Peter Parker: Spider-Man#1(1999)

In Manhattan, a crime in progress is being photographed by Peter Parker. An officer of the NYPD advises Parker to stay down until reinforcements arrive. Peter's spider sense had directed him towards the scene. Peter considers how lucky he is that all he has to do is take photos of the new Spider-Man battling a group known as the Agents of Anarchy, rather than being the one having to battle them. The group was in the process of attempting to help a terrorist known as the Ranger to escape police custody. As Peter watches on, Spider-Man seems to be handling things well. Whilst Spider-Man is distracted by his opponents, another of the group manages to break open the truck transferring Ranger to prison and the terrorist escapes. Once outside a stasis field in the prison transfer truck, Ranger is able to break out of his shackles. He then makes his escape. Spider-Man recognises Peter from the incident with the Scorpion at General Techtronics Lab and questions whether Peter is following him. Armed police arrive and want to speak to both Peter and Spider-Man. Spider-Man decides to give them the slip, leaving Peter badmouthing the web-slinger. One of the officers demands to know how Peter made his way through barricades to the scene of the jail break. Betty Brant arrives and shows her credentials, before informing the police that Peter is a photographer working with her. After a warning from the police, Betty and Peter leave, hoping to get Peter's photos into the early evening edition of the Daily Bugle. Later, at the Daily Bugle Building, J. Jonah Jameson has slanted the story Betty wrote and Peter's photos of the jail break to make it look like Spider-Man was an accomplice of Ranger. This gets Jameson a tirade from Betty where she questions his journalistic integrity, which causes him to tell her that if she doesn't like the way he runs his newspaper then she can leave. After he leaves, Robbie Robertson assures Betty that he will run the story the way she wrote it. He also inquires if she has managed to arrange an interview with Senator Ward. Betty replies that he'll be landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport tomorrow and she has an interview scheduled with him for one o'clock. Robbie asks Peter to go along as well to get some photos. Robbie suggests that Ward, who appeared out of nowhere, could be the future President and he seems like an honest politician since even Jonah has been unable to dig up any dirt on him. Betty asks if Peter wants to get a coffee, but Peter gets a message on his pager from Aunt May and leaves to go and check on her. Meanwhile, in the Presidential suite of a hotel, Senator Ward is thinking about his future and ignoring his past. His past returns to haunt him, literally, when a voice and a bright light jumps around the room to reflective surfaces. The voice calls Ward a coward, says that so many people died because of him and tells him that he could have stopped it all from happening. Ward is spooked and demands that the person speaking shows themself. The voice continues to taunt Ward and he throws a glass from which he's been drinking at the TV where the voice emanates from. His secret service bursts into the room to check what happened. He tells them that he tripped and the glass hit the TV. He assures them that he's alright and looking forward to going to New York City tomorrow. At the same time, Peter decides to get to Aunt May by leaping across rooftops, despite not being Spider-Man or wearing a costume anymore. Once he arrives at the Penthouse he finds Aunt May is fit and well. She's in conversation on the telephone with Anna Watson. May apologises for worrying Peter and tells him that she was trying to let him know that Mary Jane had called to say that she'd be home for a few days, which Peter is overjoyed at. The next day, at JFK International Airport, Peter waits for Mary Jane to arrive. Alongside Peter is Jill Stacy. Peter wonders why there's so much extra security at the airport, forgetting that Senator Ward is arriving at the same airport. Peter laments that he didn't realise Mary Jane's modelling would keep them apart so much. Mary Jane arrives and enthusiastically greets Peter. She promises Peter that after a small photo shoot in town they'll have some alone time. Peter, Mary Jane and Jill watch Senator Ward arrive, with the ladies remarking on how good looking he is. Suddenly, Ranger, who has been watching from a shadowy corner, launches an attack at Ward. Peter gets Mary Jane and Jill out of the way to safety. Ranger takes out some secret service agents that were guarding Ward, which causes Peter to realise that he's reliving the same mistake he made when he didn't stop a burglar who went on to murder Uncle Ben when he first became Spider-Man, since he could have stopped Ranger escaping and now a man might die. Suddenly Spider-Man leaps into action against Ranger. Spider-Man is able to evade an electrical weapon that Ranger is using. Ranger tells Spider-Man that he has no idea of the kind of man Ward is. Eventually Ranger manages to hit Spider-Man with the weapon. Then Ranger sees Ward and his remaining guards escaping across the tarmac of the airport. As Spider-Man leaps on him again, Ranger smashes them both through a window in order to get to Ward. Ranger manages to throw Spider-Man off him and takes out the rest of Ward's guards. Peter, seeing all this, is starting to feel lik he has a responsibility to step in and stop Ranger. Mary Jane, knowing what Peter is planning to do, reminds him that he made her a promise and that this isn't his problem anymore. Ranger confronts Ward and says that Ward has everyone else fooled, but Ranger knows him for the monster he really is. He tells Ward that “I was there”. Before anymore can be revealed, Peter hits Ranger with a punch that someone without powers would give, in order to hide his enhanced strength. Spider-Man attacks Ranger again and, seemingly embarrassed at the way he was dispatched by Ranger, flails away at him. Spider-Man's strength is enough to knock Ranger out. Spider-Man sees Peter watching him. He warns Peter to stop following him or he'll be sorry. He then leaps away from the airport. As Ward is escorted away by other secret service agents he tells Peter that after saving his life Ward owes him a debt and he'll find a way to repay it. The police take Ranger into custody. Mary Jane hugs Peter and photographers snap photos of them both, asking what connection Mary Jane has to Ward. Peter decides he's going to investigate the connection between Ward and Ranger, and has a feeling he won't like what he finds.