Spider-Man: Life Story #2 The ’70s Review

“I’ve fought The Rhino, Kraven, The Lizard, and yet here I am, scared…of disco.“

Don your bell-bottoms, Web-Heads, as Spidey faces off with The Black Goblin in the Disco Era! Wait-a-sec…why does Peter’s Spider-Sense get a light tingle at Professor Warren’s lab?

WRITER: Chip Zdarsky

PENCILER: Mark Bagley

INKER: Drew Hennessy

COLOR ARTIST: Frank D’Armata

LETTERER: VC’s Travis Lanham

COVER: Chip Zdarsky

VARIANT COVER: Michael Cho

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Shannon Andrews

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Alanna Smith

EDITOR: Tom Brevoort

SPIDER-MAN created by STAN LEE & STEVE DITKO

STORY: 1977. 30-year-old Peter Parker is visiting Flash Thompson’s grave and is later joined by his wife, a short-haired Gwen Stacy. Gwen does her best to assuage Peter’s guilt that he is happy with his life while their friend lost his life in the Vietnam War three years ago. Peter works in a lab now, alongside Reed Richards and a reformed Otto Octavius. Harry visits his dad, Norman, in prison. Norman reveals a secret to Harry. Peter goes to visit his wife at work before heading to Studio 54 to meet up with MJ and Harry that night. Gwen works for Miles Warren at Scipro-Genesis and he offers Peter a job if he ever decides to leave Reed Richards’ employ. Peter thinks about it as he heads to the club. By the time Peter gets there, Harry is already passed out on whatever drug combination he’s taken. MJ feels Peter is getting a holier-than-thou attitude and reads him the riot act, letting him know she’s known of his dual identity since she was 15 and blames him for not saving Flash. The next day, Peter confronts Reed about why they don’t make more of a difference with his inventions and pushes so many buttons that Reed slaps him and Peter quits. Harry, meanwhile, gets a phone call from his dad. As Spidey, Peter swings over to tell Gwen what happened and take Professor Warren up on his offer. Before he gets the chance, a new Goblin storms the lab, throws a pumpkin bomb, and reveals a hidden room that houses tubes containing what looks like clones of Peter, Norman…and Gwen. Warren reveals Norman wanted a clone to pin his past crimes on and one of Peter for an unknown reason. Harry takes it as Norman wanting a clone of Peter to be his heir and renews his attack against his longtime friend. Peter’s words finally get through to Harry, who then tosses pumpkin bombs at the lab, destroying everything but Peter’s clone. Professor Warren is in agony, revealing that he wanted Gwen all to himself, that Peter’s wife is a clone, with the real Gwen kept in that tube in stasis till he could leave with her some day. Peter is devastated. By 1978, Harry has disappeared and Peter and Gwen’s clones are leaving New York to start their new lives as Ben and Helen Parker. Peter is shaken and bitter, asking where his new life is, stating he has nothing. Mary Jane consoles him, stating that’s not true at all, and they embrace.

THOUGHTS: We are in a great Spidey era right now. From Spencer’s Amazing, the PS4 game, and Into The Spider-Verse, there are many different flavors of the Web-Spinner and only two issues in, Life Story is poised to stand shoulder to shoulder with those works as an instant classic.

I’m really enjoying the designs Zdarsky is coming up with for his covers. They are stark and beautiful, capturing an element of the era well, with Spidey in this case literally hanging on by a thread, tying in thematically where Peter finds himself by this issue’s end. Cho’s variant cover is just pure fun, encapsulating the clothing style and graphics of the era well.

Bagley is crushing it on this book, like he always does. His characters are still his characters, but with subtle changes in age and style. The only person I felt was hard to recognize was his interpretation of ’70s Reed Richards. The longer hair and goatee reminded me of someone else, but I can’t quite put my finger on who. Hennessy does a fantastic job complimenting Bagley on inks. His shading brings depth and detail to the pencils, making everything pop.

It seems like we may be getting an updated Spidey suit with every decade, which makes sense given how the 616 Peter has updated his garb, too. I’ve gotta say, it’s a bit hit or miss for me. There definitely feels like there’s some PS4 Advanced Suit influence, with some parts armored up and the spider spreading across the chest. Where the look falters for me is the metal belt and the giant shoulder pads. The pads seem like they’d limit his ability when crawling through confined spaces. I’d love to hear about Bagley’s thought process and wouldn’t mind a tale of how Peter came about designing this version. What foe caused the upgrade?

Speaking of foes who upgraded, Harry debuted as the Black Goblin and I’m a lot more partial to this design, even if he took Darkhawk’s helmet for a Goblin Glider ornament. He’s got more of a “Stealth Goblin” look and it immediately made me wish they would’ve gone this route for James Franco in Spider-Man 3!

So, we’ve got some stellar art and Zdarsky steps up to the plate and delivers a killer story. This issue continues the feeling from the first-that of a fresh remix of very familiar story beats, but with some unexpected twists and turns. There are a lot of little background details regarding past events and changes to pick up on, from Doc Ock and Reed Richards’ respective marital status to Cap and Iron Man essentially having a civil war in Vietnam still.

I really enjoyed the depiction of MJ and Harry in the ’70s. Given that the famous drug storyline occurred early in the decade, this new version sees Harry as a presumably habitual user who hasn’t had the pyschotic break his 616 counterpart did. Not only that, but MJ is still with him. This reality finds her as a DJ instead of off-Broadway and right at place in the Studio 54 scene. One of the big twists of this issue was Zdarsky moving up her reveal to Peter that she knows his secret. That makes this series two for two on one of Peter’s loved ones finding out his dual identity. Bagley sells MJ’s anger and Peter’s shock.

The Harry of this series is trying to appease his father and not avenge him, but it still leads to the same conflict with Spider-Man and I love a good Peter/Harry tussle. One thing that comes across in this issue is that while he might be a good guy, Peter’s not a great friend. Gwen loves him whole-heartedly, but Harry has his father issues that tie in with Peter and Mary Jane has been building up a lot of resentment holding in Spidey’s secret. I loved seeing Peter get through to Harry once again, but unfortunately, it causes Harry to make a rather rash decision.

It should come as no surprise that clones would be involved with Professor Warren around and I loved that Zdarsky tied in two of the most earth shattering events of Spidey’s life in the ’70s into this one issue. He deftly connects the original Clone Saga with The Night Gwen Stacy Died by having the real Gwen be the one in stasis, meeting her demise via pumkin bomb instead of the George Washington Bridge. I can see unwittingly causing the death of his longtime friend nudging Harry into the mental health issues that he had in the main continuity easily, especially as Zdarsky explains that Harry disappears after this.

I’m sure Spidey-Dude probably tossed this comic against a wall in disgust when Peter’s clone decided to go by Ben Parker instead of Reilly, but it didn’t bother me terribly. It will make it just a small bit easier if he comes back in issue #4 as Peter’s “cousin” in the ’90s if they go that route. It was nice that Gwen took her mother’s name, Helen, and that she’ll hopefully continue to have a happy life with this different version of her husband.

Hands down though, my favorite part of the issue was the last two pages. Zdarsky gives us his version of Amazing Spider-Man #122 and just knocks it out of the park for me emotionally. Here is a Peter at rock bottom-one of his best friends is dead, the other has taken off after accidentally killing Peter’s wife and Peter has to see a version of himself carry happily carry on, living the married life he no longer has. His words are meant to hurt Mary Jane to drive her off, both as protection for her and for himself, but just like her 616 counterpart, the party girl facade fades away and the genuine person underneath shines through. She may not have powers, but her party girl persona is as much a mask as Spider-Man’s and she genuinely loves the man underneath it. It’s a brilliant way for fans to have their cake and eat it, too. Peter ends up married to both Gwen and (presumably next issue) Mary Jane.

I can’t tell you how excited I am for the next issue! What events will change? What will stay the same? How well does Peter web swing in his late 30s/early 40s? How will Zdarsky tie in the Cold War, Secret Wars, and judging by the solicitation’s cover, Kraven’s Last Hunt?

Despite a minor art quibble here and there (there’s a moment or two where Bagley’s Spider-Man is a little too Ultimate bodied, not adult) this is a spectacular second issue with fantastic art and deep characterizations. Don’t wait for the trade, pick this book up now!

MY GRADE: A

JAVI’S HUH?: So, when did Miles Warren swap out Gwens? Was it before or after Peter married her?