Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
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Spider-Woman #21
Issue(s): Spider-Woman #21
Cover Date: Dec 79
Title: "Beware the Spider-Woman-- bounty hunter!"
Credits:
Michael Fleisher - Writer
Frank Springer - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker
Review/plot:
Michael Fleisher begins his run on Spider-Woman and establishes a new status quo for Spider-Woman. Actually, we join with the status quo already in progress. Spider-Woman is now a bounty hunter. She works with the handicapped former FBI agent and computer whiz Scotty McDowell...
...and has a contentious relationship with police captain Alexander Walsh.
She's also got an old theatrical costumer, "which has begun to play such an important role in my life" but came to her "as the result of a terrible tragedy". A footnote promises that a future issue will "reveal the entire nerve-numbing story".
On top of the fact that the Werewolf story from the previous arc was left to be resolved in Marvel Team-Up, it's odd the way this story begins with such a jump ahead.
Frank Springer keeps up the cheesecake started by Carmine Infantino.
Spider-Woman brings in the "DeFalco Boys" this issue.
Scotty McDowell is in love with Spider-Woman, and unaware that she is his neighbor, Jessica.
Thanks especially to Frank Springer's art, the story has an old fashioned feel. As a set-up story, it works well enough, but this is the beginning of a low point in the already spotty Spider-Woman series.
Quality Rating: C-
Historical Significance Rating: 2 - new status quo for Spider-Woman
Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A
References: N/A
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
There were so many points not told to us. It just started with no historical reference as to how Scotty met Spider-Woman, how he met her alter-ego Jessica, how Jessica got involved with the police, etc., etc. Was it ever explained anywhere?
This is the second reboot of the series. So we've had three status quos's by now - Wolfman's, Gruenwald's, and now Fleisher's.
Flesiher took a lazy way out by not setting this up, but it could work. However, the real problem is that there is no obvious direction for the Spider-Woman title. Each writer is simply using the character to tell their own stories. Fleisher's angle could work with almost any kind of character, nothing unique to Jessica as we've known her.
These multiple elements could work together, but the problem is we have a very generic Jessica Drew here even though her origins are extremely unique. People seem to want to write generic stories here, but we have a very distinct origin. I think this is why the individual parts are not gelling together.
Scottie McDowell's thoughts:"you know, both Spider-woman and Jessica are about the same age, the same height, the same hair colour, speak with the same voice and the same faux-british accent. I wonder if...nah, can't be. They have different hair lengths."
