Thursday, January 6, 2011

Keep Yourself Away from My Manhole Shaft if You Know What's Good For You Thursday!

I admit this one got past me.  We've spent a time talking about the utter confusion everyone in the Marvel Bullpen seemed to have about the use of Peter's "Spider-Sense" back in the day.  I missed this one, at the end of #149:


Ruh-roh!  Peter's Spider-Sense is going off!  There must be danger in his apartment!


Wha?  

Why did Mary Jane set off Peter's "spider-sense"?

Now, before you go nuts in the comments, let me tell you a little somethin'-somethin': In issue #153, the letters page (for those of you under the age of thirty, the "letters page" is what we used to exchange comments about a comic before the Internet came along) was scrapped and Assistant Editor Roger Slifer gamely tried to fill in alleged plot gaps of the original Clone Saga.  The only event that stumped him?  The one above.

Funny thing is, I readily explained that away as Pete's Spider-Sense warning him someone was in his apartment, which was dangerous because it's entirely possible Mary Jane could have stumbled upon a spare costume or spare web shooters that Pete seemed to leave lying around the apartment when he didn't have a roommate.  

Because I'm a big dork, I have e-mailed writer Gerry Conway with this proposed explanation to see if I am capable of finally getting a coveted Marvel No-Prize.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  It would help if you would be supportive.  It's not like I ask you for much.

Hey!  It's time for a double dose of Fun with Out of Context Dialogue!(tm)!

First, from Amazing Spider-Man #152: 


Any time you use the term "manhole shaft," odds are pretty high it's going to be some Fun with Out of Context Dialogue. (tm!)

And from Amazing #153:


I always preferred Mary Jane to Gwen Stacy.  I think this explains why.

See you tomorrow!



2 comments:

MarvelX42 said...

I was just gonna bring up the ol Spider sense. Has anyone ever really nailed down what it is, what it does, what makes it go off? I mean I know "danger" but like how does a "sense" define danger and how does it know, etc?

Justin Garrett Blum said...

I confess that I've never given Spider Sense too much thought, but my impression was always that it was a kind of informed precognition, if that makes any sense. Essentially, very acute situational awareness.

If that's the case, it's not really surprising that he might have gotten a tingle about somebody being in his apartment.