I distinctly recall being in a Spencer’s Gifts in a mall and seeing this cover art on a shirt. I would buy a shirt with this cover on it. But the entire image and a Spider-Man logo below it were sparkly. I could not fathom who this product was for.
Two weeks ago, we’re told via flashback, MJ got a huge job offer that could get her career back on track, so she’s flying out to LA. Spider-Man is now swinging around the city, thinking he has to stay busy to keep from worrying, but nothing is going on, so we switch to following Mary Jane…
Aw. That’s terrible.
And that’s hilarious. Our increasingly anxious hero finds himself bothering some cops on a stakeout, finding out they’re trying to catch a bicycle thief, and he’s still so bored that he decides to hang around and help.
That’s so sad for Mary Jane. Spidey can’t figure out why that kid has his danger sense going insane and starts following him. He turns out to be the bike thief, and also to have a pistol in his shirt. The cops move on him and he draws on them. Spider-Man yells for the cops to stay back, then webs the kid’s gun hand, trying to keep anyone from getting hurt. But he’s worried the tension of the web will make him shoot and lets go. The cops start to chase the kid, but Spidey says to let him do it, worried things could go sideways.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane arrives at her hotel and hits the bar for a club soda. Really getting turnt tonight. The barkeep gives her that, as well as miso soup on the house, saying he won’t ask for her autograph. She appreciates the kindness, and suddenly remembers she didn’t call Peter.
What a great issue! As I recall, Fiona Avery got some flack for being grandfathered into JMS’s run on the biggest character in the world, but that’s hardly her fault, and between this and the Loki story, she really nailed it. This is her last issue of ASM. She would go on to various comics work for Marvel, DC and Image, notably creating the spider-powered Araña at Marvel, who went on to be a Spider-Girl or even a Spider-Woman, I forget. We may see here on the blog eventually, I’m not really sure.