Amazing Spider-Man #586 - Character Assassination Interlude

Credits

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Pencils: Barry Kitson

Inks: Karl Kesel

Colors: Andres Mossa

This picks up where Harry Osborn accidentally learns the true identity of Menace -- Lily Hollister.

Summary
Menace is giving Spider-Man the hell of a beating, knocking him unconscious. Although she could easily have at that point, she needed him alive, to be "paraded around like a trophy" and making his father, Bill Hollister the mayor of New York.

She dumps Spider-Man aside to be picked up by the police and flies straight back to the Hollister's Campaign HQ. There, Harry Osborn sees Lily in Menace's costume.

Harry takes a momemnt to process everything, but Lily tries to say what she thinks is in Harry's mind: that she dated him only because he was the Green Goblin, and that he's afraid that she doesn't love him. Harry couldn't take it and slaps across the face; Lily strikes back with backhand of her own.

She reveals that she knows about the family secret and explains how she learned the truth: months ago, worried about his late nights, she thought that he was relapsing to his drug addiction. Lily searched his room for any clues. In his closet she finds his diary which basically revealed everything.

She learns that by moving the book "The Rise of the Norman Empire" on the shelf, the entrance to the secret room will open. She enters the room and finds the mother-lode of all motherlodes -- there's enough evidence in that room to place Harry's dad, Norman Osborn, in jail for the rest of his life. While looking around, she knocks over what turns out to be a new goblin formula that made her stronger and can transform herself to her 'Menace" form at will.

On a sidenote, she also reveals that she kissed Peter Parker who nearly discovers that secret room -- back in ASM #573.

Harry insists that she's crazy because as Menace, she keeps attacking her own father. Lily rationalizes the method to her madness: sympathy is a valuable political tool; polls for his father jumped everytime she attacked him.

She then shows that she's wearing the engagement ring: yep, she says yes to becoming Mrs. Harry Osborn. She then leaves as she doesn't want to miss Spider-Man's arrest.

In closing, on election day, Harry goes to the secret room, takes a vial and a gun, dons a pair of gloves and is about to ride the glider.

Amazing Spider-Man #584 to 585 - Character Assassination Parts 1 & 2

Credits
Writer: Guggenheim
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Klaus Janson
Colors: Dean White

Backgrounder
The mayoral race for the city of New York will be up in two days. It is a tight race between Randall Crowne and Bill Hollister.

Bill Hollister is the new mayoral candidate after the original candidate Lisa Parfrey was killed by Menace. He's a standup guy and has kept a clean campaign and is supported by Frontline -- an independent newspaper headed by Ben Ulrich.

Randall Crowne, on the otherhand, is a wealthy businessman with some shady business. A recently discovered illegal sweatshop is under Crowne Industries which also has ties with Oscorp. Not surprisingly, Crowne is supported by Norman Osborn and Dexter Bennet, owner of the DB.

Until recently, the attacks on Crowne's mayoral opponents damaged his reputation. But his recent actions -- like taking a stance to capture Spider-Man whom, he says, is obviously behind the spider-tracer killings -- improved his chances of winning, especially with the scare of the Spider-Tracer killings all over the city.

And thus begins the character assassination storyarc...

Amazing Spider-Man #584
This is one of the "busiest" issues ever, with so many scenes involving so manhy people. Ever since the start of the Brand New Day saga back in issue 546, the Spider-Man is being blamed for the so-called Spider-Tracer killings. Several murdered bodies have been found all around the city with Spider-Man's tracer.

The latest victim is the Bookie, aka Johnny Ladue, a compulsive gambler who had a business of taking bets on the outcome of superhuman battles. Recently, though, he was hell-bent on finding out who is the real Spider-Tracer killer. Apparently, he finally figured it out and was dealt with accordingly -- check epilogue in issue #582.

In the Two-In-One show, the hosts announce that with the mayoral race becoming a tight one, the only way Hollister can secure the seat is by the immediate capture of Spider-Man.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man is injured after being chased by the police and taking some lead. He retreats to a building and escapes capture through the elevator shaft. Upon exiting, he loses consciousness.

Carlie Cooper, bestfriend of Lily Hollister and CSI, manages to get Julian Beck to create a prototype for tracking the Spider-tracers. With this, she believes she can finally track down the whereabouts of the Spider-Tracer killer -- which at this time she believes to be Spider-Man.


Meanwhile -- yep, another meanwhile here -- Harry Osborn takes Lily Hollister up into the Statue of Liberty. With barges suddenly appearing and shooting fireworks, Harry drops down to one knee and proposes to Lily for her hand in marriage.

Later, Spider-Man returns to his apartment to tend to his wounds. Almost immediately after hitting the showers, Carlie, using the prototype tracker, finds a bag full of spider tracers under the bed of Vin Gonzales, NYPD officer and Peter's roommate.

Amazing Spider-Man #585
Lily Hillister turns down Harry's proposal and promptly leaves the scene.

Back in Peter's apartment, he overhears that Menace is attacking one of Hollister's rallies, prompting him, bandaged arm and all, to go and take him out.

While Peter swings to Menace's location, Carlie confronts Vin about the spider tracers found in his bedroom. Although Vin insists that he's just doing his job, it is eventually revealed that Vin's partner, Alan O'Neil, and Vin are both involved in a bigger conspiracy with the spider-tracers.

In the show Two In One, guest J. J. Jameson offers his commentary condemning Spider-Man as the spider-tracer killer.

Back to Spider-Man. His injured arm proves to be a liability, causing him to be brutally pummeled down. He eventually passes out and falls crashing down on top of some weakened scaffolds. Menace descends on him to beat him up some more. He decided to left the weakened Spider-Man once the policemen arrive. Spider-man was collared with power-inhibitors and placed under arrest.


Menace flies to Bill Hollister's Campaign Headquarters. Menace sneaks in then undergoes some change. Shortly, Harry Osborn arrives at the same building to try and convince Lily to reconsider. To his surprise, he finds Lily wearing Menace's costume.