Overlooked Gems: “Read ’em an’ Weep”

Today we will be taking a look at Read ’em an’ Weep in Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 2 #21 by Paul Jenkins and Talent Caldwell from 2005.

Paul Jenkins is a very…special writer in Spider-Man’s vast history of creative talent. He made his writing debut on the character in an excellent three-part story featuring the Chameleon that took place in the short-lived Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man title.

(You can expect a future article on this gem as well someday).

About a year or so after this story’s publication (2000 to be exact), Mr. Jenkins would take over as the regular writer on Peter Parker: Spider-Man vol. 2, delivering a number of well-written, memorable stories that would delve into Peter Parker’s psyche and really get to the root of what makes the character tick. This was a breath of fresh air for the web-slinger considering that he was facing one of his worst ever eras from 1999-2000: the dreaded Howard Mackie/John Byrne/John Romita Jr. relaunch.

While these were all talented individuals, very little of that talent came through during this period. From dull, generic stories that rarely did anything interesting with the characters (Aunt May was brought back from the dead and a new haircut was all she had to show for it), prolonged mysteries that weren’t very interesting to begin with (hello, Senator Ward) and idiotic, insulting decisions like killing of fan-favorite character Mary Jane Watson-Parker in a plane crash (this was thankfully retconned).

After two and a half years of this dreck, Marvel thankfully realized that something needed to be changed. So Howard Mackie was mercifully removed from Peter Parker: Spider-Man and replaced by Paul Jenkins by issue #20 in hopes of salvaging at least one of the titles.

Thankfully, Jenkins managed to do more than simple salvage the title, turning in some of the best stories the wall-crawler had seen in years. Jenkins’s tenure on Peter Parker was so successful that Marvel would relaunch their Spectacular Spider-Man title with him at the helm a mere two years later.

While Jenkins’s work on Peter Parker is often celebrated by the fandom, his work on Spectacular isn’t spoken about anywhere near as positively. This is likely because Jenkins unfortunately produced some rather…questionable tales on the title during this time, such as when Spidey is transformed into a giant pregnant spider that dies and gives birth to himself (yes, really).

There was also that arc which revealed that Curt Connors had been in control of his Lizard persona all along, effectively ruining the character and not making the slightest bit of sense.

But fear not, dear readers, Jenkins’s second bout on Spidey isn’t all doom and gloom. Despite these missteps, Jenkins did produce some real gems during his time on Spectacular, which finally brings us to the story of the hour: Read ’em an’ Weep.

Our tale begins with, of all things, a Poker game between the many superheroes of the Marvel Universe.

As it turns out, Spider-Man is quite the accomplished player; mostly because his mask completely hides his facial expressions.

Things appear to be going smoothly enough until there is a sudden knock on the door.

And who is this unexpected visitor?

Wilson Fisk himself! But what interest could the Kingpin of Crime possibly have in a mere card game?

It seems he wants to be dealt in and join the fun. But for what purpose? Simply put, Fisk wants to humiliate each of the heroes who have given him nothing but trouble over the years by beating them in Poker. And just to add insult to injury, he will use the money he won from the game for illegal activities.

While the heroes could easily decline Kingpin’s generous little offer, the chance to stick it to the crime lord proves far too tempting — especially for Spidey.

As the night wears on, the Kingpin proves to be quite the card player, as he soundly defeats each of the adventurers until it comes down to just him and his second most hated adversary (if only Daredevil were here).

Before the final match begins, Kingpin is sure to tell Spider-Man that his mask won’t make a difference as he has been reading his body language the entire game. Feeling confident from this, Fisk decides to go all in on this last bout.

Will Spidey’s Poker skills be a match for the Kingpin’s? Is Spidey about to be humiliated in front of all his friends and allies? And more pressingly, does the Kingpin actually plan on playing fair? Sadly, I will have to maintain my Poker face to keep the answers a secret so you can read the comic for yourselves.

This one-off represents one of my favorite kind of comic stories: pure, unadulterated fun. There aren’t any major, life-threatening stakes here; just a good, old-fashioned card game between the city’s biggest crime lord and its many protectors. Paul Jenkins’s script is superbly witty, as the dialogue exchanged between Kingpin and the other heroes never fails to entertain. On top of that, Jenkins is still able to apply a fair amount of tension to the scenario, with it becoming increasingly unclear if Spider-Man or any of the other heroes will actually win the game and if Fisk will indeed have the last laugh.

Despite the aforementioned low stakes, the readers know that Spidey will never be able to live it down if the Kingpin wins and humiliates him in front of all his associates. All of the characters are written excellently, especially Spider-Man and the Kingpin, with the two exchanging constant banter throughout their little match that never fails to amuse.

Paul Jenkins’s work on Spectacular might not quite live up to his work on Peter Parker, but he still managed to grace readers with some real gems; Read ’em an’ Weep easily being among his best.