Broken Frontier

Peter Parker’s frenetic love life kicks got kicked into higher gear recently. And now the Black Cat makes her return. Oy!

The departure of Mary Jane Watson from the Spidey titles polarized fandom. Some lamented the end of the Parker’s marriage, some thought it opened up new opportunities for Peter Parker to develop as a character. But somehow, it hasn’t really happened until now.

And now, Mary Jane is back.

So, it’s ironic that suddenly, Peter Parker’s normally moribund love life has moved into high gear.  First, we have Norah, the ditzy reporter who seems to have designs on Peter. Then there’s Michelle, the scary roommate who Peter uncharacteristically got drunk and slept with. And now, in this issue, the return of his ne’er-do-well ex girlfriend, the Black Cat, still carrying a torch for him.

Some guys have all the luck.

The thing is, all this recent tomcatting around seems somehow out of character for Peter Parker. The whole drunken one night stand thing is totally at odds with the Peter we’ve come to know over the past several decades.  Come to think of it, even touching alcohol seems at odds with the Peter we’ve come to know, whose idea of wild excess is normally some milk and cookies rather soon after he last had milk and cookies. Parker has always been almost puritanical in his attitudes, though I guess it’s possible someone has finally decided he should be allowed to join the 21st Century.

This issue features the return of old Fantastic Four villain Diablo, but the bad guy Stan Lee once claimed he wished he’d never created is as lame as ever, and the mystery surrounding him is really only a backdrop for Spidey’s reunion with the Cat, ending with a kiss that’s broadcast to the whole city. Despite this, Kelly makes the whole thing a consistently entertaining rollercoaster ride, and McKone and Lanning’s art is refreshingly vibrant and old school amongst the sea of muted tones and talking heads which have come to dominate the shelves.

All in all, it’s another enjoyable issue from a title that has picked up a lot in recent months after a forced change of direction which could easily have proved catastrophic. Definitely one of Marvel’s better titles at the moment.