Antebellum Marvel: The Amazing Spider-Man #532
Previously in Wolverine #42
I’m traveling the road to Civil War with Marvel so I can be caught up by the time this storyline hits the big screen. Please do not comment with spoilers if you’re familiar with this particular story arc, but you are welcome to provide non-spoiler answers to any questions I may ask in the review. If you are interested in following along, here’s the reading order I’ll be following.
- Issue: The Amazing Spider-Man #532 ‘The War at Home (part 1 of 6)’
- Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
- Penciler: Ron Garney
- Inker: Bill Reinhold
- Colorist: Matt Milla
- Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Who’s In It:
Tony Stark (Iron Man), Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson
What Happens:
Peter Parker has a big decision to make so he turns to the two people he loves and trusts the most: Mary Jane and Aunt May. Before he tells them what he has to do, he tells them how he got in the situation to begin with. And we flashback, again, to the day of the Stamford tragedy.
Within a few hours, Peter and Stark help retrieve bodies from the explosion site and go to The White House so Stark can meet with the president. The whole time, he warns Peter that things are about to get ugly and they’ll need to pick a side. Stark’s side is clear: When the Registration Act passes in a week, any superhuman who remans unregistered will be violating the law, and must be dealt with.
Oh, and by the way: Stark has already confessed to the president that he’s Iron Man. He gives Peter a few days to think over which side he’s on, but warns Peter that if he sides with the Act, Peter will be expected to reveal to the world he’s Spider-Man.
Back in New York, we circle back to the start of the issue where MJ and Aunt May now have the full story and agree to back Peter if he stands by Stark and reveals his secret identity. And that’s just what Peter agrees to do.
Thoughts & Questions:
- !@#$% That cliffhanger, tho!
- I can’t help but picture how this will play out on the big screen when I read the storyline, even though I’m sure they’ll have to make many changes - some big, some small. As it stands now, in the MCU, everyone knows who The Avengers are. No one’s identity is really a secret. Well, maybe The Hulk’s, but in THIS universe, they’ve already shipped his ass out to space. Anyway, I still can’t wrap my mind around movie Stark taking this stance, but we’ll see.
- It was interesting to see how money played a factor in Peter’s decision. He considered running, but you can’t go into hiding with two other adults when you only have $11,000 to your name. It will be cool to see if this affects the decisions of the rest.
