Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #13

Background

Mary Jane, to hide away from her troubles, is playing the part of the school's social butterfly. With Peter and Gwen now dating, it's the only thing she can do to not show the true feelings that she has for Pete. Plus to make matters worse, Gwen is trying so hard to get MJ to like her because she knows that at one point Peter and MJ were really close. All MJ wants to do is distance herself as far as she can from her feelings for Peter, except now she has Gwen, who wants to be MJ's friend, being a constant reminder of what MJ doesn't have, namely Peter Parker.

Story 'The Parker Thing'

At lunch time, before Mary Jane even has a chance to sit down, her table is now surrounded by boys looking intently at her to sit with them. It appears that MJ is really catching the eye of everyone at Midtown with a Y chromosome. Gwen, who is skipping one of her classes to be at MJ's lunch period, asks MJ if maybe she could talk to her about something personal. MJ tells Gwen that it would be rude for her to ignore all the guys that are sitting with her, but truthfully she's just trying to avoid having any kind of deep conversation with Gwen, who she's trying to avoid anyway, deep conversation or not. Gwen really pleads with MJ if she could make some time later to talk. MJ is Gwen's only other friend at Midtown and she really needs someone right now.

At a pizzeria downtown, Gwen finally gets her chance to confide in MJ about her problems with Peter. It seems that all of Peter's excuses he uses to get away from Gwen so that he can go do his whole Spider-Man thing are starting to really get under Gwen's skin. At first she thought it was kind of cute how he seemed to always be forgetting things, sort of like an absentminded professor, but lately it's just getting to be too much, so Gwen asks MJ what is up with Peter. MJ tells Gwen that it's really not her, it's Peter and his own thing. Basically, it's not Peter trying to avoid being with Gwen or anything, it's just the way Peter is. Before Gwen can really respond MJ gets up and leaves, telling Gwen she's late for a hot date, leaving her without really helping her resolve her problem at all.

Back in MJ's room, the only one she feels like she can unload her problems on is a stuffed Spider-Man doll, seeing as how she has pretty much pushed the real one away. MJ wants to help, she tells her stuffed Spidey, but how can she when she's trying to put all this real life, important issues behind her so that she's free to be Miss. Holly Golittly copy.

Peter and Gwen are out walking around the city after hours talking and flirting with one another when Peter happens to notice a newscast coming from a TV in a department store window broadcasting something about the Hulk. This causes him to tell Gwen that he forgot that he really needs to go pick up his Aunt May's medication right now. Gwen tries not to make a big deal about it and offers to go with him, but Peter takes off running. Instead of just watching him go this time, she decides to follow him. Seeing him duck down into an alley she runs after him, but by the time she gets there the alley is completely empty. No Peter.

The next day at school, Gwen is telling MJ all that happened with Peter the night before, which causes Mary Jane to blow up at Gwen asking her if she thinks she really cares at all about her problems with Peter. She yells this in front of everyone, humiliating poor Gwen, who storms off leaving MJ realizing what a jerk she's turning into.

Sitting at home feeling like she's the biggest loser ever as well as the worst friend, Mary Jane reaches down to pick up the phone to call Gwen only to have the phone start ringing with Gwen on the other end. MJ starts to apologize for the way she acted to Gwen earlier but Gwen stops her saying she'll never guess what has just happened to her.

From Gwen's own point of view, she starts telling MJ about meeting up with Peter Parker earlier at the Bean. They were having a good time when, out of no where, he pulls his usual "make up some lame excuse and blow Gwen off" routine. As she's sitting there feeling like a total chump, Spider-Man comes crashing into the coffee shop followed shortly by the Sandman.

Supplying the one-liners herself Gwen tells how she followed the fight back out to the street to watch. Spider-Man finally beats the Sandman by upending a cement truck, only to wind up putting Gwen in the path of danger. Gwen thinks he did it on purpose just so he could make her think he was a real hero by having to save her. He puts her down and then took off without saying a word.

Gwen tells MJ that she's all right, she just needed to tell someone what happened and how she's pissed with Peter always splitting on her. Peter finally does show up and Gwen gets off the phone with MJ to start yelling at him. Gwen's tried of him ditching her all the time and giving her just lame excuses. Peter tries to cover for himself but Gwen has had enough. She gives him an ultimatum - either he tells her the real reason why he's constantly lying to her, or else that's it between them. Peter starts to tell her but he's obviously hesitate to continue. Gwen waits patiently for him to continuetell her the truth.

Meanwhile Mary Jane is jumping for joy because she's under the impression that Gwen is about to break up with Peter. MJ thinks that it's now her chance what with Peter now being single. Too bad she doesn't know that Gwen hasn't really broken up with him yet.

General Comments

It's getting harder and harder for Mary Jane to keep up her fake persona for much longer, what with Gwen going to her for help with her problems with Pete. The last thing MJ needs is to know all the intricacies of their relationship, the one MJ feels she should be having with Peter herself.

Even though MJ has blown off Gwen enough times for Gwen to finally get the hint, and enough times for any normal person to come to hate MJ, Gwen still considers MJ a friend and calls her right after Peter ditches her for the hundredth time and then Spider-Man immediately showing up battling the Sandman. After the fight is over and Spider-Man sets Gwen down after having just saved her, Spider-Man takes off and Pete, of course, returns, using the old Superman bit, "oh what just happened here?".

Finally getting to her last straw Gwen confronts Pete and tells him that either he tells her why it is that he keeps abandoning her or their relationship is over. Peter holds back because the last thing he wants to do is tell anyone his secret, but the realization that he might lose Gwen has him really considering it.

With all the troubles that Gwen has been having with Peter, after talking on the phone with Gwen right before she gives Peter her ultimatum, Mary Jane is now under the impression that Gwen is about to break up with Peter, leaving him free-game for her to make her move. My memory of those old Amazing Spider-Man comics where Peter and Gwen are together is not the best in the world but I can't remember a time ever when Gwen knew that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, so maybe Peter won't tell Gwen his secret allowing MJ will get her chance now with him.

Overall Rating

A pretty good issue dealing with how Gwen probably would handle Peter constantly leaving her with those lame excuses so that he could run off and be Spider-Man. I mean really, what woman would deal with that very long. In the middle of all your dates with some guy, he always takes off and the only reason he can give you is an obvious lie. No way anyone would take that for very long (unless of course he looked like Brad Pitt, but that's besides the point).

I loved seeing how excited MJ got at the prospect of Peter coming back on the market. Even though she has taken on the carefree, party girl facade, and has hidden her true feelings away, she still really likes Peter. I can't wait to see if Gwen and Pete do break up next issue. And even if they don't MJ still believes that they did. It'll be good to see what happens between MJ and Gwen now with MJ trying to get Peter for herself.

Footnote

This is a special issue for me for two reasons. The first is that it's the fiftieth issue of a Spider-Man comic that I've now done for SpiderFan.org, the best Spider-Man reference site on the web. And two, this is the issue that in it's abstract Marvel used my name and a quote of mine from an earlier review I did for Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. It was pretty cool to see that my reviews were being read my somebody, let alone by people at Marvel.