Brand New Day:
! The issue opens up with Peter making out with some chick at a club. Of course his narration says it's not like this. We back track 24 hours in the past. You're greeted with the full page of that infamous picture of Spidey holding a gun. That is not actually Spidey, but rather a mugger who has been running around with a Spider-Man mask. There's a news report about the incident, and it is also revealed here that Spider-Man hasn't been seen in months. J. Jonah Jameson, of course, says that Spidey's around. "You just have to look closely."
! Cut to Aunt May's house…yes, THE house. It wasn't destroyed in by that lame Molten Man rip off. Peter is sleeping, Aunt May wakes him up. The status quo is partly revealed here: Peter is jobless, without a place of his own, and, as Aunt May says, not a teenager anymore.
! Time hasn't gone backward. The Civil War still happened, and Peter still unmasked, but only a few remember it, and those few can't remember who was under the mask. NO ONE knows he is Spider-Man. Not the Avengers or any other superhero/supervillian. NO ONE. This of course, is a major problem because that messes up a lot of things, the most important of which is "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" story. (Norman doesn't know who Spidey is.)
! Anyway, Peter goes on a job search and is turned down at every place. (In continuity, he was still a teacher at Midtown High. When Pete is interviewed for a teaching position, they refer to his frequent absences as a basis for turning him down.) This is very bad for him because he needs money if he's going to rent the new apartment that Betty Brant has just found him.
! Harry Osborn is back from an extended stay in Europe. Yes, he was the Goblin, but he doesn't remember it. He has gone through three wives, but there has been no mention of Normie Jr. His current Girlfriend is Lily Hollister. From what I can gather, they room with another girl named Carlie Cooper. She's smart, shy, and attractive (though she she's not outspoken about it). She studies forensics, more specifically, forensics of dead people...like a medical examiner. Carlie grew up with Lily (best friends since high school).
! Harry calls up Pete and says he should join the three of them and go to a club that night. That's where Pete meets the chick he was making out with on page 1. He was just asking where the bathroom was and she started kissing him, wanting to get into Harry's inner circle for obvious reasons. ($$$). Pete ducks outside where he finds Carlie, who stepped out, saying she wasn't really the club type. Peter was going to tell her something (about her appearance), but they are interrupted by the Spidey-Mugger. Pete runs off to chase him (says he's getting a picture for the Bugle as an excuse). He doesn't get in costume, though.
! He hasn't been Spider-Man for months for several reasons. First, he's unregistered, which makes him a criminal. And he refuses to let Jameson profit from Spidey. Finally, he wanted to see if not being Spidey would make his life easier, and it hasn't really.
! Peter chases the mugger to a homeless shelter where Aunt May volunteers. He explains that he was mugged and Aunt May tells him to go home. Peter, however, goes to the Bugle first. He wants to collect some money due to him (from some pictures that the Bugle still runs). He walks in at a very, very bad time. Jameson is trying to keep control of the Bugle. Because Spider-Man has been away, the Bugle hasn't been selling as well, largely because of the lack of Spider-Man material. Shares are being sold and Jameson needs to control 50% of them if he wants to prevent a buy out.
! But Peter wants his money. He ends up yelling at JJJ, saying that it was his Spider-Man photos that made the Bugle what it was and kept it from selling out years ago. Of course, JJJ doesn't take it well. Just as he is about to yell at Peter, he grabs his chest and collapses on the floor...
! New villian named Mister Negative gains possession of a mysterious tablet with ancient, foreign writing on it. The tablet of time? Obviously a set up for a battle that's coming in later issues.
! Some other details:
! MJ. Her and Peter dated for years, but for an unknown reason have broken up. She moved to California and became an actress. She's in NY sometimes.
! Gwen. She's still dead. But, as I said, it appears the method of her death has changed. She died in "a fight between the Goblin and Spider-Man".
! Aunt May. She's alive, she lives in Queens, and she still takes up residency in the same-old Parker house.
! Peter on Marraige. He says he's "too young to get married." Aunt May is the only Mrs. P in his life.
! Webshooters. They're mechanical and just as you fondly remember them.
! Peter's age. I'd say he's in his mid-twenties.
! Status as an Avenger. Unknown.
! Jackpot. In a short backup story, we see her chasing a obscured, laughing villian who we only get a fleeting glance at. She uses words like "Tiger." Is it MJ? Maybe.
! There was also two other backstories...one dealing with Harry meeting with Lily's parents and one with Aunt May working at the homeless shelter. You can check those out on your own.
! Taken from Superhero Hype User J. J. Jameson