The Friends of Humanity! I’m sure the comic will explain, so I won’t. This is a momentous occasion, because I actually remember this issue! All these other comics might as well have been totally new to me, but this one, I remember. We get going with Peter Parker, late for class as always, trying to change out of his Spider-Suit in an empty office, only someone wants it to be not empty. Can you guess who? Yes, it’s Paul Stacy, of course it is. It’s his office, as it turns out, and he’s being a real jerk to an as-yet-unnamed woman who seem so think maybe he shouldn’t be so furious about the door being locked, because guys, we’re not supposed to like Paul Stacy. Peter crawls out the window.
The whole idea that Spider-Man’s web is so strong he can’t break it and also dissolves in an hour sure comes and goes.
Looks like Peter’s still carrying the same duffle bag Jr. drew him with in the 80s. It’s funny to me. No one else ever has Peter carrying a bag of any kind, meanwhile, Romita’s got him an Old Reliable. And here’s Robin Vega. Oh, hang on, next page is important…
I like the construction of this page a lot. The little triplet panels running into the bigger one. It’s weird, but it works. And here’s MJ & Jill, who MJ describes as her “best friend,” which would be ludicrous if Jill wasn’t also her only friend, by this point. Any supporting cast of her own MJ ever had tended to be random fellow models made up for a single issue. MJ tries to get Peter to ignore the anti-mutant bigot speech going on, saying it’s a fad on campus and will pass, which seems pretty out of character, and then this Donovan Zane somehow produces, seemingly from nowhere, a burning effigy of Spider-Man which also has a noose around its neck, singling him out as an example of the “mutant plague” because he’s been seen around campus so much over the years, and saying he and other mutants are responsible for the death of The Friends of Humanity’s leader, Graydon Creed. Creed was the fully human son of mutants Sabretooth and Mystique, the former of whom didn’t know the latter of whom even gave birth to him. Mystique put him up for adoption, and when he someday learned his parentage, he formed an anti-mutant hate group about it. Very rational. Now he’s been assassinated. MJ thinks they should leave, but then who should appear to shake hands with Donovan than one Paul Stacy. You might think we get Jill’s reaction to that, but we do not. Instead, we jump ahead to Paul meeting with Donovan at a mansion the Friends own.
Hanging with a good crowd, there, Paul! Meanwhile, back at campus, it seems like no time has passed, Peter, MJ & Jill at are a demonstration, but we’re told it’s a different one. Weird. Anyway, pro- and anit-mutant regular humans start fighting, and a riot is breaking out. MJ & Jill run for it, and soon Spider-Man appears to web everyone to try to keep them from killing each other.
Who could that mystery man be? Who, indeed. The guards break up the riot, and, back in normal clothes, Peter tells MJ he feels helpless against this kind of hate. Then they see Paul, having cornered Robin to tell her her kind aren’t wanted around here. Peter steps in, and Paul gives him a bunch of stuff about how he isn’t the hero he thinks he is. MJ tries to offer an ea to Robin as Paul leaves, but she says it’s best if she’s just alone and runs off. MJ says Peter has to go talk to her, and he finds her on the roof of the building.
I’m not the biggest X-Men person, by any means, but in all my years of comic buying, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a mutant trying to live a normal life and the pain that comes with it depicted like this in an X-Men comic. And you’d think they would, it’s a good angle on the topic. Meanwhile, on a totally unrelated rooftop, Paul Stacy wonders to himself why he’s allowed himself to fall in with The Friends and wishes it would all go away when Spider-Man appears, telling him to stop harassing Robin.
There it is.
And so, we’re finally gonna deal with this. A long time coming. I mean, not really. But with so many titles a month hammering on the same thing with no resolution, it really feels like it. But next time, we really get into it.