WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #29 by Nick Spencer, Francesco Manna, Carlos Lopez and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale Wednesday, Sept. 11.
When Nick Spencer took over writing duties on Amazing Spider-Man, one of his first objectives was rekindling the romance between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. The couple has a long and storied history together, going from friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, happily-married and then unmarried, thanks to the machinations of Mephisto in the controversial "One More Day" storyline.
All of that appears to be in the past, however, as Lowe and his artistic collaborators have moved Peter and Mary Jane forward, to the point where they are now giving love a second chance. Mary Jane is familiar with navigating the complicated lifestyle that comes with dating a superhero in the Marvel Universe, and dating Spider-Man in particular.
Of course, the good ol' "Parker Luck" has started to rear its ugly head once again. The mysterious villain known as Kindred is monitoring Spider-Man from the shadows, even going so far as to target Mary Jane while Spider-Man was busy dealing with Kraven the Hunter. One thing we must remember is Mary Jane is no mere damsel in distress. She can take care of herself, as well as others when danger comes calling. Mary Jane's latest heroic deed came when Elektra attacked a stage show Mary Jane was performing in.
The performance was so impressive that Mary Jane was offered a new acting job. The only downside is it will take her away from Spider-Man, relocating her across the country and away from New York. This will be the biggest test yet for their relationship, but as a preview for Amazing Spider-Man #29 reveals, Mary Jane will only be gone for two months. We shouldn't expect anything bad to happen during that timeframe, right?
Mary Jane reassures Peter that she hasn't given up her apartment, and intends to come back to his welcoming arms in two months. With everything they've gone through, one would think the two months will fly by. However, Mary Jane is being kept in the dark regarding the details behind this new job. Writer/Director Cage McKnight offered Mary Jane the job on the spot after she helped take down Elektra, but as the readers know, Cage was revealed to be Mysterio in disguise.
Readers wanting to keep up with Mary Jane's adventures will want to check out Amazing Mary Jane when it debuts on Oct. 23. The series by Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez picks up the story from Amazing Spider-Man #25, and follows the titular character as she navigates her new job, Mysterio and whoever is really calling the shots.
Amazing Spider-Man #29 appears to be a setup for Mary Jane's solo title, and now we know exactly how long we can expect her to be away from the friendly neighborhood web-sling. That is, unless Spider-Man books himself a flight for a surprise visit.