Peter Parker: Spider-Man #52

Mar 27

Mar 27 Peter Parker: Spider-Man #52

Everybody’s Working for the Weekend

The Shocker and Hydro-Man have teamed-up for one last big score and to eliminate Spider-Man once and for all. The preparations for their plan requires Hydro-Man to absorb a lot of water into his body, and he takes the moment to get into the specific of his powers, saying that water loaded with minerals work best and points out that city tap water will do in a pinch but it isn’t ideal. All Shocker can say is that this job will get finished one way or the other, or he won’t be going home. The pair then go to a branch of the NYF Bank where they inquire about safety deposit boxes. However, Hydro-Man deviates from the plan by hitting on the bank manager remarks how big he is. However, his nervousness causes him to lose control and burst, flooding the entire bank and washing everyone outside.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man has webbed a pair of muggers to a wall and is spending the time waiting for the police to arrive by joking with their intended victim which wall they’d look best on. That’s when the people from the bank are washed by, causing Spider-Man’s spider-sense to start buzzing. Back inside the bank, Hydro-Man has reasserted control while the Shocker is putting on his costume. They then grab one of the few staff members left and demand to know where the safety deposit box is. Once there, Hydro-Man then starts saturating the space between the safety deposit boxes and their contents so that when the Shocker blasts them the pressurized water pops all the boxes open. The gambit works and while the Shocker collects the gear he tells a disorientated Hydro-Man to get his act in gear as they don’t have much time. That’s when Spider-Man arrives to try and stop them. At first, Spider-Man is disorientated by the Shocker’s newly upgraded vibro-gauntlets and then completely taken off guard when Hydro-Man suddenly reconstitutes his body. Trapped inside Hydro-Man’s liquid form, Spider-Man struggles to get free as the fire-sprinklers go off adding to the villain’s liquid mass.

Spider-Man gets free and while he is busy evading Hydro-Man’s attacks, the Shocker completes collecting all the loot freed from the safety deposit boxes. Despite being at the disadvantage, Spider-Man still keeps fighting, preventing the Shocker from escaping. Getting fed up with the web-slinger’s interference and unleashes a full power blast that disorientates both Spider-Man and Hydro-Man. The Shocker then tries to make a run for it and bumps into police who have surrounded the exit. By the time Spider-Man has caught up, the police have been incapacitated but is getting exhausted. Frustrated, he tells Spider-Man to go away and unleashes another full-power blast. However, the gauntlets overload, shredding the Shocker’s costume and vibrating Hydro-Man so much he is reduced to steam. With broken ribs and his outfit in tatters, the Shocker finally surrenders. When the Shocker asks Spider-Man why he keeps on interfering, the wall-crawler explains that while the Shocker is selfish, he isn’t — or at least he tries not to be — then swings away.