Spider-Man Secret Invasion # 2 of 3 (Spoilers likely)

[James Conniff]

Surprised to not see a thread on this already.

This mini may as well be called the Amazing Supporting Cast of Spider-Man, still a fun read none-the-less. What are everyone's thoughts on the mini so far...or am I the only one reading it?

[Jason D.]

SPOILERS.............













I guess we can rule out Dexter as Menace.

[James Conniff]

SPOILERS.............













I guess we can rule out Dexter as Menace.

Kinda hard for him to be Menace when across town in a car being chased down by the Skrullister-Six . More evidence falls in the Lilly is Menace category as well this issue as well. A couple moments after being off panel Menace shows up chopping skrulls and tossing around Jackpot (who hopefully is MJ).

[ShaggyB]

we start with T-rex's trying to eat the real spidey.
he wishes he was home

Jackpot vs venom-skull. She helps the spidey cast out of the building.

Back to harry and lilly... they run from there skrull encounter and jump in harry's car... through a window they drive. Harry comments its more dangerous to stay after lilly comments how dangerous the escape was.

Jackpot now riding a car with robbie driving, Venom-skrull is chasing... they head towards the baxter building... its in bad shape. Betty has been written the story the whole time.... dexter seems pleased. Venom-Skrull still wants spidey bad....

Harry crashes... he and lilly get separated as the car explodes...... Harry is SAVED BY what looks to be MENACE

Jackpot and crew are going to stark tower.... Venom-Skrull caught up and throws Jackpot through a window..... She is then attacked by MENACE. He wants to kill spidey's girlfriend... jackpot says shes not that girl.

Venom-Skull threatens to kill everyone in the car because they smell of spider-man... unless one confesses to be spider-man... (Vin, Robbie, Dexter and Betty are in the car)


MENACE may have just been strongly hinted at.......... Then again that was almost too blatant but it did eliminate alot of the list of suspects

[Erik B]

i dont want to pick up minis anymore because they never actually go anywhere, but you saw harry and lily were seperated by an explosion, and that menace saves him... what do you mean seperated.

i still dont think its her. i mean where could she possibly hide all that menace gear and then save him? its too odd and too off

[ShaggyB]

i dont want to pick up minis anymore because they never actually go anywhere, but you saw harry and lily were seperated by an explosion, and that menace saves him... what do you mean seperated.

i still dont think its her. i mean where could she possibly hide all that menace gear and then save him? its too odd and too off

i mean he cant find her. then the skrull finds him then menace saves him

[Dr. Chaos]

i mean where could she possibly hide all that menace gear and then save him?
You'd be surprised at the amount of things a woman could hide on her general person. Like a glider and corny monogrammed balls.

Alternative explanation: It's a comic book, make up your own.

And yeah, glad to see more sweetener put on top of my Lilly Menace theory.

You know, it's a shame.

The mystery is alright but Menace is still going to be just an annoyingly ****ty villian by the time he/she's outed if things keep up.

[Billy Parker]

Dexter is too old to be Menace!

I loooove Jackpot and dig the art. Reminds me of Phil Jiminez art. Maybe Menace is Carlie?

[Bradix23]

Menace is Lily trust me.

[Regulus B.]

i still dont think its her. i mean where could she possibly hide all that menace gear and then save him? its too odd and too off

Dr. Chaos has the right idea; you can fit an amazing amount of crap into a purse, especially the huge ones they have these days. They're practically fourth dimensional.

[oldschool]

Cool issue......I have enjoyed this mini much more than I thought I would as it is helping flesh out the supporting cast even more, one of ASM's strengths.

[yadadaimhollaing]

i kind of flipped through this issue yesterday without reading. most times i dont buy these minis though so i havent been keeping up with this. i kind of wish i did though to see the menace interaction :frown:

[matthewaos]

When I first saw the cover of the first issue I thought "huh, someone, maybe Gargan is a Skrull".

[James Conniff]

mean where could she possibly hide all that menace gear and then save him? its too odd and too off

Couldn't the glider just be on a signal to follow her around or to come at the press of a button? Her gear could all be on the glider.

[TheAmazingSpidey]

Yeah, the part with Lilly was suspicious. Definitely suspicious.

[Scar Ace]

Couldn't the glider just be on a signal to follow her around or to come at the press of a button? Her gear could all be on the glider.

That's what I was thinking.

[jackolover]

So who is Jackpot? There are some good clues to whose not Menace in this issue, but who isn't around when Jackpots in panel?

[pariah-1972]

Jackpot is Mj !

The first issue was kind of blah but this is really picking up in the action !

question : how does Spidey know whats going on right now in Manhatten when hes in the Savage land ?

[Regulus B.]

question : how does Spidey know whats going on right now in Manhatten when hes in the Savage land ?

Mephisto told him. Or it was a cheap and easy way of the writers showing where he is and doing a recap that wasn't just narrator text boxes. Take your pick. :wink:

[pariah-1972]

Mephisto told him. Or it was a cheap and easy way of the writers showing where he is and doing a recap that wasn't just narrator text boxes. Take your pick. :wink:Cheaters !

[BlueCutey]

If Jackpot is MJ, a lot of people are going to be POed...

And interesting thing I noticed peeking through this again is that in a thought baloon she specifically thinks of Spidey. Significant? Hmmm....

[burtle]

Why is Vin drawn like a 50 year old black man?

[Venom]

It hasn't been fantastic or excellent, but it's been an enjoyable mini series so far.

[GwenStacy]

Jackpot says she would never date someone like Spider-Man.....hmmm

[pariah-1972]

Jackpot says she would never date someone like Spider-Man.....hmmmThat leaves a lot of unanswered questions:mad:

[Leocomix]

Reed may just be the best Spider-Man writer Marvel has right now. He writes good supporting characters (which nobody seems able to do right now) and that's an essential element of a good Spider-Man series.
Example: Robbie was Rocket Robertson, a Brooklyn kid who outraced policemen. The best Spider-Man read right now.

[jackolover]

Jackpot is Mj !



But doesn't MJ exist all the way over on the West Coast? How can she flit about from one coast to the other? It has to be someone else. Dazzler, or some other hero that changed costumes a while ago. My God but does Jackpot have strength, the way she tore off that car boot and slapped the Skrull with it.

[Jason D.]

Reed may just be the best Spider-Man writer Marvel has right now. He writes good supporting characters (which nobody seems able to do right now) and that's an essential element of a good Spider-Man series.
Example: Robbie was Rocket Robertson, a Brooklyn kid who outraced policemen. The best Spider-Man read right now.


You think Reed is the best Spider-Man writer right now? His dialogue is awful.

[BlueCutey]

But doesn't MJ exist all the way over on the East Coast? How can she flit about from one coast to the other? It has to be someone else. Dazzler, or some other hero that changed costumes a while ago. My God but does Jackpot have strength, the way she tore off that car boot and slapped the Skrull with it.

You mean West Coast -- she's supposed to live in Los Angeles (and considering she's dating a movie star, that makes it all the more likely she IS living there).

But of course, that could easily be a front. Whatever the case, /Jackpot/ is a registered hero for New York City, so obviously she lives there.

Also, considering how MJ acted the one time she's seen so far since...then...it's clear she doesn't want to 'team up' with Spider-Man, weather she knows it's Peter or not. He expression is clear -- she knows he can't see her, so she can't be faking it.

Whereas Jackpot is pretty much THRILLED to fight along side Spidey (even if she doesn't want to date 'someone like him').

Can you tell I've thought about this a lot?

[jackolover]

You mean West Coast -- she's supposed to live in Los Angeles (and considering she's dating a movie star, that makes it all the more likely she IS living there).

But of course, that could easily be a front. Whatever the case, /Jackpot/ is a registered hero for New York City, so obviously she lives there.

Also, considering how MJ acted the one time she's seen so far since...then...it's clear she doesn't want to 'team up' with Spider-Man, weather she knows it's Peter or not. He expression is clear -- she knows he can't see her, so she can't be faking it.

Whereas Jackpot is pretty much THRILLED to fight along side Spidey (even if she doesn't want to date 'someone like him').

Can you tell I've thought about this a lot?

Thanks for the West Coast correction, Blue. I'll edit.


He expression is clear -- she knows he can't see her, so she can't be faking it.



What does this mean? Are you saying MJ is invisible to Peter?

[NowTheWorld]

Also, considering how MJ acted the one time she's seen so far since...then...it's clear she doesn't want to 'team up' with Spider-Man, weather she knows it's Peter or not. He expression is clear -- she knows he can't see her, so she can't be faking it.

Whereas Jackpot is pretty much THRILLED to fight along side Spidey (even if she doesn't want to date 'someone like him').

That's exactly the point I was going to make that I'm suprised no one else has said anything about (as far as I know). Mary Jane, In her appearences since OMD, seems emotionally hurt when thinking about/seeing/talking to Peter/Spidey. Jackpot, on the other hand is all ready for a team-up and some banter.

Another thing is during the Jackpot/Menace arc, Jackpot actually restrains Spider-Man while the Blue Shield unmasks him. MJ would never let that happen, let alone help the guy who's doing it.

Mary Jane, in #561, warns Spider-Man to leave before the cops get to Bobby Carr's house. Jackpot? She aids in arresting Spider-Man.

Also,
Jackpot:--Wow the files are right. You never stop talking.
Mary Jane: Always with the jokes...

hmm...

Also, in that arc Spidey and Jackpot find blueprints in Menace's hideout of the Apollo Theatre. The conversation goes,

Spidey: The Apollo Theatre?
Jackpot: You've heard of it?
Spidey: The Apollo in Harlem. It's like a piece of our national heritage.
Jackpot: Really?

Now, Mary Jane is an actress who's lived in New York for years. Would she really have no idea what the Apollo is?

And finally, When MJ is at the airport in #561, she meets Sara Ehret and gives her her an autograph. How could she falsely give Spider-Man her ID as Sara Ehret in #550, if she doesn't even meet her until #561?


If Jackpot does turn out to be MJ (she won't), then she's being written incredibly inconsistent and out of character.

[BlueCutey]

What does this mean? Are you saying MJ is invisible to Peter?

Right then, she's in Bobby Carr's panic room. She can see him on the monitors, but he can't see her. I may have been misremembering her expression a bit, as it seems more longing -- I thought her eyes were narrow with a negative expression...but it's more like she's wishful than I remember.
But it fits either way -- they are at least making it look like she is not at least /knowledgeably/ Jackpot in that scene.

[gunnerfan69]

There has been speculation that Jackpot/MJ/Menace are all the same person or some sort of split made by Mephisto.

Jackpot calles Spiderman "tiger" a whole bunch and and even used the line 'hit the jackpot' early in the new series (what MJ said to Peter when they finally met for their first date - face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot).

Jackpot has to have some connection with MJ.

[yadadaimhollaing]

Right then, she's in Bobby Carr's panic room. She can see him on the monitors, but he can't see her. I may have been misremembering her expression a bit, as it seems more longing -- I thought her eyes were narrow with a negative expression...but it's more like she's wishful than I remember.
But it fits either way -- they are at least making it look like she is not at least /knowledgeably/ Jackpot in that scene.

In that issue it seemed to me mj is sad about peter and what happened not looking at him negativly. She seems hurt and like she still loves him. I still think that sara ehret really is jackpot.

[James Conniff]

If Jackpot does turn out to be MJ (she won't), then she's being written incredibly inconsistent and out of character.

Or protecting her identity. Some heroes like to do that.

[Leocomix]

You think Reed is the best Spider-Man writer right now? His dialogue is awful.

sample, please

[BlueCutey]

There has been speculation that Jackpot/MJ/Menace are all the same person or some sort of split made by Mephisto.

Jackpot calles Spiderman "tiger" a whole bunch and and even used the line 'hit the jackpot' early in the new series (what MJ said to Peter when they finally met for their first date - face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot).

Jackpot has to have some connection with MJ.

I think pretty much everyone has noticed that, and it's exactly what the writers were trying to do.
But at the end of 561, Sara Erhart is shown to be a fan of that exact phrase, which puts the identity on her, even thought she denied it.

Another interesting thing about this issue is that Menace seems to at least think Jackpot and Spidey are 'together'...I wonder if THAT means anything beyond the fact they both fought (her) together before.

[Jason D.]

sample, please

Do you have the book? Read it.

If you agree with me, great. If not, it doesn't matter.

[Leocomix]

Do you have the book? Read it.

If you agree with me, great. If not, it doesn't matter.

I have read it, did you? Several reviews commented on how good Reed's dialogue for Spider-Man was in the Ms Marvel Annual.

[Jason D.]

I have read it, did you? Several reviews commented on how good Reed's dialogue for Spider-Man was in the Ms Marvel Annual.

That's awesome. If that's your opinion that's fine.

But he's not really doing dialogue for "Spider-Man" in the Secret Invasion mini. He's doing dialogue for the supporting characters. Sure, there's nothing wrong with actual Spider-Man dialogue on page 1. It's the supporting characters whose dialogue doesn't seem as sharp/tight as it does in the main series.

[Venom]

Jackpot says she would never date someone like Spider-Man.....hmmm

I found that quote more of an insult to Spidey than a mystery hint. Marvel said she's supposed to be a huge fan girl of the Web-Head, yet she's always bad mouthing him or having a pop at him more than praising him. It's the inconsistencies like this that are stopping her from being a fantastic character. I want to like Jackpot, but at the moment I just view her as a spoilt rich girl with nothing better to do with her time than to play superhero. Assuming she's rich of course.