A new Marvel special accidentally reminds Spider-Man fans how much better the comic was before Civil War. The 2006 crossover event had a lasting effect upon the Marvel Universe. In the case of Peter Parker, however, the effects were disastrous on many levels.
The special in question is Civil War: Unmasked #2, by Cristos Gage and Edgar Salazar. The miniseries offers an in-depth look at events that were not examined closely (if at all) in the original event. In the case of this issue, the focus is on Peter Parker, before he revealed his secret life as Spider-Man to the world. He did this to encourage his fellow vigilantes to support a Superhuman Registration Act which forced American superheroes to reveal their secret identities to the federal government. This ultimately set up the One More Day storyline, which reset reality so Peter Parker never married Mary Jane Watson.
The first half of the story shows Peter weighing his options and considering the pros and cons of an open identity. He seeks the advice of his Aunt May (who knew his secret identity at this time) as well as his wife. However, he also considers the problems caused by openly operating as Spider-Man. Chief among these is that he would have to give up his job as a high school science teacher.
Why Spider-Man fans still miss this version of Peter Parker
Civil War: Unmasked #2 does a better job of exploring and justifying Peter’s decision than Civil War did. It also perfectly captures the spirit of the comics of the time. However, this is a bittersweet sensation and Gage’s script only serves to drive home how far Peter Parker has fallen in the two decades since J. Michael Straczynski‘s Eisner Award-winning run on Amazing Spider-Man.
Beyond rebuilding the Peter/Mary Jane romance after Marvel Editorial’s first attempt to break them up, Straczynski rebuilt Spider-Man’s life. He had Aunt May discover Peter’s secret life and become a stronger confidant. Straczynski also had Peter find satisfaction with a teaching job at his old high-school. This let him make the world a better place without wearing a mask. The general feeling at the time was that Peter had finally grown up and was moving forward.
By contrast, modern Spider-Man comics are defined by making Peter Parker as miserable as possible. He’s depicted as having few friends outside the superhero community and being too much of a man-child to hold a steady job. He has love interests, but they tend to either be strictly casual (like Black Cat) or unsure why they put up with his missing dates. Even Aunt May seems to barely tolerate Peter’s nonsense now.
For this reason, the story in Civil War: Unmasked #2 is a breath of fresh air. It’s a relief, however briefly, to be reminded of when Mary Jane and Aunt May were a source of support instead of grief. It is also gratifying to see a Spider-Man who takes his responsibility to his loved ones as seriously as his powers.
Civil War: Unmasked #2 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
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