Spider-Girl's Unique Web-Shooters

 

I have not done a May ‘Mayday’ Parker focused post in a while and thanks to difficulties with other projects I have been labouring fruitlessly upon, once again, I figured I should try and look back at everyone’s favourite arachnid hero of the MC2, the Stunning Spider-Girl. So, for this post I wanted to follow up on two previous posts, Spider-Girl’s First Web-shooters and Spider-Girl’s Spider-Signal, with a look at her next set of spinnerets: Spider-Girl’s Unique Web-Shooters.

When we last left our heroine, May ‘Mayday’ Parker had proven her mettle against Kaine and her father (Peter Parker) had returned her web-shooters (Spider-Girl #17). Or did he? As mentioned in my post about her Spider-signal, in the very next issue May mentions her ‘new Spider-Signal’ which indicates it is a recent addition (Spider-Girl #18). There are two likely explanations: either Peter simply attached a Spider-signal to May’s first web-shooters or Peter made and gifted May a new pair of web-shooters and included the spider-signal as a sign of his approval of her web-swinging ways. Given Ron Frenz’s comment that ‘Pete’s [web-shooters] were always available to him whenever he decided to climb into the monkey suit’ I am inclined to choose the latter option.

 

Anyway, moving on. One notable function of a good pair of web-shooters is the adjustable, staggered spinneret openings around the turbine which ‘permit a single web line, a more complex, spin web line, and a thick stream’ (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 11). This third option being, in Mayday’s own words, ‘a stream of pure web-goop’ (Spider-Girl #21).

 

After losing her spider-powers, May remains determined to continue as a hero, but discovered she no longer possessed the necessary agility and coordination to web-swing, nor sufficient arm strength to maintain a steady grip on the web-line (Spider-Girl #26). It is worth noting, the palm switch of May’s web-shooters evidently does not require the usual sixty-five pounds of pressure to trigger (The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 11 Spider-Man profile). For reference, the internet estimates the average adult can only exert between 15 and 25 pressure per square inch with their fingers or hands. So, while depowered May is unable to web-swing, she continues to incorporate her web-shooters into her crime-fighting, albeit from atop a Goblin-Glider (Spider-Girl #28-#32).

 

 

 

 

Peter reiterates the fact May’s webbing is based on synthetic polymers when discussing his discovery of the new Spider-Man’s organic webbing (Spider-Girl #37).

 

We learn in Spider-Girl #44 that May still relies on Peter to whip up new batches of web-fluid. Peter, recalling the web-shooters are roughly based on May’s Uncle Ben’s design, also offers to make adjustments to allow them to also fire impact webbing and stingers.

 

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We get a good demonstration of the impact webbing in Spider-Girl #46, which is also where we get another new web-shooter addition. Courtesy of Normie Osborn, May is gifted a cell phone the same weight and size as a spare web cartridge, designed to snap into her web-shooter. Normie pre-arranged for the cell phone to be billed to a blind account. I am fairly certain this marks the very first time a Spidey character had a mobile phone, please correct me if I am wrong!

 

 

 

Unless I am mistaken, we do not see Mayday use her stingers until Spider-Girl #72 and they prove ineffective against the well-versed Carolyn Trainer aka Doctor Octopus. Trainer mentions her previous experience with the stingers, referring to Ben Reilly which is a nice touch. The rarely used stingers are far more effective against the unfamiliar mob enforcer Kodiak (Spider-Girl #75).

 

After learning May lied about the destruction of the Venom Symbiote, Peter grounds her and confiscates her web-shooters along with her costume (Spider-Girl #98). While May kept her cell phone, it was soon after destroyed by the original Hobgoblin (Spider-Girl #99). That is the last time we see these particular web-shooters of May’s, with May gaining a new form of ‘web-shooters’ while briefly bonded with the Venom Symbiote, followed by Peter’s web-shooters in Spider-Girl #100 and the Amazing Spider-Girl series presenting a visibly distinct set of web-shooters.

 

That is a wrap, people! Hopefully, you learned something or had fun like I did finding yet another reason to re-read the Spider-Girl again.

 

Until I figure out how to spin a web any size, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Raimi-Verse References in the MC2

 

Following on from the recent Spider-Man: No Way Home villain posts, for no specific reason today’s post will be about the various Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie trilogy references, easter eggs and connections in the MC2, including those I consider too coincidental not to mention. For short, here’s Raimi-Verse References in the MC2.

 

First up, here’s one I’ve always thought was ahead of it’s time and almost certainly unintentional. In Spider-Girl #5 we first meet the MC2’s Venom symbiote. When the symbiote bonds to it’s former original host Peter Parker we get a variation on both the Spider-Man and Venom’s costumes combined dubbed ‘Spider-Venom’. Now, to me this looks way too similar to Spider-Man 3’s Venom costume design for it *not* to be an inspiration. Of course, it’s more than likely a huge coincidence but it’s amusing that this comic was published in 1999, a whole seven years before the film was released. On an unrelated note, as far as I’m aware this may also be the first example of the symbiote replacing a host’s lost limb using it’s own bio-mass over a decade before ‘Agent Venom’ was a concept.

 

When a mysterious new Spider-Man first showed up at the Daily Bugle in Spider-Girl #32, he was rocking a new costume design which included classic eye-pieces and a red and black colour scheme. Additionally, the stylized spider emblem on both the front and back of the costume bore a very familiar design. While the front is a larger, modified version of Peter Parker’s own, the back with the red colour is remarkable for it’s strikingly similarity to the one first seen on screen a year later in the first Spider-Man movie.

 

Another fun detail -again more than likely unintentional- is the fact that this new Spider-Man (actually Gerry Drew, the son of the original Spider-Woman) is capable of producing organic webbing much like the Raimi-Verse’s version of Peter Parker (Spider-Girl #37). Meanwhile Peter’s ability to produce organic webbing wouldn’t be introduced in the Main Marvel Universe until 2004’s Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #20 in what was most likely an attempt at synergy between the comics and films.

 

This next one is probably my personal favourite. While attending an engagement party for Normie Osborn and Brenda Drago, Mary Jane points out to Peter a fellow partygoer’s uncanny resemblance to someone he should know all too well. Needless to say, Peter doesn’t see the resemblance and instead thinks he looks like Tobey Maguire (Spider-Girl #82). Of course, the man MJ points out is Reilly Tyne aka Darkdevil aka the son of Ben Reilly aka the clone brother of Peter Parker himself which makes this joke all the more amusing.

 

Okay, this one was so obvious I really have no idea how I nearly missed it when compiling this post! After hanging up her webs as Spider-Girl months prior, May ‘Mayday’ Parker suddenly finds herself in need of make-shift disguise. Thus, the short-lived adventures of the Red Hoodie Girl begin (Spider-Girl #1-#2, Avengers Next #1). Obviously, this look will seem very familiar to anyone who’s watched the original Spider-Man movie as it’s Peter’s ‘Human Spider’ wrestling costume.  

Calling back to the concept of producing organic webs, Peter’s second child, Benjy is shown to have developed just that ability, first in Amazing Spider-Girl #9 and later in Amazing Spider-Girl #30 when the infant manages to save himself and his mother from a deadly fall at the hands of a returned Norman Osborn. This is nicely foreshadowed in a scene where Peter and Mayday discuss organic webbing while producing a fresh batch of web-fluid together in Amazing Spider-Girl #20).

 

There’s also a nice little Raimi-Verse Spider-Man costume reference on the cover of Amazing Spider-Girl #11 featuring Peter Parker strung-up by Carnage’s tendrils, his Spider-Man costume adorned with the spider-design of his film counterpart.

 

That’s all I have for now, if you think I’ve forgotten or overlooked a reference to Sam Raimi trilogy, let me know! I thought this would be a nice little bit of fun to close things out for now.

 

Until I learn they’ve brought Tobey’s Spider-Man back… with a daughter in tow, I remain

 

frogoat