Written by Tom DeFalco
Art by Pat Oliffe; Ron Frenz; Al Williamson; Bill Sienkiewicz; Christy Scheele; Matt Webb; & Dave Sharpe
Cover Art by Gurihiru
SUMMARY:
Released as a 2004 Target exclusive, this 96-page digest compilation reprints Spider-Girl # 0-3 from 1998.
In Marvel’s MC2 future alternate reality, a middle-aged and partially-crippled Peter Parker tragically retired his Spider-Man identity years before in a deadly final battle against Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin. Now a NYPD police scientist, Peter and his wife, Mary Jane, are quietly raising their sixteen-year old daughter, May “Mayday” Parker.
Amidst her own high school anxieties, May unwittingly discovers that she has inherited her dad’s spider-powers. Against new threats like Crazy Eight, Mr. Nobody and a third-generation Green Goblin, a rookie Spider-Girl explores a bold new destiny against her concerned parents’ wishes. Looking on with interest re: the new heroine are The Fantastic Five, the ominous Darkdevil, and this reality’s new generation of Avengers.
REVIEW:
The creative team, including reliable writer Tom DeFalco, wisely seeks to recreate Spider-Man’s Silver Age as a witty teen crimefighter. In one sense, they succeed, as Spider-Girl: Legacy is well-constructed for a pre-teen reading audience. For all intents and purposes, this book should work, but there’s something vitally missing.
Primarily, the free-wheeling charm of the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era is copied, but it fall short of the original Spider-Man’s adventures. From an adult’s perspective, both the storytelling and the artwork will mostly seem lackluster. Relegated to supporting characters as fortysomething parents, Peter and especially Mary Jane are believable enough. The problem is that their clichéd depiction comes off middling at best, once compared to their established personas. Even so, this Peter & Mary Jane witness the book’s magical moment re: their Spider-Girl’s official debut in style vs. a former childhood playmate.
Despite its general lack of zip, Spider-Girl: Legacy is still a reliably good read for a new generation of Spider-fans.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is a two-page cover gallery, with two covers per page.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
