People have been unable to resist riffing on Stern/Romita, Jr.’s “Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut” since it published (In ASM 229 & 230, of course), but to do it with John Romita, Jr.? That takes guts? But is this what it looks like it’s gonna be? And how can our man fight The Juggernaut if he fell to his death last month? We open on a rare image of Cain Marko, Juggy himself, walking the streets of NY in regular clothes. Just a normal, unassuming dude as wide as a car and 9 feet tall. People are obviously freaking out around him. Elsewhere, Spider-Man is in a big web net a few feet off the ground, having saved himself at the last second. Naturally! He has been discovered lying there by a bunch of kids. And would you believe one of those kids is Devon Lewis, from Ben Reilly’s old job at The Daily Grind? As the kids try to dare each other to talk to him, Spidey recaps the last 2 issues to himself, think he still has to go stop Robin from killing Paul, and worries he’s missed his counseling session with MJ. Then one of the kids goads Devon into talking to Spider-Man, since Devon has bragged of knowing him in the past. But before he can speak, Spidey calls out to him.
Honestly? I love it. As Juggernaut is not a typical Spidey foe, there’s no way to have them fight without people thinking of the classic match up. And coming up with good reasons for them to fight has proven more and more difficult for the people who try it over the years. But having it be a complete misunderstanding and bad luck? That’s actually pretty funny.
Look, I just think it’s a cool spread. Romita’s way into 2-page spreads in this period, and in that regard, he’s way ahead of his time. They’ve become de rigueur in the 21st century, but were pretty rare til the 2000s, and a 2-page spread that wasn’t just a double splash page, even moreso, but Jr.’s way into them in this run. Anyway, Spidey’s vertigo inevitably comes back at this point, and he can barely stand. As Juggy is about to squash our hero, Devon jumps on his back, and accidentally pulls loose the sword. Juggs says now he’s gotta beat up the kid, which also means Spider-Man can’t run. He hits Juggernaut as hard as he can, but of course, that accomplishes nothing.
That’s an odd footnote. Not that I know for sure how many times these 2 have met, but MTU 150 is neither their most iconic nor most recent meeting by this issue (We’ll see what I believe to be the most recent on our next trip to the McFarlane era).
I mean, what Juggernaut story doesn’t have Black Tom in it? He’s been in all their previous tussels, though Spidey wouldn’t have known about his tiny role in the first one.
The healthy dose of humor and the unusual setup are really making this more than the usual Spider-Man/Juggernaut rehash. Spidey catches up to Devon, who says he’s hidden the sword where Juggernaut will never find it as Spidey’s vertigo comes back. Devon’s not getting that Juggy will destroy the entire city to get that sword back. And speaking of, he comes upon a roadblock and a bunch of cops who don’t seem to know what they’re dealing with, either.
One of the million things I love about Romita, Jr. is how hs drawings have MASS in a way very few others’ do. He draws a Juggernaut or a Hulk, and they feel not just big, but heavy. It’s a unique skill that’s only gotten better since his last Spider-Man/Juggernaut story. Juggs is outside facing down a 2nd roadblock. He says all he wants is the sword as he smashes the ground and sends cops and cars flying. He tears the street up even further until He gets thwapped in the back of the head with a web ball. Spidey once again tries to talk down the situation and chooses words that make Juggs even more mad, but then…
Yer not gonna believe this.
Yes, the pulse-pounding Spider-Man Has Frequent Vertigo Except When Some People Especially Tom DeFalco Say He Has Headaches For What Feels Like Forever Saga ends with a simple medical solution. I mean… talk about landing with a thud. And after an otherwise pretty fun issue, too. Sheesh. But, at least it’s over. And speaking of Juggernaut, next month sees the return of a certain title not seen around here in quite awhile…