It's election year, and a reluctant, reclusive Spider Jerusalem has sunk even deeper inside himself. Now he's more determined than ever to cover the ugly political dogfight, fulfill his book contracts, and get the hell out of the City in part 1 of the 6-part ''Year of the Bastard.''

Spider decides to start covering the upcoming election, but he's not sure if the challenger has what it takes to get "The Beast" out of office.