Christmas Comics Cavalcade: Another Very Spidey Christmas In ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #314
by Tony Thornley
It is time. We’re simply having a wonderful Christmas time, and that means revisiting classic Christmas comics. To start, we’re going to look at a completely forgotten but absolutely delightful entry from a legendary late eighties run of Spider-Man.
The David Michelinie/Todd McFarlane run on Amazing Spider-Man is rightfully considered one of the greats. One of the more interesting evolutions the run brought was with Mary-Jane Parker. The character’s transformation into something more than just a love interest- with her own career, plotlines and conflicts.
A lot of critics rightfully call out how McFarlane and his contemporaries transformed her from her already gorgeous self into an absolute bombshell. Not many mention that when done right though, she was just as interesting as Peter. That’s one of the most interesting things about this issue, particularly the inciting incident of the plot.
On Christmas Eve, Peter and MJ find themselves evicted. The owner of their building has been arrested for stalking her, and in his last bit of revenge, he’s evicted them from their home. Now they have to do their best to celebrate Christmas while also finding somewhere to live. Will they be able to or will pride get in their way?
This issue is an absolute delight but with some faults. It’s much too centered on Peter for one. The conflict comes from MJ’s stalker, however Peter centers resolving it on himself. He’s the reason the couple don’t accept May’s offer to move in temporarily, he’s the one who tries to find new housing, he barely considers how MJ is feeling through it. Michelinie takes a “we” problem, and makes it a “me” problem, and the issue suffers for that.
However, the other elements of the story are a delight. Peter thwarting an armored car robbery works really well, and both MJ and May are fantastic parts of the story. Once Peter pulls his head out and accepts May’s offer to move in, it clicks into place. Even with the faults, I think it’s a great story.
Visually, this is an amazing issue. McFarlane is able to show so much in his characters and layouts. The cover alone shows the dynamism inherent in his work. From Peter getting booted from the building, to the look on MJ’s face, to Santa’s baffled expression, it’s an example of what we can see in the interiors. Peter wears his heart on his sleeve as he moves through the pages. McFarlane’s Peter moves with impossible agility, which makes the action sequences stand out in comparison to anything else that was being done in superhero comics at the time.
I picked this story out because of the incredibly engaging cover. I was treated to a flawed but very fun romp through Spider-Man’s world in this era. And hey, it ends with the perfect bit of Christmas spirit.
All in all, a fun read to kick of December.
