Amazing Spider-Man #509 Review

Archive

Reviewer: Iain Burnside
Story Title: Sins Past: Part 1

Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Penciled by: Mike Deodato, Jr.
Inked by: Joe Pimentel
Colored by: Matt Milla
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Read this comic. Just read it. I am about to launch into a brief review of the intangibles contained within it but all you need to know is that you should read it. If you like superhero comics you have to read it. It’s that simple. Go out and buy the book itself. Wait for the trade or the hardcover collection. Hell, even just read it on Mile High. Whatever. Doesn’t matter. Just read it because there is quite simply nothing wrong with it. Quesada has a tendency to get over-excited about forthcoming solicitations in a way that makes him equally endearing and irritating but in this instance he was correct. Read the book. Read it.

And damn you, Straczynski, for daring to write something so good! I was planning on starting to cut down on the increasingly generous scores I was giving comics of late, but there is no way I could give this anything less than full marks with a clear conscience. It sets out to do a specific set of tasks, nails them all perfectly and even throws in a couple of neat little bonuses along the way. Now I’m just going to have to get overly critical of another book to compensate. When the only thing I can complain about is that the book is too good in comparison to most of its peers then you know you’re getting value for money!

The book starts with Mary Jane auditioning for a role in the play Cats Always Lie directed by a man named Fettes Gray, who bears a striking resemblance to Robert DeNiro. Just as his doppelganger is well versed in the true spirit of method acting (go read about the making of Raging Bull if you want proof), Gray imparts some of his wisdom about finding the real magic in the art of acting to Mary Jane. In his own words, ”Stop trying to act. Just… tell the truth.” Et voila, MJ’s soap-opera digestible melodrama of an audition is magically transformed into a touching reflection of the love she has for her husband and she gets the part. In case you were wondering, Fettes Gray also just so happens to be a pseudonym for Straczynski. It’s as though the father figure of this series has finished exploring the roots of the mythology and letting foster parents take over for a brief sojourn and has returned to remind us all what these people are all about and that he knows how to present that to us better than 9 out of 10 writers on the planet could ever hope to achieve. To paraphrase Tobey Maguire from the movie, it’s a story about a girl. About love. The love Peter has for MJ keeps him going through the darkest of times as his alter-ego, while here we see the flipside – just how powerful MJ becomes through her love for Peter.

Of course, I would keep an eye out for that director. He may very well be playing an important role as this arc progresses. The reason Straczynski chose Fettes Gray as a pseudonym was because Fettes and Gray were the names of the two grave robbers in The Bodysnatcher and, as I’m sure you’re all aware, this issue involves a rather prominent reflection of a deceased loved one of the Parkers. But we’ll get to that in a minute…

The issue continues as we get some more insight into the love between the greatest couple in comic book history, this time through the husband’s eyes. Again, it is surely no coincidence that the posters on the walls of the theatre as Peter waits to hear the outcome of MJ’s audition are all of plays about love triumphing in some very trying circumstances indeed. Kudos to Deodato for going above and beyond the call of duty. Peter’s initial flippant yet healing words when he thinks MJ didn’t get the part soon give way to an out-and-out celebration, as you’d expect, but on the inside his mind and heart race with the passionate emotions his nature simply cannot let him express verbally. It’s all going swimmingly as we cut to another full and heart breakfast with Aunt May, and then the good times are abruptly cut off at the knees due to a name written on an envelope.

An envelope! It sounds absurd to even think it but this is the beauty of such a long-running character being handled perfectly. It takes the greatest of effort to get the structure in place but once it’s done the possibilities are to test that structure are endless. Going back to reference something from a couple of issues in 1973 and subsequently breathing new life into them in the manner done here threatens the very foundations themselves. In case you’re wondering, the issues in question are Amazing Spider-Man #119-120, which allows Deodato to give us a marvelous updated drawing of the fight with The Hulk that occurred back then, in addition to a heartfelt reminder of the Osborn/Stacy tragedies courtesy of Peter himself. Even better than that – Alonso and assistant editor Warren Simons provide us with an editor’s note box noting the issues in question!

From this point we see the unfortunate consequences that come with the love Peter has; namely hate and fury when it is toyed with and unbelievable grief if this is not contained. If love is the greatest power of them all then it is also his greatest responsibility. This letter was not just a freak occurrence of the post office delivering a long-lost bit of mail from years ago; it was found and sent to Peter by someone in New York City on the 23rd June 2004. Someone has dared to bring back old memories that can still cause nightmares and threaten to let those nightmares consume him whole. Worse still, they upset Mary Jane as well by being the one thing capable of making her question how strong the bond she shares with Peter truly is. Coming after that excellent opening scene, this impacts the reader just as much as it does the characters and neatly encapsulates everything Jeph Loeb’s Spider-Man: Blue had to say in six sprawling, delayed issues in just a few choice scenes.

After this we head to Fettes & Gray’s workplace of choice, the graveyard, as Peter pays a visit to the deceased person in question. I’m sure you all know who it is by now but I’ll play dumb for safety’s sake. This is where the fine artwork really begins to pay off in leaps and bounds. Deodato’s contemplative drawings of the pain on Peter’s face are heartbreaking, while there’s an enjoyably nostalgic representation of Spider-Sense in there as well. However, it is Pimentel’s fine shadowing that really makes the graveyard stand out from the crowd as a fine piece of gothic design. You half expect Brandon Lee to be brought to life by a bird as you turn the page. In addition, Milla’s fine colouring provides a suitably subdued contrast to the darkness of this scene, as if Peter himself is still clinging onto the light before it is too late. Of course, he’s going to face a far harder test than this bit of melancholy before this is all over. This starts here as he is attacked by a masked man and woman at the graveyard. However, as Peter pointed out himself earlier on, ”there are some things in my life you just don’t touch if you want to walk away with your spine intact.”

This is where the mystery deepens. Peter, like us, has no idea who attacked him but the man seems convinced that he should know and is offended he doesn’t. The unknown assailant also seems to think Peter has something to apologise for with regards to the deceased, yet apparently does not know that Peter is Spider-Man until Peter uses his powers to leap onto a passing truck and escape them. However, the assailant does seem to have exceptional strength and agility of his own and wants to kill Peter. What is even more confusing is that when we see the man taking off his mask he bears a striking resemblance to, well, Peter himself. A poor bit of art or a deliberate set-up? That remains to be seen. As for the woman, well, Quesada already teased us with one possible identity for her that raises some very interesting questions about this couple’s motivations for wishing harm on the Parkers. Screw Mark Millar’s self-styled “Shush” storyline on the new Spider-Man title – this is where the real confusion lies! I look forward to getting some explanations in the upcoming months, and to the inevitable fanboy moaning that will ensue if they go the route I think they may take…