Title: Dumped
Published By: Marvel Comics
Writer: B M Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J D Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Maccio
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Have you ever been dumped? I mean seriously dumped? I mean your boyfriend (or girlfriend) felt that they were doing something for the right reason, but when it came down to it – all they were doing was tearing you up inside. I know, there there… it’s ok.
Now, what about when the reason that he (or she) broke up with you in the first place was because you wouldn’t stop being so damned nosy whenever he (or she) would go and fight supervillains with heightened strength and power, and all he (or she) wanted to do was ensure your safety.
Yeah…
We’ve all been there… here’s a tissue.
Story!
Sad little Mary Jane is without Peter. Her counterpart has left her. Why? Because like most girlfriends she couldn’t mind her own damned business, and he wasn’t going to be the death of her… so to speak. (See: Stacy, Gwen & Parker, Benjamin)
So now it’s time for Mary Jane to move on. Thankfully there’s a new boy in school. He’s rebellious looking, he’s hunky, and just all around dreamy. He even wears a leather jacket and is in a band called ‘Molten Man’. He is just the cat’s pajamas.
Well through the conniving of Lizzie and Flash, MJ and hunkabilly go out on a date together. There is just one problem.
He’s not Peter.
Now, I know I can sum this entire issue up, but once again – when you are dealing with Bendis, and specifically Ultimate Spiderman, you are talking about a story that doesn’t need a long time to unfold. It is a story that could be told in as little as a page, but the magic is that Bendis takes it and spins every angle on it possible. You get each facial shot of disappointment when MJ turns around and Peter (or Spidey) isn’t there. You feel the discomfort when they see each other in the hallway.
This book is about a break-up, and be damned if Bendis doesn’t give you a sweet, comic-perfect moment in it. For a story where Peter appears barely, and action sequences are null… this issue is amazing.
Art!
I can’t say much about Bagley and Hanna that hasn’t already been said. They are ideal for this book. Sometimes they feel rushed, but sometimes they nail it.
This time they nailed it. It really feels as if they took the extra attention to the panels because you would be lingering over them more than if the book was fraught with page turning action and peril. They knew you would be staring into MJ’s eyes just that little bit more to feel her sadness.
Overall!
Spidey 78 is a throwaway issue. It doesn’t need to exist, but after the Hobgoblin storyline – we needed a break. Bendis takes the breather by putting us in the shoes of MJ, the one person in this book who gets to be even more shadowed than Spiderman. The girl who can’t talk about him.
I don’t care if you dislike or even hate Bendis – issues like this are why the man is in comics. This throwaway, ignorable, footnote story – is perfect in every way. Thusly, it receives my 3rd ever score of 10.
