What Happened After Spider-Man's (Botched) Proposal to Mary Jane?

In the romantic city of Pittsburg, a 1987 storyline continued Peter Parker and MJ's engagement journey. My retrospective on the early Spider-Man marriage years continues this week at CBR.

I Thee Web: Spider-Man's Chaotic Engagement to Mary Jane

Spider-Man's engagement to MJ created turmoil in the comic book series...and behind-the-scenes. I begin a new series devoted to the early "marriage years" this week at  CBR. Spread the word!

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #98 - November 1998

The Final Chapter

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Spider-Man webs up the deranged Green Goblin, but soon notices one last pumpkin bomb in the rubble.  It explodes, causing the Daily Bugle building to collapse.  Spider-Man holds up the building with its support beam, giving its occupants time to escape.  Finally, he lifts the building’s remains and webs them into place.  He then races to the hospital to warn Reed Richards not to remove the implant in Aunt May’s brain.  Eventually, Reed figures out a way to remove the implant without setting off the DNA bombs.  Later, the Green Goblin is taken to a padded cell.  His doctors are shocked to discover what’s under his mask.  The Scriers suddenly appear and confiscate the Goblin.

The Subplots:  Jonah Jameson is more determined than ever to bring down Spider-Man after the Daily Bugle building is destroyed.  After learning that May will live, Peter burns his costume and tells MJ that he won’t allow Spider-Man to interfere with their lives again.  MJ tells Peter that her agent is helping them find a new apartment, and that she’ll make enough money to help pay for Aunt May’s medical bills.

Creative Differences:  According to John Byrne, an earlier concept of this storyline had Peter Parker driven to the brink after a series of events, wishing for a simpler time.  His wish was to be granted by the Shaper of Worlds, transforming his desire into reality, returning the teenage Spider-Man to present-day continuity. (See this Comic Book Legends Revealed column.)

Gimmicks:  This issue comes with two covers, at no extra cost.  One is the happy ending cover, and the other depicts the “end” of Spider-Man. Some copies have the happy cover on the front, others have the “death” ending stapled on top.

Review:  Naturally, this title is cancelled as well, although it’s one of the “fake” cancellations.  Peter Parker, Spider-Man will continue with the same creative team and a new #1 in only two months.  Ending Peter Parker, Spider-Man at #98 just comes across as bad planning, doesn’t it?  Why not end Sensational or Spectacular an issue or two earlier, and then allow PPSM to reach #100?  It’s surprising that Marvel passed up on an opportunity for a big anniversary issue, although I guess they reasoned that the new Peter Parker, Spider-Man #1 would be an equal, or better, commercial draw.  Why not have both?  End this era of Spider-Man with a giant-sized Peter Parker, Spider-Man #100, and then launch into the new Peter Parker, Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1 a few months later.  Better yet, just retire Peter Parker, Spider-Man and make the companion title Spectacular Spider-Man, the original spinoff.  Ah, well.  The numbering issues are the least of the titles’ worries at this point.

It’s obvious by now that the remit for the relaunch is “back to basics.”  Not only is John Byrne rebooting the first year of Spider-Man continuity in the Chapter One maxi-series, but the new status quo established this issue has a sickly Aunt May back from the grave, Spider-Man rejected by the public, Jonah Jameson out for Spider-Man’s blood, and Peter Parker ready to throw away his tights forever.  I believe this is the first time the Spider-Man titles simply embraced nostalgia so unashamedly.  (Nostalgia was likely a partial motivation for introducing Ben Reilly, but it seems as if the creators also wanted to try something new at the time.)  Fan response was mostly negative, to say the least, and it’s not hard to discern why.  For decades, the focus on the Spider-Man titles was the Life of Peter Parker.  The direction Peter’s life should take was always up for debate, but I don’t recall any significant segment of fandom wishing that the status quo could just revert back to the 1960s.  After Bob Harras left as editor-in-chief, Marvel seemed to veer away from the retro-approach for a few years, but any attempt to progress Peter’s life was ultimately futile.  Nostalgia wasn’t the culprit in the 2000s, however.  For the sake of synergy with the movies and cartoons, Spider-Man couldn’t be allowed to move past his “classic” status quo, which means the basic setup isn’t going to vary much from the Stan Lee days.  Spider-Man in a crappy apartment, can’t get a date, can’t keep a job…the seeds of the retrofitting begin here.  Marvel wasn’t willing to go quite that far in 1998, but it’s not hard to guess how much they wanted to.

Ignoring the debate over whether or not Spider-Man should be stuck in this loop, “The Final Chapter” is tasked with providing some kind of transition between the old-new and new-old approaches.  It’s a miserable failure.  This issue opens with the revelation that the final few pages of the previous chapter were only Osborn’s fantasy, since he’s actually the one granted madness by the Gathering of Five.  It’s a predictable move, and Mackie’s attempts to write “crazy” dialogue are unbearable, but it could be argued that the creators are playing fair with the reader.  We’ve already been told that the Gathering’s gifts aren’t what they might initially seem to be, so within the context of the storyline, revealing that the previous chapter’s over-the-top cliffhanger was a hallucination isn’t a total cheat.  The rest of the issue doesn’t generate even that much goodwill, however.  The ultimate goals of this storyline are to revive Aunt May, recast Spider-Man as a public pariah, reignite Jonah’s hatred of Spider-Man, send Norman Osborn offstage, and get Peter to a place where he’s willing to hang up the webs once again.  It's all competently rendered by Romita, but can anyone argue that the story has succeeded in dramatizing any of these ideas?   

Aunt May’s resurrection is laughably absurd, and needlessly complicated, all because no one wanted to type the word “clone” at this stage.  Jonah’s justification for hating Spider-Man turns him into even more of a lunatic than he ever was in the Silver Age.  The basic idea of Jonah hating Spider-Man after the Bugle’s destruction is fine, but not when he clearly sees that Spider-Man a) is not the aggressor in the fight, and b) is risking his life to preserve what’s left of the building and save innocent lives.  (In a multi-page tribute to Amazing Spider-Man #33, of course.)  The public turning on Spider-Man again is just thrown in there, with a crowd gathering outside of the Daily Bugle, already carrying placards, and dutifully following the script.  Norman Osborn’s story ends in a cliffhanger, one I’m willing to bet was never satisfactorily resolved whenever he next appeared.  And, finally, Peter throws in the towel yet again.  This might actually be the most coherent scene in the issue, since it’s somewhat defensible that Peter would be motivated to quit after seeing how his life as Spider-Man nearly killed Aunt May.  Heck, I’ll be charitable and not complain too much about that one, even if Peter’s dialogue is wooden and unconvincing during his big dramatic moment.  But the rest of this…what’s the excuse?  This isn’t just a lame ending to a specific storyline, it’s the end of an era of the titles, the final issue of this series (sort of), the prelude to the brave “new” direction of the books…and it’s an outright bomb.  Only the most hardcore of fans, or the morbidly curious, could possibly want to come back for more of this.

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #97 - November 1998

Let the Heavens Tremble at the Power of the Goblin! The Final Chapter Part 2

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  The Green Goblin flies to his upstate hunting lodge to confront Spider-Man.  On the premises, Spider-Man contends with genetically altered trees and animals.  Eventually the Goblin faces Spider-Man, handing him a copy of the Osborn Journal, which the Goblin says he should’ve found months ago.  Spider-Man watches as Osborn’s written words morph into an accusation that Peter Parker poisoned his aunt when she discovered he’s Spider-Man.  Enraged, Spider-Man knocks the Goblin down and restrains him with webbing.  He enters a bedroom, expecting to find his daughter May.  Instead, he’s struck with a vase by Aunt May.

The Subplots:  MJ is fitted with clothes for her new modeling assignment, but is now unsure if she’s doing the right thing.

Web of Continuity:  

• This issue marks the full debut of the Green Goblin’s new costume.  It’s the first of many John Byrne will redesign during this era.
• Osborn claims Spider-Man should’ve found his journal when he invaded Osborn’s office back in Spectacular Spider-Man #250.
• The Osborn Journal was a one-shot published in 1997 with the goal of tying up some of the loose ends surrounding Norman Osborn’s resurrection.  According to Osborn this issue, the journal was a mix of truth and lies.

“Huh?” Moment:  MJ remarks that the dress she’s trying on costs more than she’s been making in a year.  She hasn’t had a job in a year, right?

Miscellaneous Note:  The Statement of Ownership lists average sales for the year at 108,050 copies, with the most recent issue selling 103,907.

Review:  Admittedly, this issue isn’t as shamefully bad as the previous PPSM, but it’s still terrible.  I’m forced to revert, once again, to bullet points.

• The issue opens with one of the dumbest clichés of the modern age, the villain killing his henchmen for absolutely no reason.  It’s possible that this was a chilling idea once, it sounds like something Denny O’Neil would’ve done with the Joker back in the ‘70s, but I can’t personally recall a time when it’s ever had any impact.  Seriously, did any of these scenes ever elicit any kind of a response out of you?  Did anyone ever mourn the loss of Background Goon #3?  A villain killing his pawn for failing him, sure; but the random murder of faceless underlings is an utterly moronic move for any so-called “brilliant” mastermind.  How is he going to find new flunkies if he keeps killing his existing ones for dramatic effect?
• Not only is Osborn now acting like a cut-rate Joker, but the story has him stealing gimmicks from a different villain every few pages.  He’s created an evil garden for Spider-Man to swing through, plus freakish mutated animals (which are virtually identical to the demons Romita, Jr. designed back in Daredevil’s Mephisto arc), he’s written a fake journal with the goal of framing Peter Parker, and he has a new plan to detonate a “DNA Bomb” that will reshape the world in his image.  Only one of those schemes actually sounds like something Osborn would do, and it’s the plot that he casually gives up on this issue.
• Speaking of the fake journal…I’m sure anyone who bought the Osborn Journal a few months earlier in order to piece together how exactly Marvel justified reviving Osborn was thrilled to discover that it had been written in disappearing ink and was filled with lies.
• 
  The combination of John Romita, Jr., Scott Hanna, and colorist Gregory Wright do a lot to sell the mood this issue.  I would argue that they’re solely responsible for any atmosphere the issue contains.  The pages of Spider-Man confronting the Green Goblin at dusk look amazing; they’re almost pretty enough to distract from the utter nonsense the characters are speaking.
• Not surprisingly at this point, the scripting is a mess.  The issue opens with one of Osborn’s goons thinking, “He’s letting us help with the new costume,” (as we plainly see the goons dressing Osborn) and things don’t improve from there.  Someone might argue that it’s an intentional effort to evoke the Silver Age, but really, there’s no charm here.  It’s just awkward.  Try reading some of this stuff aloud.  “But, as with any great act of creation there will be some casualties and a significant amount of pain.  To that end you might consider my killing you a gift bestowed upon an old friend of the Osborn family!”
• “Thanks for the generous offer, Norman, but I’m going to have to refuse…on account of your being a nut case!”  Awful jokes, too.
• The return of Aunt May…since this is the last page reveal, I’ll hold off on discussing this in-depth until later.  I will acknowledge that as a cliffhanger, this is guaranteed to get some reaction out of the readership.  (People honestly believed at the time that Marvel would never revive Aunt May.)  If someone like J. M. DeMatteis wrote this scene, I would have some faith that something clever is coming next.  Having May call Spider-Man a “horrible creature” and attack him with a vase would’ve been a cute joke if the next chapter revealed that this is some kind of impostor given out-of-date directions, but that’s simply not the case.  Yes, not only is Marvel reviving Aunt May, but we’re getting that Aunt May…

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #95 - September 1998

Free Fall

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Following a recent increase in mob violence, the mayor declares war on guns.  Spider-Man does his part by helping the police stop gun traffickers.  As Peter Parker, he meets Betty Brant at the Daily Bugle to discuss the gun story.  They run into Norman Osborn and his grandson Normie outside of the elevators, shortly before Nitro appears.  Nitro detonates, forcing Peter to shove Betty into the elevator for cover.  The elevator falls to the ground, trapping everyone inside.  After enduring Osborn’s taunts, Peter finally uses his super-strength to move the rubble and enable everyone to escape.  Luckily, Betty is knocked unconscious and Normie looks away, ensuring Spider-Man maintains his secret identity.

The Subplots:  MJ tells Peter that their finances have grown too tight.  She also mentions that Aunt Anna is considering moving back to Florida.  Meanwhile, Kingpin delights in the mayor’s crackdown on guns, boasting that it makes his life easier.  While Osborn is attacked, other crimelords are also targeted by the Kingpin’s hitmen.  Later, Osborn tells a mystery figure on the phone that it’s time for the “gathering of the five” to begin.

Web of Continuity:  Peter has to check into the hospital for broken ribs after escaping the elevator.  While there, Jonah informs him that Fortunato is at the same hospital, near death, following a mysterious attack.  This was perhaps an effort to write Fortunato out of the books, because he seems to disappear after this point.

How Did This Get Published?:  Witness Peter’s speech to Norman on page nineteen.  Yes, it is “painful for us all.”

I Love the ‘90s:  Spider-Man comments on the unnamed mayor of New York’s focus on “quality of life” crimes, which was a staple of Rudy Giuliani’s term as mayor.

Review:  Admittedly, there is a great hook behind the issue.  Peter and Norman trapped in an elevator together, neither one able to reveal his enhanced strength without compromising his secret identity, should’ve been the setup for a fantastic story.  And, by now, is it a shock to learn that the execution doesn’t live up to the premise?  

Howard Mackie had recently been named as the sole current-continuity writer of the titles following the relaunch, so there was more of an effort on Marvel’s part to push his work on this book.  I recall a few online critics picking up this issue after months away from the titles, and the results weren’t pretty.  It was hard to find anyone willing to defend Peter Parker, Spider-Man at this point.  I’m willing to forgive the clumsy opening pages that focus on the gun crackdown; I realize that they’re mainly there to provide a few pages of Spidey-in-costume action and to give Peter an excuse to go to the Bugle.  I’m willing to overlook the shockingly bland characterization Kingpin has received since returning to the titles, since he’s playing a small role this issue.  I’ll even keep my mouth shut when MJ makes yet another comment about how young she and Peter are (MJ is at least less shrewish this issue.)  But don’t dedicate virtually half of your issue to Norman Osborn if you absolutely cannot write Norman Osborn.  This Norman Osborn isn’t clever enough to get underneath anyone’s skin, nor is he particularly intimidating.  He also isn’t the sweaty-browed, borderline loon from the Stan Lee days.  I have no idea what Mackie was going for when scripting Osborn’s dialogue, unless he was honestly under the impression that Osborn is some form of robot.  Then again, practically every cast member in this book now talks in some unnatural, stilted speech pattern.  And those giant blocks of text…not even Tom Orzechowski could make this pretty.  

Even if you’re able to forgive Howard Mackie for not being David Mamet, the plot mechanics of the issue are also a problem.  Yes, we’re presented with a great predicament for Peter to get out of, but the story immediately gives him a series of copouts that kill the drama.  How will Betty respond when she sees Peter lift the girders?  Who knows, since she was knocked out as soon as Nitro exploded.  What will little Normie see?  Nothing, since Peter tells him to turn his head.  Are the security cameras still working?  Let’s check…nope.  They’re not.  So, you’re all clear, Peter.  Give a thoroughly unsatisfying speech and just get the story over with.  I’m not naïve enough to expect Peter’s secret identity to be revealed before the issue’s over, but shouldn’t the story have some tension running through it?  And if Norman Osborn is going to be the main villain of the titles again, shouldn’t he become a compelling antagonist in some way?  And have schemes that consist of more than just throwing little barbs at Peter while they’re in public?  Okay, that last complaint will be dealt with soon enough, but I'd like to meet the human being who thinks "The Gathering of Five" is a classic Norman Osborn story…

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #94 - August 1998

Who Was Joey Z?

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  After having nightmares about Joey Z’s death, Spider-Man decides to ask Arthur Stacy to help him learn more about Joey.  He discovers Arthur at his home, recovering from a bullet wound.  Arthur explains that he’s made enemies over the years, and that Jill’s recent inquiry into Joey Z’s past has intensified the efforts of a mystery man to drive him out of town.  Meanwhile, the Kingpin sends Ox on a mission to dissuade Jill from learning the truth about Joey Z.  Spider-Man follows Jill’s trail around town, eventually saving her from Ox and the Kingpin’s men.  After discovering that she’s looking into Joey Z’s past in order to learn more about Spider-Man, he decides to finally talk to her about Gwen’s death.

The Subplots:  During a break in the action, Peter and Jill spend time getting to know each other.  They take a walk around the places Peter used to take Gwen.

Web of Continuity:  

• The issue opens with a somewhat random introduction from the Watcher.  He speculates on the various ways reality can diverge from this point; one ends with Peter and Jill in love, another ends with her dead.  This is one of the earliest indications that Marvel’s going for a love triangle between Peter, MJ, and Jill (a letter published a few months earlier enthusiastically endorsed this idea.)  Ultimately, the forced “girl trouble” fizzles out a few months into the reboot.
• Arthur Stacy claims that the gunmen at the Parkers’ home that shot Jill a few issues ago were after him, sending him a message to leave town.
• Apparently, there’s some confusing continuity regarding Ox and whether or not he’s dead.  This issue tries to establish that this Ox is the one believed dead in Daredevil #86, and that his twin brother currently works with the Enforcers.  Ox isn’t dead because the Kingpin’s men found him “barely alive in that alley many months ago” and nursed him back to health.
• A montage establishes that Joey Z. had ties to established characters including the Thing (during his Yancy Street days), Silvermane, Sebastian Shaw and the Hellfire Club, and according to Jill, someone named “Mel Phisto.”  (ugh)
• Spider-Man references the George Washington Bridge as the site of Gwen’s death, even though it’s been consistently named as the Brooklyn Bridge over the years.  The original story called it the George Washington Bridge, even though the artist drew the Brooklyn Bridge, creating years of confusion.  I believe all of the reprints change the dialogue to match the art, reaffirming that the Brooklyn Bridge is the official place of her death.

Review:  I will say that this story is tailor-made for John Romita, Jr., who handles all of the giant hulking figures, firefights, and gritty street scenes just as well as you’d imagine.  Like the previous issue, if you look at the art and don’t concentrate on the dialogue or try to comprehend why these events are happening, it’s mindlessly entertaining.  But anyone with even rudimentary critical thinking skills has to question how on earth Howard Mackie continues to get away with this stuff.  

Absolutely nothing in this issue makes any sense.  Spider-Man is suddenly obsessed with learning more about the “low-level thug” killed in order to frame him, which is already a dubious starting point for the story.  Yes, Spider-Man is the most compassionate of Marvel’s heroes, but the idea that he just can’t live with himself until he learns more about a random dead thug is silly.  And why is he going to Arthur Stacy for help?  He is a private detective, true, but wouldn’t Spidey’s sources on the police force be more help?  Then we have the laughably ridiculous investigation into Joey Z., which never gives any actual answers, but establishes that Joey had connections to almost every corner of the Marvel Universe.  If Mackie’s being intentionally absurd, fine, but most of the humor in these scenes is purely by accident.  Perhaps the issue could’ve told an actual story about Joey Z., instead of this half-comedy, half-street drama nonsense.  Spider-Man attempting to piece together the life of Joey Z. isn’t inherently a bad premise for a story, provided he has a decent motivation and there actually is something worth learning about Joey Z.  A one-shot story that takes the time to develop Joey Z. as a three-dimensional character, making the reader care about him in some way, would’ve at least been an effort to elevate him past the level of plot device.  Plus, I’d love to see John Romita, Jr. draw a mini-Scorsese movie as an issue of Spider-Man.

Another irritating aspect of the issue is the insane idea that Jill is going to learn more about Spider-Man by investigating Joey Z.  Spider-Man’s apparently the only character in the Marvel Universe with no previous ties to Joey Z., so what was she hoping to find?  Out of every character ever introduced in the history of these titles, why has she singled out Joey Z. as her source for information on Spider-Man?  Why is she suddenly risking her life to learn information she’s exhibited no interest in over the course of her numerous appearances?  

As I’ve said many times by now, Jill’s a blank slate of a character, which makes the attempts to shoehorn her into a love interest role even more painful.  Her allegedly poignant moments with Peter this issue just consist of them reenacting things he did with Gwen years earlier.  Jill has no identity of her own.  Ox even threatens to throw Jill off the bridge Gwen died on, an act that Spider-Man has to acknowledge would be too cliché.  She’s Gwen’s cousin, and every aspect of her character always relates back to Gwen, even the dismal attempts to make her a romantic rival of MJ’s.  And who in their right mind thought the readers actually wanted a storyline teasing the possibility of Spider-Man cheating on his wife?  Every aspect of this story is just wrongheaded, and unfortunately, it’s merely foreshadowing what’s to come in the titles.

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #92 - June 1998

Stuck in the Middle with You!

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

The Plot:  Dusk helps Trapster defeat a group of assassins known as the Waiters.  He tries to grow closer to Trapster, but is unable to get him to confess to Joey Z’s murder.  Eventually, Trapster declares that he has something to show Dusk.  He takes Dusk to one of Norman Osborn’s secret labs and threatens Osborn’s life.  When Dusk tries to talk him out of it, Trapster turns on him.  Dusk ends up with confessions from both Trapster and Osborn on tape, but his secret recorder is broken during his fight with Trapster.  When Trapster regains consciousness, Dusk convinces him to confess to Joey Z’s murder.  Trapster agrees, but keeps Osborn’s role a secret as a bargaining chip against him.

The Subplots:  Norman Osborn defends Peter when Professor Howard criticizes his work.  Aunt Anna is homesick for Florida.  Paul Stacy grows increasingly hostile.  Jill wonders if Paul’s taking his medication.  

Web of Continuity:  I believe Anna’s idle thoughts on Florida foreshadow her leaving the titles again.  (Although, I seem to recall her sticking around in the early reboot issues, so maybe the creators didn’t go through with it.)  Bizarrely, this issue implies that Aunt Anna is the one paying the mortgage on Aunt May’s old home.  Why wasn’t it left to Peter?

How Did This Get Published?:  It’s hard to choose which snippet of Mackie Robot Speak to highlight this issue.  Here’s a clunker from Jill:  “I’m fine, but…have you found out anything more about this Joey Z. and his connection to Spider-Man?  I feel as though we are so close to uncovering a clue to his involvement in Cousin Gwen’s death.”  And I feel as though no actual human being talks like this…

Review:  So…that’s the end of “Identity Crisis?”  Two of the other chapters showed Peter definitively giving up an alternate identity and embracing Spider-Man again, but we don’t even get that much in the final issue.  The resolution we do get is a rather feeble payoff, since the Trapster isn’t any better off at the end than he was before he teamed up with Dusk, and he hasn’t had a convincing arc that sells the idea of him confessing anything.  Are we to believe that he’s really any safer from Osborn in prison?  What kind of a resolution is this?  And there’s little else in the issue to redeem the lame ending.  The issue opens with Dusk and Trapster vs. the Waiters, joke assassins that dress like actual waiters, but with idiotic face paint and haircuts.  After that, Mackie touches base with the Stacys, the fruitless Professor Howard subplot reappears, Peter and MJ have a brief moment, and there’s a small attempt to flesh out the Trapster as a character.  There is a one-page conversation between Dusk/Spider-Man and Trapster that leads me to believe that maybe Mackie was on to something and could’ve developed the Trapster into a more believable character, but that promise was short-lived.  I will say that MJ is more likable, by the standards of this title, during her scenes this issue.  She’s still nagging Peter, this time about money, but she doesn’t come across as abrasive and out-of-character as she has in previous Mackie stories.  And the revelation that Paul Stacy apparently has some kind of mental problems does at least explain his erratic behavior since his introduction.  It’s odd that it’s taken over a year to get this revelation, though.

Overall, I have to say that “Identity Crisis” goes down as one of the lesser events in Spidey history.  It’s not offensively dumb, and it’s gimmicky in an entertaining way, but the execution is sloppy all around.  Apparently, no one was paying close attention to the final product, since story points repeat endlessly throughout the event, and the continuity between chapters is often shoddy.  Three of the four new personas are considered potential employees by Norman Osborn!  How did that idea get repeated once, let alone twice?  And is there a reading order to these issues that makes any sense?  Some chapters end in cliffhangers, others don’t.  Major characters, like the Trapster, inexplicably disappear and reappear in-between chapters.  Major plot points are introduced and forgotten by the next chapter.  (Shouldn’t Peter be concerned now that the Black Tarantula is targeting his wife?)  Granted, there are some fun moments in the storyline, and at times the event did manage to break up some of the era’s monotony, but almost every chapter reads like a rough draft.  I think readers have a reasonable expectation of consistency when buying into a linewide event like this, and that’s something the spider-office did not deliver.

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #91 - May 1998

Undercover

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

The Plot:  The Trapster now has a price on his head, so that no loose ends remain from the framing of Spider-Man.  He defeats a group of Hand ninjas, but is soon targeted by Shocker.  Meanwhile, during a secret meeting at a cemetery, Detective Snipes and Arthur Stacy convince Spider-Man to approach the Trapster in a different identity and convince him to confess.  As Dusk, Spider-Man rescues the Trapster from Shocker.  He explains that he’s also been targeted by Norman Osborn and the two agree to team up.

The Subplots:  Jill has returned to school.  MJ is increasingly aggravated by the stress caused by Peter’s life as Spider-Man.

Forever Young:  MJ, twice in the same panel, spontaneously declares she’s too young for this stress.  She then repeats the “too young” claim a few pages later.  This is the beginning of an irritating theme that continues into the reboot -- Peter and MJ keep claiming they’re “too young” for anything that happens to them.  The creators also hammer home the idea that they were too young to get married.  Never mind that just a few weeks before this issue was published, Peter’s college days were established as being nine years ago in one story produced by the same office.  

I Love the ‘90s:  MJ’s just going to wait around for Peter until she grows old…NOT!

Review:  PPSM is often the weakest of the four monthly titles, but I was hoping that “Identity Crisis” could bring something out of the book.  Given that this title served as impetus for the event, and is the one dealing with the Trapster, it’s not outrageous to expect a bit more from its contributions to the storyline.  Instead, we get this half-hearted effort.  Yes, the art is as solid as ever, but I could nitpick this story for days.  Cliché elements that I can’t stand, like the Hand being dismissed as pathetic, disposable foes.  MJ acting even more unlikable than usual in a Mackie story.  (Even though this seems to be an intentional choice in order for Peter and MJ to have a heart-to-heart, at the end she’s still as irritable and petulant as she was before the conversation.)  Lazy plotting, such as Dusk being able to magically find the Trapster.  Jill just popping up fine and dandy after being near death an issue or so ago.  Lazy scripting, such as the art and script disagreeing on the spelling of “Cypress Hills” in one scene.  Lifeless dialogue, with no real personality for any character.  

And Dusk, so far, is the least interesting of the new identities, even if John Romita, Jr. succeeds in making a black void look cool.  We’ve seen some attempt to tie Spider-Man’s unique traits into his other identities, but Dusk really is just a void.  With no personality and not much of a gimmick, he’s just kind of there.  It could be argued that Spider-Man’s powers enable him to be stealthier than the average hero, which I suppose is Dusk’s hook, but the issue doesn’t communicate the idea at all.  Instead, it’s Spider-Man in black pajamas, switching identities because that’s what the story demands.

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #90 - April 1998

It Started on Yancy Street…Again!

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Scott Hanna (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

The Plot:  Peter and MJ are looking for a restaurant on Yancy Street when an interdimensional vacuum suddenly opens.  As Spider-Man, Peter chases after three teenagers who have been sucked into the void.  SHOC arrives and uses his powers to provide Spider-Man an anchor into this world.  Spider-Man soon finds himself inside the Negative Zone, where a group of rebels is fighting against Blastaar.  Spider-Man joins the rebel leader Dusk, who offers to help him find the missing teens.  When Dusk is injured in battle, Spider-Man assumes his identity.  Eventually Spider-Man inspires the rebels, defeats Blastaar, and rescues the teens.  He returns home wearing the new Dusk costume.

The Subplots:  None.

Web of Continuity:  

• SHOC feels his powers might be connected to this portal to the Negative Zone.
• Traveling into the Negative Zone has altered the colors of Spider-Man’s costume into black and white.  
• Spider-Man lands on Tarsuu, which is a planet inside the Negative Zone.  The rebels theorize that the portal to Earth was created by Blastaar’s attempts to find new dimensions to conquer.  
• We discover that this Dusk isn’t the original Dusk, his parents (or perhaps the parents of an earlier Dusk) were killed by Blastaar, and that the original Dusk was thrown into the distortion field between Earth and the Negative Zone.

How Did This Get Published?:  Spider-Man to the imperial troops on page ten:  “I traveled a long way to rescue guys dressed just like these three kids just dragged off.  I’m not leaving without them.”  No one read this line and thought it could stand a rewrite?

"Huh?" Moment:  A mystery figure is pining for the return of the original Dusk at the story’s end, telling Spider-Man (as if he’s there, although he isn’t) that he must find the true Dusk.  Rereading this scene, I’m assuming this is meant to be the replacement Dusk Spider-Man met earlier, although it’s hard to tell given that this is the first time we see him without the all-black Dusk mask (and the mask under the Dusk mask makes the mystery figure look like Spawn.)

Review:  One more issue building up to “Identity Crisis,” although thankfully it’s not another one ending with Peter and MJ deciding that he should adopt a new identity.  It is, however, another issue with a whiny, nagging, and anxious MJ.  The issue opens, literally on the first panel, with MJ scolding Peter for taking a coworker’s advice and looking for a restaurant on Yancy Street.  It’s impossible now to even get through one page of these stories without seeing this horrible, off-putting mischaracterization of MJ.  It’s amazing to me that anyone thought remaking MJ into such an unbearable shrew would somehow draw readers back into the Spider-Man titles.

The purpose of the issue is, obviously, to introduce the Dusk costume.  I think the other outfits don’t have origins more complicated than “Spider-Man made it” or “Spider-Man made it with MJ and/or the Prowler’s help.”  Attaching an actual story to one of the outfits isn’t a bad idea, and it gives John Romita, Jr. an excuse to draw a sci-fi setting he wouldn’t normally be allowed to explore in this book.  We’re also graced with another variation on Spider-Man’s costume, which serves no story purpose whatsoever, but I guess was one more option for Toy Biz to merchandise back in the ‘90s.  The Negative Zone look did appear in one of the early Spider-Man Playstation games, so it does have its own small place in history.

Does anything particularly entertaining come out of this Star Wars riff?  Not really.  The art is dynamic, and the change of pace does break up some of the monotony of the previous issues, but at no point in the story do you ever care about Dusk and the rebels.  Mackie seems to be connecting this plot to his ongoing SHOC storyline, establishing a few similarities between SHOC and Dusk.  SHOC isn’t the original SHOC, Dusk isn’t the original Dusk.  The true SHOC was taciturn and serious, the true Dusk was taciturn and serious.  Both are missing, and SHOC’s powers have an unrevealed connection to the Negative Zone.  Surely this can’t all be a coincidence.  But surely we can’t expect a real answer, either.  Assuming this all paid off one day, some of this issue’s flaws would be easily forgivable, but I don’t have the goodwill to assume these hints will ever go anywhere.