First, I've previously said that I want Anna Maria gone. I say that mainly because I like Anna Maria. I think that she's a great character. She's smart, she's got perfect comedic timing, and she has a great shtick in the form of her cooking, which not only humanizes her but also the characters around her. For those reasons, I was loathe to see her wallow in misery for a few issues after Peter had to break her heart, particularly since she no longer served her primary purpose, humanizing Otto. But, Slott pulls off the Band-Aid more quickly than I expected. Peter admits that he is, in fact, Spider-Man, and this confession allows him to tell Anna Maria that Otto had possessed him. It's a remarkably clever move. Before, I was worried that Peter would just have to break off his engagement to her without a real explanation, since he couldn't tell her about Otto without revealing his secret identity. With Anna Maria discovering it instead, Anna Maria gets the truth that she deserves, and she takes this information more or less in stride. Slott doesn't promise that she's totally OK with it, but she manages to keep herself together, exactly what you'd expect from her. (I'd personally be on my 91st "Silkwood" shower.)
Most importantly, Slott finds new roles for Anna Maria (beyond humanizing Otto). First, she can serve as a translator of everything that Otto did while he controlled Peter. For example, she can finish Parker Industries' cybernetics line, something Peter was struggling to do. She can also cover for Peter when he disappears to be Spider-Man. I'm not sure how long that the first role will be useful, but the second role -- a talented confidante within Parker Industries -- would be incredibly so. I'd be perfectly happy for her to stay so long as she's not there simply to pine over Peter. (That said, I'm not sure that I buy that she'd be OK so quickly, but I'm more or less willing to give Slott a freebie on this one just to keep the plot moving.) By having her know the truth and giving her this new role, Slott manages to save the character for me. (Now, I just have to hope that he doesn't ruin her, but I'm trying to be positive here.)
Most importantly, Slott finds new roles for Anna Maria (beyond humanizing Otto). First, she can serve as a translator of everything that Otto did while he controlled Peter. For example, she can finish Parker Industries' cybernetics line, something Peter was struggling to do. She can also cover for Peter when he disappears to be Spider-Man. I'm not sure how long that the first role will be useful, but the second role -- a talented confidante within Parker Industries -- would be incredibly so. I'd be perfectly happy for her to stay so long as she's not there simply to pine over Peter. (That said, I'm not sure that I buy that she'd be OK so quickly, but I'm more or less willing to give Slott a freebie on this one just to keep the plot moving.) By having her know the truth and giving her this new role, Slott manages to save the character for me. (Now, I just have to hope that he doesn't ruin her, but I'm trying to be positive here.)
Slott also uses a number of running gags in the issue that I've previously found annoying, but entertained me here. For example, I actually thought that Peter being stuck to his pants by his Web-Underwear was a clever way to remind us how behind Peter is in his own life, since he's not even sure how his equipment works (Otto had extended the life of his webbing to last more than an hour). Moreover, as I said earlier, Anna Maria's cooking manages to humanize characters even when she isn't on panel, such as Spidey and Spider-Woman gushing over her cookies in Avengers Tower. It all could've been cheesy, but it actually worked for me.
Finally, Slott isn't totally ignoring the emotional repercussions of Otto's time in Peter's head. I'm not saying that he handles this part of the story perfectly, because he really struggles in scenes where he has to convey emotions. You can tell that he was trying his best not to make Peter sound flip; I would really love to see someone like Roger Stern write these parts of the story. But, Slott gives it his best here, with Cap and the Human Torch giving him advice on how to deal with Rip Van Winkle syndrome. It serves as a good sign that Slott doesn't intend to let the effects of said syndrome last too long, reminding us that other characters have managed to address these demons. Sure, neither Cap nor Johnny had a super-villain running around town ruining his reputation, so it's not like Peter's going to have as easy of a time, just worrying about catching up on the TV that he missed. But, Slott has already hinted that he plans on just fast-forwarding through smoothing over Spidey's reputation, with the public taking Spidey's renewed quip-making as a sign that he's returned. Combined with the Avengers giving him their seal of approval in this issue, it seems like we'll be returning to our regularly scheduled programming earlier than expected. (Again, I'd note that you could consider the ease of this transition as lazy, waving hands in front of a chalkboard to explain a complicated series of events, but, again, positive, I'm trying to be.)
All in all, I'm a pretty happy camper. Peter seems on track to being fully in charge of his life, and I'm excited about the confrontation with a furious Electro. Slott seems close to incorporating Anna Maria into Peter's supporting cast in a way that works, and Spidey seems to be more or less back to where he was in the eyes of his peers and the public. If Slott can manage not to drag out the Black Cat story, I'm hoping the future is bright for us returning to the Spidey stories that I actually enjoy reading.
**** (four of five stars)
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