"We got three covers of Spidey's head already. Maybe we could do, I dunno, Mary Jane?" "Nah, just throw the Spider-Signal up there or something."

Although, let's double-check this with the GCD: this issue hit stands July 22, 1986. Marvel Tales #193 with a Ditko-esque Spidey was out July 11. Amazing #282 with the black suit was July 29, and (deep breath) the all-new, all daring Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #120 with half-black costume, half-Peter, was out August 20. I looked all that up, because my vague recollection had been that Web was usually the first Spidey book of the month, but maybe not? Or at least not for Marvel's 25th Anniversary here. And as is sometimes the case, I'm nattering on about a minor point because man, I am not sure the rest of this one is going to have aged well...From 1986, Web of Spider-Man #20, "Little Wars!" No credits, oddly; but probably written by David Michelinie, art by Marc Silvestri. Border art, and probably cover, by John Romita.

A clever editor could probably have packaged a trade of these stories, like "Spidey's World Tour," where Peter Parker gets sent somewhere on assignment for the Bugle, things immediately go to hell, and Spidey has to swoop in while also trying to protect his secret identity. Today, he and Joy Mercado are in London, and there's a bombing before they get out of the airport. Irish terrorists are trying to kill someone named Bartlett, but their bomb went off early: Peter manages to sneak away, under Joy's suggestion to try and get pictures, and knocks out a gunman without being seen. Both Joy and Peter are then stricken at going from a scene of death and tragedy, to a fancy limo: J.Jonah Jameson was trying to establish Now magazine as a player, and was throwing some dough around. Which totally seems like a thing JJJ would do, then blow his stack when he gets the receipts later, and start charging employees to use the elevator or something.

Joy gives Peter the brief explanation of Ireland's ongoing attempts to reunify, which she attributes to "a fear of Spain invading England!" from hundreds of years ago. Yeah, maybe look that up: that seems like a fair short answer, but there's probably about 90 other factors. Later, Peter has dinner with Joy, who should be way out of his league, but he's made some pulls...not tonight, though, as she declines an offer to see the sights. Mainly, because she has a meeting with a snitch--I would've said 'source,' but he calls himself that, so--who gives her documents from Roxxon. And even though he says it isn't his responsibility to police the whole planet, Peter still suits up and breaks into prison, to shake some information out of the captured terrorist. (The black suit wasn't world-known at that point, I suppose; but it was good for intimidation.) He then sneaks into a secret meeting of the "Red Hand," as they plan an attack tomorrow; but the bobbies show up. Wait, probably not bobbies, this'd be the riot squad, since they're armed and launch tear gas. Unseen, Spidey helps out so the cops don't charge into a hail of bullets; but several Red Handers escape through tunnels.

Out late and tear-gassed, Peter looks like he partied hard in the morning, but Joy tells him to keep it together, as they go through security...for a speech by Margaret Thatcher? Ergh. Politely--massively euphemistically--she was a divisive figure, and this story is probably based on a real-life IRA assassination attempt October 12, 1984. Midway through her speech, Peter remembers hearing "foundations" and realizes the Red Hand were going to try to blow up the building from beneath. He ducks out, and stops them after a brief skirmish that's mostly keeping them from setting off explosives: after Spidey disarms their Wile E. Coyote-ACME style plunger detonator, one tries to set the explosives off with a grenade, which Spidey webs away, but the pin had been pulled. The terrorist tries to get to the grenade, but is badly injured, and would likely die.

Peter probably reeks of the sewers and gunpowder when he gets back, and Joy gives him a bit of hassle since he seemed to be having trouble hearing. She wants to pursue the story, but that would involve going to Dublin; and their expenses were only covered for Thatcher's speech. (Peter notices, she knew it was the Red Hand...) But, after the cop from the airport tells them a little girl died from the bombing there, Joy and Peter make plans to go on...

Ooh, let's say something good first: this was before his run on Uncanny X-Men, but Silvestri already had it going on. And while it was probably harder to see in the moment...maybe...this reminds me of Captain America #344, where Cap saves...ugh...Ronald Reagan. Thatcher and Reagan were contemporaries, and agreed on a lot of things: I don't know if everything terrible in Britain can be traced back to her, like just about everything awful here goes back to Reagan; but probably. It is in Spidey's nature to try and save everybody, though. Ireland is, to date, still not united. As an ugly American, I probably shouldn't even have an opinion on this, but my sympathies lie with them and Scottish independence.