In the midst of a big dramatic Ezekiel story…A knock knock joke.
After a little break, we’re back into the whole “Spider Totem” storyline.
Ezekiel reappears and tells Peter about the “Gatekeepers’ of the Spider Totem who want to take back his spider-powers.
They appear as a plague of spiders that form a body. They tell Peter that he got his powers because he was bullied as a kid, which made him a great candidate for an avenging spider-thing.
When Spider-Man tries to fight it, he gets covered by bugs and bitten, hallucinates for a while, and then, when he comes to, is pitted against Ezekiel. They must fight, and only one of them will keep his spider-powers.
After an extended battle, Ezekiel realizes that Peter has been a hero, while Ezekiel himself has only used his spider-powers for personal gain. He relents, and lets Peter win.
I have to say, that realization feels a bit like a cop-out.
The Gatekeepers kill Ezekiel, and this story line is over.
On the “non super” side, MJ is having trouble getting work in film because she’s been stereotyped as a fashion model, so Aunt May suggests that she do some plays first, to get some experience.
This is not the end of JMS’ run, but it is JR Jr.’s final issue. Next: Mike Deodata.