About Heroes

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Joe Quesada and Danny Miki
Colors: Richard Isanove
Cover: Quesada and Isanove

One More Day continues in this final issue of FN Spider-Man. The issue really felt kind of like a repeat of what has been going on with Peter and May for the last few months, but there was a very nice continuity treat in this issue. So why this saga promises to pretty much destroy the Peter/MJ marriage, the story still hasn’t pissed me of quite just yet.

Spidey decides to go and visit Dr. Strange in hopes of finding a way to save May. I’m a bit confused why Peter goes to push the doorbell considering he is a member of the New Avengers and should already know how to get inside. Anyway, Peter tells Dr. Strange what has happened to May and he is desperate to do anything to save her life. (We know Peter, you have been saying that over and over for months now!) Dr. Strange explains dying is a part of the natural order of the universe, and that cannot be stopped, changed, or interrupted no matter how noble the cause. Dr. Strange summons the hands of the dead to let Peter go and visit multiple places in our time, hoping to find some information. Peter visits friends and foes alike in seeking a cure for May. Among some of those he visits: Storm and Black Panther, Reed Richards, the Beast, Dr.Doom, Dr. Octopus, Morbius, Dr. Curt Conners, the Night Nurse, Dead Girl from X-Statix, and a few more. However, they all tell Peter the same thing: there is nothing they can do to help May. She is going to die, and Peter will have to live with that guilt.

After returning to his normal body, Dr. Strange goes to get Peter a drink while he recovers from traveling the space/time continuum. Peter is not ready to quit, and uses Latin to recite a spell to send his astral form back in time. He reaches back to Amazing #538 where the Civil War crossover ended. He cannot stop the sniper but tries to warn himself from going into the hotel room. The Peter of that time stops, almost sensing his astral form (Yay, continuity!) and May ends up getting shot anyways. Then the nightwalkers arrive, beings destined to protect the space/time continuum and prevent anyone from altering their destiny. They injure Spidey, biting him with their mystical chompers.

Dr. Strange arrives to help the injured Spidey, taking him even farther back in time when he wasn’t at his Sanctum Sanctorum. Dr. Strange puts Spidey in a room as his injuries heal, when a knock is heard on the other side of the door. Spidey recognizes the voice: it’s his own! No, we aren’t talking clones. This is a scene from early in the Straczynski run, from Amazing Spider-Man volume 2, issue #42 where Spidey fought the Shade who was abducting homeless kids off the street. The dialogue is the same and it really ties up a loose end from years ago. Back inside, Dr. Strange and Spidey return to our time, and the good doctor tells Peter to go be with May in her final hours. Hold her hand and be with her is the doctor’s advice, but Peter isn’t ready to stop just yet. Outside, Peter remembers Dr. Strange’s words and is lured to a small girl offering to help him out. The girl looks like a young MJ, and I’ve got a feeling she is evil. This can’t end well.

Thoughts/Comments:

Not bad considering this saga is totally going to undo something I love about Spider-Man and his history. Let’s start with the good, the art was beautiful! Quesada is the man when it comes to art, and I loved how he drew Dr. Strange and all the magic going on. Second, the nod back to issue #42 was really kick ass. It makes the original story all the better knowing that Peter is also on the other side of that door. The nightwalkers were cool looking and made for some very cool visuals. OK, on to the bad. This issue still felt like a repeat of what we already know: Peter wants to save May; no force on Earth will stop him. WE GET IT ALREADY! Geez, how many times has this been said in the past 4 or five issues of Amazing Spider-Man? The double page spread of Peter visiting friends and foes was really cool, but this issue still felt kind of slow. The little girl at the end is probably Loki or Mephisto in disguise, which will end up somehow undoing the marriage in order to save May.

Notice the red bird flying around in part one and this issue? Probably means something evil is about to happen. I also wish there was some kind of letters page in this issue thanking Peter David for his work on this title since this is the last issue. Also, can we please have MJ in the story a bit more? If this is their final story as husband and wife at least give her a bigger part in the story. I’m still intrigued on how this will end, but this issue gets a B- from me. Hopefully part three will pick things up.