Amazing Spider-Man

No.39 (or, 480)

"Meanwhile..."

      Delayed, presumably due to the reshuffling surrounding the World Trade Center-focused issue, this is the 'Nuff Said issue, told without any actual dialogue.

      This issue is the first one since Straczynski came aboard that we check in with Peter's ex-wife, Mary Jane Watson. We see she's doing well and is successful, but alone and lonely, though as the actress she is, she conceals it. Her thoughts are her own, but it's clear to the reader that she misses her former husband.

      We see Peter performing some rescues as Spider-Man, and as he sees Mary Jane on the news coverage - much as she saw his exploits as Spider-Man as he took down some gunmen and rescued some kids. In each case, though, they only see the masks presented to the world. Presumably, as she was the one to leave, Mary Jane makes no tentative move to call Peter when she reaches the end of her day. Peter moves as far as his address book, but decides not to, his eyes somewhat narrowed,  apparently contemplating how happy she appears to be in her movie star's life.

      In between these scenes we have Aunt May, newly-empowered by the knowledge that her nephew is Spider-Man. She spends a productive day going through a To Do list - fortunately they spared us the trip to the laundry service and drugstore. Surfing the Internet at the library, she reviews the on-line archives of several New York City newspapers on the topic of Spider-Man, writing letters of subscription cancellation to the Bugle and Herald, stating their biased, anti-Spider-Man coverage as the reason. Conversely, she subscribes to the Brooklyn Banner because they take a more open-minded approach. Following that - after guilting a kid in the next stall away from a soft porn site - she writes a letter of suggestion to Letterman, Leno, Larry King, Dan Rather and Oprah, suggesting a show on the lives of superheroes, specifically mentioning Spider-Man. It contains several mentions of the sort of person she's "sure" is beneath the mask, quickly giving enough detail to most either prompt the reader to either write her off as a shut-in who's living in a vicarious fantasy world... or maybe, just maybe... as someone who knows something.

      I doubt it was intended that way, but the first thing that came to mind upon seeing all this was wondering if anyone might follow up on this, and if she's going to become a liability to Peter in ways he didn't dream all the years he kept the secret from her. Thoughts of May putting the Fantastic Four and Avengers mansion on speed dial so she can call them to help that nice Spider-Man the next time he gets into a battle extended enough to attract live tv coverage came next.

      But, no, the point of the scene appeared to be that she cares, she's coming to grips with the situation by trying "to improve Peter's image" (straight from her To Do list), and is "working to forgive Peter."

      Yeah, the email and To Do list could be seen as something of a cheat in a "silent" issue, but it works and that's all that matters.

      Would I want to see another of these silent months? Probably not. This is possibly the best of the lot, but I don't think these things should be forced. If a creative team has a story they really want to tell that way, then so be it, but editorial issuing a challenge to the creative teams shouldn't be the way this happens.

      Final note: No, this image isn't the cover on my copy, either, but it's the one Marvel solicited early on and the one I prefer... so here it is.

       Feel free to drop me a line or leave any comments on this series on my messageboard.                                                                                                                                        ---MJN