Ultimate Spider-Man 41
From Ultimarvel
[edit] “The Letter”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inker: Art Thibert
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Publication Date: July 2003
• Peter and Gwen stand outside the house of the party and watch as Geldoff is encouraged by onlookers to explode another car. Peter clenches his fist in preparation of doing something about the situation, when the sounds of police sirens fill the air. The part then disbands as the cops arrive and kids start running everywhere. Peter and Gwen run across Liz and MJ as they attempt to climb the backyard fence. They help MJ and Liz across the fence.
• The four regroup at a bus stop. Gwen tells Liz what they had seen with the guy blowing up cars “with his mind”. Gwen calls him a mutant. Two girls from the other school who are also at the bus stop, tell the group that the guy is names Geldoff (“or somethin’”) and goes to their school. They also say that’s he an exchange student (“or sumpthin’”) and is either a mutants or the jocks are running a scam. At this proclamation, Liz freaks out with her mutant hysteria.
• A bus arrives and the group begins their trip home. MJ invites Peter to sit with her. She comments to him how he could have just used his costume and gotten home quickly instead of riding the bus with them. Peter confesses that he lost his costume. He tells MJ that she looks amazing. In response she pulls an envelope out of her purse that has Peter’s name on it. After they get off of the bus, she calls him aside for a moment and gives it to him, making him promise first that he will wait until he gets home to open it. He promises and then they part.
• On the walk home, Gwen tries to get Peter to open the envelope. He tells her that he will do it when he gets home. Gwen tells him she already knows what it says.
• At home, Peter opens the envelope and reads the letter within. It is a letter from MJ confessing her love for him. She states that she has felt this way since before he was bitten by the spider (Ultimate Spider-Man 1). It also indicates that she wrote the letter the night he visited her in the pouring rain (Ultimate Spider-Man 37). She states that she is sorry how she said things on the bleachers (Ultimate Spider-Man 32) and that she does not want to live her life without him.
• Peter runs to MJ ’s house and enters her bedroom window. She meets him in her nightgown and he asks her is she means what she said in the letter. MJ tells him that she is scared and asks if he loves her too, to which he replies yes. She makes him promise that no one else will toss her off anything high. Peter says “Okay” and makes MJ promise that she will tell him things and not wait for him to read her mind. MJ replies “Okay” and then the two share a long kiss.
• The next down at school, Peter sees that someone has spray-painted the words “Geldoff rules!!” across the lockers. He contemplates visiting the rival school where he knows that Geldoff is a student, but his thoughts turn to his happiness that he and MJ is back together. His thoughts then drift to needing money, buying web shooter supplies, taking out MJ on a date, and wondering if Gwen is okay. MJ then surprises him by coming up behind him and kissing him on the cheek. They are then interrupted by Flash Thompson, who again tries to get Peter alone to talk to him. Flash notes that Peter and MJ are back together. MJ tells Flash to “grow up” and Flash storms off.
• Liz runs up to Peter and MJ and tells them that her cousin, who goes to the rival school, told her that Geldoff is the parking lot of the school going “blazooey” and is blowing stuff up. MJ tells Peter that he has to go check this out as Spider-Man.
• Peter reminds MJ that he has no costume. She gives him her book bag and tells him that it contains half a costume that she was making from before they broke up. She says she was planning to come over after school and get measurements to complete it. Peter puts the costume on, behind the school, it is just a shirt which is too long and baggy, but he takes off for PS44 wearing it after MJ kisses him goodbye.
Notes:
- A large bald student is seen running from the party, while not explicitly identified, it appears to be Kong McFarlane.
- While climbing over the fence, Gwen extends her hand to help Peter. Peter has a expression on his face during this which reflects his inner thoughts that as Spider-Man, such help is completely unnecessary.
- Liz Allan makes the statement that she had an uncle who was a mutant and who died.
- While waiting for the bus, Gwen makes a statement that if she had been caught the cops, her dad would have died of embarrassment, if Spider-Man hadn’t killed him already. MJ sees Peter’s tortured reaction to this statement and looks at him sympathetically.
- Gwen is shown to be smiling when she sees MJ invite Peter to sit with her on the bus, further showing that she planned their earlier encounter in Ultimate Spider-Man 40 to get Peter and MJ to talk and work out their problems.
- Mary Jane ’s letter to Peter reads as follows: Peter, If I gets the guts to ever hand you this. Peter, I’m going to just come out and say it. I love you. I totally love you. I have loved you for a very long time. Since way before you got bit by that spider – since way before all of this stuff with us. Tonight you came over my house in the pouring rain and I know you had a lot of other stuff you wanted to say to me and I can tell you’ve been going through a lot of stuff. You told me you love me too. You do. You love me and I think I know you did, but you actually said it and I know that’s a big thing for you. I almost fainted. You have no idea how sorry I am for the things that I said that day in the bleachers. Not what I said but how I said it. You’re my best friend and I don’t want to live my life without you. You have no idea how miserable I’ve been. I need to find ways to communicate myself more. I need you to help me do that but I am so scared of how serious my feelings are for you”. At this point here is an arrow indicating that the letter continues on the back of the page. No more is shown though.
- Peter makes the comment in his thoughts that Wolverine is a cool guy. Peter encountered Wolverine first in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up 1.
- Mary Jane calls Peter “tiger” while kissing him at school. Tiger is MJ’s pet name for Peter in the Marvel 616 continuity.
- Liz Allan ’s cousin’s name is Becky and goes to PS44, Midtown’s rival school.
- Liz states that the party was on Friday, which indicates that the weekend has passed since then, making Geldoff’s actions in the parking lot occur on the following Monday, three days later.
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