Face It, Tiger… MJ Still Has It
There are Spider-Man characters who become important because of powers, costumes, or the villains they punch every month. And then there’s Mary Jane Watson.
Sixty years after that famous “Face it, Tiger” introduction, MJ has become something far bigger than simply “Spider-Man’s girlfriend.” Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1 understands that, giving us four very different stories from J.M. DeMatteis, Ann Nocenti, J. Michael Straczynski, and Ashley Allen, with art by Andrea Broccardo, Alina Yerofieieva, Luigi Zagaria, and Phil Noto respectively.
The result is basically an MJ sampler platter: romance, anxiety, superhero weirdness, Hollywood silliness, heartbreak, and enough Peter Parker appearances to remind us that these two will apparently never be allowed to have a completely normal Tuesday.
And you know what? That feels appropriate.
PROS
My favorite thing about this special is that it understands Mary Jane’s strength was never dependent on having powers.
“Faces in the Crowd” probably demonstrates that best. After everything MJ has endured, including the Chameleon invading her home and impersonating people she loves, she finds herself struggling to shake the fear that comes with Peter’s world. She starts seeing threats everywhere, and for once the danger isn’t something Spider-Man can simply web to a wall.
What makes the story work is Peter’s response. He doesn’t dismiss her. He recognizes that she’s scared, while MJ ultimately acknowledges something equally important: this life has hurt them before. They have suffered losses that no supervillain costume can make easier. But they’ve also survived them together.
That’s the Peter/MJ relationship I love.
It isn’t “MJ patiently waits while Peter goes superheroing.” It’s two people who have seen the absolute worst sides of this ridiculous life and continue choosing each other anyway. Their closing moments are sweet without becoming overly sentimental, and MJ essentially deciding, Yeah, this life is insane—but you’re worth it, feels perfectly her.
Then “Vamp #9” goes in almost the opposite direction and has much more fun with the concept.
MJ is working on a wonderfully cheesy vampire/zombie movie, complete with fake blood, questionable dialogue and Peter hanging around being her supportive—and occasionally snack-sized—husband. Naturally, because this is the Marvel Universe, the fake supernatural nonsense eventually collides with actual supernatural nonsense.
I really enjoyed this one because it lets MJ be an actress while also showing how being around Spider-Man has rubbed off on her. She observes, improvises and figures out how to deal with Haze using what she learns on set. In the end, MJ has basically had her own secret superhero adventure while Peter remains hilariously unaware of the full story.
Turns out Peter isn’t the only Parker household member capable of saying, “Work was fine,” while leaving out approximately seventeen insane details.
And then the book hits us with “Soft Words at Sunset.”
Yeah. Thanks for that emotional ambush.
This story is easily the heaviest of the collection, imagining an older Mary Jane remembering Peter, their marriage and all the ordinary moments that somehow became extraordinary because they shared them. The repeated idea of Peter’s hand in hers is especially effective because it reduces decades of superhero insanity to something incredibly simple.
MJ doesn’t remember Spider-Man because he fought villains.
She remembers Peter.
His humor. Their arguments. Their reconciliations. Walking together. Holding hands. Loving somebody even when life kept trying to pull them apart.
Seeing MJ eventually visit Peter’s grave is heartbreaking, but there’s also something strangely comforting about it. Their relationship mattered. Whatever happened along the way, their lives changed each other permanently.
Thankfully, “Redux” prevents us from finishing the issue curled into a ball.
The final story brings the Hollywood madness back, with MJ once again dealing with Haze while filming, only now she’s considerably more capable of handling Marvel Universe nonsense herself. It’s chaotic, self-aware and probably the most overtly comic-booky story here. There’s also a neat little Venom-related tease that leaves the anniversary celebration looking forward instead of simply living in the past.
CONS
Because this is an anthology, the tonal whiplash can be pretty strong. We move from relationship anxiety to goofy vampire filmmaking, then into a genuinely heartbreaking possible future before bouncing back into superhero comedy. Individually the stories work, but as one reading experience it can feel like changing television channels every few minutes.
FINAL THOUGHTS: YOU’LL HIT THE JACKPOT WITH THIS ONE! GRAB NOW!
Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1 works because it doesn’t try to give us one definitive Mary Jane.
We get MJ the wife. MJ the actress. MJ the adventurer. MJ the frightened human being. MJ the woman who can stand beside Spider-Man without needing to become Spider-Man herself.
And yes, Peter is an important part of this book—as he should be. Their relationship has helped define both characters for generations. But this special never forgets that Mary Jane Watson has a story of her own.
After sixty years of superhero disasters, murderous villains, acting gigs, relationship drama, alternate futures and enough Parker luck to make anyone reconsider dating altogether, she’s still standing.
Face it, Tiger. MJ still hit the jackpot.
