Our conversation with Dan and Mark operates as a sequel to our Peter Parker and Mary Jane counseling sessions.
On this week's Amazing Spider-Talk, we join Dan Gvozden and Mark Ginocchio for an in-depth conversation about the courtship between Peter Park and Mary Jane Watson. While the episode covers the comics that came before those discussed during our own Peter and MJ counseling sessions, we feel that it serves smashingly as a sequel to those classic Comic Book Couples Counseling episodes.
It's one of those guest appearances where we came out of it wishing the audio was in our own Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast feed, so please, CLICK HERE and give Dan and Mark's show a listen. And while you're there, you should smash that subscribe button and join their Patreon for good measure. We're both proud Spider-Talk patrons and never miss a review or interview from them.
Special bonus! Look at that incredible Nick Cagnetti art accompanying the "Courting Mary Jane" episode. Hopefully, you're already extremely familiar with Cagnetti's work since he recently popped up in a Creator Corner conversation with us, discussing his new Oni Press graphic novel, Pink Lemonade. It's one of the year's can't-miss titles.
Also, the Amazing Spider-Talk episode allows us to gather our previous Peter Parker and Mary Jane counseling sessions in one place. As we said at the end of that series and proved in our chat with Dan and Mark, there are so many Spider-Man comics that we did not cover. We want to return to them at some point, re-explore those early flirtations and the craziness that's been going on with them lately in Amazing Spider-Man.
Counseling Session 1 - Spider-Man: Parallel Lives
Is love possible within the confines of the superhero lifestyle? Peter Parker may have gained new confidence when that radioactive spider bit him, but he also bounced around a half dozen relationships before marrying Mary Jane Watson. What separates their relationship from other supporting players like Liz Allen, Betty Brant, and Gwen Stacy? We explore the unique nature of Peter and Mary Jane as they begin their journey with the controversial 1989 original graphic novel Parallel Lives by writer Gerry Conway and artist Alex Saviuk. We're using Dr. Alexander Avila'sLovetypes: Discover Your Romantic Style And Find Your Soul Mate to aid the conversation.
Counseling Session 2 - Spider-Man: To Have and To Hold
We jump into another Spider-Man comic that revisits iconic moments of continuity to deliver a deeper understanding of the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane. Initially published in The Sensational Spider-Man Vol. 2 Annual #1, "To Have and To Hold" by Matt Fraction and Salvador Lorroca is one of modern Marvel's most beloved single issues.
For a couple that has faced many insurmountable odds, "To Have and To Hold" finds Peter and M.J. at one of their lowest points following the events of Marvel's Civil War and acts as a vow renewal of sorts right before editorial swings in to annul their marriage with the controversial One More Day.
Counseling Session 3 - Spider-Man: One More Day
Few comic book storylines are as controversial as One More Day by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada. Possibly one of the most aggressive editorial mandates in comic book publishing history, the devilish plot was concocted as a means of dissolving the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Fans may have been a little miffed when they first got together in 1987, but after several decades of wedded bliss, their matrimony was holy. So holy, the dark demon Mephisto desired to shatter it for his own demented pleasure. We dive deep into the heart of this epic conclusion and come away appreciating the story much more than they anticipated. Blasphemy, you say?
Counseling Session 4 - Spider-Man:
After a year-long absence, Mary Jane Watson returns to the life of Peter Parker as a "Red-Headed Stranger." We conclude our Spider-Man series by exploring the diabolical nature of Dr. Alexander Avila's LoveTypes and how his dating system would be absolutely deadly in the hands of The Chameleon. It breaks our hearts to leave them apart in "Brand New Day," but we see cupid's arrow cresting the horizon. Is their love cosmically pure as the dark demon Mephisto suggested, or should Peter enjoy the many fish in the sea? We come to a serious conclusion as we say good-bye to New York City's friendly neighborhood wall-crawler.
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