Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

In the summer of 2002, a friendly neighborhood figure in a red-and-blue skintight suit began swinging between buildings on the streets of New York.

At the same time, one newspaper's circulation rose sharply, entering New York City's top ten. It was the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man's lifelong hater, along with its owner and editor-in-chief, J. Jonah Jameson.

Was Spider-Man opening for business so often because university had not started yet?

Thinking of that guy, who messed up his private life dealing with every trivial incident on the streets yet still managed to remain firmly at Empire State University, Henry wondered whether Peter Parker was truly smart or whether the university was simply at that level.

However, even a chicken coop could produce a phoenix. Among Empire State University's visiting professors was a name that made people want to turn and run at the very sight of it: Reed Richards.

Had he failed to swindle research funding while pursuing a doctorate, so he had switched to becoming a professor to swindle funding instead?

Henry did not look too deeply into that troublemaker's intentions. He could barely avoid the man as it was; how could he dare provoke him?

A casual check of Empire State University's student roster revealed something interesting. Jonathan Stone was a fourth-year student there. This guy was the future Mister Fantastic's brother-in-law, the Human Torch.

Also entering school alongside Gwen this year were, naturally, Peter Parker and Harry Osborn, among other important figures in Spider-Man's circle.

The feeling that the curtain was about to rise grew increasingly obvious. Henry could not tell whether he was looking forward to it or wanted to run away. Still, he felt he had bought the house too early. Though he had snapped it up cheaply on impulse, it now seemed he had fallen