Spider-Girl's Spider-Signal

 

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

Doctor Octopus in the MC2

 

With Spider-Man: No Way Home on everyone’s mind, I figured now is a great time to cover some of the MC2 counterparts of the villains confirmed to appear in the film. Today, we are taking a look at Dr Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock aka Doctor Octopus in the MC2.

 

Doctor Octopus first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #3 but makes his MC2 debut behind the scenes in The Buzz #1. Well, technically he’s only alluded to in the first issue and really makes his debut in The Buzz #2 albeit partially obscured, with his identity finally revealed in The Buzz #3. Let me break it down.

 

In The Buzz #1 we learn from J Jonah Jameson that Spider-Man vanished right before Jameson needed him most, though we don’t get any further details. Jonah’s wife Marla, Dr Sonja Jade and Richie Robertson were key members working on Project: Human Fly, a superpowered suit designed to empower Buzz Bannon and intended to be keyed to his specific brainwaves. However, when Dr Jade reveals her true self and her intention to take the suit, Bannon is shot and dies before his encephalograms can be linked to the Human Fly suit, leaving JJ Jameson to be keyed with the suit and foil its theft, though not before Dr Jade makes off with the project's data and erases all remaining records. Evidently, Dr Jade is being well-paid by Doc Ock and the suits of the henchmen accompanying her distinctly resemble those seen way back in the classic Master Planner story from Amazing Spider-Man #31-33.

 

Doctor Octopus makes his partially obscured first MC2 appearance in The Buzz #2, receiving a report from Dr Jade regarding the henchmen’s failure to obtain the Fly suit, which he attributes to the decrease in quality since the Taskmaster retired. Otto provides Jade with a device that would allow him to remotely take control of the Fly suit. Teaming up with Richie Robertson to maintain the suit,  JJ (dubbing himself The Buzz) sought out Dr Jade with little success for several weeks until confronted by her in a prototype of the Human Fly suit. With the device attached, the unseen Octavius downloads himself into the suit’s operating system and attempts to remotely pilot The Buzz back to his hidden base only to be interrupted by Spider-Girl.

 

Otto forces The Buzz to target Marla Jameson, resulting in JJ’s grandfather J Jonah Jameson being taken hostage. In order to force Doc Ock to leave the suit, Richie hits the kill switch and leaves The Buzz plummeting to earth. With the threat of the suit being destroyed and with Jonah being rescued by Spider-Girl, Doctor Octopus abandons control and Richie wipes him from the suit’s system, allowing The Buzz to pull out of the drop just in time (The Buzz #2).

 

JJ learns from his grandmother Marla the reason why Jonah blames himself for two murders following Buzz Bannon’s death. Marla explains that shortly after the original Spider-Man disappeared in battle with the Green Goblin, an old enemy attacked the Daily Bugle and murdered Jonah’s closest friend, Joe Robertson, Richie’s grandfather. It’s this inciting incident that led to the idea for Project: Human Fly (The Buzz #3). 

Using the control module device, Richie traces Dr Jade and her boss to their base and The Buzz and Spider-Girl follow this lead deep below the East River. The pair encounter Jade and Doctor Octopus is finally revealed as the mastermind who secretly aided in the development of the Human Fly suit, specifically the encephalo-gate which ties brain waves into the suit’s operating system (The Buzz #3). 

Otto also reveals he is dying from cancer and intended to use this method to transfer his consciousness. Unveiling his prototype Octopod, Otto uses the machine to battle The Buzz, but is left in a coma following an electrical backlash when the underwater base beings to flood. Confronted with the man who killed his grandfather, Richie insists The Buzz brings him in to face justice, but when given the choice between proving Dr Jade's involvement and saving Doc Ock, he was more than happy for The Buzz to leave Ock to die. Conflicted, The Buzz instead helps save Octavius and Dr Jade escapes (The Buzz #3).

 

It seems Doctor Otto Octavius never regains consciousness, and by the time Dr Jade re-emerges her partner Carolyn Trainer has assumed the mantle as the new Doctor Octopus in honour of her ‘recently deceased mentor’ (Spider-Girl #69). At least the name is in good hands.

 

Thus ends the life of Otto Octavius, at least in the MC2. Unless, of course, he managed to transfer his consciousness like he had planned and is still out there somewhere trapped inside his Octopod…

 

Until I stop the rampant rumour-mongering about versions of Doctor Octopus somehow surviving beneath the water, I remain

 

frogoat

 

The Drago Family Tree

 

Today I present another MC2 Family Tree, this time a smaller one but still one directly connected to both of the most recent entries, the Allan Family Tree and the Osborn Family Tree. For this entry, we take a look at the Drago Family Tree.

 

Let’s start at the beginning with Raniero “Blackie” Drago who first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #48. As a fellow inmate and cellmate of Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture, Blackie Drago failed to uncover the location of Toomes’ hidden set of Vulture wings so instead arranged an accident to try to force Toomes to divulge the location on his seeming deathbed. The ploy worked and Drago quickly made his escape from prison and made use of the Toomes’ wings to begin a crime spree. Defeating a sickly Spider-Man, Drago was quickly trapped by Kraven the Hunter, who resented this new Vulture for defeating the web-head before him. Defeated when a recovered Spider-Man tricking the two foes, Blackie was arrested and returned to jail (Amazing Spider-Man #49).

 

Blackie wouldn’t stay in jail for long though as in Amazing Spider-Man #63, a very much alive Adrian Toomes busts him out of jail, forces him to suit back up in the wings just so they can battle it out to determine who kept the mantle of the Vulture. Soundly defeated by Toomes, Drago was captured by police and swore off using the wings ever again. This turned out to be true as Blackie Drago hasn’t been seen as the Vulture since.

 It’s worth noting that despite only having his real first name revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover years after the MC2’s divergence from his 616 counterpart, I can include ‘Raniero’ in the Drago Family Tree due to its inclusion in Raptor’s own profile entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #3. Which brings me to the next family member…

 

Brenda Drago is the daughter of Raniero ‘Blackie’ Drago, first appearing in Spider-Girl #18 wherein the Daily Bugle dubbed her the ‘Sky Bandit’ following a score of robberies and burglaries. At the time Brenda was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend Tony, who had converted the Vulture technology to enable Brenda to follow in her father’s footsteps. During her crime spree as Raptor, Brenda dropped a courier from several stories up in an attempt to obtain a case of gemstones he was transporting, leaving the man crippled. Brenda was captured by the combined efforts of The Buzz and Spider-Girl.

 

On her way to court, Brenda was freed on the orders of the villain Funny Face and recruited into his Savage Six team. Sent to defeat Spider-Girl as Raptor, instead Brenda found herself quickly defeated and left webbed up for the police (Spider-Girl #25). Escaping, Brenda attempted to make amends for her past deeds by stealing food and leaving it for the family of the courier she had previously disabled (Spider-Girl #28). Alongside Spider-Girl and The Buzz, Brenda came into conflict with the Avengers. It’s here we learn about Brenda’s childhood: ‘Her father was a career criminal who clothed himself in lies. Her mother was an alcoholic who could only be depended on to be undependable.’ (Spider-Girl #30-31)

 Realising she was genuinely trying to make amends, Spider-Girl with the encouragement and assistance of the recently reformed Normie Osborn helps Brenda to navigate the legal system with an aim of getting a pardon (Spider-Girl #34). During this time, Normie and Brenda grew close and began dating, but the District Attorney seemed determined to have Brenda do jail time (Spider-Girl #34, #37, #44, #49-#50).

 

Brenda also joined a new version of the New Warriors organised by Spider-Girl to end a deadly crime war between The Kingpin and Canis (Spider-Girl #42). However, when Spider-Girl allowed Angel Face and Funny Face to escape in exchange for promising to stop their criminal activities, the Warriors decided to go on without the webhead, with Raptor herself letting Spider-Girl know she’d screwed up (Spider-Girl #43-#44). Despite her loyalty to Spider-Girl, Raptor continued to serve with Warriors (Spider-Girl #46) until turning herself over to the authorities (Spider-Girl #50).

Once taken to prison, Brenda was recruited by Special Agent Arthur Weadon to join an experimental team of reformed supervillains employed as agents of the government to earn their freedom rather than serving jail time (Spider-Girl #52) Initially unable to make contact with Normie, Brenda alongside her new teammates was mistaken for participants in a new crime war by Spider-Girl. When Normie is targeted and nearly killed, Brenda is devastated that she is unable to visit him in hospital, convincing Spider-Girl of her intent and sincerity when she professes her love for him (Spider-Girl #65). After helping to end the crime war, Brenda is finally able to visit Normie during his recovery up until his discharge when she realizes she wants to ask him to marry her (Spider-Girl #66-#67, #72).

 

Unfortunately, Normie calls things off without explaining his reasons to Brenda and shortly after Elan DeJunae announces herself as Normie’s wife (Spider-Girl #73). While it’s soon revealed that the marriage was arranged by the late Norman Osborn while the two were children and not legally binding, Brenda’s team is caught up in a conflict involving the Black Tarantula and Lady Octopus alongside Spider-Girl (Spider-Girl #77-#78). When Elan as Fury the Goblin Queen kidnaps Normie and attempts to expose him to the Goblin Formula, Brenda teams up with Spider-Girl to save him (Spider-Girl #79). Shortly afterwards Normie and Brenda announce they are engaged to be married (Spider-Girl #81).

 

At the couple’s engagement party, Brenda witnesses the return of Fury the Goblin Queen, who forces the Venom Symbiote to bond to Normie, transforming him into a new Venom. Caught by surprise, Brenda is unable to do anything to prevent Fury and Venom escaping. Brenda rallies with the Avengers to launch a manhunt, only to learn that Spider-Girl has saved Normie. Normie tells Brenda the symbiote has been dealt with, secretly keeping the surviving alien bonded to himself (Spider-Girl #82-#84).

Brenda is happy to have Normie back but is not told the details of his plan to move up their wedding date and secure their financial independence (Spider-Girl #85). Brenda is impressed by Normie’s newfound confidence as he assumes an active role at his family’s company, Osborn Corporation, but becomes somewhat concerned witnessing him order the creation of new Goblin equipment -actually intended to empower friend Phil Urich (Spider-Girl #86).

 

These two things come to a head when Weadon orders Brenda to spy on her fiancé due to concerns his reason actions mean he’s considering a return to crime. Upset about being placed in this position, Brenda attempts to talk to her teammate Kaine but ends up witnessing him having a precognitive vision about Spider-Girl. With Kaine’s belief she is in danger he is motivated to find Spider-Girl, with Raptor accompanying him. When the symbiote-disguised Normie appears on the scene, Raptor attacks him believing him to be the Venom who attacked Normie. When Normie reveals he is in control of the symbiote, Brenda becomes distraught at the thought the two of them will never again be free (Spider-Girl #93).

The situation causes conflict between the couple, but the arrival of the Avengers on the orders of Tony Stark quickly escalates matters. The Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man and Hawkeye are joined by Stark's 'personal bodyguard'  James Rhodes on a mission to investigate and apprehend Normie Osborn. Things go awry when Rhodes (now more machine than man) is inadvertently hit by a hex bolt from the Scarlet Witch, triggering a violent rampage. As Raptor, Brenda is among the gathered heroes who attempt to stop the nanite-driven Rhodes’ rampage. Ultimately, Normie and the symbiote play a vital role in saving the day before placing himself into Raptor’s custody (Spider-Girl #93-#95).

Meeting with Special Agent Arthur Weadon, Normie makes it clear he is willingly volunteering the symbiote and himself to Weadon’s super-team in exchange for Brenda’s pardon (Spider-Girl #96).  While Brenda is angry about this turn of events, Normie promises they will ensure he has more freedom than she had working for Weadon and that they also need to plan for their wedding (Spider-Girl #97).

Things take a dark turn when the Brotherhood of Scriers hire the original Hobgoblin to kill Spider-Girl. Aiming to remove her support structure, the Hobgoblin targets Spider-Girl’s closest allies, including Raptor who is brutally beaten and left tied to a fence (Spider-Girl #98). Brenda is rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after which Normie asks Brenda to stop being Raptor and the two move up wedding ceremony to later that same night (Spider-Girl #99). Learning he has an opportunity to avenge Brenda, Normie joins the fight against a team of Scriers and the Hobgoblin, eventually losing the Venom symbiote when it dies protecting Spider-Girl. Fortunately, Normie returns in time and he and Brenda Drago are wed in a small ceremony at the hospital (Spider-Girl #100).

Brenda and Normie go on an extended honeymoon in Europe, only returning to New York in Amazing Spider-Girl #15, where they learn the news of Benjy Parker having lost his hearing following an attack by the Carnage Symbiote. Brenda suggests Normie try and help using his connections through medical research at the Osborn Corporation, which eventually results in Benjy’s hearing being restored through an experimental process.

 

Later, Brenda noticed Normie has been stressed since returning from their honeymoon, often disappearing to his basement laboratory. While Brenda believes he is concerned about Fury’s escape from prison, he assures her he isn’t worried and that he is simply working on a project with Peter Parker. In fact, Normie is troubled by a recently discovered clone of May found while abroad. The lie doesn’t last long, as the clone May escapes and Brenda finds Normie knocked unconscious in his lab after which he comes clean and admits it’s part of a mad plan by his grandfather (Amazing Spider-Girl #23-#24).

Working with Kaine and Darkdevil, Normie and Brenda learn that Peter Parker was kidnapped by Fury the Goblin Queen on his way to meet them. With the situation dire, Brenda suits up as Raptor once more to help the others, teaming with the Green Goblin to confront Fury, only for her to escape. Normie decides to exchange himself for Peter, but finds he is too late: Peter Parker is now inhabited by the mind of his grandfather Norman Osborn. With the Norman-possessed Peter bonding with the hybrid symbiote-clone May to become Goblin God, Brenda and the others desperately try to save Mary Jane and Benjy from his clutches, holding him off long enough for Peter, Spider-Girl and her clone to break free and defeat Norman once and for all (Amazing Spider-Girl #25-#30).

After this, we don’t see Brenda Drago again beyond a cameo or two, effectively ending her chronicled journey and with it, the Drago Family Tree. If you feel I’ve missed anything or have any comments please let me know. I very much enjoy producing these Family Tree posts, but they are extremely time consuming so some feedback is always appreciated.

 

Until I find another excuse to write the name ‘Drago’ without referencing Rocky, I remain

 

frogoat