ACT 2: The 14th Precinct. Spider-Man meets with Lieutenant Lamont. He explains his case to the detective. Lamont accepts to help him out. A lot of funny dialogue here.

ACT 3: The Forest Hills Residence of Aunt May; Peter is visiting. May is writing to every newspaper and magazine in New York suggesting that people might like to see a positive story about Spider-Man once in a while. A conversation ensues, again with some rather hilarious puns thrown back and forth between May and Peter. May finally tells Peter that Mary Jane has called and that she will be flying in on Tuesday. Peter agrees to meet MJ at the airport.

ACT 4: Inside Lieutenant Lamont's vehicle; Spidey is with him. Lamont has possibly found out some information about the man encountered by Spider-Man in last issue. They are on their way to the Latterby's Mental Institution to meet with a man they think may hold the answers to their many questions.

ACT 5: Latterby's Mental Institution. The man they are meeting bears the same tattoo as the guy Spider-Man encountered in the alley. The security guard tells Lamont and Spidey (whose disguised so as to hide is costume) that the inmate got the tattoo while still in prison, shortly before he was committed. They decide to further investigate.

ACT 6: The man is named Richard. Spider-Man asks him where he got the tattoo he wears on his neck. Richard explains that he was looking for a mystical book containing secrets to obtaining power and that he had to kill the bookstore owner to acquire the book. Although he was arrested shortly after, he had managed to read enough to obtain that power. Once in prison, he had friends on the outside sending him coded letters so that he could finish the spell. And while everybody else was making shanks in the metal shop, he was making the icon he needed to perform the ritual. The ritual was going to give Richard the power he needed to escape from prison via the astral plane. Unbeknownst to him was that his cellmate was constantly watching his every move. On that faithful day, as Richard was speaking the spell, he got knocked out by his cellmate. The latter took the icon and stepped into the pentagram as the forces that open the astral plane began to open to take him. But Richard wasn't going to let him get away with it. Struggling hard to regain consciousness, he managed to interfere enough with the ritual and although the door opened, the way was imperfect. His cellmate was sucked into the astral plane never to be seen again until recently when Spider-Man fought him. Feeling they had enough information to try and find the "Shade", they leave. Lamont tells Spidey he'll continue investigating and that if anything turns up he will contact him. Spider-Man swings away.

Feeling that he's in way over his head, Spider-Man goes to the most likely person that may be able to find out how to reach the "Shade": Doctor Strange.