Spider-Man #40 — Nick Peron

Feb 21

Feb 21 Spider-Man #40

Light the Night! Part Three

Looking to make something of his life, Electro has wired himself into the electrical grid atop the Top of New York Hotel. He has absorbed every bit of electricity from the city and is now using his body to light all of Manhattan. Down below, at a charity gala, people are in a panic after the black-out. However, it is not because they are aware of Electro, but because a petty crook named Charlie Buchanan was attempting to rob the gala with fake bombs. Spider-Man tries to calm people down, convincing them that "Crook-Man's" explosives are fake. That's when someone enters the ballroom and says there is an explosion on the roof. Spider-Man leaves to check it out, allowing Buchanan to try and make his escape. However, he is spotted by J. Jonah Jameson who nabs the crook and places him under citizen's arrest. That's when Sarah Klein, the daughter of a close friend, tells Jameson that they need to get out of the building in case there is a fire on the roof.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man arrives on the roof of the building and sees what Electro is up to. The villain is happy to see the wall-crawler for once, as this is his big moment. He tries to blast Spider-Man, knocking the hero off the roof. Inside, people panic due to the sounds of battle and Jonah loses sight of Sarah, leaving the publisher to wonder what he should do. At that same moment, Spider-Man saves his life by snagging the side of a rooftop gargoyle statue, which breaks his fall when he crashes through the roof of the nearest building next door. Satisfied that he has destroyed his foe, Electro begins increasing the amount of electricity flowing into his body and burning more brightly. When he has decided that it is over, Electro tries to disconnect himself but realizes that he can't. That's when Spider-Man returns to the roof alive and well. Seeing that his longtime foe is still alive, Electro pleads with Spider-Man to rescue him. Down below, Sarah is knocked to the floor by the panicking partygoers. Having ditched his "Crook-Man" costume, Charlie Buchanan saves her from being trampled. Trying to slink away before he is recognized, Charlie's unremarkable face finally works in his favor. Not recognizing Charlie as "Crook-Man", Jonah intends to celebrate Buchanan as a hero with a front page of the Daily Bugle.

Back on the roof, Electro continues to panic, thinking that Spider-Man doesn't care about his fate. He decides to go out in a blaze of glory while also killing his enemy. Seeing Electro is merely troubled, Spider-Man convinces him that even though he is a super-hero, he is just a normal guy with his own problems when he is not wearing his mask. He then convinces Electro to have confidence in himself and coaches him on transferring the electricity back into the New York City power grid. After the crisis is over, Electro tearfully thanks Spider-Man and surrenders without further incident, and is even looking forward to going back to jail. Later, Spider-Man changes back to Peter Parker. When he finds J. Jonah Jameson, he manages to get his job back by threatening to take his photos of the Spider-Man/Electro battle to the Daily Globe. At first, Jonah is furious but then shocks Peter by actually apologizing. He tells Peter that he has always thought the world of Sarah's father, Ira Klein. Since Ira's death, he has gone out of his way to convince his daughter that he is the best "uncle" ever, hence why he talked down to Peter the entire time. Hearing the rare admission of weakness from Jameson, Peter accepts his apology and the pair bury the hatchet.

Things are also looking good for Charlie Buchanan, who has also been given a job at the Daily Bugle by Jonah. He also appears to be hitting it off with Sarah, who thinks that he is the biggest man in town.