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cyberghostface (cyberghostface) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-04-26 18:46:00

Entry tags:

char: anna watson, char: mary jane watson, char: may parker, char: scarlet spider/ben reilly, char: spider-man/peter parker, creator: j.m. dematteis, creator: mark bagley, publisher: marvel comics, title: amazing spider-man

Amazing Spider-Man #400

With #600 around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to post Amazing Spider-Man #400. This is the issue in which Aunt May says goodbye. Er, I mean a genetically modified actress who looks like Aunt May and was hired by Norman Osborn to impersonate her. This is what was sacrificed so we could have stuff like...well, you know what I'm talking about.

Prior to this, Aunt May had been in the hospital. This is when she returns home.

(Post a new comment)

	icon_uk 2009-04-26 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	That's really rather lovely (Though "Peter Pan" is a weird choice, since it's rather a creepy story (Well, it was to me) about a little boy who REFUSED to grow up) (Reply to this)

arbre_rieur
2009-04-26 06:15 pm UTC (link)

"So you see, Peter, all those times I spoke about how awful Spider-Man was or complained about how you weren't living up to your responsibilities, I deep down knew you were really Spider-Man. Yeah, any person with a shred of decency would find causing their surrogate son that much constant emotional torment a disgusting and heartless thing to do, but I'm just kooky that way."

Yeuck! Talk about character assassination. An editor actually okayed this mess?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	cyberghostface 2009-04-26 06:24 pm UTC (link)
	I think you're the first person to be offended by this. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

arbre_rieur, 2009-04-26 07:58 pm UTC

starwolf_oakley, 2009-04-26 08:30 pm UTC

ashtoreth, 2009-04-26 08:52 pm UTC

cyberghostface, 2009-04-26 10:07 pm UTC

box_in_the_box, 2009-04-26 09:59 pm UTC

	felinephoenix 2009-04-27 11:53 am UTC (link)
	As much as I love this story, I do have to agree with this. Honestly, I much preferred JMS's handling of Aunt May finding out Peter's identity. Partly because of this, partly because May (rightly!) calls Peter out for assuming she was so weak she couldn't possibly handle the truth of him being Spider-Man. Someone should post those scenes, too, for comparison. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	toxictongue 2009-07-18 01:59 pm UTC (link)
	Well, her husband of forever was recently gone and she was fairly elderly to begin with. Is it so odd she's be a bit dottled? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	scottyquick 2009-04-26 06:34 pm UTC (link)
	Notcryingnotcryingnotcryingnotcrying omg they laid her next to Ben i am crying. This is really such a sad, heartbreaking death. Why'd they undo it? (Reply to this) (Thread)

cyberghostface, 2009-04-26 06:46 pm UTC

starwolf_oakley, 2009-04-26 08:23 pm UTC

darklorelei, 2009-04-26 08:34 pm UTC

xdoop, 2009-04-26 10:01 pm UTC

freezer818, 2009-04-27 07:26 pm UTC

	mullon 2009-04-26 06:56 pm UTC (link)
	And now she's being porked by Jameson's dad. But enough of that, who loves the "glee" face on Aunt May? raises hand (Reply to this)

	neuhallidae 2009-04-26 07:05 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, God, I held it in until the last panel, then just bawled. (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2009-04-26 07:11 pm UTC (link)
	I'm a little bit behind on the history of the 616 Spiderman franchise. How did they undo Aunt May's death? (Reply to this) (Thread)

cyberghostface, 2009-04-26 07:29 pm UTC

darklorelei, 2009-04-26 07:41 pm UTC

ashtoreth, 2009-04-26 08:56 pm UTC

tacobob, 2009-04-26 11:03 pm UTC

ashtoreth, 2009-04-26 11:37 pm UTC

tacobob, 2009-04-27 08:22 am UTC

(no subject) - (Anonymous), 2009-04-26 10:19 pm UTC

jlroberson, 2009-07-26 12:55 am UTC

cyberghostface, 2009-07-26 12:57 am UTC

	sd_mouser 2009-04-26 07:17 pm UTC (link)
	I wish she had stayed dead because it was the PERFECT end to the character. ...and Peter/MJ stayed married - etc. (Reply to this)

	pyrotwilight 2009-04-26 07:36 pm UTC (link)
	In MC2 this death happened to the real Aunt May! Also May seems to be eternally 80 even with young Peter. (Reply to this) (Thread)

felinephoenix, 2009-04-27 11:45 am UTC

	(Anonymous) 2009-04-26 07:37 pm UTC (link)
	Whatever did happen with that pregnancy? What exactly did 'May' die off and if it's genetic then wouldn't the real May also be dead? Also, why Marvel? You bastards leave continuity alone. (Reply to this) (Thread)

felinephoenix, 2009-04-27 11:49 am UTC

dorksidefiker, 2009-04-27 01:52 pm UTC

felinephoenix, 2009-04-27 09:43 pm UTC

joysweeper, 2009-04-30 09:47 am UTC

cyberghostface, 2009-04-27 11:56 am UTC

felinephoenix, 2009-04-27 12:14 pm UTC

felinephoenix, 2009-04-27 12:16 pm UTC

cyberghostface, 2009-04-27 01:08 pm UTC

felinephoenix, 2009-04-27 09:46 pm UTC

	kingrockwell 2009-04-26 07:50 pm UTC (link)
	Wow, Mark Bagley used to be a pretty decent artist! What happened? PS stiff upper lip, there's a trooper (Reply to this) (Thread)

thehefner.livejournal.com, 2009-04-26 08:42 pm UTC

sherkahn
2009-04-26 08:25 pm UTC (link)

The story writers got it right. This was a great way for us to have our final moment with May and have her exit with grace and class and have our loyal Spidey fans feel every moment with dignity, and knowing that May herself accepted her end.

"It's my time."

It's the one comic that I dared show my girlfriend at the time to show that comics weren't just about the bif! bam! boom! pow!, and had good characters with moving story that affects us and how we see life, and how we should choose to accept the end of our lives (should we get the chance to).

this was a big personal milestone for me. Too bad they undid it and gave us the most recent crap.

(Reply to this)

	milleniumrex 2009-04-26 08:28 pm UTC (link)
	WHAT A WONDERFUL SENDOFF FOR A WONDERFUL CHARACTER WHO NEVER APPEARED AGAIN. *deep in denial (Reply to this)

	vignettelante 2009-04-26 09:43 pm UTC (link)
	Wow, what a sendoff... BTW, the page with the big panel of the empire state building is up twice. (Reply to this)

	zegim 2009-04-26 10:40 pm UTC (link)
	That was touching, for sure. (Reply to this)

	Mod Note: schmevil 2009-04-26 11:35 pm UTC (link)
	15 pages? How long was Spider-Man 400? (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: Mod Note: -

proteus_lives, 2009-04-27 02:14 am UTC

Re: Mod Note: -

cyberghostface, 2009-04-27 08:35 am UTC

	blunderbuss 2009-04-27 01:59 am UTC (link)
	And they undid this gorgeous death scene so Peter could deal away his marriage to save her from being shot. ... What the HELL, Marvel. (Reply to this)

	greenmask 2009-04-27 10:14 am UTC (link)
	Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnh the fact that one of the empire state pages actually has the phrase "one more day" in the dialogue JUST MAKES IT WORSE :'[ :'[ What a sad nice story. (Reply to this)

felinephoenix
2009-04-27 11:42 am UTC (link)

Now that I think about it... here's an extra sad, ironic detail. In the issue where Ben Reilly dies, Peter and Ben clean out the attic at the old Parker home and go over a bunch of "their" old junk. Guess what they find up there.

An old copy of Peter Pan. I believe they quote that exact same passage, too. It didn't hit me until now that it was (probably) a deliberate reference to Aunt May's death.

And as much as I loved the JMS stuff with Aunt May - and boy, did it resolve the problems I had with her not telling Peter all these years (as other people above discussed) - this is how her story should have ended. It's the perfect send off.

Poor Aunt May will probably never get that again.

(Reply to this)

	batmanexaminer 2009-04-27 07:27 pm UTC (link)
	So now this issue is... The Actress remembers telling someone she knew he was Spider-Man, she just doesn't remember who. Mary Jane and Peter remember being congratulated for the pregnancy...but they just don't remember who was pregnant. Norman Osborn has no idea why he faked Aunt May's death. I love BND continuity (Reply to this)

	psychop_rex 2009-04-28 12:50 am UTC (link)
	This was heartwrenching. I can see why Byrne brought her back - he had a point; May certainly is a major supporting character, and was a lynchpin to Peter for many years - but this really was a sad, beautiful story that deserves its reputation as damn good stuff. It's a shame it didn't stay canon. (Reply to this)

	silverzeo 2009-04-29 09:51 pm UTC (link)
	And how long did this last? And does Aunt May still know, or was it just the actress? (Reply to this) (Thread)

cyberghostface, 2009-04-29 10:00 pm UTC

	joysweeper 2009-04-30 09:52 am UTC (link)
	sigh Dickish though the Aunt May Has Known For A Long Time thing is, this was all sweet and sad. Poor Ben! ... You know, I hate "genetically modified actress", so I'm going to randomly assume that one or the other of the Aunt Mays was a clone, and no one thinks that matters enough to fuss over. Wonder what they did to that grave when she came back. (Reply to this)