Spider-Girl (Vol. 1) #2

Background

May "Mayday" Parker is the daughter of Peter Parker (formerly the costumed fighter Spider-Man) and Mary Jane Watson-Parker. She's also Spider-Girl. But her parents don't know it yet.

Story 'Bedeviled?'

We open with Spider-Girl taking on a bunch of goons. After disposing of said goons, Spider-Girl comes face-to-face with Crazy Eight. And Spider-Girl's reaction is to ... run!

After Spider-Girl flees, she runs into the mysterious being known only as Darkdevil. Darkdevil insults Spider-Girl a bit, then tells her to meet him the next night for the "ultimate test" ... if she has the guts to show up, that is.

The next day, at Midtown High, we meet May's supporting cast. Jimmy and Moose tussle a bit before coach Thompson breaks it up. Afterwards, May goes to meet Peter for lunch, and it proves to be awkward. Back at Midtown High, May manages to prevent the fight between Moose and Jimmy. All in all, a good day's worth of work for May.

But now it's night ... and it's time for Spider-Girl to show up at the pier. Guess who she finds there? Why, it's Crazy Eight! Spider-Girl wins Round Two. Afterwards, Darkdevil pops up, and tells her that she was lucky but luck doesn't last forever. Then he disappears into the darkness, leaving behind Spider-Girl to ponder her crime-fighting career.

General Comments

This was quite a good comic, and much, much better than the "Final Chapter" crud that was handed to us during the same month. The second-person dialogue does get a bit annoying, but it's bearable. What impresses me is the fact that the stories are simple and self-contained, but you can also sense that it's part of something that's much bigger. Spider-Girl has a feeling that's very much similiar to the 1960's heydays of Amazing Spider-Man.

I thought Crazy Eight was a good villain, and Darkdevil is a character that I'd very interested in and would love to learn more about. And the tension between May and Peter is very well played. The only thing in Spider-Girl that hasn't really impressed me yet is the supporting cast at Midtown High, but I figure if I give DeFalco enough time to build up the cast then it'll be worth the wait. Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, *this* is the sole Spidey book that counts. A very enjoyable book, one I'd highly recommend for anybody who's disgusted with the current status of Spider-Man.

Overall Rating

Four and a half webs. A very good and solid book.