Ultimate Spider-Man: Shadow Puppets
Issue: #51
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inker: Art Thibert
Colors: Transparency Digital

Two men watch the newscast of Spider-Man and the Black Cat running across a rooftop. Unlike Peter, they’re not interested in the implications that Spider-Man is a crook; they’re much more concerned about the strange stone tablet the Black Cat stole. The man whose safe was burgled, Moore, accuses someone in Wilson Fisk’s organization of stealing it, or at least knowing who has it. Fisk had put out word that he was looking for the pieces of the tablet, and Moore had located part of it. The other man, Walter Dini, gives Moore a card with a phone number; he tells Moore to call the number and make arrangements with the person on the other end to retrieve the piece of tablet. At first Moore wants out of the agreement; then he asks what’s so important about the tablet. At the look on Dini’s face, Moore changes his question to Spider-Man. Dini replies that Spider-Man, at the moment, is the most dangerous man on Earth.

We cut to Peter, who’s sitting at a desk in school, asleep. And snoring. The teacher wakes him up and gives him Saturday detention. In the hallway later, Peter and MJ start to discuss the newscast of the burglary, but MJ stops him, saying he shouldn’t be speaking to her. They begin to argue about the situation, and MJ comments that Peter wouldn’t understand because he doesn’t have a father. That hits a nerve, and both of them walk away from each other. At the Daily Bugle, Peter is given the assignment of posting personal ads on the newspaper’s website. One ad comes with a large sum of money, and a cryptic message that seems to be from the Black Cat, inviting Spider-Man to join her on a roof near where they first met.

Later, Moore walks into a bar. He sits at a back table which is already occupied, although we can only see a leg and a hand of the person sitting there. The person claims to already know what job Moore needs to have done. Moore puts a packet of money on the table, and the person leans forward, revealing herself as Elektra Nachios. Moore is smitten, but Elektra tells him to leave, which he does with all haste.

At home, Peter tries to call MJ, but her father answers and Peter hangs up. He finds himself thinking about the Black Cat and the message she sent to the newspaper. Peter puts on the costume and goes to meet her. Convinced it’s just a joke on him, he’s surprised to find her actually sitting on the roof, with a tablecloth spread with food and drink. She starts to ask him questions, which he cautiously answers, and finally they sit down for a drink. She removes her mask, and Peter rolls up the bottom part of his. As they’re about the take the first sip of wine, Peter’s spider-sense goes off, and he pulls her out of the way of a thrown sai. In the final panel, Elektra is leaping in to attack, a set of throwing stars whirling before her.

Submitted By: Seldes Katne