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| Publisher |
Marvel |
| Writer |
Paul Jenkins |
| Artist |
Sean Phillips |
| Cover Artist |
Sean Phillips |
| Colorist |
Michael Atiyeh |
| Letterer |
Benchmark |
| Published | November 1999 |
Continuing the three-part thriller set in modern continuity, and constructed by the INHUMANS' Paul Jenkins! Peter Parker follows a trail that leads him to a kidnapped Mary Jane and a final confrontation with the revitalized Chameleon! And the climax may leave none of the participants the same! Chameleon has Mary Jane captive, and opens the issue by telling Spidey where to meet him. Where else: the Brooklyn Bridge. Spider-Man arrives in short order, unable to keep the memories from flooding into him, and finds Mr. Smerdyakov with a gun to his wife's head. He taunts Spidey with Gwen's memory (where did he learn about that?) "It doesn't seem fair that you could love someone so much, and then lose her. . . . I feel there'd be a sort of majestic irony if it were to happen again." Peter begins to rage, but meekly removes his mask at Chameleon's order. And then lets himself calm down while Chameleon reveals how he escaped death. With that calm he realizes the truth: Mary Jane was never there. The Chameleon lets the illusion fade into mist, revealing only a masked man with a gun to his own head. Peter demands to know what is going on and Chameleon tells him about his recent life. It seems he joined a circus, trying to lose himself in the persona of a clown named Eugene. Unfortunately he couldn't escape his former life, and eventually "killed" him. Eugene just wasn't real, whereas Peter, according to Chameleon, has nothing but reality. ("God, even your tragedies have substance.") Peter offers to let him walk away and start a new life from scratch, but Chameleon says it's not that easy. "I just needed . . . to tell you something . . . I love you, Peter." The shock of the moment quickly fades as Peter starts laughing in the man's face. The Chameleon realizes how his statement could have been misinterpreted, beginning to laugh along with him. "What do you do for an encore?" Peter asks. In response the Chameleon leans backward and lets himself fall from the bridge. Peter...
