Spider-Woman #8

[ozaline]

Trigger Warning for Suicide



So Jessica Drew has been getting some bad press as of late, so as one of her biggest fans it lies to me to to share some of her exploits of yore. So as Halloween approaches I think I'll share some early issues of Spider Woman, when the comic had the catchphrase "To Know Her is to Fear Her," and focused a lot on supernatural, and horror elements (Really Hydra was only a small part of her backstory at this point).

Thing's are starting to go pretty well for Jessica at this point, for the first time since she left the High Evolutionary's Mountain stronghold of Wundagore she's found someone to love, Jerry Hunt, and things are looking up for her... So why then is she willing to die for a stranger?




Jerry and Jessica were enjoying a lovely day at the fair, when a man leaps from the ferris wheel intent on ending his own life. Jessica changes into Spider-woman to rescue him, but has to do it several more times as he tries ever and ever more elaborate ways of ending his own life.

Eventually he subdues her, and when she comes to he tells her that she must die with him. He relates the story of how he was an American soldier during the Revolution, and he failed to warn his platoon that they were walking right into a British ambush, dooming them to save his own neck.






Free from her chains, Spider-Woman is able to overcome the bear with her Venom Blasts *pew* *pew*



A rather twisted take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast, is it not? Still Samuel was able to find the release he was seeking,but for Spider-Woman and for Scans Daily the nightmare is just beginning. *Fiendish laughter and creepy organ music ensues*

Comments

[sadoeuphemist]

This is like a philosophical puzzle. Is it actually possible to be willing to do something, all the while knowing that you'll just not go through with it when the time comes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavka%27s_toxin_puzzle

[fungo_squiggly]

"According to your curse, you must find someone willing to die with you. I am willing. Hypothetically speaking. If I happened to be dying anyway, for example. Or if I knew the world was about to end. Surely that's good enough, right? If not, no matter! It won't be me who's left still alive but horrifically impaled on a spire of rock for all eternity."

[ozaline]

You know when I first read this as a kid, I assumed the chain broke by magic as the Curse's way of letting Jessica know she didn't have to die. It didn't help that I read it one of those archie sized pocket digests that tended to have very hard to read text.

But now yeah, Jessica just assumed that the real deal was his needing to show caring and that he'd met the conditions. It'd be interesting if this guy came back as a bad guy after spending years impaled, and wants revenge for being tricked by her.

[donnblake]

So... the curse was in his head the whole time?

[lbd_nytetrayn]

So... She broke the chains, then they somehow came back, so she broke them again?

[ozaline]

"I was too weak to stop him," ... "I could have broken the chains at any time." On the same page. The story doesn't have great continuity, that's for sure.

I assume there was enough chain left for Jessica to tie herself to the guy, but yeah after re-reading the story I realize how poorly executed a lot of it was. Still enjoy the basic concept and the horror themes of the early issues.

[halloweenjack]

Is this Claremont?

[ozaline]

Marv Wolfman; Chris Claremont's first issue was 34, I'm pretty sure.

[fiddlingfrog.livejournal.com]

So has Jessica's costume ever changed? I think the size and the connectedness of the triangles varies by artist, but that's about it.

[ozaline]

Just once, in her first few appearances her mask covered her hair... after that it's been left the same. Before her reintroduction she was in less than 100 issues before loosing her powers (50 of her own mag), so I guess she never had much of a chance to get a make-over.

Psst!

[raspberryrain]

This is Carmine Infantino art, and we do have a Carmine Infantino tag.

Re: Psst!

[ozaline]

added.