Death is an ugly business, and no one knows that better than the amazing Spider-Man. In a city like New York-crammed to the rafters with thugs, pugs, and superpowered losers-the chilling embrace of the Grim Reaper comes with the territory.

Death can also be a personal matter, coming from the muzzle of a gun, or the razor-sharp point of a knife. No one knows that better than private detective Barb Lightner, whose partner was just killed for a mysterious trinket.

But it's not just merder on Spider-Man's mind: something is turning ordinary people into zombie-like bank robbers, and one of the poor unfortunates is a friend of Spidey's wife, Mary Jane. Could this strange behavior, as well as the death of Lightner's partner, have anything to do with the arrival of a new crime boss on the scene-one who calls himself "The Jewel"?

Pooling their resources, the wall-crawling wonder and the hard-boiled detective are going to turn New York City upside-down to find some answers, and heaven help the bad guy who gets in their way!