Lead Feature Written by Joe Quesada. Lead Feature Art by Paolo Rivera; Joe Quesada; Miki; Richard Isanove; & VC’s Joe Caramagna.
“Spidey Sundays” Back-Up Feature Written by Stan Lee, with Art by Marcos Martin; Muntsa Vicente; & VC’s Joe Caramagna.
Cover Art by Paolo Rivera.
SUMMARY:
In the second-to-last installment of the four-part “One Moment in Time,” Marvel Comics released this 40-page issue for October 2010. As a comatose Aunt May recuperates in a New York hospital’s ICU, Mary Jane is alerted by her Aunt Anna of a prowler at her home. Little does Mary Jane know that the incarcerated Kingpin has sent a snarky underworld assassin to start eliminating her family, as revenge upon Spider-Man.
Leaving a sleeping Peter behind, Mary Jane does her best to confront this threat alone. It’s up to Spider-Man to intervene and make one more fateful decision re: his lost secret identity.
Note: There‘s at least two variant covers: one ‘Mary Jane’ cover from Quesada and the other is a ‘Women of Marvel (Mary Jane & Black Cat)’ portrait from artist Jelena Djurdjevic. Unfortunately, sample images aren’t available here.
REVIEW:
Clearly source material for the big-screen Spider-Man: No Way Home, this issue exemplifies Mary Jane’s natural heroism under fire. Confirming why Peter needs Doctor Strange’s help again, Issue # 638 doesn’t disappoint spelling out the emotional exhaustion Mary Jane and her ‘boyfriend’ Peter share. Equaled by the art squad’s upper-tier visuals, writer Joe Quesada’s script does exactly what it needs to do.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The credits page offers a summary-to-date of “One Moment in Time.” Stan Lee’s two-page “Spidey Sundays” feature continues, with the Hulk and Doctor Octopus as its guest stars. There’s also an “Amazing Spider-Mail” letters-and-answers column, with a cover reveal for Issue # 641.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars
