Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Mary Wilshire; Pat Redding; Janice Chiang; & Bob Sharen
Cover Art by Mary Wilshire & John Romita
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Fun ‘N’ Games,” Marvel Comics introduces villainous Alistair Smythe in this 48-page annual released in 1985. Neglecting Mary Jane once too often, an oblivious Peter Parker’s gloating about his latest Spider-exploits only puts their romance on the outs even further. Meanwhile, the late Spencer Smythe’s diminutive son is fired by “Kingpin” Wilson Fisk as his basement-dwelling techno-genius.
Deeming his ex-boss too soft on their shared enemy, bumbling geek/man-child Alistair seeks vengeance on his ‘Daddy’s’ behalf. It’s revealed that a Smythe tracking device is hidden on a woman’s hat that Spider-Man has recently obtained from Fisk as a gift for his Aunt May.
When Mary Jane’s Aunt Anna borrows May’s new hat, Smythe’s flying Spider-Slayer abducts Anna & Mary Jane from a restaurant to force Spider-Man into action. Gullibly half-convinced that Mary Jane must be Spider-Man — due to a gender-concealing exo-suit gifted by some intergalactic aliens, no less, the hapless Alistair falls for her ongoing, making-it-up-as-she goes diversion egging on his delusional scheme. To rescue the captives, it’s up to the real Spidey to play catch up across New York City for a score-settling showdown.
REVIEW:
Might Mary Jane Watson (in What If?-like fashion) be filling in as Spider-Man? No, this silly caper falls far short of living up to the intriguing (and well-produced) cover image. Way overlong, “Fun ‘N’ Games” doesn’t expand/explore Mary Jane’s character in any meaningful sense in spite of her starring role. Pitching a variation of the ‘damsel-in-distress’ super-cliché, the future Mrs. Spider-Man is relegated to toying with a pathetic, internet troll-like schlub for a foe.
Alistair Smythe’s revenge-minded 1990s cartoon counterpart later proves a far more credible threat than his ridiculous, pot-bellied goof incarnation here. Understandably, writer Louise Simonson plays her comedy-of-errors for laughs, but a little goes a long way vs. dragging Alistair’s moronic shenanigans out for a whopping 48 pages. Had she devised “Fun ‘N’ Games” as Mary Jane’s weird dream as a single-issue stop-gap between storylines, that would have sufficed – either way, Simonson’s plotting this time is quickly forgettable.
Wasting some occasionally nice panels of Mary Jane, the cartoony visuals are mostly just pedestrian stuff. In that sense, the wacky story and artwork, at least, are in alignment with one another. Even if Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 19 doesn’t age well, it’s sufficient entertainment to share with undemanding, pre-teen Spider-fans.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The inside back cover is split-page between Marvel writer Bob Layton takes tongue-in-cheek potshots at Editor Jim Shooter in the “Bullpen Bulletins” column and Marvel’s monthly issue checklist.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
