Written by (See Below)
Art by (See Below)
Embossed Cover & Front Cover Art by Mark Bagley & Larry Mahlstedt. Back Cover Art by Mark Bagley; Larry Mahlstedt; & ‘Michel Le’
SUMMARY:
For April 1995, Marvel Comics released this 64-page milestone issue featuring three stories. The embossed cover hypes “A Death in the Family …”
“The Gift.” (46 pages) Writer: J.M. De Matteis, With Art by: Mark Bagley; Larry Mahlstedt; Randy Emberlin; Bill Oakley; & Bob Sharen. Aunt May awakens from her coma to poignantly rejoin Peter & a pregnant Mary Jane at home. Peter’s lonely clone (Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider) despondently bids him farewell. Briefly seen, the nefarious Jackal plays up his reputation as an incarcerated psychotic at The Ravenscroft Institute. While Peter & Mary Jane watch home movies of his early childhood, the Parkers’ home is ominously under surveillance by the Traveler. An amnesiac second Peter Parker clone confusedly roams New York City.
At the Empire State Building, Peter is stunned by Aunt May’s long-held secret. Later that night, Peter, Mary Jane, and her Aunt Anna are devastated by May’s tragic death. Unbeknownst to them, Ben Reilly is similarly crushed. Soon after the funeral, a grieving Peter be arrested for first-degree homicide. A emotionally reeling Mary Jane meets Ben Reilly. The saga continues in Spider-Man # 57.
“The Parker Legacy, Part One: A Shock to the System.” (7 pages) Writer: J.M. De Matteis; John Romita Jr.; John Romita Sr.; Ken Lopez; & Paul Becton. Occurring five years before, Spider-Man’s homeless clone, Ben Reilly, spends a rainy night hating the real Peter Parker. Before a stopover at Peter’s apartment, the clone opts to explore the world alone. This back-up feature also continues in Spider-Man # 57.
“The Morning After.” (7 pages). Writers: J.M. DeMatteis & Stan Lee, with Art by: Tom Grummett; Al Milgrom; Richard Starkings; Comicraft; & Chia-Chi Wang. On the morning after Ben Parker’s death, young Peter finds consoling his Aunt May means that he can’t reveal to her his secret life as Spider-Man.
REVIEW:
Solely on its own merits, “The Gift” is worthy of a 400th issue milestone. Despite its convoluted clone sub-plot, “The Gift” unleashed huge ramifications on mid-90’s Spider-Man storytelling. Not only is the artwork excellent, writer J.M. De Matteis conveys that Spidey’s world is boldly moving forward: i.e. the prospects of Peter & Mary Jane’s future parenthood, and the passing of Aunt May. Hence, “The Morning After” presents a well-produced flashback seemingly bringing The Amazing Spider-Man franchise full circle re: Peter & Aunt’s May’s family bond.
Yet, the combined impact of these two tales would be gutted by later issues dominated by preposterous soap opera theatrics that now makes reading “The Gift” seem a waste of time. Case in point: Aunt May’s heartbreaking death scene, with its classy allusions to Peter Pan, becomes a shameful bait-and-switch on readers. Considering how Marvel has toyed with a dying Aunt May multiple times over the years, the company will be hard-pressed to ever surpass this scene’s emotional wallop, should Aunt May be killed off permanently.
As for Ben Reilly’s back-up feature, this first installment is a good read with terrific artwork. However, it’s evident that Marvel was too soon pushing The Clone Saga more than necessary. Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man # 400 still has obvious collector’s value, but its contribution to the franchise now seemly badly dated.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
After the table-of-contents, Stan Lee offers an introduction. A full page is dedicated to a Spider-Man checklist of titles currently on sale. There’s also a two-page “The Spider’s Web” letters-and-answers column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
