Amazing Spider-Man #601-#605: Red Headed Stranger

#601:  ** (two of five stars); #602-#605:  * (one of five stars)

Favorite Quote:  "Lady, I served with the Black Cat; I knew the Black Cat; the Black Cat was a friend of mine.  Lady, you are no Black Cat." -- Peter upon seeing a model dressed as the Black Cat

Summary

In response to seeing his ex, MJ, at Aunt May's wedding, Peter gets drunk and sleeps with his roommate, Michele.  His old "Daily Bugle" colleague Glory Grant (JJJ, Jr.'s new press secretary) gets him a job in the Mayor's press office, just in time to photograph the Mayor's visit to NYC's secret counter-terrorism unit.  The Chameleon, who's been hired by a Pakistani terrorist to take down the unit, steals Peter Parker's identity to get access to the unit.  The Chameleon wrecks his usual havoc on Peter's private life while Spidey escapes death in the Chameleon's acid pit.  Spidey tracks down Chameleon and helps the Anti-Spider Squad disarm the dirty bomb he had planned to explode at the counter-terrorism unit.  In the "epilogue" issue, we see the story of how Mary Jane decided to return to New York (her boyfriend, Bobby Carr, started using mutant growth hormone to get the Captain America movie and suggested that her career was over), Peter "dumps" Michele, and Harry introduces Peter to e-dating.

The Review

This arc is...odd.  First, it's actually more a weird collection of stories than it is a coherent storyline.  The first issue (written by Mark Waid) is probably the best of the lot, since it's at least funny.  Then, Fred Van Lente takes the helm, and we get a boring three-issue Chameleon story that could spell trouble for Peter's private life but will probably just wind up getting ignored.  Finally, we get the three stories in the epilogue (two by Van Lente and one by Brian Reed), none of which were particularly good.  We've focused mostly on Spidey over the last few arcs, so I thought it would be fun to focus on Peter.  But, enough people (Peter, Glory Grant, Michele, MJ) act against previous characterizations that the arc winds up being more annoying than interesting.  Almost all the women in this arc are portrayed as either flighty, bipolar, or insane and, in the end, no one -- male or female -- was particularly likeable.  One star seems kind of harsh, but, seriously, I just wanted it to end.

The Good

1) MJ is back!  She also apparently knows Peter is Spider-Man.  MJ's sotto voce conversation with Mephisto has been a source of speculation, and the most commonly held view on it is that she asked to remember their past together.  Her comment revealing she knows Peter is Spider-Man seems to imply that might indeed be the case.  It's been a while since we're addressed the "One More Day" deal directly, particularly since the Web Heads have seemingly created a non-Mephisto reason for the mindwipe that undid everyone's memory of Peter being Spidey.  We still don't know the details of that mindwipe, so it's unclear whether MJ still knowing Spidey's identity has to do with the Mephisto deal (and a possible side deal) or the as-yet-unrevealed mindwipe.

2) As I mentioned in the last review, I was hoping we'd see Mario Alberti again...and here he is!  Although the art in #601 is kind of inconsistent (Michele looks like a ghoul on the full-page reveal that she and Peter slept together), it's great when it's good.

The Bad

1) Michele is criminally mishandled here.  First, we have our whiplash conversion in issue #600 where she went from hating Peter's guts to deciding to be his date, but I was OK with that because she was funny and charming and I actually started to like her.  Then, we have her sleeping with him because they're both drunk.  I mean, I'm all for Peter getting drunk and doing stupid things, but I just don't buy this one.  But, whatever, fine.  I can't say it isn't exactly in her character, because we don't actually know her character.  However, it's actually pretty definitely not in Peter's character, but, again, I'm willing to allow it.  The cookie bit was actually pretty hilarious (and got Mark Waid his second star here).  But, then, the wheels come off the bus.  They kiss the floor of their apartment when Peter is the Chameleon and Michelle decides they're dating; Van Lente started to lose me there.  But, he loses me even further when she goes full-on stalker, having the fashion show Peter is attending page him when he's not answering his phone.  Basically everything involving her in this arc annoyed me.  Waid didn't exactly do her any favors in issue #601, but Van Lente totally ruined her character in issues #602-#604 just when she started showing potential.  Also, a nitpick, but an important one:  they need to decide if Michele's name is spelled with one "l" or two.  It's spelled both ways several times and, really, nothing takes me outside the story more than inconsistent spelling.

2) I'm also kind of surprised by MJ here.  In issue #601, she sleeps through her date with Peter?  Really?  She was all excited to see him and then she sleeps through it?  Weird.  Then, when she does see him, he compares her to Gwen (or, at least, the Chameleon does), but, the next time she sees him, she's not mad at all.  In fact, she and he have a lovely moment about how they used to have good time.  Um, I'm sorry, if a guy I dated showed me a picture of his dead girlfriend and told me that I didn't compare to her, I'd probably be less than thrilled to see him again.  In fact, I'd probably tell him he needed serious therapy for carrying around a photo of his dead girlfriend.

3) OK, when the Reillys appear in issue #601, I was seriously confused, because I had no memory of JJJ, Sr. flying them to the wedding in issue #600.  Of course I didn't, because, eventually, in the "Peter Parker's P.O.V." section in issue #605, we learn it was in the Annual.  But, I think it might've been useful for Wacker to have mentioned it in an editorial note in issue #601.  He's so chatty in the letters page, it's weird he can't let us know what's happening in the actual comic book.

4) Wait, if Peter didn't reveal his identity, did he still work for Stark?  He notes to himself when he helps the Anti-Spider Squad that he knows what their armor can do since he worked for Stark.  But, I thought he worked for Stark after he revealed who he was.  If he didn't reveal who he was -- and, in fact, chose an opposing side than Stark in the Civil War -- then would Stark still have hired him?  Or, did Stark hire Peter without knowing about his Spidey connection?  If he did, it seems odd that regular ol' Peter Park would be given access to armor schematics...

5) So, is Harry on drugs or not?  Flash refers to Harry having a tough time in issue #600, which I assumed was partly due to the drugs.  But, here, he seems clean and sober, with the hard time being just that he's been disowned -- financially -- by Norman.  I'd be happy if he weren't on drugs, but I'd also be disappointed if it was just another plot that the Web Heads dropped.

6) Reed's story about Peter trying to go on a "date" as Spider-Man was just a hot, hot mess.  Seriously.  I'm not even going to say more.  It was just odd.

The Ugly

1) Speaking of hot messes, the Chameleon story was a disaster, and not just because of the chaos we usually see the Chameleon wreck.  It winds up having all sorts of unbelievable moments and unclear events.  Van Lente wraps up most of the loose ends (in mostly unbelievable ways) from the Chameleon's hijacking of Peter's life within this arc, except for the awful comment "Peter" makes to Flash.  I'm still bothered by it, and I would've liked for that to have been resolved, though I don't exactly know how Peter's going to do that, if he can't reveal it was the Chameleon (and if Flash doesn't mention the comment was made in the first place).  My guess is that we're just going to ignore it and pretend it didn't happen.  Also, the cliffhanger in issue #603 is just bizarre.  It shows "Peter" going into the Coffee Bean with his finger on a gun, and we're clearly meant to think he shoots Harry.  But, then, it's revealed in the next issue that he just offered Harry a place to stay.  Then, why was he fingering the gun?  Also, since when did the Chameleon ever care about the people he impersonates?  I don't remember that being part of his schtick.  These examples are just a few of the moments where I raised an eyebrow and found myself waiting for this arc to end.

2) I don't buy Peter escaping the Chameleon's acid pit AT ALL.  He subconsciously webbed himself?  Really?  I just...yeah...