Dear readers – this is no ordinary epilogue issue where nothing really happens! While this story arc is wrapping up, we are actually just ramping it up! Join me as we look at an issue where nothing really happened, yet SO MUCH HAPPENED!
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Story Title: Last Remains: Post-Mortem, Part 2
Writer: Nick Spencer
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inkers: John Dell, Andrew Hennesy, and Andy Owens
Colorist: Edgar Delgado and Rachel Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover Artist: Mark bagley, John Dell, and Morry Hollowell
Asst. Editor: Lindsey Cohick
Editor: Nick Lowe
Published: January 13, 2021
Remedial ASM 101
Kindred is captured and in Ravencroft trapped in Dark Force. The police have collected the bodies he exhumed and Spider-Man has a few words for a now cleansed and powerless Norman Osborn.
The Story – Pay Attention, This Will Be on the Test
Great Scott, Marty! Looping back onto what happened in the previous issue, we see the police taking a dark-forced Kindred into custody and the reunion of Peter and MJ. Peter is not doing too well. Enter the team formally known as the Order of the Web (now officially condensed to just the Order) and, well, as we would say in the South, bless their little hearts, they just stepped all in it. Luckily for them, Peter is in a forgiving mood and just leaves (Gwen especially was being a rather, um opinionated). MJ, though, tells them to go pound sand. Peter then goes to pay Norman a visit where he holds nothing back about how much he hates the Osborns and how he is through with the lot of them. When Norman doesn’t get the hint, he beats the living daylights out of him and takes off feeling rather defeated. The Order lets us know that not only are we not through with this arc, but we aren’t though with The Order either. Meanwhile at the morgue, Carlie makes a stunning discovery about a hitherto unnoticed corpse from the Kindred’s bevy of bodies, but since MJ can’t be bothered to answer her phone, Carlie doesn’t tell anyone before a large centipede does a thing making Carlie do another thing (die? run away? faint?). We don’t know what those things are since Bagley is our artist. But she does drop her phone and a rather large centipede crawls over it.
What Passed and Failed
FAIL – The cover signature – I’m all for artists getting credit for their work, but that signature was distracting where it was placed (in my inconsequential opinion). And I know you are saying, “Mark, now you’re just nitpicking,” and you’re right, but that’s my job, so…
PASS – Angry Peter – He should be! He’s had a very rough day and the breaking point was MJ in danger. But this is even more of a pass since he isn’t going to typical comic book route of, “I can’t be with anyone because that might put them in danger…” That is so overused and if Spencer turns in that direction, I will be super disappointed.
FAIL – The Order – As Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name still is stupid.”* I understood (didn’t like, but understood) their participation earlier as a reminder that Peter’s lifestyle has unintended consequences, but at this point, there is no real reason for them to stay together.
PASS – The shock ending with Carlie – Who would have thought that Carlie Cooper could be a plus in a Spidey book?
OOTI (Onomatopoeia of the Issue)
On a scale of 1 (POW) to 10 (BLRKBQRKPQRBLNB), KTCHUNK rates a 5. Nice enough onomatopoeia and all, but really lacking any umph.
Analysis
The Arc Continues – I know a couple of issues ago, people were irritated because it sure looked as if the story was about to wrap up. Spencer seems to go out of his way to make sure we know that this story is long from being over. The Order tells us, MJ and Peter tell us, and Kindred tells us that this is just starting.
I’m OK with that. Spencer is hitting it out of the park now and as long as we are moving at a nice clip, I’m fine. It feels very much like you are driving to the mountains and you can see them, but even though you’ve driven another 30 minutes, they still look like they are the same distance away. Things might slow down for a while, but how long do you think Kingpin will wait before he lets Kindred out?
The Extra Body – Ok, in ASM #52 we see what is a table set for either nine or ten. Assuming symmetry, we’ll say ten. Plus, when the other morgue worker is there, we can see ten gurneys. Only a few corpses get named:
- George Stacy
- Jean DeWolff
- Marla Jameson
- Flash
- Gwen Stacy
- Uncle Ben
We don’t know who the other four are (unless I’ve blocked that out of my mind). But this mystery 11th corpse is someone who must be super important. A few theories:
- Carlie Cooper – longshot, but that would certainly get a reaction out of her. But we haven’t see her die (unfortunately), so doubtful she would be there looking at a corpse. Crawlspace odds….5%
- Norman Osborn – again, assuming that he actually did die when that glider impaled him, this could be the real guy. Crawlspace odds….25%
- Baby May – The one that Norman stole. Seeing a baby corpse when you weren’t expecting it might startle Carlie enough to get that reaction. The one that Doc Folsome in our comments section last review mentioned may be the shared sin that brings Norman and Peter together (plus we get a reminder in this issue that there is a special link that joins the three of them, though how the baby joins Harry into it is all is still a loose end to that theory). Crawlspace odds…25%
- Aunt May – if this is the corpse that should have died which was the whole reason for the deal with Mephisto to begin with. Crawlspace odds…..50%
- Harry Lyman – if Kindred is Harry Osborn, and if I am right that there are two Harrys running around right now, maybe Kindred killed the one we saw last in Slott’s run and put him here. It might account for the shock since this body would be fresh (still juicy, even) and Carlie immediately freaks out when she lifts the cover. I would imagine that if it were another expected corpse, then she would not have such a quick reaction. Crawlspace odds…80%
- Harry Osborn – Kindred has let us know that he died, so maybe he put his corpse there. Would also explain the centipede coming out of him. Crawlspace odds…95%
Extra Credit
What/who do YOU think was under that sheet that freaked out Carlie?
Final Grade
I’m all in! The Order’s continued presence is a down grade, but the rest of the issue slaps.
A-
Your Turn
What grade do YOU give it?
What’s Next?
- One era of Nick Spencer’s run comes to a shocking end this issue…
- But the seeds that he’s planted along the way for the next start to bloom.
- Don’t miss this pivotal issue!
OK people, we’ve been through this before. Don’t get too excited about that first bullet point.
Nick Lowe has asked people to let the Spider office know how they are doing by sending an email to spideyoffice@marvel.com and to make sure you mark it “OK to print” (for some odd reason since they don’t seem to be printing any of them). If you get published, make sure to draw our attention to it!
* Quote pulled from the original First Folio edition.
‘Nuff Said!
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The use of the Websters illustrated the weakness of most of them, at least in this story. A psychic with no spider-powers who is usually unreliable and/or unhelpful, and 5 others who have very similar or identical power-sets. Jessica Drew isn’t really even a spider-hero. Then, they all got chumped by Kindred.
@Mark, ac- I’m not sure that being half demon would show up on a scientific test.
Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting this review up this quickly! Great work Mark, and great discussion in the comments here. Lots of good ideas.
While I appreciate that Baby May made the odds sheet, she’s clearly not the answer here. If for no other reason than there’s no Baby May corpse to be had (she doesn’t exist in this universe) and there’s no way Carlie immediately recognizes her. But I appreciate the recognition of the possibility! haha
Carlie calls MJ because MJ is the one who tasked her with looking into the bodies. So calling MJ doesn’t hurt the Harry Lyman theory as some have suggested. Carlie is reporting back to MJ, so I think that keeps most close to home ideas on the table.
While I love the MJ/Peter corpse ideas, I think it’s got to be Harry Lyman. It goes back to the notion that Peter and Norman’s sin is the same thing, their role in the original Harry’s death. And while it does seem to be a bit of a cheat to have Harry as the reveal twice…I think there is some nuance to it. This reveal is significant because Carlie is the one who made the discovery.
Carlie, who represents the BND world, is going to uncover just how Harry did all this (ie, his conversion to Kindred, his magical powers). Thus Carlie could, potentially, find out about Peter’s marriage to MJ and the creation of the BND world…just my guess of course.
To me that scene is less about who’s the mystery corpse but rather, who’s discovering it.
One added benefit to this theory is that the corpse could simply be the genetic duplicate that Mysterio put in place to fake Harry’s death (ASM581). That would allow it to look more aged/rotted compared to a freshly killed Harry Lyman. And that could leave Harry Lyman on the board for future use. In that manner, our Kindred doesn’t have to be a cold-blooded killer (my apologies if I missed an instance where Kindred already killed someone, I don’t have a perfect recollection every issue of Spencer’s run thus far).
@Evan and @ac
Evan – I remember the name of the store, but not sure that I ever stepped foot into one! And I just skimmed. I wasn’t about to read that whole thing on this character I don’t really care about!
ac – The Gauntlet! I remember that. I had forgotten why they were after the baby, but that certainly settles the whole what is Stanley (unless, of course, Spencer says they were looking for goblin DNA and not demon DNA). And your request to stop reading has been denied. No doctor’s note will change that. However, you may resubmit a request after issue 75. Until then, we wish you the best and look forward to your continued involvement here at the Crawlspace. 🙂
Okay, I can’t believe i’m about to admit i read brand new day issues recently enough to remember this, but…
There was an arc where Doc Ock sent a zillion bad guys to kidnap Lilly’s baby, because they thought it would be special somehow. Turned out there was nothing at all special about him, and if that’s true, he isn’t half demon, and most likely his father isn’t Kindred. Also, if the Harry in any of those arcs at the time had any of Kindred’s abilities, he wouldn’t have gone begging to people, even his dad! for help to defend his family, he wouldn’t need that help. So Kindred is the Harry who died in Spec, 200 and bnd Harry is some sort of double, alternate, etc, and his son is no one.
At least that’s my theory today.
And as for my proposed absence, I’ll bring a doctor’s note if I have too….
@Mark — I guess by that point in the article I kind of zoned out. Sorry to make you have to revisit the Hollisterverse. (Ugh. Do you remember that store? It smelled like cologne!)
@Jack, @Sthenurus, @Aqu@, and @Evan
Jack – That’s a good read on it. I certainly think Spencer is making that statement. I’m all in on it being Harry Lyman. It would get that reaction from Carlie. My only question is if she saw the body of Harry, which I would assume is still fresh, then why the desperation to call MJ? Could be several reasons. Could be she felt MJ could shed more light on this mystery. Could be in her sadness, she turned to the only person she could confide in. Could be there was a note or something attached to the body. I just don’t know. Hoping to get another flashback to show us this from a different angle next issue (can’t believe I am hoping for another flashback!).
Sthenurus – I know they are planning to do a Patreon podcast for it, but I don’t know about front page reviews. I haven’t seen anything from BD asking people to review it. I think he’s had a hard time getting reviewers to stick with the satellite books, so he may have just decided to give King in Black a pass. If you tune into the podcast tonight, ask it on the chat.
Aqu@ – I went back and looked again and, yeah, Kindred smiles, so there goes the idea that he is not in that body at all, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be in two places at once. I’ll have to process that some more.
@Evan – I went back to the fandom article and it does say that initially it was Norman’s baby, but then (several paragraphs down) it says that a blood test revealed that it was actually Harry’s baby all along. Sheesh! Too much convoluted continuity!
@Aqu@ — If you’re referring to the panel in Chi-Town’s review of Kindred saying “I’m locked up in here…Right where I want to be,” I don’t necessarily think that defeats your take at all. I do have to say, though, that upon looking at it again (and maybe it’s because the three-panel structure of the illustration makes me read it like a comic strip), that central panel of silence and blank expression made me laugh — almost like, as Mark says, Harry is rethinking his predicament and trying to spin it the most positive and egotistical (and pathetic) way, and his statement in the third panel is a punchline. It almost warrant a sitcom laugh track. On the other hand, if, as you suggest, he’s completely in earnest and that this is part of his plan, I guess we’ll eventually see exactly in what regard this was his intention.
@Mark — I just spent the last ten minutes reading all about Lily Hollister in the Marvel Database. (Sigh.) The funny thing is I know that I initially read all of that in the comics, but somehow I forgot it all. It did say, however, that Norman is Stanley’s father. That kind of rings a bell, because I remember thinking, upon my initial reading, that there would be an upcoming goblin battle when Harry found out the truth. I guess that never happened. Or maybe it did, and I just don’t remember.
Also, I’m thinking the corpse that Carlie saw must not have been present at the dinner table, or else Peter would have seen it. And it definitely wasn’t there if it was a new Harry corpse (or — “juicy,” as you put it), unless it was off-panel, because the extra corpse that I saw was just a skeleton.
Actually I just noted in Chi-Town’s review the whole panel of Harry’s comment and it kinda defeats my take… That’s what you got for reading ASM past midnight, instead of going to bed!
@Mark: yeah, the @ is just cosmetic. It’s pronounced as aqua in latin.
Wow, I’m getting quite famous if I’m going to be quoted on the podcast! LOL
@AdamBParker: I was referring to the number of corpses, 10 vs 11. Nothing really important, actually.
@ @qua
I think you hit the nail on the head! when you read it that way there is no mystery at all!
We have been so conditioned by this run to never get any straightforward answer that we now look at everything like it MUST have another meaning. Spencer has turned AMS into Lost. I’m not sure I like it…
@Mark: Is the Crawlspace going to review the other titles (Gwenom, Venom, King in black etc.)? I’d love to hear everyone’s opinions about these too!
It has to be “family” in some way. It also has to be someone Carlie Cooper would know. It seems unlikely to be Aunt May, since Aunt May is shown dealing with Martin Li. My guess is it’s the “good” Harry. The real Harry came back, and killed the replacement Harry out of bitterness. That would resolve the “Kindred / Harry Lyman” puzzle.
Is Spencer (with Cebulski’s blessing) partly doing a meta-story about Marvel trying to “bury” Spider-Man’s past, and it coming back to bite them? I.e., this is a sly commentary about editorial decisions, wrapped up in a story.
@mark
I like a nice speadsheet but lack the patience to put one together.
Sounds like the chart might not be needed. The majority seem to feel like it’s Harry.
@Jonathan, @Aqu@ , and @AdamBParker
Jonathan – That would have been perfect if Peter had told the Order that he never asked them to butt into his business anyway when they were demanding he give them an explanation.
Aqu@ – To the head of the class, good sir! I was pretty sure it was Harry, but that reading you had of “Right where I want to be” and reading that as in I’m in the morgue – that’s perfect! That’s brilliant! That would also explain why once the dark force box shut, he never says anything or moves – and they went through quite a bit to make it clear to us that he could talk and hear them in that box. I believe that is the perfect read on it and when I’m on the podcast tonight, I’m going to push that as the proper reading. So when I say your name to give you proper credit, I’m going to pronounce the @ as an a (Aqua) unless you give me a different pronunciation before then.
AdamBParker – Et tu, Brute? Do not follow Evan’s lead on this! I’ not making another chart! OK, I might make one, but still!
@aqu
They were very vague about who was and wasn’t at the dinner party.
I think we had confirmed the Staceys, Ben Parker, Jean Dewolf and Flash(?)
If only there was a chart we could use to keep track of this
I forgot to write this: I don’t recall how many dead “guests” were there at Kindred table, but I counted ten corpses in the morgue, so I thought the additional corpse was the tenth one.
The topic has already been eviscerated by you all, so I’ll add my thought just for the sake of it.
Reading those panels with the corpse, I honestly didn’t see any mistery: the additional corpse was Harry’s, hence the centipede attacking Carlie. If you think about it, it’s Kindred that tells us he is “right where he wants”: that is in the morgue, free to go away and continue his plan. That would mean what they captured in the black box is not his real body, just some kind of, I don’t know, projection? He IS a demon, after all.
If I have to play the mistery game, than I’d say it’s Peter’s corpse. But that would lean dangerously toward some already explored lands, such as Superior SM. I don’t think Spencer wants to go in that direction, especially after Hydra Cap.
Also, I liked Peter’s attitude in this one. At least we’re seeing some psychological consequences of what he just went through (Slott, I’m talking to you). As I already said in an old comment, I’d love to see Ben Reilly’s similar experience of multi-death being addressed.
@Jonathan
I liked season 3 a lot. Couldn’t tell you what happened in that last episode
Still I don’t think the ending was as disturbing as season 2
Jeez. Could Spidey just told the Order that an old enemy came back in revenge to hurt his friends and loved ones ? What other explanation is needed? Also didn’t spidey want some answers from Norman? He didn’t get any, he just punched him
@AdamBParker btw I liked Twin Peaks too but didn’t get the ending of the last season. Any thoughts on what happened?
@Michael and @ Evan
Michael – Exploring Stanley is a pretty interesting idea. If Harry Lyman is demonic, then Stanley is at least half demonic (demi-demonic?). If Lyman is just Harry from an alternate reality, then I guess Stanley is just Stanley.
Evan – Lily does check all the boxes. The baby was born and Harry is the father. It is Stanley that Michael was talking about in the comment before yours. I think she is now a superhero under the name Queen Cat. Do not encourage me to create more charts! That alternate earths Spidey on about did me in. Though we could set up a chart with… No! Stop it, Evan!
OK, I’ll think about it.
I know it is unlikely, but maybe just this once the regular cover has something to do with the story inside ….
I’m going to go with my ever-ready standby speculation: Lily Hollister. Just sayin’. (At this point, I can’t remember if she had a child with Norman or with Harry, to be honest — or even if that child was ever born).
Mark, I think you’ll have to make another spreadsheet, though I hope that this particular mystery is solved without necessitating as many issues (and associated clues) in the interim.
Thank you for thinking of me when you include BttF references! (Bob Gale made the Brand New Day era more palatable for me — at least initially — and I seem to recall an issue in which Grady Scraps had some kind of time chamber that threatened the space-time continuum. I guess I’m just a sucker for time travel stories.)
@Oldguy
I get single issues digitally and buy trades for my shelf.
This has been mapped terribly.
Book 1. Sins Rising
Book 2. Return of the Green Goblin
Book 3. Last Remains
Book 4. Last Remains – post mortem
Each one includes filler like FCBD stuff the pad them out. Really unpleasant reading experience
I don’t think Harry is just going to stay in the box. Remember, the Kingpin is looking for a way to bring back Vanessa…
If the body IS Harry’s, it raises the question- is Stanley even human? (Of course, you’d think Peter would ask Strange to examine Stanley even if the body isn’t Harry’s.)
So much for writing for the trades.
I wonder how many issues this arc will need to qualify for its own Omnibus? 40? 50?
OK, Let’s consider what we know about the body:
1. It’s not one of the ones we already saw.
2. Carlie Cooper saw something that she was not expecting (which could be something shocking or someone she knew)
3. Whatever she saw, rather than getting help, her first instinct was to call MJ. Her insistence that MJ pick suggests possibly MJ was in danger and needed to be warned right away.
4. The centipede attack or dance or whatever that centipede was doing (thanks Bagley) suggests that Kindred didn’t want Carlie to tell MJ.
So let’s use this criteria to judge our theories here. They all meet criteria one, so we won’t waste time on that one.
Sam – Thanks! It just happened to work with my schedule this week, so I jumped on it. And nice word usage!
BTW, Chi-Town, ‘Sardonic’ means ‘grimly mocking or a mean sarcastic tone’. OK, Sam, let’s look at your MJ theory – it certainly hits 2 and 3, especially if it is not MJ, but a look alike or something else that would make Carlie think MJ was the next target. 4. Might be a sticky point since why advertise MJ to Carlie if you don’t want Carlie to do anything? The “who’s in bed with Peter?” idea gives this an intriguing flair. Crawlspace odds….35%
Paul – Your Aunt May idea has some intriguing possibilities. I know I included May in my post, but you took it to a whole new level by saying that it is not even the Aunt May who was shot by Kingpin’s man, but rather the one who died way back in #400. Wow! That would mean that Peter’s deal was all for naught. The umph of that might even outweigh the undoing of JMS’s Aunt May development, but I think Spencer’s love of JMS prevents that. I like that idea, though! The Harrys fit the above criteria assuming that Carlie has been made aware that Harry is Kindred (and why wouldn’t she if MJ asked her to look into this). Peter also fits the above. Carlie wouldn’t want to call police for Peter’s body because either she needs to tell MJ to get out of there first or she knows it is not really Peter and wants to protect his secret identity. Peter Parker Crawlspace odds……80%
Some new possibilities would be that it was a corpse meant for Carlie to see. Maybe her dad? Maybe Kindred has plans for Carlie to play in all of this since he has decided to spare MJ? But a corpse for Carlie (That would make a great issue title) wouldn’t explain Carlie’s distress at not reaching MJ right away.
ac – your request to stop buying current issues and participate in our class discussions has been denied. See you in two weeks!
Chi-Town – not overly familiar with his work other than the commissions I’ve seen from you. If I can recognize the faces, I’ll give him a try!
What about the Aunt May that died in Amazing Spider-Man #400? The genetically altered actress retcon has never been satisfying. And the tombstone title of “Last Remains” certainly links it to the tombstone cover of Amazing Spider-Man #400.
I don’t think it could be the Aunt May that was shot in Back in Black. We saw those events altered, and devils like Mephisto are usually bound to their word. But maybe the real Aunt May hasn’t been around for years.
I can’t see Harry killing an innocent person and replacing them. So, it has to be someone who has already died, like Aunt May, or one of the few people that Harry would be willing to kill. Which is basically just Norman Osborn and Peter Parker.
It could be Harry Osborn’s body. Maybe he never returned in his original body in Brand New Day. He was always a demon. Or, he died in some unspecified event recently, which caused him to re-emerge as the demon Kindred. Which would explain why Kindred became inactive during Brand New Day, after bringing Quentin Beck back during “I Hate a Mystery”, and now.
The other explanations are that the current Norman Osborn we see, or the current Peter Parker we see, are imposters. This might make some sense with Norman, if Harry planned his own capture. Maybe that’s why the sin didn’t return to Norman. Because this isn’t Norman. Norman is dead, killed after his sins were removed, and this is a robot duplicate who only thinks he is Norman Osborn.
I guess a similar explanation could serve for Peter? We see Kindred kill him a bunch of times. Maybe, the last time, Kindred didn’t bring him back. And Harry replaced him with a robot duplicate who he is now controlling? To show how he thinks Peter should act? I don’t know, I don’t really like that idea, but I guess it’s possible.
I don’t think it could be anyone else, though. Harry still thinks he’s a good guy. Logically, the shock must be because it’s someone Carlie thinks is still alive, but the corpse disproves that. So, we’re either looking for someone who we know died and seemingly returned, or it’s someone Harry killed and replaced, and there aren’t many Harry would consider killing.
@Mark I did. I too have faith in Spencer and if there is an artist change, cause I do like Bagley and Gleason, but I would love to have Carlos Gomez on there. He’s over drawing mutants right now in one of the X-Books, but his talents on AMJ sure would make ASM panel pop out, like watching your favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon.
I’m not in love with my theory, so not sure how much to defend it. Having said that … I’d say she called MJ because she knows MJ can’t be possibly dead.
MJ asked her to look at the bodies, which could only have happened in the last issue, off-panel. If Carlie knows MJ to be alive, but MJs body in the morgue, I’d say Carlie would want to call the MJ she just spoke with to find out what’s going on. I probably would.
The presence of her body would only imply some deeper mystery (like this run needs another unsolved mystery). But, like I said, it’s just a thought I’m throwing out there.
@Sam: the one major issue with that theory is, if Carlie was looking at a dead Mary Jane, why would she call Mary Jane?
I’m sorry….it’s not this issue’s fault but i’m giving it a d…. or maybe i should give the whole arc a D. 14 issues, and what have we learned so far? Kindred is Harry, and he’s pissed about….well…we’re not even sure about what. That was after 50 issues of building up to this big confrontation! What good will it do if they undue one more day and i’ve died of old age before the story is over? Your supposed to provide answers to at least some questions before raising new questions, but I feel all we’ve had is mysteries. I’ll miss all the great reviews and conversation here at the website, but I may take a break for a few issues, and catch up later, rather than two pages of story in every 20 page comic book.
Great review – and doubly impressive knowing that you got it out that fast!
I cringed when People and MJ were having their moment, and the next panel showed “The Order” standing three feet away, watching. Can’t they have one moment together without it being hijacked by Marvel’s other spider IPs?
For me, the cliffhanger at the end sent this issue from a C- to a B+. Can’t recall another writer who’s able to turn an ordinary, dialog heavy, fairly low-key issue around so fast and so effectively.
I’m probably way off base here, but my first thought when Carlie lifted that sheet was that the mysterious additional corpse was Mary-Jane.
Think about it: it would tie in with Peter’s premonitions back in the Hunted arc, that something would bad happen to MJ. And it would also add something to their scene in the graveyard, where Peter asks “Is that really you?”
Right before this line, Kindred was narrating how Pete deserves a “happy ending” – which given the sardonic tone, would make Peter’s question to MJ more ominous.
It would also make that very last scene where Peter returns home, and MJ asks him, “It’s not over, is it?”, work as a juxtaposition to Carlie’s final moments (I doubt she’s dead – probably kidnapped).
Carlie see’s MJ’s body, calls MJ immediately, knowing she can’t be really dead (can she?) – only to be attacked. Cut straight to MJ in bed, speaking to Peter. If MJ is on a gurney in the morgue, then who is in Peter’s bed?
Anyway, just a thought. If I’m wrong (which I usually am), Harry would have to be the best option, seeing as he’s been absent from Spencer’s whole run.
@AdamBParker and @Sthenurus
AdamBParker – Welcome back! I mentioned in my answer to Mario’s post that the Peter body is a good guess and I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m sticking with a fresh, juicy Harry Lyman corpse for now. Walloping web-shooters! I completely missed that Overdrive will come to the rescue! How in the world did I miss that!!!! BD, I will hand in my resignation in the morning! Now I’m excited about the rescue of Carlie Cooper! My first thought has always been that he would team up with Boomerang, but maybe it will be the Beetle instead. They had a good side arc in Superior Foes. But you know, I just like bad villains, so who cares who Overdrive teams up with! It could be 8 Ball and Spencer would still write the heck out of it!
Sthenurus – I want everyone here to go back and re-read Sthenurus’s opening line! That is one high-quality comment! I’m going to take being the best thing about the ASM comics right now as high praise despite the fact that you then followed it up with how bad the comics are! 🙂 I do not believe the arc will have a rushed ending. Instead, I think that Kindred will lie low. Either he will stay in his dark force box not responding or he will escape and we won’t see him for a while as Spencer continues to develop other plots. I hear you about Spencer juggling too many things for too long and hate that it is making you jaded toward the whole process. That long stretch of comics I reviewed under the previous writer tested my loyalty to the character. In fact, I had even stopped collecting the current run when BD asked me to start reviewing. Hopefully a break from Kindred will get you back into it. The Jessica costume – I thought the same thing and then I went to Comixology and pulled up one of the previous issues and saw she was in her traditional costume there as well, so I just figured I must have imagined it or got it confused with what she is wearing in her mag right now (or not so much right now as I am reading it late on MU).
@Chi-Town & @Mario
Chi-Town – So you saw the tag, huh? 🙂 I so hope that Spencer keeps writing MJ and Peter like this and doesn’t eventually fall back onto the angst that is so overdone these days. The ending worries me a little that all of Kindred’s machinations will lead Peter to think he needs to distance himself from all others to keep them safe. I’m going to have faith in Spencer, though. Are you still liking this art? It’s not as distracting as the first few issues were for me, but I would like for Marvel to give someone else a shot. I wonder if the pacing is just too fast. All those inkers makes it seem that maybe they are rushing to get everything done? I just don’t know. What I do know is that I expect Marvel’s best on their flagship character.
Mario – Yeah, the Order’s continuing presence in this book is a bit of a disappointment. It dropped my grade from an A to an A-. Do not expect OMD to be just undone. Spencer has already shown he wants Peter to pay the price for his irresponsible actions for the last twenty years. No clicking his heels together to fix that mess. Peter is a good idea. I had him in my list and then took him out before posting. Carlie’s reaction certainly screams Peter quicker than Harry, but, if it is Harry Lyman, then his body would be fresh and Carlie is a friend of Harry’s. Remember, he is the one who brought her into Peter’s circle of friends in ASM #545. But if it is Peter, then I want you to come back and post a “I told you so” comment on that review!
@Erik L & @Evan Berry
Erik L – I hear you on the pacing of the story and completely understand everyone who is pissed at the snail’s pace this is moving. I am happy with it as long as we keep getting stuff to predict and figure out. I’m buying the comics anyway to review, so as long as the story is moving in A direction and I get stuff to try and figure out, then I don’t mind if it is a long one. I also agree that Carlie is being written so much better and I actually am enjoying her as a character and am interested in her arc with Overdrive. This, however, will not stop me from saying stuff like “unfortunately” when I say she didn’t die. It’s too much fun. 🙂
Evan – I hope you know that I put that reference in just for you! I remembered you saying that you liked BttF references and keep planning on dropping them in, but always forget until after the review is posted! And I was not aware of the Shakespearean version of that one, but I do own the Verily A New Hope where even R2D2 beeps in iambic pentameter! At one point when R2 is alone, he speaks English and reveals that while he plays the hapless robot, it is all a part of his plan to manipulate events to his designs. And yeah, Bagley is phoning it in. This is not his best work, I don’t care what my friends on the podcast say about how wonderful it is.
Great review mark! As usual, reading your review is the best part of ASM! Glad to see you enjoy the title.
I’m gonna sound like a broken record but I’m tired of having mystery on top of mystery and NOTHING being solved. At this point I’m not just annoyed. I don’t care. I’m not gonna guess who is that “mysterious” 11th body because either :
A) it’ll take 50 issues to get an answer on the who, but nothing on the how and why or;
B) it’ll be completely irrelevant to the plot like the order or morlun or strange or the dreamscape.
Also… Why is Jessica in that costume? Hasn’t she change costume twice since then? Less mystery more continuity…
And again… Both this and last issue could easily have been condensed into one if not for the flashback gimmick.
So apparently next issue is gonna start a new arc. So either we get no resolution at all on this arc or it will be rush as hell. Either way I’m bracing for a huge disappointment.
I’m back, this is what I want from Spencer. Mystery. One of my favourite shows is Twin Peaks, but once we learned who killed Laura the suspense was gone. Revealing Kindred could have done the same, but now we have this new mystery… the 11th body.
My first thought was Peter. For some reason I even saw the JRJR Peter from the JMS run in my mind (even though he was long gone by OMD). My second thought was Aunt May. In my mind this meant that either the Peter, or May, we’ve had since OMD were going to be revealed as impostures.
The review though makes a good point, and either Harry would make a lot of sense. Carlie was close to him during BND, so that could explain her reaction. But just a few issues go Peter mocked Harry for “being everyone’s first guess” when something went wrong…would Spencer really have two drawn out mysteries where the answer was Harry twice! I hope we’re not waiting until issue 101 to find out. Starting to look like the centipedes are the real danger.
I can’t believe how excited I am for Overdrive to learn Carlie is missing and mount a rescue. Overdrive and Carlie Cooper…assemble the superior foes, Overdrive is going to need help. But while two characters I’m not big on are stealing the show, I am scratching my head over the Order (no, not the short lived Civil War era Matt Fraction Comic). I like Miles Morales. I like Jessica Drew. What are they doing in this book? Miles, don’t you have a dimension hoping doppelgänger to be taking care of, Jessica aren’t you trying to cure a fatal illness (I’m ignoring the others, just like Peter seemed to). You can call them the Order of the Web, the Order, the Heroes from Cancelled books, doesn’t matter, they have no place in this story. Is Doctor Strange still in the dreamscape? Is a Black Cat still house sitting?
Editors – let Spencer be Spencer, and get the Order to go!
I think the story is dragging a little too much! the order of the web serves no purpose and should not be in this at all! it would be great if we got bits of info in every issue rather than more questions we need answers too! I get it you want drama and action but this needs to be meaningful and not just for shock value! I am sure they gonna get there but all of these issues leading up to the answers have not been fun or have been worth it to be honest. It’s been frustrating at best. hopefully, the end pays off because if it doesn’t I would be pissed off. OMD pissed me off, Slott’s run pissed me off and I was hoping that things get better. I used to collect the books not caring what has come or where things are headed but retconning the marriage ended that. they want my money they have to fix the crap first. come on spencer I’m counting on you.
the body found has to peter why would Carlie care about harry? or norman enough to call MJ right away unless it was peter. why doesn’t peter have the ability to be contacted through his suit like the game? like marvel update the character like the game is that where the new suit is for?
undo one more day!!!
#OneLessday
PEW PEW PEW says Dark Mark as he post his review. “This outta tick off Chi-Town” Mark says as he twirls his mustache.
Good review and I have agree on the grade. A in my book. I too think it’s Harry having Peter tell someone to BE RESPONSIBILE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS is mature thing for Peter to say. He’s tired of cleaning up everyone elses mess and it is his responsibility to take care of the people that really matter to him. Good way to look at his characterization and personal motto.
Also, I feel like when seeing this artwork, we are seeing Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis/Bagley) artwork, but now they are all grown up.
@Mark — I feel somewhat vindicated because I remember commenting in a previous review that I saw a corpse pictured at the dinner table that wasn’t named or given a shocking close-up. That, and I just want to say that there’s nothing better than being greeted with a Back to the Future reference as soon as you start reading a review — so thanks for that! (A couple of weeks ago, I read Get Thee Back to the Future, a Shakespearean, line-by-line retelling of Back to the Future, complete with five acts, iambic pentameter, and a translation for Einstein. I wouldn’t mention it here except I know that you’d appreciate it.)
I also would like to add that when Peter unmasked in reference to Mary Jane’s asking if it’s him, his taking off the mask did not confirm it for me. I had to rely on Mary Jane’s reaction and look at the next panel to see another illustration of his face to confirm that that was indeed Peter.
I agree that the story is moving at a satisfying pace again, but the fact that it’s been 13 issues (counting the LRs, which I do, because they cost money) since Last Rites began and it’s just now starting to feel like the story is moving again, my grade is still being negatively impacted by my annoyance over the whole arc. I feel pretty ripped off by the past couple months’ worth of ASM overall. Even if it took half the issues to tell the amount of story we’ve gotten in that time, I’d still feel it was being stretched a bit.
My money’s on it being Harry’s corpse. And for what it’s worth, I think people need to cut Carlie a break. Now that she’s not being shoved down our throats as SO PERFECT FOR PETER, she’s fine. Spencer’s using her pretty well.