Celebrating sixty years since her appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #42, Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger features an all-star collection of artists and writers. Covering three different stories, across three different eras of Mary Jane, the team brings together a history of Spider-Man’s longest love interest with a look towards the future.
This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Matt and Shawn!
Creative Team
Faces In The Crowd
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Andrea Broccardo
Color Artist: Java Tartaglia
Vamp #9
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Alina Yerofieieva
Color Artist: Fabi Marques
Soft Words at Sunset
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Luigi Zagaria
Color Artist: Matt Milla
Redux
Writer: Ashley Allen
Artist: Phil Noto
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Jim Cheung and Jay David Ramos
Writing
Matt: This was a fun collection of stories. I loved how the main focus was on how MJ is always there for Peter through everything and, even at times, wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. The story tackled different themes where we saw her struggling with PTSD after a run-in with Chameleon, Peter’s death, which was the most heartbreaking story of the bunch, and even symbiote MJ. Every story, however, despite being set at different times, all told a story together. Peter Parker and Mary Jane are the benchmark for comic couples, and this was a fun book showing everyone exactly why.
Shawn: I really enjoyed this issue. It was a nice walk through various stages of MJ’s life. Each story was a poignant look at the connection between MJ and Peter. In the first story, I enjoyed that J.M. DeMatteis gave us a deeper look at the kind of stress MJ encounters being with Spider-Man. It’s a good reminder of Marvel’s “life outside your window” philosophy as we are shown that even for the characters in this world not directly impacted, there are secondary traumas and worries they encounter. For the second story, I thought it was a nice nod to her history that Ann Nocenti built the story around MJ’s acting career. It’s often mentioned in stories surrounding MJ, but it was nice to see the work that she actually puts into her career. In the third story, J.Michael Straczynski really has us pulling out the tissues. His story serves as a good reminder that no matter where writers may take them, MJ and Peter will always be connected. The fourth bonus story gives us a glimpse at what may be coming for MJ in the future. Written by Ashley Allen, it makes me realize how much I would like to see Allen take over writing duties for the character.
Art
Matt: I was a very big fan of what each art team did with their respective story. It was beautiful the way the third story showed the age across both Peter and MJ’s faces; however, you could still see the youth behind their eyes and that spark that fueled them. I loved the design of Spider-Man’s suit in that story as well, showing how it had evolved. The lettering with MJ wielding Venom and handling her own business captured the duality of Venom and MJ bringing them together as one, all at the same time. This book had a lot of amazing line work and detail with the realism in it. And the coloring in each brought a vividness to it, inviting us into each story.
Shawn: I thought the art across all four stories was simply spectacular. Marvel gave us artists and color artists who each had a chance to show off their distinct abilities while pulling along the same thread as the story goes on. In the first story, I felt that Andrea Broccardo and Java Tartaglia beautifully captured MJ’s emotions. The line work and coloring were simply spectacular. In the second story, Alina Yerofieieva and Fabi Marques got to play with a little different line sizing and darkness, as well as darker shades than the first story. The Haze was beautifully drawn and colored. In the third story, Luigi Zagaria and Matt Milla did some of their best work. Zagaria’s lines are clean and show us a different look at MJ and Peter. Milla’s colors capture the mood and feeling of the story perfectly. In the final story, Phil Noto just knocks it out of the park, closing the issue strong with beautiful lines and well-shaded colors.
Final Thoughts
Matt: 9/10. Too often in superhero stories, we forget that just because someone doesn’t have powers or isn’t fighting crime every night, that they aren’t making sacrifices. This book showed us the everyday challenges Mary Jane faces as she traverses life with Peter and his alter ego. It’s a beautiful reminder of how strong she is and how wonderful their relationship can be at the same time.
Shawn: 9/10. This was a really great trip down memory lane. It’s a great quick retrospective of MJ, and how, love it or hate it, she is intrinsically tied to Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Yet, the authors and artists still show us that MJ is her own person with her own dreams, hopes, and fears.
Overall Grade: 9/10
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