Spider-Oracle Petitions (01-Apr-2003)

 Posted: 2003
 Staff: The Spider-Oracle (E-Mail)

The wise one answers all your Spider-Questions.

From Belchey

Hello there, I wondered if you could help me, I have been compiling a kind of file about the female characters in the Marvel universe for my younger sister, and Ive come a cropper with MJ. Basically I wondered could you, if possible, help me out with the following:

  1. How did MJ figure out Peter was Spider-Man? (That has had me baffled at the best of times.
  2. Which issue did MJ smoke and which did she quit? Also if you could send me a few scans of her, endulging in that bad habit for the file itself that would be good too.
  3. Has MJ ever brought down a super-villain? If so who?
  1. She was a bright young woman, who was often around Peter Parker... that gave her enough clues! But actually, it was revealed in the novel "Parallel Lives" that she actually saw Peter climb out his bedroom window as Spider-Man. It was also shown in Chapter One #2.
  2. Peter first noticed in ASM #361. She quit in ASM #385. There are more details in our brand new FAQ answer to this question.
  3. MJ managed to hold of Alistair Smythe until Spidey could get to him. That happened in Amazing Annual #19. She also clobbered Chameleon with a baseball bat, as per Spectacular #245.
From Dave

I was able to find quite a bit of info on Deb Whitman on your extensive web site, but I have one final question: has she ever shown up since her final appearance in Peter Parker #74?

Are you suggesting our files aren't up to date? Actually, you're quite right, they're not. But we are working on them.

However, in Deb's case, there is nothing to add. She has not been seen since Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man #74.

From Webs

Greetings Spider-Oracle.. just a few questions...

  1. What do you think about this new Venom series?
  2. Do you think thta Ezekial is this 3rd mystical bad guy that Peter will have to fight?
  3. I think that Ezekial might have somehow released guys like Morlun & Shathra thru whatever ritual gave him his powers. What do you think???
  4. In an old (1984) hardcover annual of The Hulk i have, the Rhino is given his powers back by two scientists. Why is it that in "Flowers for Rhino" he says he got his powers from that lab with tons of staff members working?
  5. Which Old Spidey villian and character would you most like to see done in the Ultimate Universe?
  1. The premise sounds intriguing. From the preview, though, I'm not caring much for the art. I am glad, though, that Eddie Brock won't be bonded with the symbiote, for at least a while, as I've always thought that Eddie was one of the most poorly motivated and conceived characters ever.
  2. That's what some people have been speculating, but I think that's just a little too neat and clean for JMS.
  3. Same as above.
  4. Those two scientists used to work for the Russian government, however since the end of the cold war, they came to the U.S. and set up their lab where the money was better.
  5. Ultimate Hypno Hustler! Well, maybe not. I think it's time that the Vulture got Ultimate-ized and made into a formidable villain again.
From Moriarty

In a Spider-Man comic someone call Spidey by a Spider-signal (like the Bat-signal in Batman comics). In this comic, Spidey said a joke concerning commissary Gordon, but i dont know what comic is it.

I can think of two issues where somebody used a "Spider-Signal" to get Spider-Man's attention. Try Amazing Spider-Man #263 or Peter Parker: Spider-Man #26.

From Kevin

What time and what channel does that all celebrity spiderman cartoon (2002) Is suppose to come on?

MTV is the channel you want to keep your eyes on, Kevin. But it's apparently still not decided when it will air.

From HayYou

Several years ago I was looking through a Spider-Man comic and in it Morbius was being treated by a female doctor, I think he was in some kind of a chamber. Do you know which issue that was

The issue was Peter Parker: Spider-Man #79, and the woman was Dr. Andrea Janson.

From SecondEyeris

Is Eddie Brock going to play a part in the upcoming Tsunami series or not? i've read the articles and the message boards, and i hope i'm wrong when i say that i'm convinced he'll only be referred to (a HUGE mistake). i mean, come on!

The symbiotic costume has a very three-dimensional past, but itself is not more than a one-dimensional monster without Eddie. being rejected by its original owner, Peter proved to be a very traumatic experience for the costume, hence its resentment(/love/longing for)of Spider-Man (along with Eddie Brock's career's damnation - Sin Eater, ugh...). And even though the story in which it basically murdered its entire race in order to save earth was a very poorly-written tale, it almost makes you care for the murderous little black goo. But it would be nothing short of a John Carpenter's the Thing rip-off if not for the human, three-dimentional characterization that Eddie Brock brings to the table. His interesting desire for not power or money or fame (like too many other villains) but simply the death of Spider-Man is unique, and coupled with his bizarre devotion to his equally odd definition of 'the innocent' makes for a very sick, yet believable main character that readers can eventually care about, if not identify with. Sure, Leathal Protector was kind of a crappy story, and the scene with Spidey speaking to Brock's dad (and his housemaid) were downright sappy, but they further added dimensions to Eddie by explaining his determined nature through his past stryfe and academic struggles to please his father.

Venom: The Hunger was the best example of how Venom isn't the symbiote, but Eddie and the symbiote together. The disturbing art mixed VERY well with the storyline for that added creepy, well-done character development (nevermind the stupid evil doctor storyline).

And one more quick question.

I don't remember the issue number, but in an Amazing (or Spectacular?) Spider-Man annual, Eddie Brock's middle name is listed as Charles, yet i've heard it referred to multiple times elsewhere as Allen. Which is correct? i need to know this simple trivia! The annual to which i'm referring has a cover image of Spidey and the Black Panther taking on Ultron. Venom's origin is featured on the cover as well, even though it's basically just a one-page factsheet.

Well, we don't have access to any previews that you haven't read.

So, yes it appears as if Brock is involved, but it doesn't look like he will be the core of the title in the way he used to be. Perhaps that's a good thing. The Eddie Brock Venom was very heavily over-used in the 90's. Perhaps something different might offer some new material?

As for "Charles". The annual is Web of Spider-Man Annual #7, and indeed his full name is given as Edward Charles Brock. The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe gives it as Edward "Eddie" Brock, with no middle name. The new Marvel Encyclopedia refers only to Eddie Brock.

I haven't see a reference to Allan, but I believe that the upcoming Spider-Man Encyclopedia will refer to Edward "Eddie" Charles Brock.

From JediKnight

Some guy told me that according to the comics, Mary Jane should have died at the end of the Spider-Man movie. Is that true?

Well, sort of. You see, Ax, the whole plot of the Green Goblin kidnapping Spidey's girfriend and dropping her from a bridge comes from the 1973 comic AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #121, where ol' GG does just that to Spidey's girlfriend Gwen Stacy. And yes, in the comic, she died. The movie makers just wanted things a bit more cheery. You can read the whole story of Gwen in the SPIDER-MAN: DEATH OF GWEN STACY trade paperback.

From Spider-Mom

Hello; Outside of The Electric Company, most of my knowledge about Spider-Man came through the daily newspaper comics. After Pete and MJ tied the knot in '87, the Boston newspapers dropped the strip and I only recently found it again online. So what happened during the last 16 years? Did they just stay steady-on like Dick Tracy and Tess Trueheart, avoiding all the emotional pitfalls of the comicbooks, or have they had their ups and downs? Any key highlights to relate? I hope Marvel will collect the strips into a book someday. I think they had a couple of volumes out in the '80s, but I haven't seen anything since.

Hi Spider-Mom! Although the newspaper Spidey and MJ have had an occasional tiff, there's been no seperation like there recently was in the comic books. And speaking of, you might want to find the nearest comic book store and get some of the latest ones. They're really good!

 Posted: 2003
 Staff: The Spider-Oracle (E-Mail)