From
the back cover
“The
first part of Spider-Woman’s career concludes as her collection of challenges
and crises is completed! Some of Marvel’s most stupendous scribes set the
heroine against Morgan la Fay, the Viper, Gypsy Moth and other fearsome foes,
forgotten or otherwise! Plus: the first appearances of X-Factor’s Siryn and X-Force’s
Caliban! But after tearing through a gauntlet of magicians, mad scientists,
murder and mystery, what final fate awaits the webbed wonder? Guest-starring
Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-men and the Werewolf!”
Overall review
The
second half of this series is a vast improvement on it first half, which
struggled to find the character “voice” of its titular character, who also went
by the name Jessica Drew. For the most part, the writers ditched the uneven, sexist
writing and unlikely character twists─these flaws still pop up, but they are
relatively rare in the comics that make up the second Spider-Woman volume.
This is a
fun, mostly well-written comic book collection, with a character who got better
with each progressive issue. It is worth reading, possibly owning if you are a
fan of superheroines of that era (late Seventies to early Eighties).
Issues / story arcs
“The Blades of the Grinder!” (#26): Spider-Woman’s
crime-fighting activities catch the attention of a sleazy newspaper owner
(Rupert Dockery), who makes Spider-Woman front-page news. He also sets her up
for an attack from a new, blade-spinning foe, the easily defeated Grinder.
“Blacked Out—By the Enforcer!” (#27):
Dockery, owner of the Los Angeles Courier, continues to endanger Spider-Woman
by springing supervillain-thief Carson Collier (a.k.a. the Enforcer) from
prison─Carson was last seen in issue #19. He goes on a robbery spree that
violently reunites him and Spider-Woman. Cliffhanger finish in this issue.
“That Scotty Should Not Die!” (#28):
Spider-Woman is forced to aid the Enforcer in his big-time robberies if she
wants to get an antidote to save her crippled assistant, Scotty McDowell, from
the Enforcer’s poison. Readers may be required to utilize a higher-than-usual
suspension of realistic disbelief while reading this issue.
“Spider-Man is Dead─And I Killed Him!”
(#29): News of the Enforcer/Spider-Woman robbery spree reaches Spider-Man, who
flies from New York to LA to suss out whether or not his fellow arachnid-themed
friend has truly turned to a career in crime. Meanwhile, LA Courier owner Rupert Dockery continues to track the
super-thieves (via a listening/tracking device he planted on the Enforcer) and
profit from the front-page crime wave he brought into being. Scotty McDowell
clings precariously to life.
As in the
previous issue, readers may be required to utilize a higher-than-usual
suspension of realistic disbelief while reading this issue.
“Come Into My Parlor─Said the Fly!”
(#30): Spider-Woman once again confronts Rupert Dockery in a non-violent way.
The Enforcer makes an appearance. A supervillain, The Fly, repeatedly attacks
Spider-Woman, his assaults indirectly aided by a scientist named Dr. Malus.
“Marvel Team-Up: Hulk and
Spider-woman—‘Doctor of Madness’ (#97, crossover issue): The Hulk and
Spider-Woman, taken prisoner by Dr. W. Lee Benway, make their escape from the
crazed scientist and his misshapen monsters.
“The Sting of the Hornet!” (#31): Scotty
McDowell is transformed into the chaos-causing Hornet, a villain who flies
around L.A. and stirs up trouble with Spider-Woman. This is because of the “cure”
that Dr. Karl Malus injected him with in the previous issue.
“The Fangs of Werewolf By Night” (#32):
Dr. Karl Malus continues to manipulate Scotty into becoming the Hornet─an
erratic, villainous irritant to the clueless Spider-Woman. Malus also tricks
Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night, into becoming his lycanthropic puppet. His target?
Spider-Woman, of course.
“Yesterday’s Villain” (#33):
Jessica/Spider-Woman visits San Francisco to reap the bounty on an arsonist and
murderer, Turner D. Century, a.k.a. Morgan MacNeil Hardy. Century’s mission:
relentless purification of the city.
“The Wildfire Express!” (#34): While a
wildfire blazes in L.A., the tough-to-beat techno villains Hammer and Anvil
kidnap an industrialist CEO, Amanda Sheridan, one step in an attempted
corporate takeover. Enter Spider-Woman, who must infiltrate DRC─Sheridan’s main
corporate rival─and battle Mandroids, in order to save Amanda and her company.
“Farewell to L.A.!” (#35): David Angar─a.k.a.
the Screamer─is an escaped felon whose sonic screams cause mass hallucinations and
amnesia, running loose in Los Angeles.Jessica/Spider-Woman not only has to deal
with him, but the increasing tension between her and Scotty McDowell.
Lindsay
McCabe, Jessica’s roommate, makes an intriguing offer to Jessica. Great storyline
and artwork in this issue.
“The Wanderer!” (#36): En route to their
new home, San Francisco, Jessica and Lindsay get in a car accident. They are swept
into a small-town murder and a UFO visitation/confrontation.
This
issue introduces the the extraterrestrial Tsyrami and their female leader, Elhalyn,
into the Spider-Woman timeline. This is a fun, off-kilter tale, with great artwork.
“Who Am I?” (#37): Jessica, now living
in San Francisco, interrupts a bank robbery. The robbers: rogue mutant Black
Tom Cassidy and Cain Marko─a.k.a. the Juggernaut. Not only that, Jessica, as Spider-Woman,
must face off against Siryn, a mutant whose voice can be used as a sonic blast.
“Criminal at Large!” (#38):
Spider-Woman, accused of another crime she did not commit, is aided by select
X-Men─Angel, Colossus and Storm─as they foil Black Tom, the Juggernaut and
Siryn in their criminal endeavors.
Two nits:
(1) The cops do not immediately unmask Spider-Woman when they catch her─this does
not ring true with cop, even human, nature; (2) one character gives an unlikely
confession, given his character─it’s something out of a 1950s crime drama.
I realize
this is a comic book, but given how good some of the writing is in this series,
these are glaring examples of sloppy writing.
“X-men: ‘Cry Mutant!’” (#148, crossover
issue): In the Bermuda Triangle, Scott Summers─a.k.a. Cyclops─and Aleyty
Forrester, a sailing ship captain, are shipwrecked. They wash ashore a strange
metal city.
Elsewhere,
when Kitty Pryde is kidnapped by a mysterious shadow man, the Dazzler, Spider-Woman
and Oroco rush to rescue her. This is a fun, good issue.
“Death Stroke” (#39): When Jessica discovers
her friend, David Ishima, has been implicated in a murder, she dons the
Spider-Woman suit to help him. While doing so, she fights the leader of an
assassination group, a spandex-wearing baddie named Death Stroke.
A Bay Area
Rapid Transit (BART) train provides a fun backdrop for this pulpy tale, which
makes overall great use of East Bay, California locations.
“Flying Tiger—Kills!” (#40): Another
assassin, the Flying Tiger, is hired by Morgan Le Fay to kill
Jessica/Spider-Woman.
This
issue is mostly good, action-packed. There is, however, an indication that Le
Fay can read Jessica’s mind─probably just a gimmick to keep the story flowing
while hyping the next issue, but it is a glaring inconsistency.
“La Morte de Jessica” (#41): In the setting
of Camelot, Jessica battles Morgan Le Fay, so that she might rescue Lindsay,
her roommate, from the fiendish sorceress. Also: a revelation, possibly?!
“The Judas Man” (#42): A failed kidnapping
attempt of a college student, Pamela Kramer, leads Jessica Drew to work with
Lt. Sabrina Morrel of the SFPD. They need to put down the Silver Samurai, a
metal-armored swordsman, and his boss, Viper. The latter foe, an ex-Hydra agent,
was first was encountered by Jessica in Marvel
Team-Up #85. Viper may have a mystical link to Jessica. Cliffhanger finish
to this issue.
“Last Stands” (#43): With her roommate,
Lindsay McCabe, in danger, Jessica Drew continues to battle an armor-stripped
Silver Samurai and the shadowy Viper, whose physical resemblance to Jessica is
uncanny. Another cliffhanger finish in this issue.
“Vengeance!” (#44): Jessica vows revenge
on those who caused Lindsay’s near-death: SFPD Lt. Sabrina Morrel and Viper.
Complicating Jessica’s furious mission, Morgan Le Fey─previously thought
banished to another realm, and possibly dead─appears to Jessica, prophesying
our arachnid heroine’s demise.
Viper’s
link to Jessica is revealed. The mysterious villain is Meriem Drew, Jessica’s
mother, once a Hydra agent and unwilling killer for Cthon, a demon. Fun, nice
denouement to the events of the past few issues.
“Mission: Impossible” (#45): The
Impossible Man, an impish, cone-headed alien, livens up Jessica’s crime-fighting
adventures. Whimsical issue.
“Yakuza” (#46): When yakuza thugs try to
kill her boyfriend, David Ishima, Jessica─with help from Lt. Sabrina Morrel─seeks
out the orchestrator of the attack: Nguyen Ngoc Coy, a former Vietnamese
general-turned-crime czar.
Also
helping Jessica: Imura, Morrel’s non-criminal clan lord, and the unlikely and
curiously cordial Wilson Fisk─a.k.a. the Kingpin. Fisk is a business partner
with the shrill Coy.
This is
one of my favorite issues. It is fun, well-written, with unexpected character
and plot twists. I love the dynamic between Fisk and Jessica in this storyline.
“Twisted” (#47): Jessica Drew battles
Daddy Longlegs─a mutated, freakishly tall dancer whose failed ambitions have led
him toward murderous tendencies.
“Original Sin” (#48): Gypsy Moth─a.k.a.
Sybarite, born Sybil Dvorak─returns as the leader of a cult of drug-induced
followers. Jessica takes her on, again.
Gypsy’s
origin story, that of a betrayed woman, is revealed. Also: Jessica goes to
visit her friend, Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf By Night, while he locks
himself up and transforms into a lycanthrope.
“Runaway” (#49): While searching for a
runaway boy with “weird powers” (Mickey Silk), Jessica meets─and briefly battles─his
new protector, Tigra.
“Lifeline” (#50): Jessica Drew finds
herself in a high-tech prison populated with fellow superheroes and supervillains.
The prison is run by a failed, bitter Magician (Locksmith) and his psychic
lackey, Ticktock.
Then
things get strange, even for this wild-ride title. Magnuss, her mentor who disappeared,
died, in issue #16, returns to astral-guide her to the sixth century, where it
is likely she will fight her final battle with Morgan Le Fey.
This is the last issue of the series.
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