CHARACTER ASSASSINATION (2008-2009)

It's time to wrap up some of the plot threads that have been dangling since the start of 'Brand New Day'. and get some answers! Who is the Spider-Tracer Killer and why have they been trying to frame Spider-Man by leaving Spider-Tracers as a calling card? Who is the new goblin Menace? And can anyone get over Marvel's decision to overturn Peter Parker's history with ONE MORE DAY?

MCG Note: I've listed this as a minor crossover as the first Spider-Man Extra tie-in actually came out months before the event as a teaser and the aftermath stories in the later Spider-Man Extra issue just wrap up a few plot points. Otherwise, the story stands well enough in the five chapters of the main Amazing Spider-Man series.

• Amazing Spider-Man #584-587
• Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #1[3/3]
• Amazing Spider-Man #588
• Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #3[1/3]
• Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #3[2/3]

Amazing Spider-Man #584
The cops open fire on Spider-Man who believe him to be the 'Spider Tracer Killer', hitting his arm and inducing hallucinations in which Harry Osborn is revealed to be under Menace's mask. Meanwhile, the crooked Randall Crowne and the level-headed Bill Hollister are running in the New York Mayoral Elections. Harry Osborn proposes to Bill's daughter, Lily Hollister. And Peter Parker's girlfriend, forensic specialist Carlie Cooper, uses a Spider-Tracer tracker to the apartment Peter shares with Officer Vin Gonzales of the NYPD, almost catches a naked and wounded Peter in the tatters of his Spidey costume and discovers a bag of spider traces in Vin's room...

Amazing Spider-Man #585
Lily rejects Harry's proposal. Peter goes back out in search of Menace, unaware of Carlie's discovery. Vin and his partner, Al O'Neil, enter the apartment and Carlie confronts them. Despite being seriously injured, Spidey interrupts Menace's assault on Bill Hollister's campaign building. He saves innocent bystanders but leaves himself open to Menace who brutally beats him before being chased off by a cop. Spider-Man is shackled by the police and brought in for questioning over the Spider Tracer killings. Harry heads to Lily's place to talk to her and discovers she's been Menace all along...

Amazing Spider-Man #586
Lily reveals to Harry that she became Menace because she couldn't live up to her daddy's expectations. She read Harry's diaries that revealed the whereabouts of the secret Green Goblin hideouts and put a new formula together that lets her change into a goblin at will. As Menace, she repeatedly attacked her father, Bill, to gain public sympathy and help his campaign. Lily then accepts Harry's proposal and leaves. Harry picks up some formula and Goblin weapons and gets ready to take on Menace himself...

Amazing Spider-Man #587
Carlie escapes Vin and Al by pretending to want in on the scam. Matt Murdock arrives at the police precinct in time to stop Sergeant Quentin Palone unmasking Spider-Man as he's moved to Ryker's Island Prison, still all trussed up. Carlie reveals Vin Gonzales and Al O'Neil's plot to Palone, not realising he's in on it too. Palone decides to cover his tracks by framing Carlie and Vin. Carlie goes on the run. Al arrests Vin Gonzales. In court, Murdock sneaks Spider-Man a Web-Shooter and uses some legal wrangling to prevent Spidey from being unmasked in custody, employing his friends to dress as Spider-Man as part of the court demonstration. When Vin also shows up at Ryker's, Spidey breaks out using his web-shooter when the other prisoners in genpop start beating Vin to death. Norman Osborn realises someone's been stealing his stuff...

Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #1[3/3]
As part of Matt Murdock's odd legal wrangling to protect Peter Parker's identity, he convinces Araña, Black Cat, Iron Fist, Nightcrawler, Patriot, Ronin and Shang-Chi to dress as Spider-Man.

Amazing Spider-Man #588
The injured Spider-Man fights through the murderous prisoners, grabs Vin and escapes Ryker's. Carlie is arrested and taken from the Hollister house. Vin Gonzales heads to Sergeant Palone's house and finds him attempting to destroy the spider-tracers in his basement. Vin takes Palone in, knowing he'll be facing charges, too. and probably facing more prison time. Spider-Man confronts Menace and takes one hell of a beating until Harry Osborn shows up in a goblin mask and fires an antidote into the Menace, depowering her and publicly revealing her to be Lily Hollister. Her disgraced father receives the news that he's won the election just as he sees Lily's 'unmasking' on TV. Harry takes Spider-Man to safety. Later, Peter Parker tries to comfort Harry to no avail. Norman Osborn visits Lily Hollister in her special cell, welcoming her to the Osborn family...

Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #3[1/3]
Peter visits Harry Osborn as he prepares for Flash Thompson's homecoming after agreeing to put the war hero up when he returns to America. Harry blames Spider-Man for all the woes in his life and the lives of his friends. Peter visits disgraced Vin Gonzales before he receives his sentencing. Vin reveals he became involved in the plot after the new Kraven the Hunter kidnapped him and was angry with Spider-Man. Vin sells out his fellow officers in exchange for a six-month sentence. Pete meets Flash Thompson at the airport where he learns Flash lost both his legs during his last tour of duty in Iraq. Flash sites Spider-Man as his inspiration for carrying on. Later, while Spidey's having his stitches out, Night Nurse's secret super-clinic comes under attack from Carapace who Spider-Man almost pummels him to death, stopping only because he knows he'll just feel guilty about it.

Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #3[2/2]

Harry Osborn recalls how his father, Norman, attacked another kid with a baseball bat for stealing Harry's bike. After a group counselling session, Menace visits Harry who warns her not to trust his father before she disappears...

MCG Note: The entries in blue and black are the stories that are directly impacted by 'Character Assassination'; the issues in grey are stories impacted by the sub-plots and lesser plot points.

Amazing Spider-Man #590-591 (2009) 
Following the loss of the election and his daughter, Bill Hollister sinks into depression, while Harry hits the bottle; Blake Tower becomes acting Mayor of New York, until J Jonah Jameson officially becomes Mayor of New York.

Amazing Spider-Man #594 (2009) 

Michele Gonzales takes up her brother, Vin Gonzales', old room, sharing Peter Parker's apartment.

Amazing Spider-Man #595-598 (2009) 

Lily Hollister reveals to Harry Osborn that she's pregnant; Harry doesn't take up a Goblin mantle again, but his father, Norman Osborn, offers him a new role as American Son; Lily Hollister reveals Norman Osborn is the father of her unborn child during DARK REIGN.

Amazing Spider-Man #600-601 (2009) 

Michele Gonzales and Peter Parker have a one-night stand during DIED IN YOUR ARMS, TONIGHT.

Amazing Spider-Man #642-647 (2010) 

Lily Hollister gives birth to the baby Osborn, who quickly becomes a vaunted bargaining chip for every bad guy in New York; tests reveal that Harry Osborn is the father of Lily's baby; Harry names the child Stanley Osborn and decides to raise the child himself; Vin Gonzales is released from prison bearing a Goblin Nation tattoo; Peter Parker and Carlie Cooper start dating.

Amazing Spider-Man #649 (2011) 

J Jonah Jameson returns to the Daily Bugle during BIG TIME.

Amazing Spider-Man #654 (2011) 

Flash Thompson joins Project: Rebirth 2.0 in an effort to continue serving his country and is merged with Spider-Man's old alien Symbiote costume to become the new Venom during BIG TIME.

Amazing Spider-man #673 (2012) 

Carlie Cooper breaks up with Peter Parker when she learns he's Spider-Man during SPIDER-ISLAND.

Amazing Spider-Man #697 (2013) 

Harry Osborn completely changes his appearance (shaving his head and growing a beard) and moves to Seattle, Washington to leave his old life behind.

Superior Spider-Man #31 (2014) 

Spider-Man uses an antidote for the Goblin Serum on Menace, curing her of her evil persona during GOBLIN NATION.

Axis: Hobgoblin #2-3 (2015) 

Lily Hollister becomes Queen Cat and begins to atone for her past crimes during AXIS.

Venom #150 (2017) 

Flash Thompson loses the Symbiote and his Venom identity when the FBI use an anti-symbiote device on him.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day - The Complete Collection vol.3

Spider-Man: Election Day
Include... 

Amazing Spider-Man #584-588

Spider-Man Extra! #1, 3