Editor-in-Chief Cover Artists |
Writers Marv Wolfman
Pencilers Sal Buscema
Inkers Jim Mooney
Colourists George Roussos
Letterers Joe Rosen
Editors Marv Wolfman
|
Appearing in "Now You See Me! Now You Die!"Edit
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Harry Osborn
- Elizabeth Allan
- Flash Thompson
Villains:
- Mysterio (Quentin Beck)
- Burglar
Other Characters:
- Sha Shan
Locations:
- Restwell Nursing Home
- Peter Parker's Pad
Items:
- Spider-Man's Web-Shooters
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Now You See Me! Now You Die!"Edit
Mysterio gloats as the water in the Restwell Nursing Home swimming pool rises over Spider-Man's head. Spider-Man, chained to the bottom of the pool, is apparently about to drown. Leaving him to his fate, Mysterio descends into the nursing home's basement, where he has the burglar tied to a furnace. The captive asserts that Mysterio will be unable to find the treasure in May Parker's house, for he has told Mysterio how much it is worth but not what it is. Mysterio replies that nothing potentially worth billions of dollars will long elude his grasp. Technically, Mysterio owns the house, and search it he shall. As Mysterio vanishes, the burglar impotently shouts that he will somehow get free and destroy Mysterio. Then the burglar sees an old mirror leaning against a wall just within reach. He inches his feet toward it and topples it, breaking it into several sharp fragments. Pulling a fragment toward him with his foot, he starts to saw at his bonds. As the water covers Spider-Man, he quickly spins himself a web-bubble to trap some air for breathing. Then a calamity occurs: his web-bubble springs a leak. As the bubble fills with water, he desperately tries to think of a way to escape. When the bubble floats free of his face, he spies the pool's drain plug, just out of reach. He shoots a web-line onto the plug, and after summoning all his strength, he pulls the plug out and the pool empties. Still chained but no longer in danger of drowning, Spider-Man passes out, exhausted from his struggle. He revives several minutes later, feeling somewhat stronger. Then he sees that his costume and the swimming pool are both dry. The "water" was another of Mysterio's illusions, powerful enough to make him believe he was about to drown. Without the psychological burden of thinking he is trapped under water, Spider-Man easily breaks his chains, and he heads back to his apartment for a night's rest. Twenty-four hours later, Peter Parker awakens rejuvenated. Even his broken arm is healed, and he shatters the cast that Dr. Winters placed on it. Famished, he starts to prepare a meal of fried eggs, but as he is cooking, Harry Osborn, Liz Allan, Flash Thompson, and Sha Shan arrive at the door. They walk into the living room, and Peter remembers that he is still wearing part of his Spider-Man costume, and his bathrobe is on the living-room chair. He uses a web-strand to snag the bathrobe without any of his friends seeing him, and he pulls it into the kitchen. Harry says that they have come to offer condolences about Peter's aunt and to apologize for their recent arguments with him. Peter notices apprehensively that some of his costume is draped over a chair in his bedroom, easily visible. Liz tells Peter that Betty Brant has broken up with Ned Leeds, and Peter explains his seemingly callous behavior in the cafeteria several days ago. Peter is disappointed that his effort to bring Betty and Ned together failed. Telling his friends that he is still shaken by recent events, Peter hastily ushers them out of the apartment, breathing a sigh of relief that they failed to notice the costume. A few minutes later, Spider-Man is on his way to his aunt's house in Forest Hills. When he enters, he finds the place as he left it: a total shambles. Wondering aloud about what Mysterio might have been searching for, he is answered by Mysterio himself, who suddenly makes the ceiling, to which Spider-Man is clinging, vanish. This unnerving illusion causes Spider-Man to lose his balance, but he quickly regains his composure. Mysterio uses many different illusions against Spider-Man as they battle: he makes Spider-Man appear to dissolve and then makes him appear as if he were a photographic negative. Spider-Man realizes that Mysterio's illusions owe as much to hypnosis as to mastery of special effects, and this realization helps him overcome them. Outside, as Spider-Man watches the criminal ascend on his cloud of mist, he deduces that Mysterlo is actually riding a mini-helicopter, and he manages to catch hold of it with his webbing. Irritated, Mysterio appears to dissolve away, but then he strikes Spider-Man from behind. Spider-Man did not sense him coming, says Mysterio, because he is able to jam Spider-Man's spider-sense. Spider-Man, angered, connects with a punch, but now he knows that he cannot even rely on his spider-sense to tell illusion from reality. Mysterio tosses a fire blast at Spider-Man, and only at the last instant does Spider-Man realize that this is not an illusion. Leaping away from the flame, Spider-Man slams into a chimney and momentarily stuns himself. As Spider-Man shakes his head to clear it, Mysterio heads toward the Restwell Nursing Home. Spider-Man follows Mysterio back to the nursing home. Surprisingly enough, he locates the criminal without encountering any more illusions. Mysterio explains that the object of his search at the Parker house seems no longer to be there, and he is not going to bother looking for it anymore. Then he fires a dart gun at Spider-Man, and because Spider-Man thinks it is another illusion, he does not get out of the way. Unfortunately, the dart is all too real, and when it strikes Spider-Man, Mysterio says that it is filled with enough depressant to kill a herd of elephants. As Mysterio explains that he will work on other schemes instead of wasting time searching for a box that is no longer there, Spider-Man starts to feel groggy and sinks to the floor. Then Mysterio triumphantly announces that Spider-Man is dead.
NotesEdit
- No special notes.
TriviaEdit
Consultant: Jim Shooter
See AlsoEdit
Recommended ReadingEdit
- Mysterio and the Burglar last appeared in Amazing Spider-Man # 198 they next appear in Amazing Spider-Man # 200 (next issue)
Links and ReferencesEdit