(Writer) Nick Spencer
(C0-Writer) Mathew Rosenberg
(Artist) Federico Vicentini
(Editor) Nick Lowe
(EIC) C.B. Cebulski
Date Released 11/4/2020
Issue Number #51.LR
Price Tag: $3.99
Disclaimer: So as many of you know, My letters have been published 5 times on Nick Spencer’s ASM run. I was thrilled beyond belief when the first one got printed, but flabbergasted when Nick Lowe calls me a “regular contributor”. It’s true, I like what I have been reading, so I WRITE IN. Whether or not it’s published, I just want to show the Spidey Office that after 10 years, I’m back enjoying my favorite character and how he and the supporting cast are being written. Very humbled and honored to have my letters published during this run.
I don’t work for Marvel, I don’t plan on working for Marvel (I wouldn’t mind though) and there is NO dirty secret that I know about Marvel that gets my letters in the letter’s section. I just write it and so should you. Apparently my co-anchor and pain in the paded a$$ Dark Mark thinks there is. So he wrote in to Marvel to find the goods. There isn’t any good to be found, but if published, expect Nick Lowe to have FUN with that. Just like he had fun with my letter in Amazing Spider-Man number 14. That’s all I really wanted to address. I don’t think there will be a letter’s section in the LR issue, but if you see one next week in ASM or in the future, at least you have an idea of what to expect if Mark’s letter gets published.
Of course, Marvel may just publish my letter and ignore Mark’s all together. That’s a strong possibility and the most likely to happen.
Story Time: Dr. Strange visits Black Cat to reclaim the Hand of Vishanti. Felicia has it hidden and I’m not sure why Strange doesn’t just use “tell me where it is now” spell on her, but he doesn’t and they partner up to save Peter’s soul. Mary Jane is back in town and gets into a car wreck on a bridge caused by the Order of the Web, no worries, she gets a helping hand from….Norman Osborn?! “NOT DEAD” Sin Eater is more confused than usual and even though Kindred flat out told him that he was just a useless pawn, he still gonna cleanse sin and serve Kindred by cleansing the one person that could give him the power boost he needs…Morlun!
The Breakdown
- The Doctor and the Cat
- Mary Jane wants to confess
- Sin-Eater doesn’t take the hint
- Nitpics
- Grade
The Doctor and the Cat
Strange is sorcerer supreme, but Felicia is crafty and has been thinking one step ahead, mostly. Obviously she knew that Strange was going to come after her to retrieve the Hand, she planned on that happening. Spencer has set in stone that Felicia’s friendship to Peter is strong. It’s nice to know that she’s willing to go the distance to help Peter and in this case, its to save his soul.
Strange once again drops an OMD hint. Peter’s soul is in jeopardy and needs to be rescued. It’s even hard to confirm if Strange is hinting towards anything related to OMD, but it seems that he is. You know that’s what’s on every Spidey’s fan mind right now while reading this arc, it’s been on our mind for the last decade. Still, Spencer likes to play with words in his plots, you could think one thing and i could be another. I don’t mind this team up because Strange did in fact play a huge role in OMIT when Mephisto changed things. Speaking of Mephisto, he’s been playing heavily in Avengers 38, I think see anything that could be “Spider-Related”. Gonna get a Strange/Black Cat team up regardless of the fact so it’ll be interesting to see what Spencer and Rosenberg have planned for this. What if Strange and Felicia come face to face with the truth of OMD? How will they react to it? Talks among yourselves…
Mary Jane wants to confess
Isn’t she lovely? It’s so good to have Mary Jane back in the ASM title. Okay MJ-Fanboy here, putting the halt button on. She’s back in town and a lot of things are on her mind that needs to be addressed. Confessing to Peter about what’s been going on with her movie that was actually directed by Mysterio. For those of you that are wondering, I wouldn’t count as AMJ #6 out of the picture, I think it’s been changed in a way that MJ never went to Montana and I’m really okay with that. I think Rosenberg and Spencer are getting her back where she’s supposed to be and and she’s one of the characters that is driving this story, especially the LR issues. Getting a helping hand from “reformed” Norman Osborn was quite a shocker. What’s he doing on the bridge anyways?! Wasn’t he confessing in Kafka’s office? MJ trusts Norman as much as she can throw him, but let’s not forget even this “reformed” Norman has a motive. He believes that MJ is the key to reaching out to Kindred who is really Harry Osborn (for those of you not paying attention.)
Sin-Eater doesn’t take the hint
This is part of the book where I have a problem. Sin-Eater isn’t dead and doesn’t take the hint that he was just a pawn in the chess came between Kindred and Spidey. In fact, he’s so delusional that he’s still very loyal to Kindred. Not sure why he’s still alive after what Kindred did to him and I am pretty sure he’s powerless. Not even his shotgun has that magic effect and his minions have been drained from all their “gifts”. So he still thinks he’s gonna be okay enough to take on Morlun?! Which brings me to my next point. Why Morlun?! When he first appeared in the JMS run he was difficult appointment for Spider-Man to defeat. Still, SPIDEY DID DEFEAT HIM. Then “The Other” and “Spider-Verse” happened that put this character and his family in a place where the reader could give a thwip about. So why bring him back? Isn’t he on a imprisoned on a radioactive planet? Spencer has gone on the record stating that he is a fan of the JMS series. So am I for that matter, it’s still one of my favorite times. JMS did do a lot of fixing himself when he started, then editorial got involved. Spencer seems to be doing the exact same thing and editorial is kinda leaning back letting him do his thing. So we are seeing something new and exciting that won’t get “messed up” by upper management. Still Morlun isn’t my favorite and he already has a stain on him, but we’ve seen Spencer make characters in the Spider-Mythos worth reading. I mean…George doesn’t mind reading Carlie Cooper when written by Spencer. Let that sink in.
Nitpics
- I honestly thought we were done with Sin-Eater. I thought he died in ASM 50, apparently he didn’t. Looks like he was teleported away.
- Not much on Web Of Order, except them causing destruction in the middle of traffic.
- Really not much to cover in this issue. I only found the Dr Strange/Felicia and Mary Jane parts interesting. Don’t feel any excitement about Sin-Eater or Morlun.
Grade: B-
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It’s only been a year or so since last we saw Morlun, it’s nice he’s at least the sole Inheritor again, I think he needs to get his bite back, and it’ll either be Julia or Anya that he sinks his teeth into, provided he isn’t just jobbed out to Carter.
Felicia being an ally of Strange and an advocate for Peter, and MJ being anointed an advocate for Harry (to say nothing of her partnership with Mysterio) is kind of setting up an interesting dynamic between the two Spider loves. I know people don’t want the Peter/Felicia/MJ triangle revisited, but I feel like Spencer would not be doing so much to emphasise the importance of Peter’s trust in her (plus that flashback where she mistook a spider tracer for an engagement ring) if he wanted to simply keep them ‘as they are’, if Peter and MJ come into conflict, Felicia is clearly being set up as the shoulder to lean on.
Maybe I misread it, but I didn’t take it as Sin Eater being loyal to Kindred… I looked at it as him still being loyal to his goal of cleansing sin, that, in his deluded mind, that’s what he thinks Kindred is up to. And I’m assuming the powers are gone, (order of the web have them now) but maybe the magic shot gun still works?
A disclaimer? Really? And you called me a pain in the a$$ after how nice I’ve been to you and how I’ve welcomed you to the site and all? And after I went out of my way to clear you from suspicion on that whole flasher news story that Brad gave me to cover? Geez. I guess it is true what they say – no good deed goes unpunished.
Black Cat finding out about the deal before Peter and MJ does have some intriguing possibilities.
So Stan Carter is in hell. He is reliving all his most horrible moments in a distorted version over and over again. There is no hope of it ever ending. Along comes Kindred and rescues him from that. Brings him back to earth. Gives him power to actually cleanse people of their sins (his whole motivation to begin with). THAT’S why he will remain loyal to Kindred even after Kindred has forsaken him. He feels that it is HE who let KINDRED down, not Kindred treating him poorly.
@Evan — Agreed and glad I’m not the only one that thinks that. It’s almost like he’s crazier than Norman used to be. Time will tell how it goes forward. Strange/Felicia, Norman/Mary Jane, and Spidey/Kindred stories are all I want to see right now.
@Chi-Town — I’m glad to see you’re just as puzzled as I am about Sin-Eater’s willingness to serve Kindred after all that’s happened, as well as how he even has his powers at all. You brought up a good point, though: maybe his belief that even has his powers is a testament to how deluded he is. Somehow I think we’re just supposed to assume, though, that he still has them, and that’s something I just don’t understand. Hopefully it will make sense in the issues to come. I kinda thought we were done with him, too.