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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #589

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WRITER: FRED VAN LENTE
PENCILLER: PAULO SIQUEIRA
INKER: AMILTON SANTOS
COLORS: JEROMY COX
LETTERS: VC'S CORY PETIT
COVER: CHRIS ELIOPOULOS, KLAUS JANSON AND DEAN WHITE
ASSISTANT EDITOR: TOM BRENNAN
EDITOR: STEPHEN WACKER
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: TOM BREVOORT
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: JOE QUESADA
PUBLISHER: DAN BUCKLEY

PREVIOUSLY: Years ago, Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, a scientist working for the Kingpin, was tasked with repeating the events that created the super hero Cloak in order to access and harness the dimension of darkness. His experiments caused a power surge and blackout in New York City, but the real damage was done when that same power surge bonded him with elements of the dimension of darkness, creating the one man portal conduit known as the Spot, a frequently dispatched enemy of Spider-Man.

Speaking of enemies of Spider-Man, the good news is, Spidey unmasked and busted both Menace and the Spider-Tracer killer. The bad news? They're both friends of Peter Parker. Menace was secretly Lily Hollister, Harry Osborn’s fiancée, and the Spider-Tracer killer wasn't a killer at all, but a group of cops out to pin unsolvable murders on the web-head. One of those cops? His roommate Vin Gonzales. Although Gonzales blew the whistle on the conspiracy and arrested the ringleaders, he'll still face jail time for his involvement. With his new friends having gone crazy and to jail respectively, maybe it's time Peter put family first and go visit his Aunt May.

REVIEW: The story opens in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn where a meeting between Russian gangsters is taking place. One of them, named Dmitri Ivankov, receives a small piece of paper with a black dot imprinted in the middle of it. He is not amused and wants to know what is the meaning of it. The man he's meeting reassures him that it's probably Fyodor, another gangster, playing a prank on him, or perhaps it is related to the drive-by in Staten Island the week before (there is also mention of pirates marking guys they were going to kill with a black dot to instill fear into them before killing them). Regardless of that, Ivankov is totally unconcerned. He indicates that it'll take more than a spot to get to him.

Two weeks later, Peter Parker is making his way to a new FEAST homeless shelter at Coney Island, which is where Aunt May has been temporarily reassigned. When he arrives at the shelter, he finds his aunt in the middle of a discussion with three men dressed all in black. Upon seeing Peter come in, Aunt May tells Peter that’s arrived just in time to escort Mr. Ivankov (the same one mentioned earlier) and his fancy-pants gangsters from the building. Ivankov tells Aunt May that he can tell when he's not welcomed so he and his men take their leave, carrying out boxes. Aunt May explains that Ivankov was trying to use FEAST to show what a humanitarian he is by giving out free plasma screen televisions to the poor for Christmas and turkeys for Thanksgiving. But she knows what he was really trying to do – she explains that he was trying to make people forget how he brings girls illegally into the US to sell themselves or how he terrorizes the Russian merchants with his protection racket; she vows to not let them forget. Peter asks if she's tried contacting the police. Aunt May reveals that no one has had the courage to talk to them and she personally has no proof so there's not much she can do. Peter tells Aunt May to keep the faith, as proof may turn up when she least expects it.

The story moves to a warehouse along the docks in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where Ivankov and Fyodor are set to meet with General Koschei, whom insisted Ivankov be present. Koschei has in his possession technologically advanced weapons that he wishes to sell to Ivankov. One of the weapons, referred to as a "Lobster Gun", has the ability to see right through concrete, wood and steel and delivers a high-powered explosive round that'll hit anything being targeted. Koschei suggests Ivankov give it a try. Ivankov grabs the gun and blows the head of a target dummy hidden behind a brick wall. Koschei tells Ivankov that the "Lobster Gun" is great for clean hits, which Ivankov seems to be needing at the moment, especially when considering the botched drive-by in Staten Island that left a young boy comatose. Ivankov feigns ignorance and mentions that he wants to buy six "Lobster Guns".

Hidden in the rafters, Spider-Man is taking pictures of the shady congregation. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a black round spot appears and a clenched hand emerges from the spot, knocking the guard standing in front. Before Spidey can do anything about it, the remaining guards are stabbed, strangled, and/or pulled inside the actual spots. Koschei and Ivankov become aware that something is wrong but not quickly enough. The villain known as the Spot comes out of a black hole behind him and snaps Koschei's neck. Completely terrified, Fyodor takes off running like a chicken with his head cut off; Ivankov is left to face the Spot. Thankfully for the gangster, Spider-Man arrives on the scene and starts beating on the Spot; but the Spot disappears before Spidey can finish him off. Spidey turns to Ivankov and offers to save him if he testifies against his gangland cronies. Ivankov responds that he’ll never do that so Spidey tells the gangster that he's on his own. Ivankov knows Spidey would never leave him to die, because he doesn't have the guts to do that. Spidey acknowledges that Ivankov is right and proceeds to knock him out by a flick of the finger. He then webs his hands together behind his back and hoists him onto his shoulder. He then starts making his way out of there. As he does so, he wonders why people never find him intimidating. He considers using a very deep whispering voice like actor Christian Bale who portrays the latest Batman in the movies of the same name. He gives it a try but ends up making himself cough from talking like that.

As Spidey, with the unconscious Ivankov in tow, makes his way up a wall, he suddenly comes under attack from the Spot who materializes ahead of him. The Spot punches Spidey, causing him to drop Ivankov. Reacting instinctively, Spidey manages to snag one of Ivankov's legs before the Spot can get to him. Spidey sends Ivankov flying upward, away from the Spot, but opens up an opportunity for the latter to attack him and pull him inside one of his black holes. Disoriented, and feeling sick, Spidey attempts to punch his opponent, but to no avail – in fact, he punch meant for the Spot comes right back to hit him on the nose, causing him to fall out of the black hole dimension, so to speak. Spidey lands on his back on the floor of the warehouse. Looking up from his position, he sees the Spot emerge from one of his black holes just below a falling Ivankov. Moving quickly, Spidey grabs hold of the hole from which the Spot emerged and uses it to launch himself past his opponent, toward Ivankov. Spidey catches the plummeting Ivankov and attempts to make his way out of the warehouse. The Spot catches up to him, grabs hold of Ivankov and tosses him into one of his black holes. Ivankov exits the black hole, only to find himself in Seattle, falling to his death. Fortunately, Spidey's impeccable timing and snazzy webbing saves the man from certain death. When Ivankov's butt is hauled back to New York, he is beyond terrified, but he still refuses to talk. Spidey tells the Spot that he doesn’t care what Ivankov did to him or how much he's being paid to do this; he will not let him kill Ivankov; he webs his and Ivankov’s hand together. The Spot silently stares at Spidey and then proceeds to grab a package he hid inside one of his black holes and hand it over to Spidey. The content of the package is unknown but a note is attached to it. Spidey cannot decipher the note, as it only has a bunch of spots of different sizes on it. In a visual narrative addressed to the reader, the Spot explains the significance of the message on the note. In Super-Villain Team-Up Modok's II #3, the Mandarin double-crossed Modok, the Spot's employer, and used his black light ring to imprison the Spot into his own anti-dimension. Because the Spot didn't go there on his own volition, he had no way of knowing the way out. He was occasionally able to project his image back into the world, such as when he tried contacting his cronies at the "Bar with No Name", but they could never see or hear him (as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #552). The Spot went mad, more so than before so he decided to concentrate on the one good thing he had in his life before the accident turned him into the Spot: his son Wyatt. He homed in on his son and, though it felt like it took a thousand lifetimes, he finally made it home, only to find that his son had been cut down at the wrong place, at the wrong time, by a murderous brute without a second thought. He thus resolved to spend every waking moment on the perfect method of vengeance. Since the explanation was directed to the reader, Spidey has no idea what the dots are supposed to mean. When he goes to ask the Spot what it means, the Spot is nowhere to be found. Spidey notices an address on the package; it is addressed to Wyatt Ohnn, the son of Jonathan Ohnn, the man who became the Spot. Ivankov unintentionally reveals that Wyatt Ohnn was the name of the child he and his men accidentally hurt in the Staten Island drive-by shooting. Realizing what he's just revealed, Ivankov tries to backtrack but Spider-Man tells him to shut up. Releasing the web-shackle holding their hands together, Spidey tells Ivankov that he’ll eventually get the Spot, but not today. Ivankov complaints that Spidey's reaction is not very promising – he fears for his life; Spidey could care less. Spidey takes off and catches up to Fyodor. Using his best Christian Bale whispery voice, Spidey intimidates Fyodor into testifying against his gangland buddies. Terrified, and obviously intimidated, Fyodor agrees to do it, as long as Spidey doesn't hurt him.

In a hospital in Staten Island, Wyatt Ohnn hangs on to dear life, his mother watching over him. Someone knocks on the door. When Wyatt's mother goes to answer, she finds a package hanging on a web from the ceiling. She picks up the package and opens it. It's a book called "Treasure Island", which Jonathan Ohnn used to read to his son every night. The mother cannot believe it – that is actually the copy her husband gave to their son. It makes no sense to her since they haven't seen Jonathan since his accident, the one that transformed him into the Spot.

At the Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, Ivankov is locked up in a padded room and wearing a straightjacket. Ivankov is rambling and seemingly insane, his pupils are all black. He is just like the guys the pirates used to mark with a black dots to instill fear in them before killing them. He, in essence, has been marked by the Spot and will die someday.

The end...for now.

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