Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2

Background

After being turned down for a date by Spider-Man, Mary Jane decides she's going to turn her attentions on the drama club. She still wants her space from Harry but she has seemed to patch things up between her and Liz tentatively.

Story 'The Jealousy Thing'

With the events from Homecoming still reeling in his mind, Flash has yet to come down from his high level of anger and rage. With Liz ditching him, one of the other girls on the cheer leading squad nervously asks him to go out some time but Flash barely notices her. All he can see is Mary Jane and Peter Parker being all chummy together and it sends him over the edge. Finally seeing a way to vent his frustrations Flash walks up and knocks Peter to the ground calling him a wuss. Mary Jane is astonished, standing there with her jaw on the ground, not able to say a word to Flash as he walks off.

Mary Jane helps Peter to his feet as she herself starts feeling ticked off. Why would Flash do something like that to Peter who has never done anything to him, and especially right in front of her? Peter tells her not to worry about it and that he's used to it from years of being picked on. Mary Jane just cannot let it go until Peter starts kidding around with her about the drama auditions coming up.

Mary Jane, up on stage, gives a great rendition for her audition using a scene depicting Desdemona's Love for Othello, which really impresses the drama teacher. After the audition is over, one Lindsay Leighton approaches MJ and tells her she did a great job. MJ, being around new people, gets pretty nervous but the other girl sets her at ease and invites her to hang out later to go over some things about the play. MJ agrees. It seems after the drama that surrounded the breakdown of her friendships with Liz, Flash and Harry, she's finding some new friends.

Hanging out outside the library, Peter Parker is waiting for Mary Jane to show up but before she does he gets jumped by one Flash Thompson. Flash thinks he can bully Peter into staying away from Mary Jane, but Peter practically laughs in his face even though Flash has him lifted up into the air by his shirt. The scene ends with Peter asking Flash how he thinks he's going to stop him from seeing MJ, by beating him up?

Over at the Coffee Bean Mary Jane is at a table with half a dozen drama students going over the rules of iambic pentameter in Shakespeare's play, as MJ notices Liz sitting off by herself. Liz notices her back and motions to MJ that the sit next to her is free. MJ points to her play book, meaning that she's too busy with this thing to go over and hang out with her. The look on Liz's face says it all, as Liz is hurt and confused that Mary Jane seems to be leaving her for these other students. Before MJ and go apologize to her, she leaves.

Later that night at a train station Mary Jane tries to call Liz at her house but her mother answers the phone. Mary Jane wants to apologize but Mrs. Allen says that Liz is in the shower, so a saddened MJ tells her to just let her know she called. As MJ puts the phone back in its receiver Spider-Man and Firestar fly (and swing) by on there way to confront Morbius. Spider-Man and Firestar are obviously flirting with one another and seeing this crushes MJ.

At the library the next day Mary Jane is going over seeing Spidey the night before with Peter Parker. She's still upset about the whole thing and tells it all to Spider-Man himself. Not seeing Peter all day and then seeing him later at the library wearing sunglasses, she reaches across the table and pulls them off to reveal a big black eye. Obviously upset and thinking that it must have been Flash who gave it to him, sends her into a rage about the whole thing. Peter tries to get her to calm down saying that it wasn't Flash and that he's just a klutz and feel into a door.

The next day, two football players jump Peter at his locker, each grabbing one of his arms so he can't get away and he can't turn around either as Flash comes up behind him and gives him a killer wedgie. Laughing as he walks away, Mary Jane appears and gives Flash an earful for treating Peter that way. Telling Flash he can either still be MJ's friend or he can stop picking on Peter, Flash surprises her and tells her he doesn't want to hang out with her anyway anymore. With her still standing there shocked, Lindsay comes running up and grabs her away, yelling that they posted the casting. Over at the "Twelfth Night" bulletin board surrounded by other drama kids we find out that Mary Jane got the part of Viola in the play - the lead role. Mary Jane is so happy but when Lindsay gives her a hug in congratulations, we see an angry-faced Lindsay over MJ's shoulder.

General Comments

After Spider-Man turned down MJ for a date, she has now focused her attentions on acting, trying out for the drama club and actually getting the lead. This of course ticks off the main drama girl, Lindsay Leighton, who congratulates MJ but we can see is really angry about losing the part to a new comer. Lindsay is suppose to be the ultra drama girl in their entire high school and now with MJ joining the drama club and getting the lead part, it's going to be really hard for Lindsay to relinquish her top actor status.

With Mary Jane telling Flash there's no way they could be together at Homecoming, the only way Flash can deal with his anger is to direct it at Peter, who looks to Flash like he's becoming closer and closer to MJ. Given an ultimatum by MJ herself, Flash decides he'd rather try to save face and keep picking on Peter instead of being friends with MJ anymore.

There are two main character developments in this issue. One was the drastic change in the character of Flash Thompson, once a good friend of Mary Jane, now only acting like the school bully. Before he just seemed like one of the jocks but now we see him as Peter must have seem him in the classic Amazing Spider-Man comics back in the 60's. The other main character development was with the introduction of a new character, Lindsay Leighton. Lindsay, in only one issue, seems like she'll be adding new venues of dramatic conflict to upcoming issues with Marj Jane.

Overall Rating

Another great issue with solid storytelling and wonderful character development with Flash going from being in love with Mary Jane in the Homecoming mini-series, to him now not wanting anything to do with her, turning all of his frustrations and rage onto poor Peter Parker. We get a new character, Lindsay who, in one issue, I'm already excited to see the possible conflicts between her and Mary Jane competing over acting roles in the drama club.

I would have loved to see the rest of the scene between Peter and Flash outside the library where Flash threatens Peter to stay away from MJ. Flash has Peter up in the air by his shirt collar and Peter asks him what he's going to do, beat him up to keep him away from MJ. I think this scene could have gone a little further with a furious Flash and an unmovable Peter. If Flash decided to try and beat him up, how would Peter react, not wanting to reveal he's really Spider-Man? This was the only negative part of the entire issue.