AMAZING #151, #152, #153: A different look at the Peter/MJ relationship

[starwolf_oakley.insanejournal.com]

I posted this panel earlier this month. I thought I would add some context from the three issues.



So, how did we get to MJ raging out at Peter. It all starts with a party... hosted by J. Jonah Jameson?



J. Jonah Jameson is throwing a party (?) for the engagement of two of his employees, Ned Leeds and Betty Brant. Peter Parker is attending the party with Mary Jane Watson and Flash Thompson. (Flash would later have an affair with Betty circa 1986.)



Electricity is actually mined by coal. Or moving water to power a turbine. Or something. Also, is this the first time MJ met Jonah?



I'm trying to figure out why either Flash or Jonah like Guy Lombardo. And who is Mantovani?

Wikipedia to the rescue! Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (November 15, 1905 – March 29, 1980), known by the mononym Mantovani, was a popular conductor and light orchestra-style entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. He is more associated with the light orchestra genre than any other entertainer.

MJ can even make '70s fashion look good. And I'm guessing Harry's therapist is Dr. Barton "Bart" Hamilton.



We've discussed on this board how Peter Parker doesn't usually drink anything with "zing" in it.
The Daily Bugle has a Paris office? Newspapers sure have changed.



It's the Shocker that's doing this, not Electro, surprisingly.
Peter webs his way up to the helicopter. Later on, next issue...



Len Wein must watch a lot of Marx Bros. movies or something.



Suffering succotash!

So, wait... Mary Jane was a student at ESU? I might have to break out the ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN collections, but I don't recall Mary Jane actually being a college student along with Peter, Flash, Harry, etc.



Who knew Peter Parker was a finicky eater?

Another issue passes, and...





Yes, Peter's talking about the Gwen Stacy clone.

You know, a moment like this you have to wonder what Mary Jane was really thinking, especially with the "I know Peter is Spider-Man, but he doesn't know I know" addition. I would like to see a moment like this revisited from Mary Jane's POV, showing specifically what she was thinking. And keep in mind, at this point MJ could easily guess Ben Parker's death was why Spider-Man suddenly went from performer to crime-fighter even if she *didn't* know Peter blamed himself for that.

Comments

[2cards_short.insanejournal.com]

Mary Jane: Mary Jane learn to talk about herself in the third person from Doom.

[jaybee3.insanejournal.com]

Posting scans of how awesome Peter/MJ were together and how the present sitatution blows makes me all the more depressed knowing the present regime will last several more years yet (until Queseda is gone or he needs a sales spike). But thanks for posting them. Except for the fashions a lot of bronze age comics really do stand up these days.

[ar_feiniel_.insanejournal.com]

Peter really should have at least told MJ that he was slipping out to take photos. She has every right to be pissed.

Also, I love Jonah here.

[starwolf_oakley.insanejournal.com]

You're welcome. That fashion sure is odd, isn't it?

The present situation does indeed "blow," but the previous situation also sometimes gave us attempts to "deepen" MJ in ways. I'm not saying MJ should be a shallow model/actress, but giving her "layers" seem to say she's "deeper" than Peter.

And yet, Superman works with Lois Lane, and it is difficult to "see" Superman without Lois Lane around in some way. Why was Superman (character and series) never "hindered" by Lois Lane the way Quesada and Co. saw Spider-Man (character and series) hindered by Mary Jane Watson.

[box_in_the_box.insanejournal.com]

Depends on who you talk to.

Back in 2000, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Mark Millar and Tom Peyer thought that Lois "hindered" Superman enough that they decided to do something about it (http://geniusboyfiremelon.blogspot.com/search/label/superman%202000).

Note: Waid is now writing Spider-Man.

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm. Lot of big coincidences with their proposal, dontchathink?

--stillanerd

[(Anonymous)]

"You know, a moment like this you have to wonder what Mary Jane was really thinking, especially with the "I know Peter is Spider-Man, but he doesn't know I know" addition. I would like to see a moment like this revisited from Mary Jane's POV, showing specifically what she was thinking. And keep in mind, at this point MJ could easily guess Ben Parker's death was why Spider-Man suddenly went from performer to crime-fighter even if she *didn't* know Peter blamed himself for that."

To be fair, this was technically the first time she and Peter were ever a serious item, as past dates they ever went on were more of a friendly variety rather than anything real serious. So while she knew the real reason why Peter would make "disappearing acts," this was the first time she ever got to experience this while they were officially a couple. Not to mention he also left her alone without saying so much as a word where he was going. Even if he had to come up with a corny excuse she knew to be a half-truth for why he had to leave, such as "the Bugle might need pictures," at least it would have been something rather than just outright ditching her and saying nothing at all. Course, this is just speculation since the scene, at the time, was written in mind that MJ didn't know about his double identity.

--stillanerd

[autolychus2.insanejournal.com]

Meh. With Lois, without Lois, the Big Blue Boyscout is as dull as dishwater either way.

[jaybee3.insanejournal.com]

Personally, as much as I respect the writers of that proposal (well, their Superman work anyway) if you complain that the Lois/Clark marriage is boring and your only solution is to make magically go away then that tells me you have no confidence in your own ability (never mind the past) to write a married couple. I'm not married but most of the adults I know are (or have been at one time) and marriage is NOT a dramatic dead-end. There are plenty of stories to tell and I actually think that Johns, Busiek and Rucka (who writes a very good Lois Lane) have written a Lois/Clark during the OYL era where Lois as Clark's sounding board in decisions and co-conspirator in keeping the "secret" are vitally important to the stories. So is her place among the pecking order in the Hero Communities civilian significant others.

Also in the pre-Crisis stories the love triangle they so want to create was between a Superman/Clark/Lois that no longer exists. Post-Crisis Superman is Clark first and Superman second. Pre-Crisis it was the other way around. The whole point of the romance post-reboot was to show that even though Lois was attracted to Superman, she eventually fell in love with Clark not knowing who he was. The "triangle" this proposal wanted harkens back to an era when that was not true.

[arilou_skiff.insanejournal.com]

I do think a difference is that Lois was a part of the supporting cast from day one: She was pretty much created to be the foil-slash-love interest. MJ became attached as the series went on, and was never really the "undisputed" canonical love interest the way Lois was.

[greenmask.insanejournal.com]

I love you, seventies fashion.

[starwolf_oakley.insanejournal.com]

Now I'm picturing Doom giving Mary Jane acting lessons.

Doom: "Bah!"

Mary Jane: Bah.

Doom: No, from the diaphragm. Like all your disgust and contempt for the worms around you is coming out in one syllable. "Bah!"

Mary Jane: BAH!

Doom: Better.