SHIRLEY WASHINGTON

Real Name: Shirley Washington

Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United States

Occupation: Owner of the Daily Grind coffee shop

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Eddie Brock, Buzz, Jessica Carradine, John Diaz, Mr. Hughes, Joe, Lou, Alison Mongrain, Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Mary Jane Watson-Parker, Desiree Winthrop

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: Devon Lewis (son), Garon Lewis (husband, divorced)

Aliases: "Shirl" (nickname used by Garon Lewis)

Base of Operations: New York City, New York

First Appearance: Sensational Spider-Man I#0 (January, 1996)

Powers/Abilities: Shirley Washington possesses no known superhuman abilities. A hard working small business owner with a heart of gold, she always tries to look out for people. Fiercely independent, Shirley was raised Roman Catholic and still practices her religion.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 160 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:

(Amazing Spider-Man I#415 (fb) - BTS) - As a young girl, Shirley Washington attended Roman Catholic school at Our Lady of Grace in New York. Because of ongoing Cold War tensions, the school regularly held nuclear fire drills. They were told to believe in guardian angels and hide under their coats in the hallways, which was believed to offer protection against nuclear fallout.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#414 (fb) - BTS) - Shirley met and fell in love with the ambitious young police officer Garon Lewis. They married and had a son Devon, but Shirley had a hard time coping with Lewis' dangerous and unpredictable job. After divorcing him, she kept custody of Lewis and consciously took her maiden name again.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#0 (fb) - BTS) - Shirley became the owner of The Daily Grind, a coffee shop and greasy spoon near New York's Centennial University area. The loose, welcoming atmosphere and affordable prices made it a popular hot spot.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#0 (fb) - BTS) - Shirley had difficulties finding trustworthy employees. She had to fire multiple people after she caught them stealing cash out of the register. Low on manpower, she had her young son Devon help out.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#0) - Nearly broke and down on his luck, Ben Reilly came to the Daily Grind to get a cheap meal. He didn't even have enough change for coffee and a plate of pasta. Devon didn't want to take his order, but Shirley took pity on Ben and gave him the food anyway. Being regarded as a charity case stirred something in Reilly: after returning to action as Spider-Man and dying his hair blonde, he went back to the Daily Grind to pay Shirley back. She was so impressed with his honesty that she offered him a job on the spot.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#0 - BTS) - Shirley gave Ben an advance on his salary so that he could buy some flowers to put on the graves of Ben and May Parker.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#407) - Shirley introduced Ben to one of her regulars: the avuncular Buzz who was holding court on the etymological eccentricities of the band name 'Hootie and the Blowfish'.

(Spider-Man I#64) - Shirley was working at the Daily Grind when Buzz gave Ben a lead on a new apartment.

(New Warriors I#67) - Shirley wasn't too pleased when Ben rushed out during his morning shift at the Daily Grind to help the New Warriors fight the new Scarlet Spider. When Ben left the shop, he could hear his boss grumbling about docking his pay.

(Spectacular Spider-Man I#230) - On Ben Reilly's day off, Shirley relied on Devon even more to help out at the Daily Grind. As soon as he got out of school, she began to list his chores but he was too transfixed by the cartoons on television to really listen to his mother.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Shirley noticed Devon grew increasingly obsessed with Mystery-Vision, a new television network.

(Venom: Along Came A Spider I#1) - From her perch behind the counter of The Daily Grind, Shirley listened to some of her customers discussing a Daily Bugle article about the recent symbiont crisis and the question just how many different Spider-Men there had been.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#1) - Shirley supervised Ben's attempts to master the art of the perfectly steamed latte, apologizing to photo student Jessica Carradine for the fact her newest employee was still learning the tricks of the trade. Carradine assured her that if his coffee skills were as good as his looks, he'd catch on quickly. When Carradine invited Ben to take a trip to Centennial University, Washington gave him the rest of the night off because it was exceptionally slow.

(Spider-Man I#65 (fb) - BTS) - Shirley was one of the countless victims of Mystery-Vision, which was part of Mysterio's latest scheme. She and Devon became transfixed by the broadcast, forcing regular Daily Grind customer Buzz to help himself when he came in for his usual order.

(Spider-Man I#65) - Shirley and Devon were still glued to the television when Ben dropped by the coffee shop to check on them. Buzz, as always too busy reading a newspaper to watch TV, explained the situation and inadvertently gave Ben the solution to dealing with Mysterio: take down his station's transmitter.

(Spectacular Spider-Man I#231) - In the wake of the Mystery-Vision crisis, Shirley and Devon listened to Buzz pontificate at the Daily Grind about the dangers of mass media. They were joined by Ben Reilly and Jessica Carradine, though the loud arrival of self-involved fashion student Desiree Winthrop and her entourage caused everyone's attention to shift.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Shirley agreed to help Jessica prepare a surprise housewarming party for Ben, getting everyone at the Daily Grind to chip in so they could buy him a television set.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#2) - Shirley sent Ben out on some errands so they had time to set up the party. Later that night, she attended the soiree along with Devon, Buzz and Desiree Winthrop. Aware that Jessica had feelings for Ben, Shirley discreetly tried to motivate her to go for it and not be dissuaded because Desiree was also chasing him. Sadly, the party ended without Ben who failed to show because he was on a mission as Spider-Man.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#3) - During a particularly busy evening at the Daily Grind, Shirley was relieved when Ben walked in. Even though it was his night off, she asked him to help out. He refused: having only swung by to drop off his time card. As he left, he felt terrible about letting down the best boss he could ever hope for.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#410) - At the Daily Grind, Ben overheard Shirley and Buzz discuss the latest news on the Carnage copycat killer. Buzz was convinced the murderer was actually the real Cletus Kasady but Shirley was sure her loyal customer was just paranoid from having watched too many episodes of The X-Files.

(Ben Reilly: Spider-Man I#1) - During his shift at the Daily Grind, Ben had a conversation about movies with regular customer John Diaz. After he left, Shirley talked to Ben about Diaz, admitting she'd never met someone who seemed so uncomfortable in his own skin. She then gave Ben some unwanted advice, telling him that no man is an island: everyone needs friends in this life.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#4) - Shirley was delighted to see her newest employee was such a hit with the female clientele of The Daily Grind. However, she pulled Ben aside during his shift to talk about the letter she'd received from the social security office saying the number he provided on his application was incorrect. Lying through his teeth, Ben claimed that he must have filled out the form wrong and assured Shirley he'd redo the form the next day (in reality Seward Trainer was supposed to hack the government computer systems to establish the Ben Reilly identity).

(Venom: The Hunted I#1) - Eddie Brock wandered into The Daily Grind where Shirley was happy to take his order: coffee and a little meatloaf plate. He was stunned when he saw Ben Reilly walk in to help out at the coffee shop and left before there could be an altercation.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#411) - Ben Reilly walked in for his shift at the Daily Grind just as Shirley got a visit from two undercover cops who showed her a file on him, claiming he had a history of violent, erratic behavior against employers. Ben denied the allegations and Shirley, though hesitant, was inclined to believe it must have been a case of mistaken identity. A few hours later, after discovering someone was actively attempting to destroy facets of his life, Spider-Man realized Shirley and Devon were in danger as well. He rushed to The Daily Grind in time to see the coffee shop explode.

(Spider-Man I#68) - Spider-Man watched from a dark corner of the burned out Daily Grind as Shirley and Devon arrived to inspect the damage. Shirley was questioned by a police officer who told her Ben Reilly had a history of lashing out at his employers in exactly this way. Shirley broke down crying, which only fed Ben's determination to find out and deal with whoever had done this to him.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#5) - While Jessica and Desiree organized a demonstration in support of rebuilding The Daily Grind, Shirley met with her insurance agent Mr. Hughes. He told her that because of the police report on suspected arsonist Ben Reilly, his company saw no reason to not pay all the costs for her to reopen.

(Spider-Man I#69) - Shirley and Devon were looking over schematics as the reconstruction of The Daily Grind got underway. They were briefly visited by Ben as Spider-Man who congratulated her on rebuilding. He assured Shirley that he was going after the arsonist. When Devon believed this meant he was going after Ben, Spider-Man told them he had nothing to do with the fire and that he was going to come up with proof.

(Spider-Man I#69 - BTS) - The Daily Grind was rebuilt while Spider-Man, with some help from Peter Parker, dealt with the Hobgoblin.

(Spider-Man I#69) - Shirley had a grand opening for the new and improved Daily Grind, welcoming back her regular customers as well as Ben's friends Peter and Mary Jane Parker. Not thinking anything of it, Shirley noticed the similarities between Ben and Peter: if not for their different hair colors, they could almost pass for twins.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#13) - Shirley watched Ben Reilly briefly lose his temper while watching J. Jonah Jameson on television. He claimed Spider-Man was in cahoots with the Scorpion, even though Reilly had just risked his own life trying to keep the villain from killing Jameson.

(Spider-Man Team-Up I#4) - During her morning shift at The Daily Grind, Shirley caught a news report that linked Spider-Man to the gruesome murder of several criminals (in reality, it was a Spider-Man robot originally built by Kang).

(Spider-Man I#70) - After a late shift at The Daily Grind, Ben said good-bye to Shirley who rushed home through the pouring rain.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#413) - News of The Daily Grind's destruction and reopening caused Garon Lewis to pay Shirley and Devon a visit. Shirley was exceptionally unhappy to see her ex, especially when he started asking questions about the way she financed this expensive refurbishment. She wanted to throw him out, but Devon had already spotted his dad and was over the moon to see him.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#414 - BTS) - Garon insisted he should spend more time with Devon and took him for a walk through Central Park. The prospect of having to deal with her ex-husband again left Shirley feeling stressed.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#414) - Shirley was so worked up over the situation, she wrecked a coffeepot and snapped at Ben Reilly when he wanted to help. After cooling off a bit, she told him about Garon and her concerns for Devon's safety. Unbeknownst to her, Ben decided to shadow father and son as Spider-Man which led to a confrontation with the assassin Delilah who had been hired to kill Lewis.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#415) - When Onslaught directed his Sentinel army to attack New York, widespread panic and looting occurred. Ben Reilly helped Shirley and Devon board up The Daily Grind. As the Sentinels approached, Ben told Shirley and her customers to hide in the basement, locking them in for their own protection. While the others protest and felt trapped, Shirley expressed confidence in Ben and shared the story of the guardian angels she trusted during the nuclear fallout drills of her youth.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#9) - Rushing through a muggy Manhattan morning to get to The Daily Grind on time for his shift, Ben Reilly entered through the kitchen. After quickly greeting cooks Lou and Joe, he met with Shirley who was just listening to Buzz discuss the fact unprecedented hordes of bees were swarming towards New York City.

(Spectacular Spider-Man I#240) - In desperate need of extra waiting staff, Shirley hired Alison Mongraine on the spot. The gorgeous, but chilly woman made quite an impression on kitchen staffers Lou and Joe.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#11) - Shirley looked on from a distance as Alison waited on the very pregnant Mary Jane and her aunt Anna Watson who had come to The Daily Grind for an early dinner. Mary Jane ordered the gumbo which Mongraine, who was secretly working for Norman Osborn, laced with a fast-acting poison that caused Mary Jane to start convulsing in pain.

(Spider-Man I#75) - Shirley and Devon watched footage of the fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin on television at The Daily Grind. Devon wanted to go down there to see the confrontation with his own eyes, but Shirley flat out refused.

(Spider-Man Revelations I#1) - After Ben's death and Mary Jane losing her baby, Shirley and Devon were among Peter's friends and associates who came by to pay their respects.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#21 (fb) - BTS) - Jill Stacy began to frequent The Daily Grind and quickly grew enamored with Shirley's place.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#21) - Hoping to impress Peter and Mary Jane with this new local hotspot she discovered, Jill took them to The Daily Grind. Shirley was elated to see her old friends again and insisted to treat them to lunch. 

(Spider-Man I#88) - Peter and Mary Jane were having breakfast The Daily Grind, discussing the recent public allegations that Spider-Man was a murderer. Peter reminded his wife how quickly the public can turn on him. As if to prove his point, Shirley openly expressed her doubts about Spider-Man's innocence to Devon... Hero or not, she said, he does wear a mask.

(Sensational Spider-Man I#29) - Peter and Mary Jane agreed to meet Desiree Winthrop at The Daily Grind to talk about Ben Reilly. Before sitting down with the fashion student, they warmly greeted Shirley and Buzz who were discussing a recent string of assaults on drug dealers. Buzz speculated a new vigilante could be responsible, while Shirley was mostly relieved to know that trash was now off the streets.

Comments: Created by Dan Jurgens, Klaus Janson.