Amazing Spider-Man #87 (January 26): My homosexual awakening was seeing Peter Parker in the cut-off "Animal" shirt in "Amazing Spider-Man" #249. I want to thank Carlos Gómez from the bottom of my heart for resurrecting that shirt here. I would also like to thank Jed McKay for giving us the Black Cat's quip-defining line, "Did you think I got bitten by a radioactive Eartha Kitt?"
Beyond these excellent moments, McKay also delivers a solid story of Black Cat and Cap putting Peter through the paces to make sure that he's ready to resume the Spider-Man mantle. Given that Ben seems to have significant cognitive issues at this point, the timing couldn't be better. I'm also loving the Black Cat/MJ relationship, so I'm pretty excited about their one-shot. I haven't made this statement in a long time, but it's an excellent time to be a Spider-Man fan.
Devil's Reign #3 (January 26): Things aren't gong great for the heroes.
Purple Man realizes that everyone's missing memory of Daredevil's secret identity feels familiar and thus is likely his children's work. Kingpin commits to finding them since he can use their powers to amplify his Psycho-Prism, as we're calling it.
Meanwhile, Jessica Jones feels the Purple Man's influence, leading Daredevil to demand that the team take out Fisk that night. Before they can do so, Otto attacks.
It turns out the Ghost Rider, Hulk, and Wolverine that he brought through the inter-dimensional gate are versions of him who took out those heroes like he did Spider-Man. Otto was also using the Chameleon acting as Iron Man to have him run for Mayor to steal the seat from Kingpin. With the New Avengers deciding to run Luke Cage instead, Otto figures he'll just kill Kingpin.
The issue ends with Kingpin's associates possibly killing Foggy, who's serving as the lawyer for all the imprisoned heroes. Matt'll take that well.
Devil's Reign: Winter Soldier #1 (January 26): This issue is melodramatic in both art and script, as the creative team belabors the guilt that Bucky feels over his time as the Winter Soldier. But, in terms of the plot, it fundamentally changes Bucky's status quo in a pretty great way.
First things first, I totally buy that Bucky goes after Fisk after he learns that Fisk's safe contains files on the superhero community. Lanzing makes the point that Steve bringing back Bucky with the Cosmic Cube meant that the world could forgive him; but, Bucky has to do the work forgiving himself.
Hoping Kingpin's files will provide him the information that he needs to start making amends, he breaks into Gracie Mansion. He encounters Fisk and tells him that he sold his house in Indiana so that he can pay him for the file. In a heart-breaking moment, he tells Fisk that he doesn't need a happy ending: he just needs to sleep. It turns out Fisk's worsening rage over Daredevil altering his mind has resulted in him violently sleepwalking, and Kingpin brutally attacks Bucky. Bucky barely manages to escape.
Burning the rest of the heroes' files in an alley, Bucky seems to discover that the U.S. military shared him with the U.S.S.R.: he killed 374 people over 78 operational years, but only 91 of those kills were part of the Winter Soldier program. Bucky commits to kill the people responsible for putting together the file, which we learn Fisk stole.
Bucky sets his closure (and future ability to sleep) as contingent on his operators' deaths.. Does it mean that Bucky may finally be able to move onto the next stage? I hope so.
Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond #1 (January 26): This issue is perfection. First, the hook is great: Felicia and MJ tear through the criminal underworld to get Parker Robbins back his Hood so that he doesn't kill Peter. But, it's Felicia and MJ's conversation on the rooftop that makes this issue a must-read. First, she tells Felicia that she understands why Felicia is worried that she's just the "bad girl" for Peter because she (MJ) was the bad girl. (She also reminds Felicia that she (MJ) had to compete with a dead girl.) Then, in a wonderful moment, MJ then tells Felicia that she's important to Peter and to her. As MJ says, Felicia isn't a footnote in anyone's life. I love that validation for Felicia and hope that we see more Felicia-MJ moments in the future.
X-Men #7 (January 26): Continuing from last issue, we learn that the world thinks Scott died while saving a baby from raging chimeras that Dr. Stasis released in New York. The truth, though, is more complicated: Scott collapsed in an alley after one of the chimeras, Bornan, wounded him, and Dr. Stasis - disguised as a EMT - finished the job.
Interestingly, Scott awakens with no memory of that day, including Dr. Stasis whispering his secret base's location to him as a challenge to come after him after he's resurrected. Scott tells Jean about his and Ben Ulrich's memory holes and proposes that they've got a two front war: one with the Quiet Council and one with Dr. Stasis, whose identity remains hidden to them. He definitely doesn't seem wrong.
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