Amazing Spider-Man #55
Doc Ock Wins!
After Doctor Octopus caused his Aunt May to pass out, Spider-Man is now out for blood. He tears his way into one of the hideouts that Octopus set up when he was operating as he Mater Planner. He finds Octavius' minions, but not his foe. As Spider-Man dispatches the thugs, Doctor Octopus appears on a monitor and mocks Spider-Man. He tells the wall-crawler that he will never catch him and that he is about to stage the crime of the century before terminating communication. Furious, Spider-Man wrecks the equipment in the headquarters before departing. He decides to check the Master Planner's underwater headquarters but discovers that it is still flooded, another dead end. With no other leads, Spider-Man decides to return home and check on Aunt May.
Meanwhile, John Jameson is having a secret meeting to discuss the security procautions being taken to ensure the transport of the nullifier isn't interrupted. When the officials ask about Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus trying to steal it, John assures them that Spider-Man is not the enemy, despite what his father's newspaper says about the wall-crawler. As he goes over the transport route, he is unaware that one of Otto's minions is in the room, having gained access to the meeting through false credentials. By this time, Peter Parker has arrived at the home that his Aunt May shares with Anna Watson. There he is happy to see that she is doing better, although she is troubled about the damage done to the house. When Peter blames it on Doctor Octopus, his aunt still thinks that Octavius is innocent and only reacted that way due to Spider-Man attacking him. He is then visited by both Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy who have come to see how Peter's aunt is doing, and to look at the damage done to the house. Peter worries that the insurance will not be able to cover the repair work.
Back at his hideout, Doctor Octopus is given the route the military will be taking the nullifier through the city. Using a fake repair truck, Doctor Octopus and his minions speed off to steal the nullifier. As the escorted military truck is heading along its route, it happens upon some work being done on electrical cables below the street. As they slow down to pass the caution ropes, Doctor Octopus uses one of his tentacles to attack from the manhole he is hiding in. With his attack covered by smoke grenades, Doctor Octopus incapacitates all the vehicles and manages to steal the nullifier and escape. Otto orders his men to head for a munitions factory owned by Tony Stark, the first place he wants to test out the nullifier. Soon, J. Jonah Jameson arrives on the scene with Joe Robertson and Ned Leeds. Jonah pumps his son to find out if Spider-Man was involved, but there is no evidence to this fact. Jameson then tries to call Peter Parker to come down and take photos. His phone call is answered by Harry Osborn, who is upset at being woken up at 3 AM and angrily hangs up.
When Spider-Man happens upon the scene, he sees that he was too late to stop Doctor Octopus. However, knowing his long time foe, he correctly deduces that Otto would use the Nullifier on the Stark Industries factory. Unafraid of interference from Iron Man, Doctor Octopus uses the Nullifier to incapacitate the guards that are at the front gates. He then increases the power of the device, rendering the factory inert. It's then that Spider-Man arrives on the scene, and begins fighting with Octavius. When the wall-crawler begins gaining the upper hand, Doctor Octopus uses the Nullifier on his foe. The device stuns Spider-Man, and when he recovers, Doctor Octopus is surprised to see that his enemy has been stricken by amnesia. Deciding to take advantage of this new development, Doctor Octopus convinces the disorientated hero that they are allies. No longer remembering who he is, the confused hero decides to believe Otto, believing that he has no other choice.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Anna Watson, Gwen Stacy, J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson, Joe Robertson, Ned Leeds, Harry Osborn, Doctor Octopus
Continuity Notes
Spider-Man goes to the Master Planner's old base, as he had previously been there during the events of Amazing Spider-Man #31-33.
John Jameson mentions his past run-ins with Spider-Man. John first encountered the wall-crawler when Spider-Man saved his life back in Amazing Spider-Man #1. At the time of this story, John has encountered Spider-Man a few times in Untold Tales of Spider-Man #4, and Amazing Spider-Man #41-43.
The narrative of this story states that the reason why Iron Man isn't interfering with Doctor Octopus' attack is because this story takes place during the events of Tales of Suspense #96, wherein Iron Man is incapacitated by the Gray Gargoyle.
