Spider-Man Comics Weekly Vol 1 118

Battling Doctor Octopus on the roof of New York's major power station, Spider-Man is thrown to his death on the streets below. Quick thinking, Spider-Man grabs his foe's mechanical tentacles and uses them to swing through a nearby window. With the tentacles still chasing after him, Spider-Man evades them by hiding in a nearby ventilator shaft. As the arms retreat, Spider-Man tags one with a Spider-Tracer in the hopes of tracking his foe later. He tries to follow after Octavius, but the villain has retreated by the time Spider-Man gets back onto the roof. Slipping away, Spider-Man changes back into Peter Parker in a nearby alley. Feeling faint, Peter stumbles out onto the street where he is confronted by Captain George Stacy, who has been looking for him. Noting that Peter looks ill, George asks his daughter's boyfriend what is wrong, but Peter passes out before he can explain himself.

Later, he wakes up in the Stacy home with Gwen watching over him. When he wakes up, both Gwen and George are happy to see that he is recovering nicely. George remarks how amazing Peter's recouperative powers are, leaving Peter to worry that George might know that he is secretly Spider-Man. Left alone to rest, Peter mulls over this possibility, but notes that if Stacy has figured out his secret, he has done nothing to expose it. After some more rest, Peter decides to track down Doctor Octopus. Using his exhaustion as an excuse not to participate in the upcoming protest, Peter heads back home. Back at his apartment, Peter begins working on a new web fluid formula that will hopefully give him the edge against Doctor Octopus. After rigging up the new batch to his cartridge belt, Peter checks on his sleeping roommate, Harry Osborn, before taking to the roofs and changing into Spider-Man once more.

Spider-Man then scours the city searching for trace of Doctor Octopus. When he begins picking up his Spider-Tracer signal, Spider-Man swings to a nearby window. However, Doctor Octopus had been waiting for him and launches a surprise attack. Their battles takes them to the rooftops where Spider-Man manages to spray his enemy's tentacles. This causes them to flail around out of control. Unable to control his arms, Doctor Octopus has to fend off his own apendages. Spider-Man is not out of trouble either, as the mechanical arms are just as dangerous as ever. When they smash through a nearby chimny, causing bricks to raindown on the crowd below. Seeing a child beneath the falling debris, Spider-Man is too far to do anything about it. However, at the last moment, Captain Stacy pushes the child out of the way, getting buried under the rubble in the process. Seeing this, Spider-Man rushes to George's aid, pulling him up onto the rooftops in order to get him to help. However, George has been fatally wounded and is about to die. His final words to Spider-Man is the revelation that he knows that the wall-crawler is really Peter Parker, and tells him to look after his daughter. Peter is horrified, losing George in much the same way as his Uncle Ben. He wonders how he can ever reveal the truth about his double identity to Gwen once she finds out that he is responsible for the death of her father.

Continued from last issue... When posing as Iron Man in order to protect Tony Stark's secret identity, Happy Hogan is teleported to the secret lair of the Mandarin, who -- thinking that Happy is really Iron Man -- easily defeats Happy and makes him his prisoner. Back in the States, Tony leaves his hospital room and returns to Stark Industries where he builds a new and even more powerful suit of armor to save his friend. Then using a new rocket, Iron Man launches himself into the proximity of the Mandarin's castle and fights his way into the castle's dungeon where walks in on the Mandarin just before he can execute Happy. This story is continued next issue...

Continued from last issue...

Disturbed that he has not heard from Odin since his warning of impending Ragnarok, Thor continues to soar above New York City. Deciding that he has waited for word long enough, the Thunder God decides to return to Asgard. He first returns to the hospital where Sif has been recovering from injuries sustained battling Loki, and finding his lover in good health the two transport themselves back to Asgard.

While at the fortress of Karnilla, Balder continues to refuse her advances and to punish him she reanimates frozen forms of previously spurned lovers who then attack the warrior. While out in deep space the alien Regellians detect strange pulsations that could mean the end of the universe, and check in with their Recorder which continues to monitor Ego the living planet. The Recorder reports back that all is normal in the Black Galaxy and that the danger must be coming from someplace else.

While back in Asgard, the Warriors Three pass the time by engaging in a bar brawl until they are stopped by Loki. Loki advises them that he has taken over rule of Asgard while Odin is in the Odinsleep and orders them to face the threat of Mangog. Although the trio dislike their temporary ruler, they agree to go into battle against the menace that might mean the destruction of Asgard and the universe.

Convinced that he has sent the Warriors Three to their doom, Loki returns to his throne where he is surprised to find that Thor and Sif have returned from Earth. Thor is furious to find Loki in control, however is powerless as Loki was the first of royal lineage to sit upon Odin's throne after Odin entered the Odinsleep and is rightfully at rule of the kingdom. Thor tries to appeal to Loki that his rule will be useless if Mangog succeeds in bringing about Ragnarok and asks the Trickster God to help fight off the threat of Mangog. Loki refuses to aid, telling Thor that battling the threat is his own task to worry about.

Elsewhere in the realm, Mangog continues his travels toward the city of Asgard to get his revenge. Along the way he is confronted by a group of Storm Giants, whom he easily knocks aside despite their superior size. Mangog continues his trek, smashing through all defenses, barriers and warriors that stand in his way. Nothing the combined Asgardian forces throw at the creature seem to be able to stop it from its path to the palace where Odin continues his slumber. The warriors attempt to fell Mangog with a Force Arrow, but this too fails to stop the seemingly unstoppable demon who tells all present that he intends to unsheath the Odinsword itself and bring about Ragnarok.

Witnessing the battle from the palace, Thor decides that he cannot wait any longer and must fight Mangog, alone if he has to. As Loki cowers at the prospect, Thor bids farewell to his slumbering father, promising to defend the kingdom the best he can before going off toward the battle field. Finding the ruins of another army that failed to stop Mangog, Thor eventually tracks the creature down and finds the Warriors Three nearby trapped in a stone prison following an unsuccessful attack on Mangog.

Thor goes off to face the creature alone, however once Mangog spots the Thunder God, it grabs him and Thor realizes to his mounting horror that he has underestimated Mangog's strength.

This story is continued next issue...