These two issues develop the story of Black Cat/Kingpin/Spider-Man, and the cover of #98 is pretty cool. Spider-Man, during the last big arc, heard Kingpin say that Black Cat “owed him” something. He wants to know what. As readers, we know Kingpin gave the Cat her bad-luck powers, but obviously Spider-Man doesn’t know that. And she doesn’t want to tell him.
She does ultimately tell him, and the conversation is handled very well. Also, when Spider-Man reacts by getting mad at Cat for going to Kingpin, her bad luck powers suddenly make a nearby water tower explode and douse Spidey. Kind of funny.
He’s now in a relationship with a girl where he can’t upset her or else she’ll inadvertently use her powers on him.
Also, Kingpin is holding Cloak in a lab and a scientist experimenting him gets a fraction of his dark-dimension powers and becomes The Spot.
These issues really spotlight (pun intended) this new villain to show readers what he’s all about.
The art and writing in his issue, and generally across Al Milgrom’s run, is not sophisticated and it hurts the overall quality of what is otherwise not a terrible story—and in fact has some pretty interesting elements.
I really wish Milgrom was a better writer.
Also, the Venom storyline is developing as the “costume” has escaped from the Baxter Building and is starting to attack innocent people on the streets of NYC.