Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #259
Cover Date: Dec 84
Title: "All my pasts remembered!"
Credits:
Tom DeFalco - Writer
Ron Frenz - Penciler
Josef Rubinstein - Inker

Review/plot:
Mary Jane knows Peter Parker's secret, so she decides to tell him hers.

It basically comes down to the fact that both her mother and sister were in bad, borderline-abusive relationships, and so she developed a devil-may-care attitude to hide the pain. Which is how she got her flighty reputation. It's a good move for the character; it gives her some depth so that she can have a deeper relationship (still friendship for now) with Peter without contradicting her past appearances. In Tom DeFalco's hands the story sometimes runs the risk of melodrama, but it's not too bad.

Meanwhile, the Hobgoblin working for / in a partnership with the Rose, starts hitting some of the Kingpin's rackets and demanding a cut of their profits.

When Spidey hears that the Hobgoblin is active again, he dresses up in his old costume and goes out for a look. The costume-dressing scene is designed for readers that haven't seen a nearly identical scene in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #96, but a careful reading doesn't show any contradiction. Peter doesn't say anything in this scene that indicates this is the first time since losing the black outfit that he's putting on his suit.

Meanwhile, we check in with the FF and Spidey's old costume.

Decent stuff.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - Mary Jane's backstory

Chronological Placement Considerations: While Mary Jane shows up at the very end of Amazing Spider-Man #258, that was during the Casket of Ancient Winters saga. When we see Peter and MJ at the start of this issue, they're in Central Park and it's a clear sunny day. So there's no reason for a direct continuation between the two issues. Similarly, while we see Spidey getting dressed for a battle with the Hobgoblin at the end of this issue, in issue #260 he's breaking up a betting parlor, so there's no direct continuation there either. As for the FF, the appearances are context free and could in any break in their series. The MCP oddly places this before their appearance in the Casket of Ancient Winter story, which doesn't make sense to me (unless the assumption was that the Mary Jane connection meant this issue had to take place directly after #258).

References:

• There's a Secret Wars reference as the FF discuss Spidey's alien costume.
  
• The Hobgoblin seemingly died in Amazing Spider-Man #251.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #273

I mark this issue as the final issue of the classical era.

One of the best comics of the era, gets a C+? Another example of the disregard from artistic craftsmanship. It is a shame that such a wonder labor, such a grand homage to comics is compromised by the need to impose a grade school tool of admonishment.

Hey, "This Man... This Monster!" only gets a C, and that's Stan and Jack at the height of their talents, so clearly the ratings are more than a little subjective. So much depends on how old you were when the books first came out. I was in my mid-twenties when the black costume saga was going on, and I couldn't stand it (based mainly on the art).

This is easily one of the finest written comic stories out there. Maybe the grader doesn't like classically written stories with a bit of melodrama. With that being said, even a not so avid reader would notice great literature such as this. But alas, all of literature is subjective to the individual readers.

I mean I'm gonna say that NONE of the top 100 comic book stories are in the super hero genre, but even stilll, DeFalco's never been 100 ft near a great comic book story. Suck a hacky scriptor.

One thing about DeFalco's stories that always entertain the hell out of me are when he continues Stan's classic bystander on the street seeing either an interdimensional alien or citizen of Asgard manifesting in a crowded urban area via portal and having that bystander loudly proclaim or scream out "WHAT THE..?! MUST BE SOME KINDA NUTTY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN!!!" Because, you know, Ad Execs are pretty big-budget.

fnord, any chance you might ever consider a 'must be an ad campaign' tracker the same way we have a 'so big so fast' radar? :D

B+ issue for me. DeFalco did an exceptional job of fleshing out MJ. No question she was "the one" after this.