Spider-Man and Cissy Ironwood: The “Hey, Whatever Happened To…?” Relationship

Here we are folks, the sixteenth installment in this series using only Spider-Man comics to talk about the variety of romantic archetypes we find in literature (mirroring the variety of romantic experiences we have in life).  Who would’ve thought I’d be able to milk sixteen different articles out of this??  The series is old enough to drive now!  (I mean, if each individual piece represented a year (but I do more than one a year (but I did start this back in 2017 so it’s been going for over five years (which is still pretty impressive!))).)  Here we’re going to examine the intersection of some SERIOUS forces in the world of comic books.  Spider-Man – Marvel’s most iconic character!  Chris Claremont – one of the most iconic comic writers of all time!  Cissy Ironwood – a love interest Chris Claremont created specifically for Peter Parker when he was writing Marvel Team-Up in 1979 which…uh, went nowhere.  And that’s why I love Cissy and Peter as a couple!  In our romantic exploits we all have those relationships which seemed to have so much potential but just never went anywhere.  They inexplicably disappear and become someone friends may ask about, years later, wondering, “Hey, whatever happened to…”

‘X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills’ Is As Relevant As Ever…

While cross-company promotional policies may have shifted the X-Men to the sidelines in Marvel’s comic catalogue of late (as Fox, not Disney, owns the rights to make X-Men movies), I’d argue the X-Men are as relevant now as they’ve ever been.  “Mutants in the Marvel Universe,” as master X-Men writer Chris Claremont says in his introduction to X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, “have always stood as a metaphor for the underclass, the outsiders, they represent the ultimate minority.”  The X-Men then are both those who we reject and those who stand up to give a voice to those rejected.  As such, their stories and their message are desperately needed right now. 

SNIKT!!! – Needing Wolverine Even More Than We Love Him

Wolverine has always been my favorite X-Man.  When I was a kid, it was the costume and the claws.  He was just so cool.  As I grew up, I became fascinated with the depth of Wolverine – not the flashy, badass superhero, but the tragic, near-immortal man struggling to find balance in his life.  I think it’s easy to see why he’s been such a fan and cultural favorite since first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #180-181 in Oct/Nov 1974.  At his core, Logan represents the very human struggle of being caught between who we are and who we want to be.  That resonates with all of us.  Who wouldn’t identify with that?