Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1989-11-01 01:07:40 |
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Web of Spider-Man #58
Issue(s): Web of Spider-Man #58
Cover Date: Dec 89
Title: "Rematch"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Alex Saviuk - Penciler
Keith Williams - Inker
Glenn Herdling - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor
Review/plot:
Spider-Man requests a meeting with Puma, to ask him why he bought the Daily Bugle.
Puma tells him he did it as a matter of honor for Spider-Man, to get the Bugle to stop printing slander about him.
Meanwhile, the long forgotten villain and one-time professional wrestler the Grizzly has gotten tired of getting ragged on by the people at the local bar, so he takes his old suit, originally designed by the Jackal, to the Tinkerer for repairs.
Peter then gets on a train with reporter Joy Mercardo and the Robertson family and their lawyer. They're all going to meet with Joe Robertson, who has recently made it out of the Amish farmlands to call his family. He's turning himself back in to the police and in a much more zen state of mind since finally standing up to Tombstone.
But it's on the train that Grizzly attacks Peter Parker, who he remembers has a connection to Spider-Man. For a little while i thought Conway's goal was to redeem this laughingstock of a villain by making him seem cool. After all, he is a giant bear-man. That should be cool. And Alex Saviuk does a decent job selling it.
But Conway has a better story in mind than just making Grizzly into a badass. He has Spider-Man learn that this is entirely just a grudge match, and therefore Spider-Man throws the fight.
Grizzly figures it out at the end too.
Nice little story. This really should have been the last appearance of Grizzly, though.
Also in this issue, Kristy Watson's parents (Mary Jane's aunt and uncle) belatedly return from Europe to respond to their daughter's hospitalization, but they turn out to be awful people, so MJ sends them away and tells Kristy that she'll look after her.
Quality Rating: B-
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A
References:
- Grizzly first appeared, with a suit supplied by the Jackal, in Amazing Spider-Man #139-140.
- Peter Parker learned that Puma bought the Daily Bugle in Spectacular Spider-Man #157, "a few days ago". That's also when Robbie stood up to Tombstone.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
this is by far my favourite comic ever written by Conway, and one of my favourites ever. As I was reading it i felt sorry for Grizzly and wanted him to win. When Spidey threw the fight I was so proud of him.The pure, primal scream of victory the Grizzly gives is poetic. The ending in the cafe is so quaint, when the Griz figures it out. More villains should get a great send-off like this.
I'm sure some modern @sshole writer brought him back later, but as I refuse to acknowledge any comics written past 1993, this was the Grizzly's last issue.
I love this comic
"I don't care if nobody else knows it. I know I'm the guy that did it! I'm the guy who beat Spider-man!"
Gets me every time.
I heard the Grizzly later returned to crime and was eventually busted for stealing picnic baskets.
"I had my shot, and that's all any guy can ask."
Loved reading that as a kid. I've carried that little golden nugget with me all my life.
yeah, that final scene in the cafe is just so well written.
Wait so Kristy's parents really were in Europe? I thought that was all a lie and she ran away from home to be close to Pete and MJ.
Whatever actually happened to kristy ?
After this issue she kind of dissapeared.
As fnord's project shows, she has a number of appearances until Web 84 and then she's forgotten about. Mackie brought her back in the infamous box issue in Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man 19, but couldn't even be bothered to spell her name right- he calls her "Chrissy".
