A little while back I wrote a post discussing Spider-Girl’s
First Web-shooters and today I’d like to present a kind of addendum or
supplemental post about one specific aspect of her web-shooters. Let us
jump right in and discuss the implications.
Introduced in Spider-Girl #18 by Tom Defalco
and Ron Frenz (who was filling-in for Pat Olliffe for the issue)
is Mayday’s own version of the classic Spider-Signal, here used on
The Buzz during a confrontation. Notably, the light is projected from Spider-Girl’s
web-shooter unlike her father’s version which is built into his
equipment belt.
On a side-note, the original release of Spider-Girl #18
depicts most of the eye outline projected by the Spider-Signal in a
slightly different shaded red colour. This is also the case in the Spider-Girl
Digest Volume 4 reprint and even the recent Spider-Girl: The Complete
Collection Volume 2 reprint. This does not appear to be the case on digital
editions of the issue, where the Spidey-eyes are black as they would be
normally for Spider-Man’s Spider-Signal.
The design choice to have May’s version of the Spider-Signal
built into her web-shooters is an interesting but also practical one. As
Mayday does not appear to use an equipment belt, it seems logical to
place the Spider-Signal on her web-shooter.
Additionally, as pointed out by arias-98105, the idea
of a Spider-Signal-like light being projected from a web-shooter dates
back to at least the original 1967 Spider-Man animated series, as seen
in such episodes
as ‘Captured by J Jonah Jameson’. We know artist and Spider-Girl
co-creator Ron Frenz does like
the
show though this is apparently not a deliberate reference but instead a happy
coincidence.
Yet another point of note is that since this issue follows
immediately after Peter hands over the web-shooters as a sign of
trust and a passing of the torch. May herself calls it her ‘new
Spider-Signal’ in her internal monologue, so it might be an upgrade Peter
installed for his daughter as a sign of support, or even potentially an
entirely new pair of web-shooters.
While the Spider-Signal does not make a lot of
appearances in the Spider-Girl series, it is worth noting it appears on the
covers of The Buzz #1, Spider-Girl #46 and #74. I will
give out a coveted No-Prize to anyone who can point out any other appearances!
Until I stop enjoying blinding potential criminals with
intense red lights to strike fear into the superstitious, cowardly lot, I
remain
frogoat