Two pages from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #688

[starwolf_oakley]

Two pages from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #688 has Peter Parker sulking after "Ends of the Earth."

Also, recolored AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1!



Peter is at Mary Jane's new club, MJ's.



The standard Peter Parker look is straight hair with a curl over one eye. This isn't that hairstyle.

"All that kept me from going crazy." Maybe if Peter's spider-sense got super-enhanced, in which he can actually see the future, that would drive him crazy. But Peter's own guilty conscience driving him crazy is fascinating, in you wonder in what way Peter Parker would "go crazy." And it wouldn't really be a "I might as well BE a menace!" type crazy.



The presence of Carlie Cooper gets me thinking. What if Mary Jane found her own Carlie Cooper?
(No, not like *that*. Marvel is *not* saying MJ is bisexual.) Mary Jane gets a boyfriend and that boyfriend is Totally Perfect for her and all the characters say so. Even Peter thinks so, after checking the guy is not a supervillain.

The problem? Peter is NOT cool with the New Boyfriend. And why? Because Mary Jane can find someone new, and Peter can't. Because someone is always going to need Spider-Man to save them.

Hey, Marvel released a recolored AMAZING FANTASY #1 with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1. Marvel has been doing this since SECRET INVASION: REQUIEM. A few have been done with a "framing device" of characters talking about things before going to a flashback.

Like with the reprint of AVENGERS #1, this is a straight reprint with modern coloring.



From this, I got an odd flash to CIVIL WAR of all things.

1. J. Jonah Jameson worries children will follow Spider-Man's example.
2. A team of teenaged superheroes is formed, the New Warriors.
3. Stanford blows up.

No, there isn't a cause/effect thing there, but that never stopped Jameson before. In CIVIL WAR, Jameson never said "Here's what I was worried about, I warned you!"

I believe the last time that Maxie Shiffman appeared until WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #90.

Comments

[darkknightjrk]

I have to say, I really like the idea of MJ having her own nightclub. :D

"But Peter's own guilty conscience driving him crazy is fascinating, in you wonder in what way Peter Parker would "go crazy." And it wouldn't really be a "I might as well BE a menace!" type crazy."

By chance did you ever play Spider-Man: Edge of Time? I don't want to spoil it too much, but I think it does play a little bit with what you're talking about.

[starwolf_oakley]

By chance did you ever play Spider-Man: Edge of Time? I don't want to spoil it too much, but I think it does play a little bit with what you're talking about.

Not yet, but I intend to.

"Peter's conscience drives him crazy" might be similar to "Batman's conscience drives him crazy" in INFINITE CRISIS. Batman has a freakout with "I can't DO this anymore! God, I wish I could start over."

[thatnickguy]

Ugh. I HATE modern re-colouring and wish they would stop with it. It just doesn't work in context with the old art. What's wrong with just reprinting the story, untouched? It's like adding colour to a black and white movie.

Also, when did Flash Thompson become Spider-Man? Because that sure as hell doesn't look like Peter Parker.

[sir_razorback]

Um.. somewhere around here there was a "What If..." where Flash got bit, made Peter make him gadgets, went on a crime spree, stuff like that. Don't think that's what you meant, but since it happened, thought I'd throw that out there. :p

[kenwyn89]

Even Carlie was recognisable :P

[biod]

I have the recolored omnibus of Simonson's Thor run and it looks amazing.

[wizardru]

I'll have to check the Thor out, but I have to say that I agree that this recoloring does not look good. The colors are far too heavy for the art and actually muddies the artwork. Simonson's Thor Run was around 20 years after those Spidey panels, which I think has something to do with it, too.

[mrstatham]

Yeah, but there's decent recolouring and there's terrible recolouring. Decent recolouring would include, say, the TPB versions of Batman: Year One, which had the painted backgrounds the newsprint-based comics were unable to handle. Terrible recolouring includes stuff like DC's Best of the Spirit reprint, the Neal Adams Batman stuff - which looked absolutely terrible, and The Killing Joke's anniversary edition, which.. Ecch. The recoloured pages here look pretty bad too - and I just don't see the need for it.

[sun_man]

Meh. I wish MJ would appear in other books. Ever since OMD seems like she is just wasted in Spider-Man

[his_spiffynesss]

I'm reminded of the time when the Parkers were living in Stark tower before Peter revealed his identity, and there was a rumor floating around that Mary Jane was having an affair with Tony Stark, which would be kind of interesting to actually happen now. MJ owns a nightclub, and Tony being quite the playboy would likely drop in.

[nefrekeptah]

"Wasted?" She was instrumental in Spider-Island, she's Peter's close friend and confidante, and Slott's been hinting for a while now that they still have feelings for each other. How has she been wasted?

[greenmask]

I can;t speak to whether she's been wasted, but it WOULD be nice for her to exist outside of the spider-context. I know it's where she's always been, but.. she's beloved enough and established enough to work as more than one guy's support character, don't you think?

[starwolf_oakley]

That can be tricky. Ben Urich was one thing, since he was established in DAREDEVIL as working at the Daily Bugle, so a Spider-Man connection wasn't difficult.

Then again, some characters that were in solo books appeared as supporting characters in AVENGERS (Keith Kincaid, Peggy Carter). But that was in the late 80s and early 90s.

[greenmask]

In my ideal Marvel reality, she and the rest of the models get a sassy ongoing between them.

[nefrekeptah]

It'd last five issues before folding due to lack of fan interest.

[greenmask]

Five is more than none!

[nefrekeptah]

Didn't they try something similar with Marvel Divas? And I think there was a mini-series that had Mary-Jane as a co-star.

[greenmask]

Yeah. I didn't touch Divas with a pole, because.. It was marketed horribly. I liked Models Inc, which was supposed to feature MJ but didn't, but it was not ongoing-quality. Silly art mistakes, the plotting wasn't always tight.

Models Inc and Heralds were both minis that showed me the spark of what I wanted, bit didn't fully actualize. Sales probably did reflect that. Not that perfection can guatantee sales.

[shadowpsykie]

hmm i like MJ owning a club (is it a gay club? cuz there is a gay club in LA called MJ's:)

also dont mind the Spidey's Exes support group. i'm still not liking this...

i don't mind MJ being Spidey's friend, I don't mind Carly being his friend, but it still doesn't seem right....

I don't like peter being all mopey and crap like that... him being so self pitying is something about BND that i just don't like at all...

[jaybee3]

Peter's hair makes him look like an entirely different character.

I'm not sure I like the idea of MJ/Carlie "support group". I think its mostly because I don't like Carlie and now that she and Peter are finito, I thought we could get away from MJ and every other character thinking she's the best thing since sliced bread. I think even Marvel realize they went overboard there and it was the main cause of the Carlie backlash. Also, MJ was with Peter for literally years. She is still close to him - as PETER - and loves him (she's admitted as such). Carlie barely knew Peter really (they were together for what - weeks? - in Marvel time) and she can't seem to stand him.

[domino_blue]

I find Carlie an Amazing character for one reason...she has no chemistry with Peter Parker at all....I'm serious that's why she is amazing, in all of the Marvel Universe she happens to be the one Peter has no chemistry with the one the writers says she perfect for. I mean look at most interactions Peter has with people and see how much he fits in! It's like she's has a strange super power! I mean the Human Torch, Mary Jane, the Daily Bugle staff, his bullies.....somehow Carlie has the least possible chemistry with him!

[icon_uk]

There are lampposts that Peter has hung upside down from that he has had more chemistry with.

[arilou_skiff]

It is kind of amazing isn't it? Pick any random MU character (and some DC ones) and they'll have better chemistry.

[fredneil.livejournal.com]

"It is kind of amazing isn't it? Pick any random MU character (and some DC ones) and they'll have better chemistry. "

There is that panel from 1976 where he talked to Lois Lane. I thought they made a cute couple, even if she thought he was too young for her.

[domino_blue]

Actually when Ben Reily was Spider-man he asked Lois out on a date not realizing she was engaged to Clark!

[domino_blue]

Hell Batman and Spider-man make a surprisingly good double act together. I can see Spidey and Luthor getting along well too in a weird villain hero way.

[wtfomfg2]

These one-on-one scenes between Peter and MJ are really the only times I can stand Peter in his own title right now. I also love how no matter what is going on, MJ just gets Peter.

And I wish Carlie would have become an anthropomorphic spider.

[runespoor]

I recognize MJ, but not Peter. Trademarks physical traits: they help get across the character's identity. In this case: dimples vs ...what's with the hair?

[halloweenjack]

I'm still mildly flabbergasted that Peter assumes that Silver Sable died when he didn't actually see her die, and even people that he has seen die (like, you know, his archvillain) have come back. Hey, remember that one She-Hulk series in which the fact that people in the MU come back from death on a regular basis was a plot point? Why don't they get that writer to write ASM?

[nefrekeptah]

They did, and it's been awesome. And even if she did escape, it doesn't change the fact that he had to leave her to die, which is the one thing that Spider-Man promised he'd never do.

[victory_or_death]

Today the part of Carlie Cooper will be played by W.C. Fields.

Either that or everyone in NY is suffering some horrible skin rash that is spreading quickly.

It's like Marvel overstocked on the color magenta and decided MUST HAVE MORE RED HUES! MORE I SAY!

Boss....They all look like a tomatoes!

NOT ENOUGH! GET THE HOSE!

[crabby_lioness]

I get Peter's altruistic impulses, but he's coming across not much different from the people who want to save animals and end up taking home more than they can care for. I bought a house from someone like that. The consequences are not pretty.

[starwolf_oakley]

Marge: Once we get the cats out of the way, it won't be too bad.
Agent: Actually, according to the will, the cats own the house. You'd be their tenants!

[twospirit.blogspot.com]

The last panel on the first page reminds me of Mr. Incredible when he's stuck in that tiny office.
And why is this Peter so grumpy? What's fun about that? :( GIVE BACK MY SPIDEY!

[nefrekeptah]

That IS your Spidey. He's always been grumpy and angsty. What, you never noticed before?

[twospirit.blogspot.com]

I...tried not to? Spidey would be moaning and winging about the house, and I would try to make him feel better, but he would just ignore me. I would tell him, "Remember the time you were in Ultimate Spiderman, and you were actually sort of fun?" but again, more mopey angsting. "What about your guest-starring appearances where you stole the spotlight?" Nope. I even tried bringing up the 9-11 tribute, which to me was a very great outpouring of care from fellow New Yorkers, but he just whined again that he was never going to get dates.
I think I gave up on Spidey soon after, and now I just remember the good times.

[dahlia_moon]

When does Carlie Cooper find out Peter is Spider-Man?

[starwolf_oakley]

At the end of Spider-Island, IIRC.

[tsunamiwombat]

Correcto. She finds out and of course, blows up at him, accusing him of all sorts of misleading asshattery. Of course, Peter has been a misleading Asshat, but about completely different things.

[tsunamiwombat]

So MJ, when are you going to slap Peter and say "god would you just kiss me already you moron?"

[pyrrhocorax]

I would be ALL OVER the idea of MJ finding her own Carlie Cooper, EXACTLY like *that*.