Web of Spider-Man #46

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE POWER OF...HATE! Arriving at Shriver Cove, Massachusetts, Peter Parker arrives on the next leg of his book tour for "Webs", when suddenly a local rushes at him ranting about killing outsiders. Although he is caught off guard, Peter is able to defend himself thanks to his spider-powers. Soon the police are on the scene to arrest the local. Peter is a little surprised by this reception and gets an apology for his tour assistant, Jeff Wainright, who wasn't expecting this kind of welcome. Otherwise, Peter is delighted by the idyllic Cape Cod community. When Peter asks why he was booked to make an appearance in such a small town. Jeff explains that the town boasts a powerful television transmitter and that he will be able to reach a wider audience than if he was doing an appearance in Boston. When they arrive at the inn where Peter will be staying, Jeff mentions how there have been strange flare-ups like they witnessed intermittently over the year. The reasons for these strange happenings is unknown, but Jeff assures Peter that they are isolated incidents.   Checked into his room, Peter finds sleep hard to come. He thinks of all the travel he has been doing lately, and how it has made it difficult to keep in touch with his wife Mary Jane. Suddenly, there is an explosion outside. Looking out the window, Peter sees a mob has appeared outside, chanting about killing the outsider. Peter decides to deal with the mob by changing into Spider-Man and sneaking outside. Spider-Man confronts the mob and webs them up. He tries to get some answers out of one of them, but all the man can do is babble incoherently about how he hates outsides and that they must be killed before passing out. With no clue about what is going on, the wall-crawler swings back up to his room to see that someone had trashed it. Answering his ringing phone, Peter is told by Jeff that someone destroyed their rental car, saying that a group of partiers got out of hand. A new rental car is being sent out, but it will take an extra day to get there. Peter is unimpressed with having to stay another night in this strange town.   The next morning, Peter Parker completes his interview on the local morning talk show. Peter can't help but wonder how people have completely changed since the day before. Instead of being hostile, they are overly cheerful.  Another strange occurrence is that it seems like everyone in town undergo therapy sessions at the local clinic. When Peter asks Jeff about it, the aid explains that everyone in town deals with a lot of stress. Jeff takes Peter up to the Hatros Clinic, and can't help but remark how spooky the building looks. Jeff assures him that it is on the up and up. When Jeff goes for his session, a suspicious Peter Parker arrives shortly thereafter and tries to get inside with his press credentials, but was denied.   Still bothered by this clinic and the hold it may have on the town, Peter changes into Spider-Man and breaks in. Walking through the vents, he comes upon Jeff sitting on a chair in a bizarre ceremony being performed. Through hypnotic lights, dance, and chanting, Jeff is instructed to hate the outsider. With Jeff successfully brainwashed, the leader of this group gloats how she has been slowly taking control of this town to create a new cult for herself. Feeling out of his league, Spider-Man goes looking for a phone so he can call a biochemist who can help him deprogram the people of this town. Unfortunately, when he gets to a phone, he trips a silent alarm and is soon attacked by members of the cult. Fleeing back into the ventilation system, the wall-crawler goes to another room and gets to another phone. He calls the California compound of the West Coast Avengers. The phone is answered by the Scarlet Witch who listens to Spider-Man's plight and agrees to pass his message along to Henry Pym.  With the cult members are closing in on him, the web-slinger ends his phone call and leaves. The cult members return to their master to report their encounter of Spider-Man. Their leader, warns them that heroes often travel in packs and warns them to remain vigilant.   Hours later, Hank Pym arrives in his Rover bug ship. He can't wait to get back home so he can spend the time with his recently rediscovered wife, Maria.  Having heard reports about Shriver Cove becoming incredibly xenophobic, and with Spider-Man's information about the water supply being drugged, Pym begins his investigation there. Using a mobile lab, he takes a water sample and learns that it has been contaminated with a drug that was developed by African chieftains. Suddenly, Henry is ambushed by members of the cult. Knocked out, Pym wakes up to find himself a cave before the cult leader, the albino woman known as Nekra. She is furious to see him, as she has a hatred toward the Vision.  She explains that she is forming her cult to keep her promise to her lover, the Grim Reaper, and restore him to life.    However, before she can eliminate Pym, they are interrupted by Spider-Man who begins battling her cultists.  While Spider-Man deals with the cultists, Pym tries to deal with Nekra. Unfortunately, his weapons are useless against her as the collective hatred of the locals have made her nearly invincible. That's when Spider-Man swings down and ambushes the villain, distracting her enough for Pym to trap her in some restraints. Having developed an antidote for the drugs used to brainwash the locals. Loading them into Spider-Man's web-shooters, the wall-crawler sprays a chemical mist that cures the cultists. With her powers diminished, Nektra uses this opportunity to take the Grim Reaper's body and flee the scene.