TITLE: Confessions

Summary

Peter invites Mary Jane to his room to tell her something, something that he asks her to swear never to tell another person. While Mary Jame is probably thinking that Peter is about to tell her he likes her, he surprises her by admitting that he's secretly Spider-Man!

Mary Jane falls down laughing at Peter's confession, clearly thinking that Peter's pulling her leg. Predictably, Peter has to prove his story, and does so by jumping and clinging on the wall.

At first, Mary Jane is completely floored, but quickly snaps out of it. She is very impressed with Peter, and tells him how cool it is that he's a celebrity and a superhero.

Mary Jane confesses that she thought that Peter was going to try to kiss her. He is shocked yet happy that MJ came up to see him, thinking what she did. Still, Peter is a little unsure, but slowly approaches MJ to give her a kiss. Just as the two are about to meet lips, Aunt May spoils the party!

Mary Jane has to go home; Aunt May apparently isn't ready to see Peter and MJ engage in activities other than studying, and called MJ's aunt to ask her to go home. Peter is initially irritated with Aunt May, and is further mortified when she tries to talk about safe sex. But ultimately, they conclude their discussion pleasantly, with Aunt May and Peter agreeing that MJ is a wonderful girl. The story ends with Peter lying in bed, daydreaming and smiling...

Opinion

Okay, this was the issue that Brian Michael Bendis begged the Marvel PR staff not to give away the plot with their regular hype. The only information that was available was that it was a self-contained story, unlike the two previous six-issue arcs. Bendis' only comment was that even the slightest hint would give away the entire story.

Okay, that got my interest. I was ready for a mind shattering, life altering bombshell. In my mind, I was prepared to read the story to discover what the "event" would be. Instead, the cover pretty much gave away the entire story.

While the comic was thoroughly enjoyable, the lack of a build-up and surprise left me a little disappointed. But other than that, the comic has everything going for it. Bendis is once again dead-on in portraying Peter as an awkward fifteen-year-old boy. Peter's nervousness around Mary Jane is completely believable, as is his mortified reaction to Aunt May's frank approach to safe sex. And the fact that Bendis is able to use the famous line, "face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot..." is pure icing on the cake!

This issue is a very quick read, with many of the panels showcasing the characters' facial reactions instead of featuring a great deal of dialogue. Bagley and Thibert prove again to be a marvelous team, effectively drawing the many emotions that Peter and Mary Jane experienced during their time together.

Bendis again succeeds in presenting realistic teenage dialogue. Except for the dated "hot diggity" from Mary Jane, I could imagine two real teenagers using the language that Peter and Mary Jane use.

Conclusion

Bendis succeeds in making this pivotal but completely predictable story enjoyable to read. The cover gives away the main storyline, but sometimes it is about the journey, not the destination. The story ends with very clear signs of Peter and Mary Jane beginning a romantic relationship. But the teaser for the next issue simply states "Gwen! Stacy! Gwen Stacy!!!" Things are about to get a lot messier for young Peter...