Let the Good Times Roll...?

Well, it looks like I'll be doing this blog for a bit longer. Not only is Spider-Man's spider-sense being incredibly obvious here (unless it's Mary Jane contacting him), but Spider-Man himself is being sort of scary. He's really looking forward to fighting the Persuader, I guess. Jimmy Godero and guard #2 look frightened, as well. Let's hope Spider-Man doesn't warm up on them.

Our first Spider-Cameo of the new year. Let me fill in the third panel: "Lookit here, Spider-Man's making a deal with the devil!"

He Done It

The Persuader is using magnets to, shall we say, persuade the truck into coming into the other truck. Good lord. If he tries to get the truck to drive off a cliff next, I'm quitting this blog.

Numbered List!

1) "Shotgun" would be if he was riding in the passenger's seat, not in the back.
2) When did the prison truck morph into a station wagon?
3) Please tell me the Persuader isn't going to persuade the guard into driving the prison truck into the moving truck and drive off with it.

Who Loves Mary Jane? Not Spider-Man.

Everyone wants Mary Jane, it would seem, except for her husband. He'd rather spend quality time with known felons in order to lure chubby white guys to their fate. On a semi-related note, what's the range on the signal bracelet Spidey gave Mary Jane? We've only seen it applied from a room or two away, and there's a good chance it's just a bracelet that buzzes when pressed. After all, we never say Spider-Man testing it or anything. Here's hoping it works when the time comes.

The Amazing Spider-Plan

01/22:
Peter is especially oblivious in this installment, probably replying on auto-pilot while perusing the paper and sipping his coffee. Meanwhile, Mary Jane is in her cheesecake outfit and gushing about her good review. I guess this is why they have no kids: Mary Jane has to blindside him when he comes home to make him notice her.

01/23:
Mary Jane is understandably concerned at how excited her husband is at the mention of Jimmy Godero, especially considering yesterday's strip. Peter looks quite mischevious in the first panel, as well, probably adding to her apprehension.

01/24:
Why, it's the Amazing Spider-Plan! (badum kish). Other than that, I got nothing.

01/25:
Peter's smug indicates that the last thing he cares about is Mary Jane's play. Poor Mary Jane. I do like her green trench-coat, though. It's snazzy.

01/26:
Uh oh, evil is afoot! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL! Spider-Man should have given Jimmy Godero a signal bracelet, too.

01/27:

Today, we see yesterday's final panel expand into five other panels! My god, but isn't that amazing?

01/28:
You know, in order to keep Godero safe, they could have just put Spider-Man in the truck and left Godero at the prison. Just sayin'.

The Plot... MOVES

01/15:Simon Krandis is obviously exaggerating, as he seems the type to go into women's locker rooms demanding one of them go out with him. Spider-Man may also be underselling Krandis's intelligence. In any case, he's forgetting he just stood his wife up on her opening night. Good job, Spidey. Obviously, that great responsibility you have doesn't cover your responsibilities as a spouse.

01/16:
I gather they usually succumb to the thuggish brute that arrives and informs them that Mister Krandis would like their company, because threats are obviously the way to a woman's heart. Or perhaps they enjoy the fact that you ignore their personal space and whatnot by barging into their rooms and stuff. Krandis could probably be jailed at this point from the trespassing and sexual coercion charges alone.

Also: I like Krandis's pouty face.

01/17:
It's so late at night that the sky is especially bright. Either that or it's some sort of reverse-eclipse.

01/18:
I really like how Peter and Mary Jane are really worried that the world will piece together that Spider-Man and Mary Jane have something going on, yet they pull stuff like this. Now, if they lived somewhere like Cleveland, I could understand that there might be no people on the street. I've seen it happen. In New York, though, the city that traditionally never sleeps? There'd be a whole crowd of people around watching Spider-Man pick up Mary Jane and twirl her around or whatever he's doing.

Is... is he going to toss her up in the air and catch her on the way down?

01/19:
I've never heard of Mary Jane getting airsick before, and I'm sure that we would have heard something due to the fact that she and Peter recently went on a round-trip to Los Angeles. More likely, she remembered they were trying to keep their relationship a secret and used this as a flimsy pretext to avoid drawing attention to themselves. She most likely did this so we wouldn't have to spend a week reading about Peter whining about Mary Jane refusing his invitation.

01/20:
"It was a good night, except for the fact that you and Simon Krandis put undue stress on me."

In that first panel on the bottom there... is that the symbiote popping up behind Peter? I mean, they didn't expect us to forget that Peter was Spider-Man in the two panels since he took off his mask but retained the rest of his costume, did they? Or are we supposed to interpret that as the spectre of Spider-Man looming over their relationship since Peter is seemingly incapable of not drawing attention to it? Which would make no sense, since she's talking about Simon Krandis in that panel.

On a good note, I like how Peter's mask looks sort of like a Pac-Man ghost in the middle-bottom panel.

01/21:
Ah yes, the bracelet which allows Spider-Man's Gal-Pal to summon him. I hope she actually uses it at some point soon for something more than breakfast in bed. Also, what the heck is Mary Jane talking about? She got rid of Simon Krandis herself! And Peter sounds like a tool for using "'twas", though if I could get away with doing so socially I would. Hm... what if I did this whole blog in Shakespearean-style for a week? Hmm...

POLLS: Jameson Eliminated!

With a whopping twenty-two posts, our second poll ends! Spider-Man and Land Captain tie with seven votes each, with the Shocker getting away with five and Jameson getting a mere three. I guess he couldn't stand up to those whose profession dictates they punch each other a lot. Perhaps he'll write an editorial about it.

So now we have Spider-Man, Land Captain, and the Shocker vying for the prize! Which is glory, I guess.

The Krandis Konfrontation

01/08:
The Persuader obviously can't dish it out as well as he can take it. At least, against an opponent who can actually fight back. Oh, and I love the last panel.

01/09:
You know, I kind of wish Mary Jane did go homicidal and attack Spider-Man every so often. It'd spice things up a bit, to be certain.

01/10:
I'm not sure why Simon Krandis would call her "MJ" and think it's okay. Seems a bit uppity, that does. I do like Simon Krandis's evening wear, though.

01/11:
So Mary Jane changed from a pink v-neck shirt to a pink turtleneck shirt. Oh, and Simon Krandis has splendid taste in evening wear. Ah, and he looks vaguely like a fat Owl. At least, before the Owl turned all creepy looking.

01/12:
It would be funny if Mary Jane had Simon Krandis arrested for attempted sexual assault or something, thereby ending this whole storyline. Oh, or maybe a restraining order and then he could violate the order. They should just make the whole strip more like "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane", actually.

01/13:
Wait, Simon Krandis doesn't look like the Owl. He looks like Grandpa Munster, except with a bad comb-over instead of a widow's peak.

01/14:I'll say this for Simon Krandis: he has nerves of steel, poking Spider-Man like that.

POLLS: Weasel Eliminated!

Poor Weasel was beat out by the Shocker, by a single vote. The Land Captain edged out the Shocker by the same margin, and Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man came in with twelve votes each. Round two starts now, and ends next Sunday.

Oh my Goodness! Action!

As usual, the "Thing I Liked" comment will go away until I'm through the moderately small amount of back-log.

01/01:The fact that the Persuader is paying someone to burn the Daily Bugle trucks sort of detracts from his whole character. I mean, he's not persuading anyone to do anything, or even strong-arming them into doing it. Granted, you could say that he's using the money to persuade, but I'm not sure that strictly counts.

01/02:
Now we find out why Spider-Man deemed this Daily Bugle truck so important. If he hadn't, he would never have found the Persuader. So he missed his wife's play, so what? At least he might nab a crook or two.

01/03:
Spider-Man did something similar, but much more destructive than this, nearly a year ago. Last time, we were immediately graced with the Land Captain. I doubt we will be so lucky this time.

01/04:
Spider-Man is, of course, referring to our old friend the King of the Newspaper Jockies. I also like how the strip has been sort of exciting for the past two days, though that fact is diminished by the weeks of tedium we had to go through to get to this point. On another note, the Persuader's friend looks sort of like a crew-cut Weasel.

01/05:
So now we learn that the Persuader, originally thought to be some big thug with a moderate amount of strength, actually has super-strength. He would have to, since Spider-Man's webbing has been proven to be able to hold pretty much anyone. Not to mention the fact that he knocked down a lamppost.

01/06:
Spider-Man is actually in danger! Yowza!

01/07:
Now we have Spider-Man actually using physical force on someone. It'll probably be over soon, though, regrettably.

POLLS: Round Five Complete, Battle Royale Commencing

Well, Land Captain won the previous poll. He had six votes, King of the Newspaper Jockies had four, and Loretta the Slave-Woman had three. Now we're going to take the winners of all the polls and have them duke it out for several weeks, with someone getting voted off every Sunday from here until the end of the poll. Here's our contestants:

-Spider-Man
-Land Captain
-Weasel
-The Shocker
-Jonah Jameson

May the best man win. Also, I'll work through the backlog soon. Things aren't going too well on this end, but should hopefully be shaping up soon.

Favorite Character Poll: Round Four COMPLETE (Round Five Imminent!)

Our old buddy Weasel nabs an extra three votes, beating the Persuader 9-4. Now, it's time for the final poll before the big mega-poll where all the winners take part in a poll-stravaganza. This time, we have characters who never really had a name but were given one because it seemed like a good idea at the time. The choices are:

-Loretta the Slave-Woman
-The King of the Newspaper Jockies

-and of course:

-Land Captain

We all know who's getting my vote. Poll ends on Sunday.

Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa.

I wasn't going to post anything until things got situated, but I guess people want me to post. Who knew? So here we go, the week after Christmas (when I was down with some weird sort of chameleon virus):

12/25:
I'm not hip to how the jail system anywhere works (except silly works of fiction) but I'm pretty sure the warden could go home and spend most of the day with his family if he really wanted to. After all, the guards are the ones who really need to stay on duty.

TIL: The use of the phrase "What a drag".

12/26:
This whole Simon Krandis thing isn't really all that urgent, and Peter is supposed to be doing this by himself. Therefore, it would have made more sense if Peter had simply made an appointment under the guise of doing some reporting or something.

TIL: This strip reminded me of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon.

12/27:
Peter is a super-hero, not a super-husband.

TIL: Jimmy's surprise.

12/28:
That poor guard is really earning his money today, though I doubt Spider-Man has the clout to get this man freed with anything but evidence that proves that Jimmy is completely innocent. After all, most treat him as a feckless vigilante.

TIL: Not much in this one, really.

12/29:
"I'll just head out to the state prison, which is in an isolated area and difficult to get to, on the one night my wife is expecting me to come to her play! The one night she needs my support, and the one night she would be utterly crushed if I missed it! Not only that, but I'll web-sling there and back. That's the ticket!"

TIL: The warden looks a little like Bob Hope. A very little.

12/30:
The truck is already on fire, Spider-Man! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GOING TO DO? YOU CAN'T HELP IN THIS INSTANCE! Jeez!

TIL: The shout-out to Stan Lee in the second panel.

12/31:
Peter is the most neglectful husband ever.

TIL: I like that guy in panel three.

METASTUFF: Poll and More!

Oh dear god but things have been hectic. Between sickness, holidays, trips, and problems with college (and the paying for thereof) I have not been able to post. Nor will I really be able to for another week or two, but I will be back! Count on that. Until then, I guess we'll update the poll. It looks like Weasel and the Persuader have tied for first place so vote on them, I guess. It'll end this Wednesday, and get changed whenever.

Peter Goes to the Pen

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the Blog stylings of our friend, Land Captain. As you may know, he has his own blog that you can take a look at if you want to. Today, I'd just like to say that there is no possible way Peter is going to get to the State Prison and back before Mary Jane's opening. Even if the whole trip goes off without a hitch, something will happen and his sense of responsibility will kick in forcing him to help out. We'll see how often I update over the next few days, considering how I'll no doubt be getting a bunch of new DVDs, books, and video games tomorrow. Last year, it didn't go too well, but who knows about this year? Certainly not me.

Land Captain's Departure

Well, Spider-Buddies, this is my last post for now. I hope you enjoyed my stint as a blogger here! Now, before I get all weepy-eyed, let's get this over with:

12/22:
I hope your play goes well, Mary Jane. And I hope you actually make it to the play, Peter. If you don't, then I guess that means Simon Krandis is more of a threat than Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin combined.

12/23:
I'm about to get all teary-eyed, Spider-Buddies, and since this comic doesn't say anything new or anything I'd just like to wish you all happy holidays. Hope to see you all again soon!

-Land Captain

Mary Jane in a Towel

My super-hero instincts are kicking in, Spider-Buddies! Since the Persuader is pursuing Mary Jane, he'll probably be at the opening! Then Peter can use this to his advantage, and take down the Persuader and Simon Krandis in one go!

Favorite Character Poll: Round Three COMPLETE (Round Four imminent!)

Somehow the Shocker won the previous poll, edging out Doctor Octopus by two votes. Simon Krandis nabbed a vote (no doubt utilizing the Persuader to get it) and Kurt Kordok, who is famously not the Kingpin, came out of it with nothing. Serves you right, Kordok. Our next post features the various henchmen, including the comedy duo Lug and Angel:
-Lug and Angel
-The Persuader
-Weasel

Poll ends on Sunday, hopefully!

Good Job, Peter!

That's the spirit, Peter! Never say die!

Venom?

I know Land Captain is still on the job until Sunday, but I couldn't let this strip pass without comment. I know (or at least, I'm reasonably certain) that Spider-Man has fought the Hulk in the strip. Or at least, he's claimed he's fought the Hulk before and that's good enough for me. Venom, though? Seriously Venom? Venom has not once been in this strip until today, I'm thinking, and the fact that he's in there today means something is going down.

There's the chance that someone convinced Stan Lee to put Venom in the strip, and this is the cop-out result. Or Stan Lee is trying to lure in the younger crowd (HINT: MORE ACTION, LESS GOOGLING) and put in Venom to appeal to their sensibilities with the knowledge that no one would ever know Venom actually hasn't appeared in the strip. He might also be picking and choosing parts of Spider-Man's post-Lee history to put into the strip which is problematic to say the least.

Of course, there is the possibility that Venom HAS been in the strip before. If that's the case, then for a few months, we had a slobbering murderous psychopath in the comic pages. That is something I wish I had seen.

TIL: It's always nice to see the Hulk.

Peter Parker on the Web

12/18:If I had a fancy spider-sense like Peter, it'd be going off right now because Jameson never compliments anyone without an ulterior motive. Watch out, Peter!

12/19:I don't think Peter's going to find much "dirt" on Krandis on the Internet, Spider-Buddies. Unless he's going to go after Krandis' Wikipedia entry and become embroiled in a minor web-battle with the Persuader, both editing the entry moments after the other. Maybe Spider-Man is going to start doing battle exclusively on the "web"!

Why No Police?

While I'm a strong proponent of super-hero tactics, being one myself, I have to wonder why Jameson hasn't called in the police. Surely the destruction of three trucks is worthy of a police investigation? Then again, maybe Simon Krandis has the police in his pocket! I'll bet that's it, and that's why Jameson has to bring in our favorite photojournalist to set things right.

Sad News

I've got sad news, Spider-Buddies. I'm only doing this Blog for one more week. I talked to Mike P (the guy who usually does it) and told him my troubles of next week being my busy week, and December 23rd is going to be my last day. I hope no one is too disappointed. Now, on with the show!

12/15:I think it's more like "the bads on Simon Krandis", since he's such a rotten guy.

12/16:Uh oh. While my pal Spider-Man is good at thinking with a scientific mind, he's not too good at being a detective. Let's hope he can solve this case without utilizing his fists too much.

Favorite Character Poll: Round Two COMPLETE (Round Three imminent!)

Jonah Jameson won the long-fought battle, with ten votes to Robbie Robertson's nine votes. Maybe next time, Robbie!

Our next poll features four combatants instead of the usual three:
-Doctor Octopus
-Kurt Kordok
-Shocker
-Simon Krandis

I added links so that those of you not in-the-know can read up on everyone before voting. This is something I should have been doing this whole time. Poll ends on Wednesday, hopefully!