Spider-man Database

Amazing Spider-man Vol. 1 Issue 129

Synopsis:

Submitted by: Rocketboy on Apr 19, 2007

Last edited on: Apr 21, 2007

"The Punisher Strikes Twice!"

In The Jackal's hidden chamber, The Punisher takes aim, shoots and destroys a Spider-man statue. Hired by The Jackal to eliminate Spider-man, The Punisher, who believes Spider-man is a criminal that deserves to die, warns him not to get too excited because Spider-man will not be an easy target to kill.

Meanwhile, Spider-man swings over the Manhattan skyline and spots a gang of criminals robbing a store and Spidey quickly gets the drop on them when they mistake him for a fellow criminal. After webbing them to a light post and getting a few photos, Spidey heads to the Daily Bugle. On his way, he laments the recent events in his life: being blamed for the deaths of Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacey and the fact that he can't come forward to clear his name, as it could reveal his identity and his best friend Harry Osborn would discover the truth about his father (although Spidey is unaware that Harry already knows his father was the Green Goblin).

When Peter delivers his new Spider-man photos to J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle, Jameson is fuming. He doesn't want photos of robberies, he wants photos of the city's new hot story: The Punisher! He promptly kicks Peter out of his office, telling him to get photos of The Punisher.

A short while later, as Spider-man swings through the city wondering how he's going to find The Punisher, his Spider-Sense goes crazy and Spidey can't figure out what the danger is and where its coming from. Spidey is barely able to avoid a concussion projectile that hits the roof next to him. A few buildings away he spots the shooter - The Punisher!

By the time Spider-man reaches the building, The Punisher has had time to get another weapon and fires a cable made from a titanium alloy that wraps itself around Spidey. As Spidey struggles to break free, The Punisher tells Spidey his type of criminal has ruled the country for too long and he will not rest until all criminals are dead. But The Punisher has underestimated the strength of Spider-man, who breaks free and punches The Punisher before he can shoot Spidey.

The Jackal, who has been hiding in an airshaft on the roof, sees his plans are falling apart and strikes Spider-man from behind, sending Spidey over the edge of the building.

As Spidey plunges to the street below, he manages to save himself by shooting a web, which sends him swinging through the window of an office building. By the time he makes it back up to the rooftop, The Punisher and The Jackal are long gone, but he does find a clue: one of The Punisher's guns, with the name Reiss Armorers etched onto the handle.

Before Spidey can investigate the gun, he stops at home to repair his torn mask, where Harry Osborn, fearful of Peter/Spider-man quietly makes a quick exit.

Believing that Spider-man has fallen to his death, a fuming Punisher strikes The Jackal for interfering with Spider-man. The Punisher believes that allowing Spider-man to accidentally fall to his death, rather than face the justice of The Punisher, makes him nothing more than the common murdering thug he hunts. The Jackal decides, to himself, that The Punisher's usefulness has come to an end and The Punisher makes his leave so he can try to get his lost gun replaced.

Spider-man arrives at Reiss Armorers to investigate The Punisher. When he enters he finds the owner of the shop dead, with deep, cat-like slashes across his body. The Punisher, having witnessed Spidey entering the store, comes crashing through the window and attacks Spidey. When The Punisher sees the store owner's body, he instantly blames Spider-man. Unable to talk sense into The Punisher, Spidey has no choice, and knocks him out.

When The Punisher awakens, Spider-man makes him take a closer look at the scratches on owner's body. The Punisher realizes that it was The Jackal that killed the store owner and together they realize that it was also The Jackal that planted the gun on the roof to incriminate The Punisher in the store owner's death.

With police sirens in the distance and furious that he'd been used as a pawn, The Punisher vows revenge on The Jackal and makes his exit down an alley, leaving the police to see Spider-man leaving the murder scene.