Hypno-Hustler was to appear with his band, the Mercy Killers, at the nightclub "Beyond Forever"ť. Unfortunately on the night of his performance, he was caught stealing from the club's safe by the manager. Using his specialized goggles and the hypnotic singing of the Mercy Killers, he was able to knock the manager unconscious. When the band got on stage, the Hustler used the same gimmicks to place the audience in a trance. Unfortunately for him, Spider-Man was in the audience along with some of his friends. While in this trance, the Hypno-Hustler had ordered the audience to give him and his band all of their valuables. Arriving on the scene, Spider-Man ordered the Hustler to surrender. A battle followed with the Hustler unleashing all of his tricks on Spider-Man including the release of gas