Amazing Spider-Man #529: Review

Apr 2006

J. Michael Straczynski, Ron Garney

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Story Name:

Mr Parker goes to Washington, part 1 of 3

Review & Comments

Rating:

Amazing Spider-Man #529 Review by Rob Johnson (April 4, 2016)

Spidey's new costume doesn't yet have the mechanical arms on the cover.

The arc's title is of course based on the James Stewart film 'Mr Smith goes to Washington'.

This 3-issue story is bannered as part of 'The Road To Civil War'. But it is also part of the 'Iron Spider-Man' arc in all the Spider-titles.

The cops mention the fact that Spider-Man died during 'The Other', but we know he regenerated with changed powers.

Tony Stark also clears up a problem from that crossover arc. MJ's arm was broken in that story but she seemed to magically get better. Stark explains that it was in fact his superior technology what dun it.

The Washington trip will be about the Superhero Registration Bill.

From Our Blog:

Gwen Stacy, beauty queen of Standard High School, was Peter Parker's (alias Spider-Man) first great love.

Gwen Stacy: Classic Beauty

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Amazing Spider-Man #529 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

Peter Parker and Mary Jane are asleep in their bedroom in Avengers Tower when a bird statue wakes them up. It's Tony Stark calling Peter to a meeting. MJ suspiciously asks Tony if he can see via the bird as well as communicate. Stark denies it, but something he says makes her suspicious - so she drapes her bra over its eyes.

Stark has made a superior new (red and yellow) costume for Spider-Man. He's added webbing wings for gliding, kevlar armour, mouth filter for toxins, emergency services radio scanner, GPS microwave comms, audio amplification and visual trickery in the eyepieces, all computer-controlled.

1 hour later the cops are chasing 2 hoods in a car down the freeway, with a captive girl (the car's owner?) in the trunk. The bad guys cause a cop car pile-up and think they've gotten away. Even seeing Spider-Man on a nearby roof doesn't worry them because he's got no higher buildings to web-swing from. Until he dives down and uses his new web-wings to glide onto the roof of the car.

Kevlar (presumably) protects him from the bullets they fire through the roof. Infrared vision locates the 2 perps and the gun. His police-band radio tells him where the cops are waiting, so he peels back the car roof and takes control of the steering wheel with his projected webbing (presumably the new organic version since 'The Other' rebuilt him) and steers the car into the police roadblock.

The bad guys don't intend to give up without a fight. But then Spidey takes their gun away, before freeing the girl from the trunk. However the shooter grabs another gun from his partner's waistband and fires it towards the superhero. But Spidey just shields the girl and kevlar stops the bullet.

That night at a dinner for 3 Peter gets Tony to tell him the ulterior motive behind his gift. Stark wants a trusted ally for what's coming. But he won't tell him what it is until he has Peter's word that he'll follow his lead implicitly, and won't tell the rest of the New Avengers anything until Tony says so.

Tony offers Pete some time to talk it over with MJ, but she says she'll abide by whatever he decides. Peter says he trusts Tony, and agrees to the deal. Stark hands him some bedtime reading on official government stationary, and says they're going to Washington to testify before a Senate Committee.

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