Just a brief post today. I came across a little something
while looking through early issues of Spider-Girl recently.
Jimmy Yama, the
nerdy friend of May ‘Mayday’ Parker is mentioned in the letters page for Spider-Girl #4. In a letter speculating
about the connection between Jimmy Yama and Zane Yama, also known as the
Avenger J2, the letter-writer
suggests Jimmy and Zane are brothers. Obviously, as we learn in Spider-Girl #8, Zane and Jimmy are cousins.
Curiously, however, whom ever addressed readers’ letters for this issue (I’m
assuming series writer/editor Tom Defalco) mentions in response ‘Jimmy has an older sister, but no
brothers. (He does however have many cousins.)’
While the latter statement references the soon-to-be-revealed familial connection between Jimmy and Zane, it is the first part of Tom’s answer that really grabbed my attention. Jimmy has a sister? Does that ever come up again?
While the latter statement references the soon-to-be-revealed familial connection between Jimmy and Zane, it is the first part of Tom’s answer that really grabbed my attention. Jimmy has a sister? Does that ever come up again?
Well, let’s take a look. We are introduced to Jimmy’s
parents -Catherine and Donald- in Spider-Girl #8. Jimmy’s
family are at the Queens County Courthouse discussing the charges against Jimmy
(following his fight with ‘Moose’ Mansfield) with Donald’s sister Sachi Yama, who is the Assistant
District Attorney. Sachi is Zane Yama’s mother and Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut
is his seemingly-dead father. Now you know the story! So Jimmy’s mother,
father, aunt and cousin show up to support him, but not his unseen sister.
…and that’s it. Unless I’m mistaken, we don’t see Jimmy’s
family again. So…do we assume he doesn’t have a sister or that she was merely
absent (at college, maybe? She is older) for his court date. Is this a case of early installment weirdness? Does it even count if it's only mentioned in the letters page?
Until I stop re-reading old letters pages from 18 years ago, I remain
frogoat
