Ultimate Spider-Man #86

Issue Date: 
January 2006
Story Title: 
Silver Sable: part 1
Staff: 

Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Jacob Chabot (production), John Barber & Nicole Wiley (assistant editors), Ralph Macchio (editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief), Dan Buckley (publisher)

Brief Description: 

One month ago, Damage Control arrived on a former battlefield and talked to Jermaine Exum about what happened. He explains that he witnessed a battle between Spider-Man and a mutant assassin who called himself Omega Red, and was apparently after their Roxxon Oil transport ship. But luckily, Spider-Man eventually managed to defeat him and SHIELD took him into custody. While Jermaine and Damage Control talk, they don’t realize their conversation is being recorded by Silver Sable, who reports these events to her boss, Mr. Roxxon himself. Roxxon orders her to bring Spider-Man to him, as Roxxon wants to talk to the super-hero, thinking he knows who’s behind the attacks. Two weeks later, Sable and her Wild Pack team still haven’t found Spider-Man. Eventually, they track him down at the his high school in Queens. Chen and Powell rush outside their van and sneak up on “Spider-Man,” knocking him out! They bring their victim to their base, where, after an interrogation, realize they have made a mistake. They haven’t kidnapped Spider-Man, but instead Flash Thompson.

Full Summary: 

One month ago…

A yellow truck, labeled with the logo “Damage Control” arrives on a now destroyed battlefield in the middle of the city. The members of Damage Control, Thunderball, Wrecker, Piledriver & Bulldozer proudly step out. Piledriver wants to know if anyone has called for a cleanup. A man steps forward, introducing himself as Jermaine Exum. He was the guy that called Damage Control, as instructed by the insurance people. But, Jermaine didn’t even know Damage Control existed. Thunderball jokes that they are in the book, and wants to know what happened.

Jermaine explains that they were expecting a cargo ship to dock and that it was there on schedule. But, when it got here, the ship exploded! The incident occurred near a Roxxon office, and Jermaine saw it all happen, just like lots of other people. As the flames disappeared a bit, a triumphant villain could be seen. Omega Red shouted he made a nice entrance and, while twirling his coils around, ordered all of the “Homo sapiens” to raise their hands. He even asked for a volunteer who could announce later to the media that he was the one who ripped the place apart.

The ship’s captain had survived the blast and wasn’t happy his ship got destroyed. He started shouting names at Omega Red, though the mutant remained unimpressed. However, he did warn the captain not to make it so personal, smiling there isn’t a chance he would survive their battle. As Omega Red wanted to use his coils to attack, Spider-Man held them back with his webbing! He attacked the villain, singing the theme to the “Love Boat."

Omega Red fell down, but soon got up again. He couldn’t believe he got sideswiped like that. Spidey jokes he can’t believe he and Omega Red wore almost the same outfit today, thinking that would be embarrassing. Omega Red angrily grabs Spider-Man’s webs and pushes the webslinger towards him, joking that he had thought the hero would have been taller. Omega Red wondered if Spider-Man was twelve years old. The hero kept making jokes, making the villain angrier and tossing the hero into the air. He wanted to go over to killing some people now and reached out to Jermaine.

While being grabbed to his clothes by Omega Red, Jermaine was confused when the villain remarked that his “boss” sure knew how to make people tick. Omega Red also loved the idea that the people didn’t even knew what they were dying for. Spider-Man, in the meantime, managed to shoot his web at some construction materials and ricocheted himself towards Omega Red!

Spidey slammed Omega Red against a truck, making him dizzy for a while and still not able to coup that he’s being defeated by what he thinks is just a kid. Spider-Man shouted that he would ask Omega Red one last time what he was doing here, but he didn’t care anymore. Jermaine saw Spidey pick up a giant truck, and tossed it on Omega Red, who was now finally defeated.

Damage Control writes down the name of Omega Red and wants to know what happened to Spider-Man afterwards. Jermaine reveals that, as soon as the cops showed up, Spider-Man up and left. He heard some cops calling SHIELD and they took Omega Red away in a big, round thing. Thunderball believes it must have been a Stark 554, which is an alpha wave power neutralizer. Jermaine is still amazed that Omega Red was even alive after such a beating. Thunderball orders Jermaine and everyone else of the spectators around to clear the area, as they are going to sweep it for toxins.

They explain they do it because Omega Red is a mutant assassin who might have sprayed people with any number of things, but they have got nothing to worry about.
Jermaine is glad that at least it won’t cost anything, since his insurance is paid up. He asks Damage Control if they have seen anything worse than this. They have, and asks Jermaine if he saw what the Hulk did downtown. Jermaine did but thought it was a hoax.

As they talk, a mysterious silver-haired woman is eavesdropping at them, and videotaping the conversation. She reports the events back to her boss, Mr. Roxxon, who has noticed Spider-Man is involved. Roxxon realizes this is the second time in a month Spider-Man ruined one of his operations. He wants to know what happened to Omega Red. Sable explains he was taken into SHIELD custody, meaning even she can’t get near to him. Roxxon wants to talk to Spider-Man, suspecting he knows who’s after his companies and orders the woman to get him for him. The woman will need her team for it, and it will cost Roxxon. He doesn’t care about it and orders the woman to go for it.

Two weeks ago…

Powell contacts his teammate, Chen, who has been standing on a rooftop for two weeks now looking for Spider-Man. Chen explains he didn’t report back in at the top of the hour because he didn’t have anything to report, and because he is barely getting paid. Powell jokes that that’s the life of a freelance, but that still means Chen has to do as told. Silver Sable orders Powell to go on radio silence now. Chen wants to know why Sable wants Spider-Man so badly, because she could just go watch the movie they made about him if she wanted to see the guy. Powell asks Chen if he liked that movie, and he admits he kind of did.

Sable tells her men to shut up, but Chen finally spots Spider-Man webslinging through the air! And Spidey doesn’t even notice Chen. Chen immediately reports it to his boss, and that Spidey seems to be heading towards Queens borough. Sable orders Quentino to start his helicopter and to follow their suspect. Quentino does as told and follows Spider-Man to Queens, asking her base if anyone knows it. Powell confirms he does, as he grew up there, like in Forest Hills. Suddenly, Spidey jumps on the ground and Quentino loses sight of him, panicking. Unsure what to do next, Quentino just continues her search.

Below them, Peter Parker simply walks home.

One week ago…

Chen is scouting the area with his binoculars, staring at the local high school. He spots Spider-Man webslinging away and finds it surprising he apparently came from the school.

Today…

Powell and Chen are still staring at the school, hoping to find Spider-Man. Powell stares at Mary Jane, thinking she’s beautiful. Chen jokes his partner needs some structure in his life. Chen wonders if Spider-Man is a high-school teacher or student. They spot Spider-Man again and that he lands near the dumpsters. They report this to Silver Sable, who orders her men to take him. They do as told, and apparently manage to sneak up on Spidey and electrocute him, knocking him out!

Later at their base, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack have bound “Spider-Man” to a chair. Chen gives his wallet to Sable who can’t believe the guy’s only sixteen years old. Powell wants to videotape their success, but Sable orders him not to, as they are basically kidnapping someone and can’t have that out in the media. Sable wants to know where the Spider-Man costume is, but the Pack didn’t bring out because she didn’t order them to. Sable gets a little upset about that, and orders to use quick salt to wake their prisoner up.

After doing that, the prisoner wakes up, but… it’s Flash and not Peter! Not realizing she made a mistake, Sable tries to explain to him that he isn’t in danger and that her boss simply wants to talk to Spider-Man. Flash tries to explain he isn’t Spider-Man and that he just goes to high school. Sable still doesn’t believe it, thinking “Spider-Man” is trying to cover up his secret identity. She can respect that but promises there isn’t any need. Flash starts to cry a little, keeping up that he isn’t Spider-Man. Sable tries to suspect something, and orders her men to cut him lose and make him stand up. They do.

Silver Sable kicks Flash into his face, and finally realizes they aren’t dealing with the real Spider-Man.

Characters Involved: 

Spider-Man

Mary Jane Watson

Flash Thompson
Liz Allen

Omega Red

Bulldozer, Piledriver, Thunderball, Wrecker (all Damage Control)

Chen, Powell, Quentino, Silver Sable (all the Wild Pack)

Mr. Roxxon

Jermaine Exum

several other citizens & high school students (all unnamed)

Story Notes: 

Included in this issue is also the first part to the storyline of “Ultimate Vision,” which takes place after Ultimate Secret #1-5.

The Hulk tore up the city in Ultimates (1st series) #5-6.

The character of Jermaine Exum is based on a real-life person, whom Bendis met through his message board site, Jinxworld. Jermaine is a comic shop retailer, working for Acme Comics in Greensboro, NC. In the small world category, this is the same comic shop UXN contributor Douglas Mangum once worked.

First appearance of Omega Red and the Damage Control members in the Ultimate universe. This issue also marks the first appearance of Silver Sable, her Wild Pack and boss, Mr. Roxxon, in the comic books. They actually first appeared in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game and the “Silver Sable” storyline is partly meant to be a follow-up to that game.

A movie about Spider-Man was made throughout Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59.

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