry felt like he could finally relax.
And what better way for a young man to unwind than to skip through the clouds?
Ducking down the side alley next to their favorite restaurant, Jameson’s Pub, Harry was instantly lost in the shadows. The sun had set a few hours ago while he and Caly had polished off a bottle of red wine. He loved that he could talk to her, and tell her practically everything. In fact, he had almost told her his biggest secret, right there on the sidewalk, but for some reason he had let her get into the cab anyway.
What was he scared of? He had told important people in his life about his dual identity before. Did that mean he doubted the strength of their relationship? He mentally added it to the list of things to seek advice from his father on, then shoved it to the side. Now he really did need to clear his head.
Given that he and Caly dined there frequently, he was accustomed to the particular bricks that made up its rear wall. With precision that any world-class mountain climber would kill for, Harry scaled the building with ease. His familiarity with the wall helped, of course, but his enhanced speed, perception, and strength would have made it easy regardless.
Ever since his father had irradiated him with a special serum* he could do amazing things. Spectacular things. Things that no other man before him was physically capable of doing. Harry would have preferred to been born into wealth, but his father didn’t care about money, although his genius research could have easily made them rich behind their wildest dreams.
* [Don’t tell me you’ve never read the classic Mark of the Goblin #1? C’mon!]
Instead of money Harry had been born into a legacy. His father had been somewhat of a local hero in his youth, even making a few headlines. For the most part he had been an urban myth. But an injury sustained from an old rivalry left him broken and out of the field, leaving Harry to take up the reigns. At first he was hesitant, like any teenager, but with a few years’ experience under him now he actually loved it.
Once he reached the roof he snatched up the backpack he had left behind when he had first arrived to meet Caly. Inside was his dark green uniform, altered from his father’s original design to be more sleek and modern. The light mesh could protect against most small-arms fire and blades, which he found himself coming up against more and more these days. It was truly a magnificent and life-saving piece of attire.
During his first time out testing his serum, his father had spotted a woman being attacked. Not wanting to blow his identity, he originally grabbed a random mask from a nearby costume shop before saving the woman who would become his mother.
That mask had been a macabre trademark of his father’s. It wasn’t quite to Harry’s taste, however. With a little updating, his helmet was more of a technological wonder than a grotesque horror to strike fear into criminals.
Despite the difference in appearance, the papers had linked him to his dad. After he had saved a reporter from the Daily Grind from one of his arch foes, word got out that the “phenomenal Goblin” was back in action (from the headline the editor ran).
Harry donned the helmet, hiding his features behind goggles and encased electronics. His father had once worn a purple hood to accentuate the look, and Harry had tried it, but actually lost it in the wind his first time out. He kept the color scheme but thought that without it he looked more mysterious and intimidating as opposed to a court jester (something he often teased his father about).
Stuffing his regular clothes into the backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, he slapped his belt buckle to summon his other trademark. The glider was a sleek instrument of precision and beauty, and it came hurtling down through the sky toward him, homing in on his buckle. His father had been purely street level, but the glider made Harry a virtual one man army.
Packed to the brim with non-lethal weapons, scanners, and other surprises the glider would have fantastic military applications. It dropped to waist level in front of Harry and he hopped on, the shroud already billowing behind him. By leaning into the pedals he could control speed and altitude, and cut corners around buildings with blinding supremacy.
When linked, the helmet provided him with data from the glider’s sensors, feeding him real-time information about his surroundings, potential targets, and broadcast emergencies.
Rising quickly through the air, the Goblin was once more amongst the skyscrapers. Even if no crime presented itself, he would often skip upward into the heavens, weaving between the skyscrapers. The exhilaration helped to clear his head.
He rounded the Empire State Building near the thirtieth floor, taking his usual route home to Queens. He caught sight of the Latverian embassy, smiled at the memories it brought to mind, and twisted again in midair to direct his trajectory back on course.
WHAM!
His head started spinning and it took a minute to realize that it wasn’t just his head, but his entire body that was spiraling. Something had rocketed into him, knocking him off of the glider and sending him plummeting to the ground.
The Goblin shook his head free of the cobwebs and righted himself in the air, spreading his arms wide. Keyed to his specific movements, freefall mesh webbing snapped into place between his torso and arms, giving him some small measure of control. It was the same tactic that skydivers used to control their descent, and it had saved his life more than once. This wasn’t the first time that he had been knocked free from his trademark glider, but it was the first time he hadn’t seen who did it.
He smacked his buckle again and the glider rapidly descended down toward him. He quickly angled himself, using the mesh between his arms, to slow his fall as much as possible. He dropped 25 stories before the glider caught up with him. The next part was tricky, though.
He couldn’t just land directly on the glider. He had broken both his ankles that way. Despite his augmented strength, gravity was just too much for him. Instead, the glider was programmed to fly vertically, match his velocity, and wait for him to magnetically clamp his boots into place. Once he did that the glider could level off safely.
As soon as he was righted again, the Goblin initiated a wide scan of the immediate area. He instantly locked onto some kind of missile that was headed directly for him.
“Crap!” he shouted.
He pulled his glider out of the way just in time to avoid being struck by the incoming missile, but couldn’t just let it keep going. If it struck a building there was no telling how many could die.
And that couldn’t happen on his watch. It was part of an adage that his father had taught him, a mantra of sorts that had kept him going years ago on the mean streets of New York. ‘Every life matters.’
The Goblin tapped a series of commands into his wrist-mounted controller, and three heat-seeking orange orbs spat out the back of the glider. The orbs tracked the exhaust from the missile and smashed into it, detonating on impact, and destroying the missile before it had a chance to harm anyone.
His heads-up display in his helmet traced the missile’s flight path back to a nearby rooftop and the Goblin felt a shiver run up his spine. He recognized the black-armored man with a white skull painted on the front of his helmet. He had tangled with Scourge before, usually to keep him from killing one of his vigilante friends.
Now that he had spotted Scourge, the missile made a lot of sense. It was one of his patented ‘impact missiles,’ which were designed to knock down a target so he could then proceed to beat the living daylights out of it. No explosives in the cone, just a hell of a rocket-propelled punch.
Goblin smirked and shouted, “Hey, buddy! Long time no see!”
Scourge wasn’t one to trade quips. He simply reloaded his rocket launcher and took aim again. In response, the Goblin spiraled upward on his glider, ensuring that he could dodge the next missile without having to worry about slamming into a building.
“Heads up, skyskipper!” a feminine voice shouted at him from above. “Tonight is your final flight!”
He had just enough time to look up and see a beautiful woman leap off of her perch, nosediving directly for him. She tackled him around the waist, dislodging his magnetic boots from his glider, and sending them tumbling straight down toward the asphalt below.
Her firm grip coupled with his sudden shock kept him from sending the necessary order to his glider to come and retrieve him. As the wind roared by him, he started to feel like he might panic.
“Always appreciate the <ugg> attention,” Goblin said. “Especially from the super-model types. But unless you let me save us we’re both going to go splat!”
“Oh, we have much more fun things in store for you than that!” she purred.
She slipped a cable around his waist and released him just before her own bungee cord stretched to its limit. There was a split second where he was still falling, but gravity was still fighting to keep them together, holding her in place over him. She winked and her silver hair blanketed her face as the cord yanked her back upward to safety.
Goblin, however, continued to fall another four stories until his cable snapped him back up. He bounded upward, now ensnared by the cable, which he furiously fought to untangle and remove.
At the apex of his ascent, he was stunned to come face to face with yet another individual: a man in a yellow headdress and a black gi who was standing on a ledge in a fighter’s stance. Goblin briefly wondered just how exactly this group could have planned their positioning so precisely, but dismissed the thought trail when he saw Dragon Fist’s curled fingers begin to glow.
“Oh, shi-“ was all Goblin managed to say before the kung fu villain struck out with his glowing, empowered fist, landing a solid blow in the center of his torso. The punch sent Goblin flying outward, once more descending like a yo-yo, but this time with two shattered ribs and his brain lit up like a Christmas tree.
Sucker-punched by Scourge, tangled up in the cable that Silver Sable had wrapped around him, knocked senseless by Dragon Fist…the phenomenal Goblin was beginning to think that someone had it in for him. He had to get out of this mess immediately or his next date would be with the undertaker instead of Caly. He was also regretting that his partner wasn’t here to help him.*
* [Where is the Ghost? Starring in his new solo series, on newsstands now!]
With a flick of his wrist, an orange razorang flipped out of his forearm. One of many, the ‘rang was a titanium alloy and sharpened to split hairs. Grabbing it, he sliced through the cable and started to unwrap himself, praying that he could get his glider to retrieve him before he smashed into a building or the ground. He had taken some hard hits before, and his augmented strength offered him a degree of endurance, but at this velocity he might as well have been a flightless bird.
He smacked his buckle once more, but could see that the glider would never reach him in time. He was going to have to save himself the hard way. From the equipment pouch resting on the small of his back, just under his backpack, he retrieved one of his signature bolos.
The bolos were three carbon-fiber cables joined at one each by an orange disc that he could adjust to either shorten or lengthen the cables. With a deft press of the disc, he extended the bolos to maximum length and sent one flying at a series of power lines protruding from the closest building.
The first bolo hadn’t even finished wrapping around the power lines before he had the second one in hand and was gripping it not by the disc as per usual, but by the knob at the end of one of the cables. He brandished it like a whip, flinging it at the first bolo where the end lashed on. Thanks to the first bolo, the power lines were grouped tightly together, serving as a decent anchor point for him to swing from.
“Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaw!” Goblin shouted as he rode the upswing of his makeshift grapple line.
His momentum under control, and now at a reasonable height, the phenomenal Goblin waited for the backswing before he released the bolo and dropped three stories to the pavement below. It hurt his feet, but his strength would allow him to walk away from this one.
“I need a better catchphrase,” he muttered. “Sounding like a cowboy in a rodeo doesn’t mesh with my brand.”
From behind him, he heard, “You’re grounded, skyskipper!”
He turned to see a wall of muscle named Luke Cage charging straight for him. He had brawled with the Warden once before* and had barely come away from it with more than a few bruises. If he let the Warden lay even a single hand on him he was a dead man.
* [In the now legendary Exceptional Tales #17!]
“Stepping out of your comfort zone, Warden?” Goblin said as he leapt over Luke, avoiding a pile-driving fist that left a crater in the pavement where he had been standing. “Who’s watching your precious scientists?”
“Heh.” Luke turned and tried to drive the back of his fist into Goblin’s head, but his adversary ducked just in the nick of time. He had forgotten how fast the guy could move. “They aren’t the group you should be worried about right now.”
Goblin twisted and flipped sideways out of Luke’s reach, flinging a bolo at his legs. The cables wrapped themselves around Luke’s ankles, giving Goblin another moment to breath and get his bearings.
“You mean Scourge, Silver Sable, and Dragon Fist?” Goblin inquired. “What are you, some kind of synth band?”
Luke snapped the bolo’s cables easily and lunged for the emerald Goblin. Backpedaling, Goblin jumped at a light pole, grabbing it, and swinging around to drive his feet right into Luke’s face. The move stunned the Warden, but he was too practiced in street brawling to let it get the better of him. Goblin had to act fast if he was going to get out of this alive.
Deftly extracting two precise items from his equipment pouch, Goblin boxed Luke’s ears and back-flipped away. Luke staggered for a moment, eyed up Goblin, and said, “Stand still, you-AHH!”
The sonic disruptors that Goblin had adhered to Luke’s temples went into overdrive, dropping the freight train of a man to his knees in agony. Not one to miss such a prized opportunity, Goblin raced forward and drove his knee into the Warden’s face, putting all of his augmented strength into it, and actually drew blood from his nose upon impact.
SHING!
SHING!
Goblin winced and cried out in both surprise and pain. Twin silver throwing stars had embedded themselves in his left calf, despite the protection of his suit. He managed to yank one out before the owner came looking for them, and she had brought more toys with her.
Silver Sable wielded a pair of Bukharin knives a foot long each, their blades singing in the air as she expertly slashed and stabbed. It was all Goblin could do to keep from being skewered, but his augmented reflexes, thanks to his father’s irradiated serum, enabled him to keep up with each lung and slice from the assassin.
“You guys don’t typically <ack!> work alone!” Goblin said as he barely avoided having his throat slit. “But you all love the sweet smell of cash. Who <whoa!> who hired you?”
Silver Sable smirked, replying, “Our employer hates you possibly even more than I do. I didn’t think it possible, but you seem to have cut one too many of his webs.”
Goblin danced away from yet another slash of her vicious knife. “Webs?”
“I wonder if your head will bring me a bonus?” Silver Sable quipped. “Good night, bug!”
Silver Sable briefly crouched, flipped her blades over in her hands, and then sprung up with her arms raised. Goblin realized that she had been toying with him, driving him back until he was literally against a wall. There was nowhere for him to go…except through her.
With a surge of adrenaline, Goblin stepped into her leap and drove his fist up faster than she could react, landing a perfect augmented uppercut under her chin. Her teeth chattered and several came loose, and when she hit the ground she was unconscious.
Standing over her, Goblin said, “I don’t look like a bug…do I?”
“With the backpack,” a new voice said, “yeah, maybe a little.”
Goblin, worn and just now starting to feel how bad his ribs hurt, looked up to see Dragon Fist standing just a few yards in front of him. The man was a legendary killer, ruthless and unforgiving. However, Goblin also knew something about him that his partners tonight probably did not: they had a history together.
“We don’t have to do this, Danny,” Goblin said, trying to suppress a cough. “You promised me at Ravencroft, when you helped me take down Shang-Chi,* that you wouldn’t come after me if I didn’t interfere with you taking over his insane school.”
* [Just a few months ago in Ghost & Goblin #176]
Dragon Fist let a small laugh slip from his otherwise serious expression. “Yes, his Dangerous Dojo. Already I have found many worthy students to populate my kung fu army.”
“Right. The Dojo.” Goblin winced. “You going back on our deal?”
Dragon Fist shook his head. “Hardly. I came to offer you a position at the Dojo.”
Beneath his goggles, Goblin raised an eyebrow. “Uh…excuse me?”
“You have defeated me and my ilk many times over,” Dragon Fist said as he took a few careful steps forward. “I have seen you first hand topple giants, defy all odds, and come away relatively unscathed.”
“Not so much today,” Goblin mumbled.
“Shang-Chi should have killed you, but you live. You have done all this with no training. Just think of what you could accomplish with the proper instruction!” Dragon Fist curled his fingers tightly in a figurative sign of strength. “Join me at the Dangerous Dojo! Together we could rule over any adversary!”
“You…you came here to recruit me?”
“And to cash a check, of course. I’m not foolish. However, I will respect the bargain we made at Ravencroft. For tonight and tonight only, I will walk away. However, if you do not accept my offer now, then in the future I will not be so generous. Consider this gift as repayment of my debt to you.”
Goblin steadied himself. Dragon Fist was one of the most dangerous men he had ever come across, and he was lucky to be alive after their last encounter. If not for appealing to his greedy nature by bargaining with Shang-Chi’s training temple, Goblin was sure that he would have been next on Danny Rand’s hit list.
Did he really want to make even more of an enemy of this man?
“Sorry,” Goblin finally replied. “I’m about to graduate from school. I’m not interested in a graduate program right now.”
“Are you sure?” Dragon Fist asked sincerely.
“I don’t think I can afford the student loans. Sorry, but I’m going to pass.”
Dragon Fist pressed his lips together. Goblin prepared himself for a strike by palming a razorang, knowing that in his current state it would likely do very little against the martial artist.
But then Dragon Fist seemingly relaxed, and surprisingly, bowed. “A missed opportunity,” he stated. “When next we meet I will not be so lenient. If there is a next time.”
“I’m not dead yet. I’ll be ready for you.”
Dragon Fist smirked. “Perhaps. But I was referring to him.”
Goblin whipped his head around to see Scourge stomping down the middle of Fifth Avenue. Cars honked, but upon seeing the man in black powered-armor and his dreaded painted on white skull, they abandoned their vehicles and took off running. His rocket launcher had been dumped, or perhaps deposited back into his battle van, and he now wielded a pair of MP-5s flicked to full auto.
Bullets pilfered the sidewalk near Goblin, who dove to the side and scrambled around the corner of the building to safety. He looked back to Dragon First, but the martial artist was gone.
“Just great,” Goblin muttered.
He chanced a peek around the corner and was greeted with a fresh barrage of gunfire from Scourge, who had now made it to the sidewalk. Goblin’s ribs were already screaming at him. His calf was still bleeding. Chips of brick and mortar were flying everywhere as the corner of the building was pummeled by Scourge’s assault. There was no way he could pull off the acrobatics he would need to take down the gun-toting vigilante killer.
Luckily, he wouldn’t have to.
With a few deft commands put into his wrist-mounted controller, he heard the slight whine of his glider’s jets come closer and closer. Scourge was oblivious to what was coming up behind him, fully intent on taking down the one vigilante target that had gotten away from him more than once.
The hail of bullets momentarily stopped as Scourge paused to reload. Seizing the opportunity to make sure his attention was focused on him, Goblin poked his head out, brought his open hands to the sides of his head, and stuck out his tongue.
Scourge stood still for a moment, surprised by the audacity of his prey. Growling, he slammed home a fresh magazine and took. That’s when he heard the signature whine of the glider coming up behind him. He had just enough time to turn and see--
SLAM!
The three-hundred pound glider smashed into Scourge without slowing down, forcing him down and off the sidewalk. His arms and legs flailed, but to no avail. Goblin couldn’t help but smile as he watched the now-harmless murderer lash about like a fish out of water.
“Nighty, night,” Goblin murmured. With a quick tap on his controller, the glider came to a stop, sending all of the built up momentum into Scourge, who was flung forward at nearly seventy miles per hour.
The killer punched marquee hanging over the front entrance of One Police Plaza. His powered armor was cracked, and the white paint on the helmet was smeared, but he was alive. Goblin watched as he tried to get up and failed.
He quickly checked the other two mercenaries, seeing that both Siler Sable was the Warden were still out. One would need some serious dental work and the other migraine medication strong enough for an elephant. Dragon Fist was the only one who had gotten away, but if he lived up to his promise, they would run into each again soon enough.
As he ordered his glider to come back and pick him up, that just left him with one burning question: who had hired them?
NEXT: Harry starts his job at Parker Technologies, but can he balance his new career with his alter ego when the stumbles across the villainous Prowler? Plus, Peter Parker takes a very special interest in his latest employee
A huge thanks to all of our readers who have made The Phenomenal Goblin a success! Harry Osborn has a truly rich history that’s been well-documented in The Mark of the Goblin ongoing series, and his partnership with everyone’s favorite tech-guru in Ghost & Goblin shows how Harry is part of a larger world. So, what’s the point of a third title featuring the amazing skyskipper?
This series will be used as a launching pad for new ideas, new twists, and best of all, new villains! As Harry begins his post-college career a whole new era will open up for the sensational Goblin. While The Mark of the Goblin will continue to develop Harry’s already packed continuity, The Phenomenal Goblin will pursue more done-in-one, focused stories that will give readers a chance to see Harry in situations that might not fit with the current story arcs in the other titles.
We hope you’ll continue joining us for the ride! Now, on to some fan letters stolen from the other title’s overflow…
Hey! Loved the team-up with Dr. Octopus in Mark of… #56. Any chance we can see that happen again? I would really love to see the Goblin form a permanent alliance with some of the other heroes that are trying to take down Peter Parker! I figure if all of their efforts to take down the mysterious Spider crossed paths they might at least be able to out the guy as a villain.
Thanks for the awesome stories! Keep them coming!
-Trent Reznor
We have received letters like this by the bag full over the last year. Trent, you’ll be happy to know that the editors have already greenlit a new series to focus on that exact goal: unmasking the Spider! However, while Goblin may eventually cameo in the series (and how could he not?) he isn’t part of the main line-up.
Yes, kids and uberfans, this is the official first announcement of the rumored title you’ve been clamoring for! We even convinced the powers-that-be to release the logo art and title synopsis! This fall, get ready for…
This series will be used as a launching pad for new ideas, new twists, and best of all, new villains! As Harry begins his post-college career a whole new era will open up for the sensational Goblin. While The Mark of the Goblin will continue to develop Harry’s already packed continuity, The Phenomenal Goblin will pursue more done-in-one, focused stories that will give readers a chance to see Harry in situations that might not fit with the current story arcs in the other titles.
We hope you’ll continue joining us for the ride! Now, on to some fan letters stolen from the other title’s overflow…
Hey! Loved the team-up with Dr. Octopus in Mark of… #56. Any chance we can see that happen again? I would really love to see the Goblin form a permanent alliance with some of the other heroes that are trying to take down Peter Parker! I figure if all of their efforts to take down the mysterious Spider crossed paths they might at least be able to out the guy as a villain.
Thanks for the awesome stories! Keep them coming!
-Trent Reznor
We have received letters like this by the bag full over the last year. Trent, you’ll be happy to know that the editors have already greenlit a new series to focus on that exact goal: unmasking the Spider! However, while Goblin may eventually cameo in the series (and how could he not?) he isn’t part of the main line-up.
Yes, kids and uberfans, this is the official first announcement of the rumored title you’ve been clamoring for! We even convinced the powers-that-be to release the logo art and title synopsis! This fall, get ready for…
The web that the enigmatic Spider has woven throughout the city can no longer be tolerated! A half-dozen heroes will put aside their differences to work together for the sole purpose of toppling the Spider’s stranglehold on New York. Together, they are an unstoppable team. They are…the Superior Six! Featuring Dr. Octopus, Kraven the Hunter, Sandman, the Vulture, Mysterio, and Electro!
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How’s that for a fan letter response! Stick with us, Trent, we’ll take you places. We’re super excited to get this announcement out there as it’s been a long time coming. Don’t you all go complaining about the line-up on message boards all at once! We’re sure that the membership will change up soon enough *wink wink*.
On to the next letter!
I’m glad that Harry’s love life finally seems to have been sorted out! Ever since Caly came on the scene Harry seems so much more grounded. Was that the intent when the creative team thought her up? Because when Harry was with Lorina Dodson it just never really seemed to work. Whatever happened to Lorina anyway?
-Andrew WK
On to the next letter!
I’m glad that Harry’s love life finally seems to have been sorted out! Ever since Caly came on the scene Harry seems so much more grounded. Was that the intent when the creative team thought her up? Because when Harry was with Lorina Dodson it just never really seemed to work. Whatever happened to Lorina anyway?
-Andrew WK
Glad that you like Harry and Caly together (Harly? Carry? Someone think up a Hollywood-couple name, quick!), because we have big plans for their relationship! Lorina was sort of all over the place and kind of unsure of her own role in life, like a lot of first serious girlfriends. The short of it was that Harry and Lorina, while cute, were young heroes in love and didn’t have too much in common personally. Caly was designed specifically to give Harry a partner that could keep him cemented in reality. Harry really needs someone like that. As Harry graduates from college and begins a new phase in life, we thought it would be best if his love life reflected that theme as well.
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As for what happened to Lorina…well, you can actually see her in next month’s Fascinating Features #274! It looks like the White Rabbit will rise again…
One last letter for the road!
Guys…you know I love you, but I have to call BS on an epic mistake that everyone seems to have overlooked. In Mark of…#22, Norman Osborn clearly had a fling with Gwen Stacy. While it obviously happened off-panel, his statement is pretty clear. So, why does Norman not even have a reaction when Harry comments on her death in #61? Harry and the gang all have something to say, but we don’t even get a thought bubble as to what was going through Norman’s mind!
C’mon. There has to be an explanation for this. Cough it up!
-J. Hetfield
J, you caught us. Norman and Gwen did have a little thing between them, and there were plans to develop their relationship as a subplot, however as best laid plans often do, things went awry behind the scenes.
Just before the yearly writer’s summit, where the writers and editors all get together to pitch story ideas and discuss crossover potentials, #22 had just come out. It was our intent to spin that controversial hook up into a much larger plot thread that would eventually lead into a complex series of one-shots and retcons, besmirching Gwen’s popularity and forever tainting her as an adored character.
But then the editors talked us off the ledge. When we wrote the news breaking of Gwen’s death in #61, we thought it best to just let that story element be swept under the rug. Now Gwen Stacy will forever be remembered as the girl that got away instead of the slut that banged her ex-boyfriend’s father.
Until next month, stay strong, true believers!
One last letter for the road!
Guys…you know I love you, but I have to call BS on an epic mistake that everyone seems to have overlooked. In Mark of…#22, Norman Osborn clearly had a fling with Gwen Stacy. While it obviously happened off-panel, his statement is pretty clear. So, why does Norman not even have a reaction when Harry comments on her death in #61? Harry and the gang all have something to say, but we don’t even get a thought bubble as to what was going through Norman’s mind!
C’mon. There has to be an explanation for this. Cough it up!
-J. Hetfield
J, you caught us. Norman and Gwen did have a little thing between them, and there were plans to develop their relationship as a subplot, however as best laid plans often do, things went awry behind the scenes.
Just before the yearly writer’s summit, where the writers and editors all get together to pitch story ideas and discuss crossover potentials, #22 had just come out. It was our intent to spin that controversial hook up into a much larger plot thread that would eventually lead into a complex series of one-shots and retcons, besmirching Gwen’s popularity and forever tainting her as an adored character.
But then the editors talked us off the ledge. When we wrote the news breaking of Gwen’s death in #61, we thought it best to just let that story element be swept under the rug. Now Gwen Stacy will forever be remembered as the girl that got away instead of the slut that banged her ex-boyfriend’s father.
Until next month, stay strong, true believers!