It's just...Jack...Martine...I couldn't take...being responsible for losing everyone close to me...I don't know if you have any idea what that feels like... 
Appearing in "It is the Life"
Featured Characters:
- Template:Flash
Supporting Characters:
- Black Cat (Felicia Hardy)
- Template:Flash
Villains:
- Martine (Death)
Other Characters:
- Werewolf By Night (Jack Russell) (Only in flashback)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "It is the Life"
After spending the night together, Spider-Man is shocked to hear that Black Cat sold the vial of blood they retrieved from Mr. Negative. Since Spider-Man wants to get it back, Black Cat tells him that she sold it to "Dracs," partiers that try imitate vampires by drinking the blood of celebrities.
Peter goes to a club dressed in Gothic clothing, but notices that the partiers dress more like cool kids than vampires. Soon, he sees a mysterious woman that hypnotizes him upon looking at her. Then, she looks into his mind and sees that he is looking for his blood and tells him that it is in the hands of Michael Morbius. She even gives him Morbius' location before leaving.
The next morning, Spider-Man goes to the location the woman gave him and notices wafers with crosses surrounding the entrance to an air duct. Inside, he finds Morbius asleep on the ceiling and hears the voice of the woman asking him to invite her in, revealing her vampire fangs. Under her hypnotic spell, Spider-Man lets her in.
The woman comes in and grabs Morbius, who identifies her as Martine, his ex-fiance that later turned herself into a vampire. But Morbius tries to explain that the love she has for him is a longing caused by the void where her soul once was. She doesn't listen to him and goes after Spider-Man, nearly turning him into a vampire himself, but Morbius agrees to let her turn him into a vampire if she leaves Spider-Man out of things. Spider-Man finds a piece of broken wood and contemplates driving it through Martine, but he can't go through with it, so Morbius pushes her into the stake.
Angry for killing her, Spider-Man beats on Morbius, but Morbius knew that the woman Martine was died a long time ago. Morbius admits to Spider-Man that he has seen Spider-Man fighting on TV and thought that his blood may have healing properties, which could help him cure his friend Werewolf By Night. Morbius then apologizes and smashes the vial of blood. But Spider-Man can relate to losing his friends like Morbius and offers to give him more of his blood.
Appearing in "Stages of Grief"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Betty Brant
- Curt Connors
- Harry Osborn
- Mary Jane Watson
- Liz Allan
- Harrison Thompson
- Rosie Thompson
- Jesse Thompson
- Sha Shan
- Tiny McKeever
- Jason Ionello
- Randy Robertson
- Josh Kittling
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Forge (Photo)
- Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) (Photo)
- Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) (Photo)
- Cable (Photo)
- Hope Summers (Photo)
- Kangaroo (Brian Hibbs) (Photo)
Locations:
Items:
- Doctor Octopus' Tentacles (Photo)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Stages of Grief"
Flash Thompson, having reached the acceptance part of the five stages of grief, wins a race for the handicapped. However, a month later, Peter and Betty see Flash struggle to walk with his prosthetic legs and looks defeated when he fails. Three weeks later, Flash shows Peter his research in cybernetics and asks Peter to use his connections with Spider-Man and the superhero community to help him regrow his legs, and in return Flash will be a hero for them.
Later on, Peter calls Betty and asks about Flash. She tells him that Flash has been going through the five stages of grief backwards. He reached acceptance after winning the race, became depressed when he failed to walk with his prosthetics, and bargained with Peter to get Spider-Man's help.
Spider-Man goes to see Curt Conners in his lab at Phelcorp Pharmaceuticals in hopes that he can help, since he is well known for his work in regrowing limbs, but Conners reminds him that the Lizard was the result of his efforts. Later on, Harry and Peter are searching the internet for someone.
Two weeks later, Spider-Man tells Flash that no one could help him, causing him to lash out in anger, the second stage of grief. Another week later, Flash exhibits denial, the first stage of grief, when signs up with REABILIFY, a company that can give him indestructible, cybernetic legs, and in exchange, instead of payment, he will use his skills to work off his debt.
As he is about to respond to their e-mail, Betty takes him to his birthday party, set up by Peter, and talks with people from his past, including the man he saved and his pregnant wife. His family even came, as well as his father, who shows Flash his one-year chip from Alcoholics Annonymous, which he joined the day he heard Flash lost his legs. Peter then reintroduces Flash to Sha Shan, his ex-wife and the woman they had tracked down earlier, who is going to be his new pysical therapist.
Five weeks later, Flash delete's his e-mail from REABILIFY and works with Sha Shan to walk on his prosthetics. He falls, but this time he laughs, a stage that Peter calls grace.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in comics and books, see references for info.[1]
See Also
Links and References
References
- ↑ This story is reprinted in the following comics/TPB's:
- Spider-Man: The Gauntlet TPB #3