Scans_Daily

No cap, I loved this. It was even a plays-fair mystery in a broad sense: we got plenty of MJ and Paul before the reveal, but I automatically discounted it because MJ's Venomphobia is one of the few bits from the 1990s that's actually stuck to her character in the years since. But Ewing had a plan to address that and even make it help drive the story, because of course he did.

I'm not much of a Peter-MJ shipper--I don't mind them together but I don't mind them apart, either. Paul has just enough Peter Parker in him (the guilt/responsibility, the tech ingenuity, the brunet nerd who starts looking kinda hot when the glasses come off) that I can see the basis for the attraction, in broad strokes. My problem with Paul up to now is that beyond those broad strokes, he's been a boring nothingburger of a character--somewhat less so since becoming MJ's "guy in the chair," but that was still jumping from one plot-mandated role to another.

But now? I'm invested! Poor guy is really trying to be a good dad despite being less certain than ever that he'll retain that status--with a hint of the trauma of losing his other kids. He and MJ might just be donezo over this--if the next issue had him flying off to New Zealand, it wouldn't be out of place--and I actually don't want him to go!

Ewing makes this all look so goddamn easy, you wonder why everyone isn't doing it like this. (Answer: it's not easy at all, and sometimes editorial makes it much harder. Whoever's clearing obstacles out of Ewing's way deserves a raise.)