Mary Jane Watson is headed for the stage. Friendly Neighborhood Mary Jane #1, from writer Ashley Allen and artist Phil Noto, arrives in comic shops on Wednesday, Nov. 4, kicking off a five-issue series from Marvel Comics, according to Marvel.
The new book follows Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger and spins out of the Queen in Black event, where MJ got a symbiote of her own. Now she is back in civilian life and trying to build something for herself. MJ launches her own company, Watson Productions, and sets out to stage an Off-Broadway play that she hopes will bring the best out of the Big Apple.
Not everyone wants the curtain to go up. The Chameleon, the master of disguise who has tormented Spider-Man for decades, is out to sabotage the production. MJ is not facing him alone, though. She is joined by Fang, a small piece of the Venom symbiote that stayed with her after Queen in Black, and Marvel’s preview teases familiar faces like Black Cat and Iron Man. Early pages also show the ridiculous and reliable Stilt-Man crashing the party.
Allen has been building out MJ’s solo corner of the Spider-Man line, and Noto, one of Marvel’s most recognizable painters, brings his clean, cinematic style to the book. The pairing leans into the glamour and showbiz side of Mary Jane while keeping one foot firmly in superhero trouble.
The main cover is by J. Scott Campbell, with variant covers by Russell Dauterman, Mr. Garcin, Bruce Timm and Peach Momoko. The 32-page first issue is rated T.
MJ has had a busy few years on the page. After a long stretch apart from Peter Parker in the main Amazing Spider-Man series, she has picked up her own spotlight books, including a turn as Jackpot and her recent symbiote run. Friendly Neighborhood Mary Jane takes her in a more grounded direction, focused on her ambitions as a producer and performer, with symbiote action as the spice rather than the main course.
Spider-fans have plenty to look forward to into the holidays, including the Spider-Man ’94 Annual coming Dec. 9. Friendly Neighborhood Mary Jane #1 is on sale Nov. 4 at comic shops and digitally.
