"Face It Tiger...", Mary Jane Watson/Parker Appreciation

[Miles To Go]

So there's one additional panel with MJ in ASM#797, where she watches Peter leave through the window and says under her breath how sorry she is to have sent him away, and again calls him "tiger"

[Miles To Go]

Speaking of the Green Goblin’s propensity to kill people Spider-Man loves, it’s interesting that Mary Jane Watson is back in Peter Parker’s world, and some of the old feelings between them appear to have returned.

Slott: I have no comment on that! [Laughs]

https://www.cbr.com/amazing-spider-m...s-interview/3/

[Kevinroc]

https://www.cbr.com/amazing-spider-m...s-interview/3/

Unfortunately, serialized fiction has a different set of rules for writing. And especially lately at Marvel there has been a big push to leave things as neatly as possible for the next creative team. So while I think it would make a great deal of sense for the guy who wrote the first issue after OMD ending his run on a reconciliation between Peter and MJ, that doesn't appear to be in the cards. MJ wasn't even in the promo art for the beginning of the Spencer/Ottley run.

[Frontier]

That comment doesn't even tease a reconciliation.

It sounds like Slott covering up the possibility of him killing MJ off.

[Kevinroc]

That comment doesn't even tease a reconciliation.

It sounds like Slott covering up the possibility of him killing MJ off.

MJ's rejection of Peter in #797 isn't really raising any death flags for me. Maybe it's because I'm looking at it as him putting the toys back (as comic writers seem to love saying that), but I don't think he wants to take MJ away from Spencer or Zdarsky or whoever else down the line. (Of course nothing would necessarily prevent someone down the line from bringing MJ back if Slott kills her, but that's neither here nor there.)

[Miles To Go]

Spencer did name-drop MJ (as well as Felicia) when talking about his run, but it seems like they'll likely both be special attractions.

In today's ASM letters page, a fan asked about Mephisto and Felicia, Spencer said plans there were top-secret plans for Felicia, and directed the reader to check out upcoming issues of Scarlet Spider to see if Mephisto makes mention of Peter.

[Kevinroc]

Spencer did name-drop MJ (as well as Felicia) when talking about his run, but it seems like they'll likely both be special attractions.

In today's ASM letters page, a fan asked about Mephisto and Felicia, Spencer said plans there were top-secret plans for Felicia, and directed the reader to check out upcoming issues of Scarlet Spider to see if Mephisto makes mention of Peter.

Did Spencer do today's ASM letters page? I thought those were usually handled by the assistant editors, not the incoming writer.

[Frontier]

Yeah, isn't the "Nick" who does the letter pages Nick Lowe?

[Miles To Go]

Whoops, got my Nicks mixed

[Spidercide]

Unfortunately, serialized fiction has a different set of rules for writing. And especially lately at Marvel there has been a big push to leave things as neatly as possible for the next creative team. So while I think it would make a great deal of sense for the guy who wrote the first issue after OMD ending his run on a reconciliation between Peter and MJ, that doesn't appear to be in the cards. MJ wasn't even in the promo art for the beginning of the Spencer/Ottley run.

That isn't the rule for serialzed fiction. Most Manga and anime is serialized and it changes all the time...and is egregiously more successful.

We all of us need to murder in it's sleep this notion of the illusion of change and our resignation to it's inevitable domination.

The wider history of Marvel/DC (especially Marvel) showcases that WHEN characters are allowed to change and organically develop they are MORE successful. Like...literally that was part of Marvel's mission statement when it started and became recognized as superior to DC which never changed much of anything. It's part of why Marvel and DC which permitted legitimate character development historically have outsold stuff like Archie which adhered hard to the idea of things never changing.

It's also part and parcel of why the MCU has been successful, in particular movies like Winter Soldier and Civil War which did move the characters along.

Additionally the wider history of Marvel demonstrates that the illusion of change WASN'T something there from day one nor something truly hardcore institutionalized into thier methodology until the last 20 years tops.

[Spidercide]

I read this passage a few weeks ago that’s stuck with me.

But that feeling of romantic love, though very powerful and as real as any feeling, is by its very nature ephemeral; it usually lasts no longer than two years, and almost never longer than seven. Even couples who swear that they’re still “in love” after 20 years or whatever aren’t being entirely honest; what happens in the best, healthiest modern relationships is that the feeling of romantic love is gradually replaced by the stronger, sturdier type of affection we feel for our friends and children, just as the tissues of a fossil are slowly replaced by minerals. The original shape is thus maintained, often perfectly, but the fossil is not the same as the organism it replaced, and never can be. Sometimes the copy is as good as or even better than the original, but at other times the resemblance is superficial at best.
I think this is actually very true to Peter and MJ's relationship but sort of in reverse.

Peter and MJ didn't really start of in a 'ephemeral' romance that then gradually got replaced by more long lasting feelings akin to a very deep friendship (albeit one that wasn't platonic).

Rather they had that deeper sense of friendship/kinship and then that evolved into something romantic.

It's especially telling compared to his other major love interest Gwen Stacy.

Peter and Gwen even before hooking up were not particularly close friends. They hung out in the same social circles and enjoyed one another company within the group environment but their one-on-one interactions were dominated by romantic feelings between the pair, either overtly or (before they started dating) subtextually.

In contrast, especially after Gwen died, most of Peter and MJ's interactions were rooted in friendship and general mutual caring. Yeah MJ had romantic feelings for him but on a more fundamental level she was just trying to help her friend grieve (and she tried doing the same for Harry too) and when stuff like her being stalked by the Vulture happened Peter was trying to help her because she was his friend first and foremost.

That was the bedrock f their relationship and THEN it turned romantic.

Which is not only imo generally healthier (though obviously not always possible for people) but weirdly (inspite of being healthier) actually rarely seen in fiction.


As Aunt May said:

ASM-400-16.jpg

[Kevinroc]

That isn't the rule for serialzed fiction. Most Manga and anime is serialized and it changes all the time...and is egregiously more successful.

We all of us need to murder in it's sleep this notion of the illusion of change and our resignation to it's inevitable domination.

The wider history of Marvel/DC (especially Marvel) showcases that WHEN characters are allowed to change and organically develop they are MORE successful. Like...literally that was part of Marvel's mission statement when it started and became recognized as superior to DC which never changed much of anything. It's part of why Marvel and DC which permitted legitimate character development historically have outsold stuff like Archie which adhered hard to the idea of things never changing.

It's also part and parcel of why the MCU has been successful, in particular movies like Winter Soldier and Civil War which did move the characters along.

Additionally the wider history of Marvel demonstrates that the illusion of change WASN'T something there from day one nor something truly hardcore institutionalized into thier methodology until the last 20 years tops.

Most manga and anime have a pretty short lifespan. It's very rare for something to still be around 10 or 15 years later. Something like Detective Conan (Case Closed) or One Piece, which have been around continuously since the 1990s, are the exception, not the rule. Most manga are usually handled by one creator or creative team over the course of their lifespan, not jumping from new team to new team.

[Kevinroc]

Popular Youtube channel WatchMojo listed One More Day at #2 on their list of "Top 10 Worst Things Superheroes Have Ever Done."



This puts it ahead of such stories as "Hank Pym: Wifebeater," "Beast messes up the timeline," and "Zatanna's actions in Identity Crisis."

[Mister Mets]

Popular Youtube channel WatchMojo listed One More Day at #2 on their list of "Top 10 Worst Things Superheroes Have Ever Done."



This puts it ahead of such stories as "Hank Pym: Wifebeater," "Beast messes up the timeline," and "Zatanna's actions in Identity Crisis."

That's BS.

It's not even the worst thing Peter ever did. He made some bad decisions in the Clone Saga.

[Kevinroc]

That's BS.

It's not even the worst thing Peter ever did. He made some bad decisions in the Clone Saga.

If it makes you feel any better, they put "Hal Jordan destroys the GLC, unmakes the universe, and tries to recreate everything to his liking" at #1.