The Chi-Town Breakdown: ASM 852

(Writer) Nick Spencer
(Artist) Patrick Gleason
(Editor) Nick Lowe
(EIC) C.B. Cebulski
Date Released 10/28/2020
Issue Number #852
Price Tag: $3.99

Story Time: Silk goes and attacks Spidey and Dr. Strange, but Strange uses magic (it’s what he does) to contain her.  Kindred is speaking through Silk to taunt Spidey and make him confess in front of the good doctor before becoming a red monster and escaping.  Strange offers to help Spidey, but notices that something is off and wrong and decides that he needs to invesigate and keep Spidey away.  Spidey doesn’t take No for an answer and while talking to Strange, the Black Cat steals the Hand of Vishanti.  Spidey uses it to  float through the Astral Plain and sees Mary Jane.  He wakes up in cemetery where he finds Kindred at the dinner table with skeletons!

The Breakdown

• Something Strange
• One More Callback
  
• JMS Callback
• Theorizing
• Ntipics
• Grade
  

Something Strange:  …in your friendly neighborhood.  Who you gonna call?  Peter has expressed his concerns to Dr. Strange and he does agree to help, but something is off. Despite the lies that Dark Mark has stated.  I don’t mind a team up with Dr. Strange.  I don’t count the MCU, because that’s not Spider-Man.  That’s Iron Man Jr and soon to be Dr. Strange Jr, because Holland’s “Spider-Man” can’t be his own man, but I digress.

The carnation didn’t work and if you want to know more depth of how to read or pronounce what was said, Dark Mark’s class is right now the hall.  * Tell him Chi-Town sent ya.  After the hocky pocky  of the Hand of Vishanti doesn’t turn itself around for Peter, Strange atomically knows that something is very wrong and close to “impossible”.  He knows he has to look into this and he knows he has to help the Order of the Web, but he realizes that he NEEDS to do it WITH OUT Peter.

Looking into this further, let’s factor two things.

First thing, we need to look that Strange, doesn’t reveal what’s “off”.  An arrangement in regard to…what exactly?  He cuts off saying that whatever he’s thinking is impossible.  All he knows is, is that he needs to take care of it himself.  Like Peter said, the magic and demon stuff is outside his jurisdiction.  That of course is in context of what we just read, however…

…the Second Thing to most Spider-Man fans, we can only assume that Strange is referring to…

One More Callback:  You gotta give Spencer credit.  It’s been a little more than a decade and now that Marvel is under a new editorial mandate, it’s time to give the fans what they want.  Spencer has fulfilled every sub-plot point in his stories and this seems to be the next one to address.  Yes OMD and OMIT rear their ugly head, but keep in mind, in order to fix a problem, you need to address it.  Speaking of addressing things…

What is Mary Jane referring to?  There are three factors in this breakdown.

1. The answer to Peter’s proposal. Right there from issue #1 he has hinted that OMD and the Spider-Marriage is going to be looked at.  We saw Peter is planning to propose to Mary Jane, TWICE.  Both in ASM and AMJ it has been cemented in stone that Peter and Mary Jane belong together, in more ways than one.  Even FNSM brought it up.  MJ keeps Spider-Man grounded which is what Peter needs.  In fact, because she’s been away, Peter hasn’t been too grounded lately in these last few issues.
2. OMD callback.  MJ said “The Answer is Yes, you monster.” to Mephisto in order to strike the deal to erase the marriage in oder to save Aunt May.  It’s my belief that Spencer knows this and it seems to be playing all the angles with it.  A good mystery that just keep you guessing.
3. Mary Jane confirms that Mark will never make the letter’s section.  Okay, that may be a bit off, but yet what’s been printed?
   

JMS Callback:  Most of the Crawlspacer’s agree that the JMS run on ASM was good.  In fact, check out Andre’s articles on it!!!  Gleason makes a call back to Romita’s Jr’s Astral Plain page and I wouldn’t take it all too seriously, especially the Morlun cameo.  What you should see is that is looks different then before over in Amazing Spider-Man #46.  It’s all torn apart and the people that all resemble Mary Jane aren’t there.  It’s also been stated that Spencer LOVED the JMS run.

Thoughts:  I think OMD and the Marriage is going to be addressed.  The marriage could actually be restored and if it is, this is how I think it’s going to go.  When Peter does propose to Mary Jane and she accepts, you won’t see a wedding issue for quite some time.  Maybe #900.  Who hooked up those two?  Aunt May.  She had a cancer-scare and I think that she’s going to find out what happened with OMD and forbid it, she’ll right what has been wronged and sacrifice herself in order for their marriage to be restored.  A powerful goodbye in order for “love to conquer all.”  Then’s there’s Mephisto and how he plays in all of this.  He could be pulling the strings of Kindred for all we know.

This is very much a Spider-Man Centric book.  Nick Lowe and Spencer have kept their word on the Last Remains arc so far.  The LR will focus on the supporting character that I think is an important read while ASM focuses just on Spider-Man and what he’s going through.  I gotta give a nod to Patrick Gleason artwork.  It’s just very strong!!  You can tell he’s having a lot of fun with each and every page and the emoji’s on Spider-Man’s eyes.  I could go on and on about how great is work is, but if you head over to our discord page you’ll see **Neil do if for me.  Tell him Chi-Town sent ya.  It’s a responsibility that both he and Spencer are taking to heart and very much welcomed

 Nitpics:

• Spidey walking in the streets all torn and broken and knocks on Felicia’s front door.  She answers in full costume.  New Yorkers are present and walking by.  I’m no New Yorker, but now people that walk by know where Black Cat lives.  In this day and age, you could assume that they are just cosplayers and one of them had a bad day I suppose.  Spidey could have visited Felicia through her window.
• Silk is attacking Spider-Man…via magic coming out of her butt.  You know what?  You be the judge, but that’s one deadly FART!
  
  Here’s a more pleasant video of Cosplayer Cindy Mooooon doting a savage love dance.
  https://www.tiktok.com/@cindymooooooon/video/6817527626370927878?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6889968100235183621&is_from_webapp=1

Grade:  Giving this one an A.  Spencer is coming to the final showdown, OMD being addressed, and Gleason’s art is so AMAZING!  Let’s keep this thing going!!

*  **  I’m putting money down this is the kind of look you will get from Mark and Neil if you ever said “Chi-Town sent me.”