This month, Byrne just writes the book, no participation from Mackie. Dan Green is credited as “embellisher,” which I assume means he did more complex finishes as opposed to inks. Joe Rosas hangs on as colorist. We open on JJJ reading the Bugle at home, which seems a bit odd, yeah? Surely he’s already seen everything in it. But the front page headline about MJ’s plane exploding catches the eye of Mattie Franklin, who’s living with JJJ & Marla. I don’t know how this came about in Mattie’s own title, aside from the tease in ASM that JJJ & Marla knew her family, but they eventually go on to adopt her, even. But that’s for later.
Did Marla dye her hair?
Let the record show that this character, who Byrne is writing in her regular series, who is flying around in naught but a bathing suit for a costume, is meant to be 15, yer honor. And this page also gives me occasion to ask a question I forgot to ask last time she was in the book: Why is she Spider-Woman? She doesn’t have any spider powers! She’s strong and she flies. She impersonated Spider-Man and then she stopped. Why is she Spider-Woman? Finding the building surrounded by press being held off by security, Mattie just flies up to the apartment, changes to regular clothes, and walks in off the balcony. Which is incredibly stupid, and which gets her caught by Aunt May instantly. A grief stricken, disheveled Peter keeps May from calling security, and Mattie says she knows what it’s like to lose someone you love, and then, guess what, that dumb evil Spider-Woman happens to be outside, because of course she is.
Evil Spider-Woman says she won’t be using that name anymore as she hefts Peter by his collar (Good call), then Mattie attacks her, forgetting she has a secret to protect, and Peter freaks out about all this happening in his home next to his frightened aunt. He locks Aunt May in another room as Mattie gets down to her swimsuit competition entry and Evil Spider-Woman reveals her actual motive:
15. There used to be so much of this is comics. It’s just gross. Mattie goes after Evil Spider-Woman, while Peter tells May everthing’s fine, but the door jammed, so he has to go find a locksmith. Then he becomes Spider-Man and goes after the ladies. Spidey spends 2 pages recapping both Mattie and Evil Spider-Woman’s histories for you before swooping in and draggins Mattie out of the fight. She gets very offended by this and jumps right back in, what a wasted page and a half.
Meanwhile, exposition:
Yeesh. Madame Web sure isn’t looking so young anymore. Back at the fight, Mattie realizes Spider-Man is trying to fight Evil Spider-Woman without looking at her due to that idiotic hypnotism thing and leaps in to pummel her some. This gets her smashed into a brick chimney, which then collapses on her. She decides to just leave (???), and Spidey has to dig Mattie out of the rubble.
15!
Ye gods. A face only a mother could love. Well, I forgot this continues into Spider-Woman 9, which I don’t have. And I’d rather just pretend this didn’t happen, so let’s move on.