First Look: Colored Pages for Spider-Island MC2 Story

Once again, Ron Frenz goes the extra mile and shares a first look at the inked and colored pages for the upcoming Spider-Island MC2 story he is working on along side co-writer Tom Defalco, inker Sal Buscema and colorist Andrew Crossley.




Thanks once again to Mr Frenz.

Felicity Hardy Confirmed for Spider-Man Unlimited

Well, after the current Mysterio update for the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game, I think it's safe to confirm Felicity Hardy, aka the MC2's own Scarlet Spider will soon be a playable character. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself:

The Spider-Man Unlimited facebook page gives her debut event dates:


June 15th – 21st
New Spidey: Scarlet Spider (Felicity Hardy)
Event:  Release Event (Titan)


Well, there ya go then. Who's next, Gameloft? There is a nice trend starting up recently of MC2 characters popping up all over the place in unexpected ways! Mainframe in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Hope Pym appearing in some form in the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Spider-Girl and now Felicity Hardy in the Spider-Man Unlimited game. Maybe there is something to that?

Until the world stops throwing MC2 characters into the fray, I remain

frogoat

Felicity Hardy Coming to Spider-Man Unlimited?

A recently leaked image of Felicity Hardy- Scarlet Spider coming soon to the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile game. This would be the characters first appearance in another medium, and the games second MC2 character to appear after Spider-Girl (May Parker) who was the first female Spider-Person to be introduced to the game. Keep in mind, it’s not official yet, so things may change.

I'm rather excited to see the character included in the game, as now I can have another reason to keep playing. I look forward to more MC2 character being added in the future too, perhaps Mayhem, Dark Devil, Gerry Drew, Kaine in his duster jacket and armor and why not a Black Suit Spider-Girl for good measure?

I can dream. Until the game is retitled Spider-Girl Unlimited guest starring other Spider-People, I remain

frogoat

The Greatest Responsibility

Recently, I just haven't been feeling comics. I still follow the rituals and pick up my monthly collection from my not-so-local comic shop, but it seems lately I don't feel a burning desire to go and pick up and read the latest issue of some of my former favorite titles. Honestly, I've been feeling less and less like comics are for me nowadays and more like comics are changing into something I'm not completely sure I want to dedicate so much of my time, money and passion into collecting and digesting.

I have more pressing matters to consider, for starters. Work, bills, study. Oh, and just today I became a father. Me. A dad. I never saw this coming in a million years, but my god he's beautiful and my word he's worth protecting, raising and loving wholeheartedly and without condition. I guess that's the point of existence, right? Striving forward, making way for the next generation and accepting the many changing and growing responsibilities of raising a family.

And it hit me.I get it, now. I mean, sure I thought I got it before, but now....now I really feel it. It's so clear.

Thought I may still have affection and nostalgia for comics and what they represent to me, I have a whole new little life right in front of me just waiting to be shaped and moulded into a kind, caring individual. That takes time, that takes money, but most of all it takes love and responsibility.

Oh, sure, I'll pick up the odd title here and there -especially if it's an MC2 thing by Tom, Ron and Sal- but moving forward my plan is to stop collecting comics and focus on making time for what matters most, 'It's high time I put away the toys of my youth and assumed my real responsibilities'.



Until he's old enough to read and I dig out the ol' boxes of comics, I remain

frogoat

Mainframe in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

It's been brought to my attention that A-Next's own Armored Avenger, Mainframe recently made something of an appearance in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. animated series. Mainframe is voiced by Jeffrey Combs.


Mainframe appears in Season 2, episode 18 'Wheels of Fury' as an Artificial Intelligence created by Tony Stark to play games against. Iron Man, Hulk and gang end up in a high stakes game of Roller Derby against Mainframe. At the conclusion of the episode, Mainframe determines that humanity has many games to offer, taking on a familiar armored form similar to his MC2 design and setting out to discover the world.

I don't really have a strong opinion about the series, as this was the only episode I've ever seen. My interest is certainly piqued by the use of a MC2 character in animated form, considering May 'Mayday' Parker was passed up for the derivative gender-swapped 'Petra Parker' in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.

Until the entire MC2 makes an appearance in another medium, I remain

frogoat

Something Fun

I don't always beat the tar out of Daemos....

 

...But when I do I'm Spider-Girl.

Number Games

On one of my many re-reads of Spider-Girl, I noticed something. Sports is an important part of May's life. Aside from her love of basketball, she also played sports growing up, along with her friend Davida Kirby. It's one of the many little things that differentiates her from her father.

As usual, I overthought things and here is the result:

May's basketball Jersey number is 34. Check it out.

 Not only do Ron Frenz and Pat Olliffe keep the numbering consistent (much as they did for May's wardrobe) but even guest artist Casey Jones was paying attention!

Davida's number is less consistent. It might have a '2' in it:

Does that '2' come from the number 20, perhaps? 

Or maybe Davida's number is '11'? In fairness this was after both May and Nancy Lu left the team. Perhaps Davida changed her number.

Speaking of Nancy Lu, her number while attending Central High was also 11:

Oddly, we never actually see Nancy play for Midtown and thus it's unknown if she retained her number or changed it upon transferring to Midtown. it all takes place off-panel. Could it be that Davida changed her number to 11 because of the falling out she and Nancy had which led to Nancy's subsequent departure from the school?

Switching sports to Football now, Brad Miller's number seems to be 12:

Maurice 'Moose' Mansfield also plays on the team and we see an assortment of football jersey's throughout the series:

                                     

Considering he wears the number during practice, I'm going to assume his number is 35. I say 'assume' because he also wears other numbers:

So...maybe he has a collection of his favorite players jerseys which include
0,00,7 and 13? He is a sports fan after all. It's worth noting we don't see Moose's sport's stuff after he returns to Midtown. I wonder if he ever rejoined the team?

And now for the one no one was wondering about. Gene Thompson:

Gene's number is 7. It's on his letterman jacket which he gives to May (and Simone...) and it's on his jersey. He's nearly always wearing his sporting apparel so it's easy to deduce.

Well, that was a lot of fun. Until I find something else to overthink, I remain

frogoat 

Mary Faber Voices Spider-Girl

Gazillion's Massively Multiplayer Online game Marvel Heroes  recently added Spider-Girl to the roster of available playable heroes in the form of an 'Enhanced Costume' for Spider-Man. Spider-Girl in this game is voiced by Mary Faber. 

While I'm not very familiar with her credits, I'm a fan of her vocal talents portraying May 'Mayday' Parker. For a sample, try this YouTube video here. I like some of the more familiar sounding lines of dialog. Whoever worked on them put a lot of effort into making them sound authentic. I also like the texture work on the costume. It's quality that shows and I think Gazillion have done a great job. What are your thoughts?

Until Spider-Girl get's her own game, complete with Darkdevil and American Dream team-ups, I remain

frogoat

Character Assassination: Spider-Girl in Spider-Verse

BEWARE SPOILERS!

I've been genuinely moved by comics on only a few occasions. Usually to tears. But for the first time ever I'm genuinely angry at a comic book.

Spider-Verse- I had such high hopes for this event. I thought perhaps a giant crossover with all the various Spider-People across the multiverse would be good fun. They'd quip, they'd swap stories and compare lives, maybe collectively grieve over the many losses they've all suffered as result of the dangerous lives they all lead. As a concept, I liked it very much. It even had genuine drama built into it by the mere fact that every world is built on differing choices and outcomes. Imagine, May 'Mayday' Parker confronting 616 Peter Parker about his missing marriage. Or Peter being confronted with a version of himself that has gone down a dark path and wondering if perhaps he's capable of the same deeds. All of these things would have made for a rather entertaining read, and we could have had a nice thread or character beat to take away from it all: Exactly who are we if there are in infinite number of us- all making different decisions. Does what we do even matter in the grand scheme of things. Wouldn't that have been worth exploring?

But this isn't really about missed opportunities or how my perception and expectations weren't met. This is about bad writing. This is about not understanding a character on a fundamental level. This is about the character assassination of May 'Mayday' Parker aka Spider-Girl.


The first time we see May during the events of Spider-Verse, she's already been beaten, lying helpless beneath the fiend Daemos' boot. It's very apt, actually. May never really manages to achieve anything for herself throughout this story, remaining beneath the writers heel the entire length of this bloated event. Many Spider-People, old and new were given a spotlight for this event- both in the lead up and during the story proper. Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman, Silk and many more. Oddly enough, they were all given an active role in their own stories. Here, in Spider-Girl's own little prelude to Spider-Verse however, she does nothing but react as everyone around her makes decisions. That's not Mayday. She steps up to the plate when times are tough and she gets tougher.

May's entire family (excepting her baby brother Benjy) and her boyfriend are seemingly slaughtered and her family home burned to the ground. Mayday's entire world is built around her support network: Her allies, her friends and most especially her family. It's part of the appeal of the character that she isn't mired in the cliché superhero origin/motivation of having a dead loved one to inspire or drive them to do heroic deeds. May does the right thing because she knows it's the right thing to do. She was raised by good, loving parents who taught her right from wrong. Moral lessons such as 'With Great Power Must Also Come Great Responsibility.' And really, isn't that all we really need to be a good person? It's an intrinsic part of the Spider-Girl mythos to have family drama and conflict. Sure, the Parker family is loving and caring, but that doesn't mean everyone get's along 100% of the time.   Peter and May often clashed over her heroic identity. I can certainly say that growing up I didn't always agree with my parents, but I never doubted their love for me.It's a fairly simply yet effective way to create interesting and relatable drama. In a shortsighted way, killing off Mayday's parents certainly drives her forward and provides drama. But you can only play that out for so long and when it's all said and done they will still be dead and we've lost the core relationships that made readers care about the characters in the first place.

The removal of any of those familial relationships during Mayday's formative years utterly and completely alters her outlook and worldview on a fundamental level. Killing Peter leaves a gaping hole in May's life that can never be filled by any other character. Peter is May's role model, her mentor, her ideal of what a man is and most importantly, he is her father. Throwing an alternative world's Uncle Ben into the family doesn't somehow make things magically better. He can't adequately fill the void- no one could! Which leaves May as a different person going forward. Suddenly May is just another superhero with a dead loved-one. Only she's not being motivated or inspired by Peter's death because he already inspired her heroic actions during his life. His death adds nothing and is thus pointless as well as unearned from a narrative viewpoint.

Furthermore, instead of inspiring Mayday onward, her father's death merely leads to some out of character shouting about forgoing morals and oaths to enact revenge on Daemos. Sure, you could argue that it's a character arc, that May's distraught and upset, that it's resolved when May witnesses the 'Superior' Spider-Man slaying the Weaver for no apparent reason. But I'd argue that it wasn't a character arc, more a long string of Mayday shouting angrily about killing Daemos or finding Benjy, with no real progression until it's abruptly resolved without any clear thought process behind it. We only once see Mayday's true pain and anguish: during Tom and Ron's story (not Dan's!). Unfortunately it is unable to resolve May's story on it's own, being constrained by the larger Spider-Verse's own arc.

If you were to bring out all the fan favorite Spider-Folk for a big crossover story, wouldn't you want them to be portrayed as the fans know and love them? Which is the issue I have with May's depiction throughout the story: It's not even really Mayday. No, I'm not going to try to tell you how this character clearly isn't the real Spider-Girl because of incorrect internal monologue structure or whatever. I'm saying if you want to push all these Spider-characters (and judging by all the new Spider-Titles, that was part of the plan) then you want to be selling the reader on what makes them unique and interesting. Kaine's all dark and brooding and not so quipy. Superior Spider-Man is a ranting super villain. Spider-Gwen is...well, Gwen Stacy with witty dialog. Spider-Ham is a anthropomorphic pig, for crying out loud.  Miguel O'Hara is snarky and brilliant. So, where exactly was Spider-Girl accurately represented or portrayed, even remotely? No, instead we get May shouting vengeful epithets and calling everyone else in the room a fake.
 

Can you see why I'm upset? I really thought Spider-Girl showing up in this big story event after years of dormancy would do wonders for the character's exposure and marketability. I regret to inform you all I was terribly wrong. I think Mayday would have fared far better away from all this wanton death and destruction. As it stands now, May is no longer even called Spider-Girl and no longer wearing her distinctive costume. Instead, she's yet another in a long line to call themselves 'Spider-Woman'. Considering both Jessica Drew and Gwen Stacy both have a series (Spider-Woman and Spider-Gwen, respectively) it seems unlikely that May will receive her own title, which was secretly my fond hope following all this bloody exposure. I thought surely, with all these female Spider-heroes getting books, Mayday will merit a 'Spider-Girl' title.

The name Spider-Girl was earned by May 'Mayday' Parker over twelve long, hard years of continuous publication. To see it stripped from her again with such disregard makes me finally start to believe those that say Marvel doesn't really want May as Spider-Girl but are happy to trade on her title and goodwill. Which brings me to the costume. A gender-swapped Spider-Man costume? Are you kidding me?!? "The costume she's synonymous with isn't good enough, let's stick her in something generic that say's 'I'm just Spider-Man with boobs'." As if to infuriate me further, the actual gender-swapped Spider-Woman, Petra Parker from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon sports this look. Don't tell me that's a coincidence.

I'm done thinking Marvel cares about or wants to promote Mayday unless they can change her into someone or something else on a fundamental level. The glimmer of hope I see on the horizon is Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz are contributing to the Secret Wars crossover.

I apologize for all the negativity but I felt I had to express myself. Hopefully sometime soon I will return with more positive things to talk about.

 Until Spider-Girl is restored to her former self, I remain

frogoat
  

New Spider-Girl Acquisition

It's not much of a reason to make a new post but why not? Sure, there were a few news items that probably needed to be covered more urgently than this, but it's my silly blog so I'll cover something far less relevant. Onwards!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen! I have finally (FINALLY!) acquired the Spider-Girl toy car. This bad girl came out back in 2003 from Maisto...who I gather make this sort of thing quite often as this particular car is #42 of Series 2. Beyond what's written on the packaging I've no idea what the deal is with the set. It's a Dodge Concept Vehicle. So...there's that. I realize this sounds pretty uninformative...and it is but please understand that I've been chasing this darn toy car for a decade now. Having finally obtained it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.

Until I write a decent toy car review or stick to current topics, I remain

frogoat

Spider-Verse Team-Up #3 Review

This is a re-post of my review from Spidey-Dude.com which you can read here.

Story:

Disclaimer: This review was written before the conclusion of the Spider-Verse event. As such, points raised may later be addressed. Just go with the flow.


Mayday Parker is angry. She wants the other Spider-People to accompany her to the home-world of the Inheritors and rescue her baby brother-here referred to as 'Benny'. The others tell her it's suicide to go there, and the Spider-Totem of this world- Ben Parker- attempts to convince Mayday to stay in the safety his bunker, much the same way he did following his family's death, while the rest of his world was destroyed. Mayday calls Ben a coward and tells him her father would be ashamed of him.
Mayday runs off deep into the bunker, frustrated and angry at the others, telling herself they are imposters and fakes and that they don't understand what it takes to be a hero. Breaking down, Mayday begins crying and admits that the lose of her brother Benny is her own fault, that her parents are dead because of her.

Ben arrives and attempts to calm down Mayday but Mayday tells him that his family would be ashamed of him, that her father would be sickened to see him like this. The two fight it out with Ben admitting that he failed to act after the lose of his family and Mayday making the point that if they stay and do nothing, eventually the Inheritors will swarm in and kill them all.

After working together to fight off Mutant Spiders Ben tells Mayday that she needs to get her emotions under control and again offers her safe haven in his bunker if she'll forget about going after the Inheritors. Mayday tells Ben she can't live without her baby brother as he's all she has left. Mayday adds she hopes there is a world out there with a Mayday Parker untouched by the tragic events she's recently endured, as she will fight for them when she rescues Benny and kills Daemos.

Review:

I have to begin by saying welcome back, Tom, Ron and Sal! It's been too long, gentlemen! The classic team back doing a story with Spider-Girl would normally fill me with unadulterated joy. But under the current circumstances of the Spider-Verse event, I think there was always going to be some reservations going into this adventure.

I love Tom's classic writing style and his ability to pack so much into only ten pages is a testament to his skill. The mere fact that Mr Defalco is writing a very different Mayday from the one he worked so hard to develop for over a decade would make the adjustment jarring. Admittedly it is a different take on the character we see written here. Subtle and not so subtle narration refer to the way Slott characterized Mayday in Amazing Spider-Man #8 and the most recent Spider-Verse issues. A few examples including May calling herself 'Mayday' in her opening narration and referring to her brother has 'Benny' rather than 'Benjy' could be read as an implicit confirmation that this 'Mayday' isn't the Mayday the Spider-Girl crew created. There's also the 'With Great Power Must Also Come Great Responsibility' line which is something May would know. Alternatively this could simply be Tom and Ron attempting to maintain the narrative style put forward by Dan Slott. Or everyone is reading to much into all this, who knows?

A few positive points for me were the interactions between Mayday and Uncle Ben in this story. Essentially, the story is ham-strung by the fact that Ben Parker doesn't change his mind about staying in the bunker until Amazing Spider-Man #13 and Mayday (at the time of writing) has not gotten through her grief, anger and revenge arc, something Mr Slott is likely going to resolve in the conclusion of the story arc. So, what do Tom and Ron do? They USE that as a strength. The interactions allowed Ben and Mayday to call one  another out on their actions and attitudes while also reinforcing their own opinions about how to address the threat at hand. Obviously, neither is 'right' but that's where I found the crux of this story because it's a differing of opinions, rather than a 'right and wrong' dilemma. Ben's desire to stay safe in his hide-y-hole and live with his regret is understandable, but so is Mayday's thirst for revenge and her own desire to save the last of her family. It's a great contrast.

Both Ron Frenz and Sal Busema are on fire for this Spider-Girl reunion! The inking is some of the best I've ever seen from Sal with a soft touch on the shading that really brought out Ron's strengths. Ron's layouts on this issue are astounding! Just take a look at page three of the story: Nine panels. Nine! It's utilizes the space in each panel to demonstrate Mayday's anger, sadness and guilt, using larger panels at the top of the page, progressively becoming smaller as the walls metaphorically close in on her. It's superb storytelling. There were a few coloring mistakes from Andrew Crossley but nothing major. I think his color palette is a great fit for this story. The reds are darker, the shadows have weight and the backgrounds are lit in such a way that you feel how depressing the confines of the bunker truly are.

Ron also put in some possible clues that we are not reading the MC2 Spider-Girl with her costume. For starters, her web-shooters are a different design to those seen in Amazing Spider-Girl. Her spider-emblem is slightly different, using the design from the original Spider-Girl series while the section of blue under the arms is reminiscent of the Amazing Spider-Girl costume design. If that wasn't enough, the eye-pieces on the mask are different to any design I've seen before, with the 'points' near the nose area pointing down as well as having a different size and shape. It's a distinct yet subtle costume shift.

Overall, I enjoyed this story on it's own merits but I feel it was a missed opportunity by Marvel to promote Spider-Girl through this Spider-Verse event. Once again, we are dealing with a very different take on the character when compared to what made her so unique and interesting in her own series'. That makes it hard for a new reader to appreciate what it is that fans enjoyed about May's adventures. That said, I believe Tom, Ron and Sal have all brought their 'A' game to this story and I walked away very happy for having read a good, solid story told well. I'll give it a straight 'A'.

Until the gang returns to write a new Spider-Girl series, I remain

frogoat

Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #8 Review

This is a re-post of my review from Spidey-Dude.com which you can see here.

Story:

Disclaimer: This review was written before the conclusion of the Spider-Verse storyline. Some points raised may later be addressed.

The Inheritor named Daemos attacks the Parker home of Earth-982. Mayday's boyfriend Wes is apparently killed attempting to defend her from being crushed to death by Daemos.


Peter knocks Daemos away from Mayday and tells Mary Jane to save their children. While Peter battles Daemos, Mary Jane tells Mayday to take her baby brother Benjy and flee. Mary Jane rushes to her husband's side as May runs out of the burning family home with her brother. A scream is heard from the house just as Old Man Spider-Man and Spider-UK arrive through a portal.

Mayday begs them to help, but Old Man Spider-Man tells her they can only detect her and Benjy. Daemos emerges from the house dragging the body of Peter. He tells Mayday he will find them no matter where they go. Mayday vows to break every vow to avenge her father and kill Daemos before she disappears into the portal.

Review:

Where to start?

Dan Slott manages to do more to ruin the MC2's Spider-Girl in 8 pages than I ever thought possible. On the other hand, Dan Slott also writes the married Peter and Mary Jane as well as anyone could hope for.

Starting with some positives, I really enjoy seeing Humberto Ramos' depiction of Spider-Girl, brief though it maybe. His kinetic style is perhaps best suited to the action-oriented stuff, but I think he does a fine job showing emotion through the characters faces and body language. I was impressed how much pathos he manged to depict through Mayday's ripped mask with just one eye visible. I did find it difficult to make sense of where everybody was in relation to one another at times and the odd angles chosen sometimes forced me to look twice. I think Victor Olazaba's inks help deepen and distinguish Ramos' pencils, which is usually a good thing. The colors by Edgar Delgado were suitably darker in tone than most Spider-Girl stories and the lighting particularly from the flames worked well to evoke the destructive nature of this story. I'd like to see this art team draw more Spider-Girl someday. The cover to the book by Giuseppe Camuncoli looks amazing too.

But what about the story? The cover's copy reads 'Spider-Girl's Last Stand' and with the accompanying artwork of Mayday looking battered but determined surrounded by destruction, you'd be forgiven for thinking she had agency in her own story. Instead, Mayday starts off pinned by Daemos and already defeated. Wes has more of a heroic moment than Mayday. Then Peter throws himself at Daemos to slow him down so that his family can escape. Then Mary Jane gives Mayday Benjy and steps up to rejoin her husband. Wes, Peter and MJ all take an active role in the story while Mayday spends the entire story reacting.

As a story featuring Spider-Girl there isn't a lot of the tone one would expect. Mayday's character seems lacking. Sure, she monologues and feels responsible for bringing this down on her family and she clearly loves and respects her parents; that much I think was well handled. But the use of 'Mayday Parker' instead of May 'Mayday' Parker is either an error or a clue this isn't really the MC2 character. 'Mayday' is merely a nickname but here Spider-Girl refers to herself this way as though it were her actual name. Even Mary Jane calls her 'Mayday' for goodness sake. There's also the use of 'The Spider-Girl' to describe herself as the definitive Spider-Girl which struck me as odd.

Another quibble of mine was Old Man Spider-Man showing up and simply telling Mayday that it's too late to help because he can't detect any other Spider-Totems. Did Dan Slott forget about the MC2's own Kaine. Or Darkdevil. Or Gerry Drew. Or Jessica Drew. Or Julia Carpenter. Or Mattie Franklin. Or Aranâ. Or Black Tarantula. I know what you might be thinking, perhaps they are already dead? But no, dialogue  from Daemos seems to imply this is his first stop on this world.

There are a multitude of reasons I could rant on about why this story fails, but I think the main reason is simple. This was the first time we'd really seen May in a comic since her series ended four years ago, and the first thing we see is her parents and boyfriend murdered and her family home destroyed. Which leaves us with a very different character leading into the Spider-Verse event. If they wanted to use Spider-Girl, then use her as she has always been portrayed. If they wanted a vengeful and angry character, then why not use a different character? This depiction does a disservice to the fans of the character by making her unrecognizable and does nothing but tear down over a decade of character development and progression.

Worse still, Spider-Girl is no longer viable as a concept with her parents dead.  The whole point of having the daughter of Spider-Man is to show how they interact with one another. Mayday's relationship with her parents is one of the richest sources of drama and development. Spider-Girl was a rare find in comics: a superhero who didn't need a tragic past to drive her. Cutting that out leaves us with  yet another brooding, angst-ridden orphan superhero.

A far more interesting approach to having Spider-Girl in this event would have been to highlight the various strong points of her series: The marriage of Peter and MJ, May's optimism and strength of  character, her ability to see the good in others. There are key moments in Spider-Verse where Mayday's unique perspective could have shone through. Instead she's reduced to spouting rage-filled epithets. It's a true shame.

I think where Dan Slott shows the most promise is with his depiction of the married Peter and Mary Jane and the assertion  that they would never be parted. Which gives a nice piece of tragedy to their deaths, pointless though they may be. I suppose some credit must be given for featuring Wes in the story, though he's really only there to increase the drama by dying. This universe's earth designation is correctly given as 982, which considering the errors in other Spider-Verse stories, is something they got right. Considering what transpires, I don't know if that's a good thing.

Only time will tell if this is all set right at the conclusion of Spider-Verse. On a personal note, my favorite character suffering through the loss of her parents struck me very hard, especially while re-reading the story again. I find it almost cruel and heartless that anyone would write such a story without regard to the consequences going forward. The loss of parent is a life-altering event. I don't feel it was handled with the care and forethought that was needed. I hope there is a plan going forward for Mayday and her family.
All said and told, I really did not enjoy reading this story. A lot of people wanted to see Spider-Girl again, but not like this. Not like this. D-

Until things are set right again, I remain
frogoat

Reblog: Domestic Abuse in Amazing Spider-Girl

Let me start by saying I didn't write this blog I'm about to share. It's written by Tumblr user Tierouy. I just think it's well written and it's a interesting and deep reading of the problematic and abusive relationship between Mayday Parker and Gene Thompson. Give it a look!

Domestic Abuse in Amazing Spider-Girl

Until I finally get some sleep, I remain

frogoat

Mayday's Room

Before I get too deep in this blog post, I've got to give credit where it's due. Firstly to Mr Joshua Lapin-Bertone aka Bertone Beatle for some much needed instant-sourcing of floor plans and for generally being a great source of information and entertainment on his various podcasts through the years. Secondly and with the utmost love and appreciation, I thank my dearest partner for not only putting up with me while I worked on this but for also going the extra mile and reading (!) the first 20 issues for this little pet project of mine. Without your help, I'd be lost my darling.

Initially, I had planned to do a blog where I examined the entire Parker Family Home, looking at how many rooms it contained, where they were located and in which issues we see them. Bertone quickly set me straight. Obviously this was a mad idea of mine and doomed to fail... probably after I was diagnosed insane. I decided to narrow my scope while looking at the details. So here is a look at Mayday's Room!

I lied! To start we first have to check out Peter Parker's room from way back in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Therein lies a special feature illustrated by the inimitable Steve Ditko showing the basic layout of the house - or at least the back of the house. So, apparently Peter's room is located at the rear of the building on the second floor, with one (maybe two?) windows- facing the backyard and/or the neighboring house. Keep that in mind.  Of course, throughout his run on Spidey, the room's layout varies quite a bit.

Skip forward--or is that backward?--to the Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual '96 (why must the annual's keep changing there numbering format?! ) which pays homage to Stan and Steve's first Annual by having it's own little feature (illustrated by the frankly superb Pat Olliffe) on Peter's world, including a floor plan for his bedroom.

That particular floor plan will be my basis for the layout of Mayday's room in this post. Why, you ask? Well, as I mentioned, Pat Olliffe provided the design for Peter's room. Pat also provided the first real look at Mayday's room in Spider-Girl #1. While Ron Frenz obviously had the art duties and co-created Spider-Girl in the prior What If #105 story, there is no clear shot of May's room in that issue. As such, I defer credit to Mr Olliffe for the initial design.

 Here's a secret: It's the same room. Seriously, have a close look. The beds in the same place, the furniture is almost identically placed around the room, the window and door seems to be in the same location. That's truly a nice piece of continuity, Pat!

 Shall I give you a tour? I shall. Using the above floor plan, let us first get orientated.

These are purely to help clarify what I'll be referring to. I have no idea which direction Peter/Mayday's window faces. Now that I've cleared that up, lets move on!

She'll get more shoes. Lot's more.

It's times like this I wish I could do fancy infographics or something. Never mind.  These are from the aforementioned Spider-Girl #1. To make it clear where things are May's bed seems to be in the same location as Peter's once was -with the head of the bed against the East wall. The window is on the North wall. There's a lot established about the room here! Note the free standing full length mirror. There's a bunch of furniture that will reappear throughout the entire Spider-Girl run: the book shelves, the various chest of drawers, the two bedside tables, the trunk at the foot of the bed, the desk (later a computer desk) with various sporting trophies, the built-in closet/wardrobe. Also, this is the first appearance of the WNBA and Cranberries Reunion posters. 

Spider-Girl #14 brings us the first appearance of the 'Unclean Thots' poster! I know you've all been curious about that one! Also, it seems the door is along the South wall. Now the desk (West wall, near built-in closet) has acquired a computer. Exciting stuff, I know. And the mirror has moved. It does that. A lot.

The mirror is now in the South-West corner in Spider-Girl #15. Hey, a Leonard Groote poster! This was around the time the annual came out, so it's clearly in reference to that.

 Spider-Girl #26: It's a cover, so maybe it doesn't count, but it seems the computer desk has moved so it's by the window. It's a nice cover. One of my favorites. In the picture of Mayday putting her Spider-Girl costume together from Spider-Girl #1, it also looks like the computer desk is by the window.

Okay! Hold the phone, your horses and your posterior! Is this even the same room?! The computer is where the bed usually sits on the East wall, there's a very different book shelf and a comfy looking cane chair along the the West wall near the closet. The bed isn't visible in any of the panels, therefore it's likely near the North window. So, why the drastic room rearrangement? Obviously the real world reason is Pat Olliffe was using artistic license. Look at these pages- they are gorgeous- so clearly it paid off! As for in-story reasons? Mayday had recently lost her powers leading to some big changes in her life. Is it too much of stretch to suggest rearranging her room was one of those changes?

Mayday's room seems to be back to normal the next issue when she decides she must continue in the hero biz without her powers. Hey, that kinda works, right? Symbolism? May puts her room back in order much the same as she is determined to put her hero work back on her schedule. I know, I'm stretching.

The room definitely seems to be back in order here in Spider-Girl #36. This is around the time Mary Jane began showing signs of her pregnancy. We won't be seeing much of the room for good long while until...

Spider-Girl #54 presents a rearranged bedroom again. I honestly can't figure this one out. Fair enough, the computer desk has moved over to the South wall. Sure, the 'WNBA' poster (which reads 'WNBA Flyers') has moved. No big deal. But I can't really explain how the built-in closet can be along the same wall as the window- that'd be the North wall if you're keeping up.

Spider-Girl #56 seems to show the same basic layout. We don't really see the room again until Spider-Girl #71 and things have been rearranged a bit.

The computer desk and that comfy cane chair are now either side of the window. In Spider-Girl #72, Ron has moved the computer desk to the North-East corner.

I love 'The Avengers' screen saver and the 'Fantastic Five' poster matches May's earlier seen Franklin Richards picture. 

Both pages here are from Spider-Girl #75. It's not clear to me exactly where that first panel in the first image above is in relation to the rest of the room, but there's that mirror again! In the second image, is that a radiator or something? Pretty sure that's new. The next issue again shows the rooms layout hasn't really changed.

...Although the window is visible from the closet in this shot...I'm just going to call it a cheated angle.

Spider-Girl #77 shows the same arrangement as before.

In Spider-Girl #80, Pat Olliffe has returned the computer desk to the West wall, as it was way back when. You know, I'm noticing a pattern here! Pat usually draws the computer desk on the West wall (occasionally elsewhere) and Ron usually prefers it on the North wall near the North-East corner.

Spider-Girl #81: I really just wanted to show the New York 'MAYDAY' license plate above the door. Oh, and look! Ron Frenz on art and the computer desk is back in that corner by the bed.

This is another case of artistic license to tell the story visually. It's also a great layout!

I love the Captain America action figure on the shelf. Spider-Girl #89 takes place right after Last Hero Standing, so it's a nice touch. And look where the computer desk is located!

Note the 'Unclean Thots: The Redemption Tour' poster behind the CD player (iPod dock?). Aw, and the Hulk action figure! I love these touches.

Spider-Girl #90: It's canon, Mayday now has a photo of her namesake in her room.

I included this page from Spider-Girl #92 mainly because of that first panel. Anyone know which part of the house that might be? It'd really help me sleep at night. It seems when ever Mayday studies, that computer desk is turned around, doesn't it? I'm guessing that's the closet door in the last panel.

Spider-Girl #94: Did...did May move her room around again?! Perhaps after studying in the Spider-Girl #92 she simply left the room like this?

We don't see Mayday's room much after the series relaunched with Amazing Spider-Girl #1 but it is still fairly consistent.

Yup, the room is back to normal here in Amazing Spider-Girl #4 with the computer desk back on the North wall and that darn mirror moving where ever it pleases. I wonder which 'Justin' that poster is referring to?

Amazing Spider-Girl #23

April's Room from Amazing Spider-Girl #25

 Every now and then there will be a page like this one from Web of Spider-Man (vol 2) #2 that seem to show a second window on the West wall of the room. I'm about to out out tufts of hair. How do I explain that?!

This next page from Web of Spider-Man (vol 2) #5 also seems to hint at a second window. In the last panel, you can also see the hall out side May's room. Based on this layout, is her room at the rear of the house? Am I over-thinking things? Obviously!

Okay, nearly done! In Spectacular Spider-Girl #1 Mayday throws her costume onto her bed, then sits down on her trunk. Based on these panels, the window in the first panel is opposite the bed. So, maybe there is a second window? Is Mayday's room on a corner of the house?! Am I sleep deprived and crazy!?!

Yes, I am. Looking again at this image from the same issue, it seems the room's layout is as it is usually. Darn! I do like the 'Do Not Enter' sign on the door. One more thing?

A pin-up from Amazing Spider-Girl #15

CEILING FAN!!!

So, I think that's it. I've been pouring over Spider-Girl comics all week while working on this blog. I hope this makes some kind of sense. The important thing to take away from all my nitpicking and rambling is this: For twelve years and more than 140 issues the design of Mayday's Room was kept very consistent.

 The dedication to the details is impressive. I love that the 'Unclean Thots', 'WNBA' and 'Cranberries' posters are maintained throughout the series run. I love that the computer desk and mirror are always present around the room. I love the Avengers screen saver. I love the trunk at the end of the bed (what's in that thing?!) I love that the dirty linen basket is always full. I love that there are photo's everywhere of her family and friends. I love that the room is always just a little bit messy. I love the sporting trophies and collection of books. I love the teddy bear and bunny. 

In short, I love the care, attention to detail and sheer love Pat and Ron have put into making this room feel real and lived in.

Until I learn to better manage my OCD tendencies, I remain

frogoat