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In a brilliant riff off the Hugo-winning sci fi story, “Flowers for Algernon,” Tangled Web offers it’s third home run in a row. This time, it’s about the mentally challenged (i.e., stupid) Rhino. It’s the second story in a row where this anthology focuses on a “victim” of Spider-Man. Last story, Severance Package, was about a guy facing execution by Kingpin after Spidey messed up his arms deal. This time, Spider-Man’s banter and insults drive Rhino to the depths of insecurity.
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Sick of being humiliated, Rhino undergoes a scientific process to enhance his intelligence. He then uses his newfound smarts to file a restraining order against Spider-Man, start up his own crime family, and rewrites a Shakespearian play. At one point, he breaks Mad Thinker and Mind Worm out of prison to start a super-smart gang.
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But in the end, he finds is unhappy knowing and seeing so many problems in the world and learns that ignorance is indeed truly bliss. He uses his super-brain to reverse the process, and goes back to using his head for violence not thought.