Issues 28-32

Public Scrutiny

Alerted that a villian in a Rhino costume is wreaking havoc, Peter tries to change into Spider-Man, but is delayed by Gwen and May, as the former's mother has left her and her father. Spider-Man finally arrives on the scene, only to find that the Rhino was taken down by Iron Man. Peter learns of a Spider-Man imposter going on a crime-spree and tries to stop him, only to be shot by the police. Critically wounded, Peter calls MJ, who takes him to the hospital. Peter recovers and flees, and recieves further treatment at school from S.H.E.I.L.D agent Janet Van Dyne, AKA The Wasp.

The imposter Spidey strikes again in Altanta, during which Captian Stacy, Gwen's father, is killed. Gwen blames Spider-Man for her father's death, and with no where else to go, Gwen moves in with the Parkers. Peter confronts the imposter during a bank heist and beats him, but leaves him to the authorities. Afterwards, MJ, traumatiezed by the Goblin incident and unable to handle the stress, breaks up with Peter.

Did You Know?

• This arc is a pseudo-homage to the death of George Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man #90, where Captain Stacy is killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Dr Octopus. Like the original, he does sacrifice himself to save a child, but here he is killed by the Spider-Man imposter instead.
• This is the first appearance of Rhino, who is defeated by Iron Man off panel and doesn’t show up again for nearly 100 issues. He does however, appear in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game. The original Rhino is a russian mobster fused to his suit, but this Rhino is a nerdy scientist piloting a mechanized suit of armor.
• For unknown reasons, Captian Stacy's first name is John instead of George like his 616 counterpart. He first showed up in the series when Peter confronted Uncle Ben's killer, as he was one of the cops who made the arrest.