Amazing Spider-man 21 Preview

[TinkerSpider]

Reading the Black Cat and MJ mini today really sunk in how far removed the Wells run has been on having Pete and MJ actually have an adult conversation. This is now the second time we've gone down the rabbit hole of a big supernatural reason why Pete and MJ can't be together.

And the whole time I'm reading Amazing I just kept asking "why not have them just breakup like normal people?"

And people keep making these grand predictions for Paul secretly being an abusive creep or secretly Mephisto, or a time-displaced Peter from the future like Lars in Futurama. Honestly I think it's really as simple as Paul and the kids is supposed to be a rebutation of fans taking the One More Day story as literal that MJ is now retcon as being anti-marriage. It's there way of saying "Oh no, MJ would totally being willing to tie the knot. Just not with Peter." lol

You can't blame people for coming up with theories when the book refuses to give any clues - of course, it couldn't, because the reveal is "a magician did some magic and MJ was just happened to be affected by the magic because she just happened to be standing there" so the reveal had nothing to do with the greater story nor really the characters, it's just something that happens to them out of the blue.

I agree with the meta observation, however - except JRJR went out of his way to make the little boy look like Peter but with MJ's dimples and butt chin. Maybe that's supposed to be the "heartbreaking" conclusion we're promised - MJ and Peter have to sacrifice their children for the sake of the world, etc. etc. Of course, they undercut that by changing the little girl's name, so that's what people are mostly mocking.

[Lukmendes]

The kids haven't been eaten yet, but Wells said he had tears in his eyes when Wells pitched the story so fingers crossed!

Do you mean Lowe had tears in his eyes when Wells pitched the story?

Also worth keeping in mind we may have Wells breaking old trends, and have the kids eat Paul instead, and of course, all the trauma that comes with that 'cause the kids have to be fucked over too .

Oh, I very much doubt this will end with Peter and MJ together. He'll still keep them apart. Betting the "tears" part is that MJ and Peter can never be together or the world will end, some nonsense like that. After all, this entire story is because a magic guy did some magic and forced some sort of magical curse on Peter and MJ. So anything can happen out of the blue, it's all just random magic.

Figures that BND 2.0 would have OMD 2.0 as part of it.

And people keep making these grand predictions for Paul secretly being an abusive creep or secretly Mephisto, or a time-displaced Peter from the future like Lars in Futurama.

I still wonder how many would be suddenly supportive of Paul if that was the case.

Honestly, looking back at Bender's Big Score, Lars was a douchebag, 'cause he knows what his own existence means to Fry, yet he goes after Leela with absolutely no regrets over how this would affect Fry... It's also pretty boring that Lars' entire character development is only about Leela and he doesn't care about anyone, or anything, else...

You can't blame people for coming up with theories when the book refuses to give any clues - of course, it couldn't, because the reveal is "a magician did some magic and MJ was just happened to be affected by the magic because she just happened to be standing there" so the reveal had nothing to do with the greater story nor really the characters, it's just something that happens to them out of the blue.

I agree with the meta observation, however - except JRJR went out of his way to make the little boy look like Peter but with MJ's dimples and butt chin. Maybe that's supposed to be the "heartbreaking" conclusion we're promised - MJ and Peter have to sacrifice their children for the sake of the world, etc. etc. Of course, they undercut that by changing the little girl's name, so that's what people are mostly mocking.

I wasn't even aware any of the kids was named lol.

[rward777]

Do you mean Lowe had tears in his eyes when Wells pitched the story?

Also worth keeping in mind we may have Wells breaking old trends, and have the kids eat Paul instead, and of course, all the trauma that comes with that 'cause the kids have to be fucked over too .



Figures that BND 2.0 would have OMD 2.0 as part of it.



I still wonder how many would be suddenly supportive of Paul if that was the case.

Honestly, looking back at Bender's Big Score, Lars was a douchebag, 'cause he knows what his own existence means to Fry, yet he goes after Leela with absolutely no regrets over how this would affect Fry... It's also pretty boring that Lars' entire character development is only about Leela and he doesn't care about anyone, or anything, else...



I wasn't even aware any of the kids was named lol.

Lars was a alternative version of Fry. So Paul could be a alternative version of Peter

[HypnoHustler]

No one:
Zeb Wells: hey kids remember than character I've written 15 years ago nobody cared about? How about I center my entire run around him?

Oh come on, I am still sick after Spencer's Kindred... also- damn. Almost 15 years have passed. Do I feel old.

What did people think of ‘Sometimes it Snows in April’ anyway? I remember thinking it was all right at the time. Pretty decent as far as BND stories go. But yeah, definitely not some modern classic I regularly revisited like ‘Unscheduled Stop’ (then again, that’s probably the only classic from that first year of BND).

[lefthanded]

So...what I am inferring from this issue is that Peter and MJ can't be together because the world will end or some mystical mumbo-jumbo bull crap? That is dumb and lazy, I think that is even lazier than using Mephisto to break up their marriage. This comic blows. Also, those kids are Peters and MJ's, I am calling it right now! Also...Paul sucks, but you all already knew that.

Since it seems that Peter has burned all his bridges (not just with MJ), it has to be like that scene in Batman Begins where Bruce behaves poorly at the party. Peter probably knows something where he has to me a jerk to everybody to prevent some event from occurring.

If that is the reasoning though, it is a dumb mystery to tease readers with - externally induced actions are meaningless compared to internally-driven actions.

[Alex_Of_X]

Headcanon: Paul calls his daughter Romy cause she asked him to as she's a huge Gambit stan. MJ, a sensible person, calls the girl by her government name.

Anyway, w00t, we're here! Good, solid start to a, of al things, Mayan apocalypse tale. Very 2012.

(also reminds me of a great recent read: An Actual Star by Monica Byrne. Read it if you're into fantasy sci-fi!). Xibalba is to Mayan myth is what Hades or Hel is to Greek\Nordic. Wayeb, wiki tells me, is the period of time where the boundary between Xibalba and our world is weakest. So, I guess, closest to Halloween?

Anyway, one observation i had this issue is that....Paul is rather tan. The Maya of it all makes me thing that perhaps he's someone of Central American heritage? Two of my theories springing from that are:

1) Paul is a specialist on Mayan stuff who MJ sought out after getting back to Earth from Xibalba to better understand all the mystical mumbo jumbo. The kids are solely his
2) More out there, admittedly...but Paul might be WAYEB! Maybe he wanted to quit his gig. Frolic on earth, y'know. Be a dude. Grill meat on the weekends. And Peter was like all "no you kill MJ and doom the world" and he was like nah man, lemme be. Cue drama.

Weirdest of all would be if he's just...a guy they find in the Mayan underworld lmao

[NC_Yankee]

Since it seems that Peter has burned all his bridges (not just with MJ), it has to be like that scene in Batman Begins where Bruce behaves poorly at the party. Peter probably knows something where he has to me a jerk to everybody to prevent some event from occurring.

If that is the reasoning though, it is a dumb mystery to tease readers with - externally induced actions are meaningless compared to internally-driven actions.

In short a convoluted mess. Happy I did not read and especially buy this issue.

[TinkerSpider]

Do you mean Lowe had tears in his eyes when Wells pitched the story?

Oops, yes, that's what I meant.

Also worth keeping in mind we may have Wells breaking old trends, and have the kids eat Paul instead, and of course, all the trauma that comes with that 'cause the kids have to be fucked over too .

Maybe, but so far he's just playing his old hits (Maddie Pryor, Rabin and Wayeb). So there's some hope for graphic kid carnage yet!

Figures that BND 2.0 would have OMD 2.0 as part of it.

I mean, at least Mephisto had a reason to go after Peter and MJ.

This is just a magician who does magic and decides Peter should be the sacrifice because of his irridated blood (but if he's after irridated blood, wouldn't the Hulk be a better choice? He presumably would have more of it) even though Wayeb specifically said Peter is NOT suitable for a sacrifice because of his irridated blood in the original Wayeb story) and MJ just happens to be be there (somewhere in forgotten character land, Carlie Cooper is heaving a huge sigh of relief because in the original story, she's the one who Wayeb said he would return for. Yay Carlie! Being forgotten has its perks, right, Kaine?)

But yeah, no doubt it will be revealed if Peter and MJ are together in one place for too long, it will trigger the apocolypse or something like that. And no doubt only MJ remembers that and that's why she's been so cold to Peter, just like it was hinted - but then dropped - that MJ remembered the OMD deal but Peter didn't.

I wasn't even aware any of the kids was named lol.

Romy was named in ASM 4. Some speculated that it was a nickname for Rosemary, and the plant rosemary signifies remembrance, so people thought it might be a clue. Others speculated she was named one or both Romitas.

But no, now she's just a Stephanie.

Headcanon: Paul calls his daughter Romy cause she asked him to as she's a huge Gambit stan. MJ, a sensible person, calls the girl by her government name.

Except it was MJ who called her Romy in ASM 4.

Anyway, w00t, we're here! Good, solid start to a, of al things, Mayan apocalypse tale. Very 2012.

Agree it's...somewhat stale LOL.

Weirdest of all would be if he's just...a guy they find in the Mayan underworld lmao

That's actually my theory LOL. Or he belongs to the same group of indigeneous people who were trying to stop Rabin from contacting Wayeb in the first story, and he's protecting the kids/MJ. Probably also why he has facial hair, because Wayeb can be defeated by the power of the facial scruff.

[jwatson]

Wow, this was just a hot mess. lol. I really don't know what else to say but this felt like the writer from the annual i believe and whoa. The scenes of peter beating up the bad guy but not really saying anything. The lady's husband or whatever comment was just cringe. And i admit the last issue i read was 18 but still for the issue we have all be waiting for i have a lot of questions. wow.

and that scene of MJ and paul was just plain gag. I mean "See you when the kids are safe." i literally shook my head.

[Lukmendes]

Lars was a alternative version of Fry. So Paul could be a alternative version of Peter

He could, I'm just wondering if fans would suddenly be a lot nicer to him if that were the case.

That and, well, Lars was a boring character, and from what I hear Paul is even worse, so making Paul into a Lars situation wouldn't do him a lot of favors lol.

Maybe, but so far he's just playing his old hits (Maddie Pryor, Rabin and Wayeb). So there's some hope for graphic kid carnage yet!

Don't even know what the Rabin is lol.

Also apparently another comic mentioned the Wells' New Mutants' method of getting in/out of Limbo, by using a baby's skin (Though the original method specifically used a baby's skin who was part of whatever ritual Madelyne was doing), though I'm not sure if that one was written by Wells.

Either way, maybe Wells is playing his usual clichés straight, only to come up with a twist when it's dinner time .

I mean, at least Mephisto had a reason to go after Peter and MJ.

To think ASM's writing quality can be so bad that something like this can be said non-ironically.

Not that Mephisto's motivation for going after Spidey was good to begin with, specially with how nonsensically tame the deal was...

This is just a magician who does magic and decides Peter should be the sacrifice because of his irridated blood (but if he's after irridated blood, wouldn't the Hulk be a better choice? He presumably would have more of it)

Going after Hulk is, difficult lol.

Last I checked he wasn't in 616 too, though I haven't checked out Cates' run after like, issue#6, that shit is really boring, it was even doing some of the bullshit from Wells' ASM before Wells' ASM started...

even though Wayeb specifically said Peter is NOT suitable for a sacrifice because of his irridated blood in the original Wayeb story) and MJ just happens to be be there (somewhere in forgotten character land, Carlie Cooper is heaving a huge sigh of relief because in the original story, she's the one who Wayeb said he would return for. Yay Carlie! Being forgotten has its perks, right, Kaine?)

Lucky her, maybe that beach Kaine is hanging out at is getting too crowded though .

But yeah, no doubt it will be revealed if Peter and MJ are together in one place for too long, it will trigger the apocolypse or something like that. And no doubt only MJ remembers that and that's why she's been so cold to Peter, just like it was hinted - but then dropped - that MJ remembered the OMD deal but Peter didn't.

Yeah that scene from Spencer's run, I can see why it can be seen as a hint that MJ remembers OMD, though particularly I don't really buy it.

Romy was named in ASM 4. Some speculated that it was a nickname for Rosemary, and the plant rosemary signifies remembrance, so people thought it might be a clue. Others speculated she was named one or both Romitas.

But no, now she's just a Stephanie.

Maybe her full name is Stephanie Romita Ditko Lieber Conway .

[Hulkout42]

To me this is basically like watching the Black Widow movie, it doesn't really matter what she does there because guess what? She is till dead in the end.

Only here Peter is not MJ anymore (even less so after last issue's bomb shell), he somehow screwed up so bad no one wanted anything to do with him, he is alone and miserable...really at this stage of the game is it even important to see how it all went wrong? I can't say for anyone else but not for me it ain't.

[Jman27]

To me this is basically like watching the Black Widow movie, it doesn't really matter what she does there because guess what? She is till dead in the end.

Only here Peter is not MJ anymore (even less so after last issue's bomb shell), he somehow screwed up so bad no one wanted anything to do with him, he is alone and miserable...really at this stage of the game is it even important to see how it all went wrong? I can't say for anyone else but not for me it ain't.

it is so people can have one less thing to complain about

[Kevinroc]

It always strikes me that Peter and MJ can't have a normal break-up. It's gotta be magical forces or some crap mucking things up for them.

How is that supposed to be relatable? Wasn't that supposed to be the point of Spider-Man?

(Edit: Cross-posted from the MJ Appreciation thread.)

[Frontier]

It always strikes me that Peter and MJ can't have a normal break-up. It's gotta be magical forces or some crap mucking things up for them.

How is that supposed to be relatable? Wasn't that supposed to be the point of Spider-Man?

(Edit: Cross-posted from the MJ Appreciation thread.)

It's also a byproduct of just how often they've depicted their love as being unbreakable and resilient that the only thing they can think of to end it is magic.

[Mister Mets]

This.
It was handled pretty well in Spider-Verse movie. People do break up even if they love each other.
They can't be together because she met someone else. That's it, there's no need for magic bs.

Still- people would be very mad (me included). You don't tease us with that wedding ring only to backtrack few months later.

The Spider-Verse film was a discrete entry in which one version of Peter Parker had a particular arc that most people watched without interruption. It also ended with Peter B Parker reconciling with MJ.

It's different in comics published weeks apart where fans have plenty of time to scrutinize between chapters. That particular story would have a different reception if it occurred over the course of 100 issues published over several years.