Marvel Tales #291

In "With Foes Like These...", Spider-Man swings through the city with a mission: track down Flash Thompson, only to be sidetracked by a brutal clash with Titania and the Absorbing Man. When the latter escalates the fight by threatening to drop an airplane full of innocent passengers, Spider-Man retreats—less out of fear than frustration at the absurdity of it all. Written by Tom DeFalco and brought to life with dynamic art by Ron Frenz, inks by Bob Layton, and colors by Bob Sharen, this 1994 issue captures the chaos and dark humor of Spider-Man’s world, with Malcolm Jones III’s cover perfectly encapsulating the moment’s tension.