Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
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Amazing Spider-Man #188
Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #188
Cover Date: Jan 79
Title: "The Jigsaw is up!"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
Keith Pollard - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker
Review/plot:
Jigsaw, who is kind of like a bad Batman villain when he doesn't have the Punisher to play off of, kidnaps Harry and Liz. Spider-Man defeats him by messing with his mind.
This issue begins with a scene that took place "at the exact moment" when Electro caused the power outage last issue. A group of costumed goons kidnap John Jameson, aka the Man-Wolf, from a cryogenic facility.
Joe Robertson tells J. Jonah Jameson that he's not going to abide JJ blaming the kidnapping on Spider-Man.
On the Peter Parker side, Peter is getting closer with Betty Brant, and Mary Jane has a new boyfriend.
We also learn that MJ is now modelling.
Kurt Busiek sends in a letter complaining about the quality of the Spider-Man book. He's especially upset about the fact that MJ turned down Peter's marriage proposal, but in general he's saying the book has become static and predictable, and he's right.
This issue is praised in the lettercol by readers who liked the fact that Jigsaw is demonstrating human characteristics - his fear of costumed vigilantes affecting his ability to lead his gang.
Quality Rating: C-
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A
References:
- Spider-Man previously fought Jigsaw in Amazing Spider-Man #162.
- Peter is worried about Harry, who has been recovering well since "the Goblin Affair" in Amazing Spider-Man #176-180.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
It's a good thing Mary Jane said no. Wolfman should have done more with the Betty/Peter relationship. It is a lot better than the MJ/Peter relationship.
One reason I like the Marv Wolfman run of ASM is that it did move things forward in Peter's life, and made things less "static and predictable." Things like moving Peter to the Daily Globe, ousting Jonah from the Bugle and from the realm of the sane, and cleaning Spidey's record felt like breaths of fresh air after the dull Len Wein run.
I really enjoy the transition and first year of Marv's run, too. That letter by Kurt fascinated me when I was a boy, reading a salvage store copy bought for me at cover price for Christmas. It made me imagine what those issues must've been like, think of what would solve the problems, and what Marv was doing in the few issues I had (184, 188-190, 192). The letter got me to think critically about the stories, which I was young enough to simply adore out of hand. I think letter column gems like that are the reason I read SuperMegaMonkey and How Would You Fix...? and such sites today. I know the fascination with the checklists and indicia got me imagining what the entire line was like at each little glimpse of its evolution I could have. Collecting it like an anthropologist brought a love to the Marvel Universe for me that brings me back here to the museum, years later.
I think this issue is the first time MJ mentions being a model.
Thanks Michael. I've added a scan.
