Broken Frontier

MJ makes her return!

In Amazing Spider-Man #601, Spidey’s out of a place to live and it seems he will do anything to rest his weary head.  In this issue, triple J tirades, Parker blows it, and the boys are back in town.

Peter Parker is hung over after a night of heavy drinking at Aunt May’s wedding reception, following the surprising appearance of one Mary Jane.  Parker struggles to recall the events that transpired that evening, only remembering that he finally mustered enough courage (read: drank 11 glasses of champagne) to talk to MJ after a year of not hearing from her.  The morning for Parker does not continue well, as he wakes up next to his naked roommate Michelle and mistakes her for MJ.  This remark elicits an obvious reaction, and Michelle kicks Parker out of the house. 

The rest of the issue revolves around Parker’s search for another place to live while occasionally fighting crime or saving people from a burning building.  He eventually winds up at an Avengers secret hideout in Brooklyn, New York and has a conversation with Jessica Jones.  Jones attests that Spider-Man influenced her decision to become a superhero when he defeated Sandman back when the two of them were in high school.  On a side note, Parker eventually remembers what he and MJ discussed, and let us just say someone is going home disappointed.

Mark Waid writes a good story here, as good as any he has written.  Readers may have issue with the new direction Spider-Man is taking, but the technical skill of Waid cannot be disputed.  The fact that Parker gets drunk and allegedly has an inebriated one-night stand with his roommate is a departure from the wholesome teenager we all know and love.  The chance of these events going unchecked is unlikely, but it is an interesting way to mix things up.

Mario Alberti’s art has to be called into question however.  Marvel is backing his work and attaching him to future titles, but the quality of his work on this issue may change things.  Alberti struggles with faces and facial expressions, angles and foreshortening to name a few problems.  In all, this art is uncharacteristic of Amazing Spider-Man, so this is likely a bad one-night stand as well and should be rectified soon.

Overall, ASM #601 is a collector simply for the return of Mary Jane to the story.  Marvel may be gambling on the darker side of Peter Parker, but if anyone can straighten Spider-Man out, it’s MJ.