Random Happenstance

Last year we blogged Spider-Woman #30; today we're up to 1980's Spider-Woman #32, "The Fangs of Werewolf by Night" Written by Michael Fleisher, pencils by Steve Leialoha, inks by Jim Mooney, cover by Frank Miller. The cover also features photos of Universal's Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and more; I wonder if they had permission for that?

Spider-Woman has had multiple encounters with new villain the Hornet, who was actually her tech guy/maybe love interest Scotty, shot up full of drugs from mad scientist Dr. Malus. Scotty was in a wheelchair when he wasn't buzzing about on wings: it seems like Malus could probably have made some money and helped a ton of people, if he had any interest in that. And the drugs were making Scotty more and more erratic, so Malus calls in another patient to take out Spider-Woman: Jack Russell! Malus had offered him therapy toward completely controlling his Werewolf persona, since he would still lose control during the three nights of the full moon, which he was currently controlling by locking himself in a cage. Malus slaps a hypno-collar on him, then tests the Werewolf out with some major vandalism, smashing a statue. The Hornet leaves a note for Spider-Woman, that he had Scotty, to lure her into a trap at a western movie set.

While the Werewolf was a surprise, Spider-Woman had faced him before; and the Hornet was mostly gone mentally. She's able to get the Hornet to zap the Werewolf, and after some more fighting is able to get the collar off him. With Jack back in control, the Werewolf catches up with Malus and gives him a very cathartic thrashing. Thinking Scotty was in danger, Spider-Woman punches Hornet up and finishes him with a venom blast, then is dismayed to realize what she's done when she unmasks him. Still, Scotty would be okay; if your definition of 'okay' includes losing his powers. I don't think he would be in the book much longer, nor do I think this version of Hornet would appear again.

I was thinking this was Werewolf by Night's last appearance for a while, until Marvel Comics Presents in 1990? But he did show up in a couple issues of Marvel Team-Up in 1980 as well.