The issue begins with Peter trying to get some inhibitor chips from the Tinkerer, but the Tinkerer instead alerts the Sinister Six that Spidey is there. Doc Ock is the first on the scene, and Slott makes it clear that Peter's no longer playing games when he mutilates Ock. (Ock himself is unprepared for this development, taunting Peter over the fact that the worst that he expects him to do is wrap him in some webbing.) For a minute, I actually thought that Peter killed Ock, and, from the rest of the Six's commentary, it seems possible that Ock isn't long for this world. Although Peter manages to swipe the chips before the rest of the Six appear on the scene, Kraven, recognizing his desperation, puts two and two together and realizes that Peter has a child that attends the school where the Power kids appeared. Regent has all the kids and parents in the school go through scanners to try to ID Spider-Man, but Peter's revamped inhibitor bracelets work like a charm. However, when one of Annie's classmates trips the scanner, Peter is forced into action, revealing not only himself but also, inadvertently, MJ and Annie in the process.
Seriously, I didn't think that Slott was capable of this sort of dark story. First, it becomes clear in this issue (and the cover of next issue) that Annie is going to be forced into using her powers, as horrifying as it is for MJ to see her eight-year-old go into battle. Second, we learn that Regent views Peter's powers as necessary to complete some sort of "Great Task," meaning that he's unlikely to dismiss Peter as a nuisance. In other words, we seem to be on a collision course to a really bad ending for everyone involved. As I've said about other authors of the "Secret Wars" tie-in series, Slott is really using this opportunity to tell a different type of Spider-Man story, and it continues to be a gripping read. I honestly have no idea where it's going to end.
**** (four of five stars)
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