Appearing in "Monsters!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Peter Parker
- Mary Jane Watson-Parker
- Benjy Parker
- Heather Noble
- Jimmy Yama
- Courtney Duran
- Moose Mansfield
- Brad Miller
- The Buzz (Jack "JJ" Jameson)
- Meagyn Brady
- Sandra Healy
- Davida Kirby
- Raptor (Brenda Drago)
- X-People
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Nancy Lu's father (First appearance)
- Nancy Lu's mother (First appearance)
- Howard Kavanagh
- Jimmy Henderson (First appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Monsters!"
Nancy Lu and her family grapple with her mutancy, and the consequences of Nancy's altercation with Davida Kirby. The idea of sending Nancy to a 'special school' is floated, but Nancy's mother doesn't like the idea of Nancy moving out of the community for that, and Nancy herself isn't sure what she wants. Seeing an illusory 'M' from the lines of her palm, Nancy imagines herself a monster, terrified of her powers - and afraid that the other monsters are coming for her.
The next day, at the Parker home in Forest Hills, Peter admonishes May for Interacting with Black Tarantula instead of attending her own birthday party. May protests that she was handling spider-business and there was no other way. Exasperated that her father keeps challenging her, May departs for school. Upstairs, gathering her backpack and jacket, May apologizes to her mother for missing the party. Mary Jane offers to take May shopping for something special; "Sixteen is a major turning point in a young woman's life," she tells May.
Walking to school, May considers what MJ said, but chastises herself for making a deal with Black Tarantula, like her father said, and also for failings in her personal life like quitting the basketball team, being at odds with her best friend, and hitting on a guy who wants someone else. She knows she needs to make some changes.
At school, May's social circle (minus Davida) observe a hateful effigy of Nancy with a noose around its neck and a banner reading 'MUTIE!' crudely taped to Nancy's locker. JJ takes it down, fearing Nancy will see it. The friends rehash the circumstances of Nancy's display of mutant powers when she had a scuffle with Davida before, it being clear that Davida provoked Nancy. Brad Miller takes a side against Nancy, though, opining that Nancy may have brought this on herself for 'passing' for human and then using her powers on a 'normal kid.' This elicits a shocked reaction from May, and gets JJ in Brad's face. May gets between them to stop them from fighting, and she tells them they're as bad as whoever put the effigy on Nancy's locker. JJ walks away angry that May is defending Brad. As Brad tries to thank May for taking his side, May clarifies that she was not - and asks Brad to say where he really stands on the matter of Nancy. Brad asks her out to coffee later to discuss, and May awkwardly deflects, saying she has to get to class.
Afterward, walking with Courtney through the school hall, May expresses disgust that Brad used a 'hate crime' to ask her out. She wonders if Brad was playing devil's advocate, or if he's really condoning the graffiti. Courtney feels Brad is too nice a guy to be anti-mutant. They are met in the hall by Meagyn Brady. Meagyn has learned that some of the football team are planning to harass Nancy that night. She knows May is a friend of Nancy's, and wanted to give her the warning. Courtney suggests telling Moose; May suggests not, as Moose tends to react strongly. May has someone else who can keep an eye on Nancy...
Sandra Healy happens upon the trio and wants to talk privately with May. She is grateful to May for helping her seek help about the abuse she was suffering from her boyfriend, Howard. May's spider-sense stings, and she becomes aware that Howard is nearby, stalking Sandra, it seems, until he saw her with May. He skulks away.
In the washroom, May thinks about how she dealt harm to Howard in a previous issue. She reacted instinctively to defend herself when he threw a hit toward her, but she almost broke his hand with her spider-powers. She does not feel especially heroic about that.
Davida arrives in the washroom, too. Davida tries to speak ruefully about the effigy on Nancy's locker, feeling things have got out of hand. May excoriates Davida for having gone after Nancy in the first place, precipitating all of it, and then storms out.
On the rooftop, changing into her Spider-Girl costume, May realizes Davida was trying to apologize. She dwells on her actions, and is haunted by how she handled it. Again, she realizes, she needs to make some changes in her life.
As she arrives at Midtown Medical Center, the hospital where Normie has been recovering from the attempt on his life by Mr. Nobody, she is encountered by Raptor (Brenda Drago), Normie's girlfriend, who lands on the roof as Spider-Girl is also arriving. Raptor seems pleased to see Spider-Girl and suggests they go in together. Spider-Girl knows rationally that Brenda is a friendly and charming person, but with May's feelings for Normie still troubling her, she can't help but see Brenda as an adversary. She makes up an excuse and ditches Raptor.
In the evening around sun down, Nancy Lu puts on her coat to go for a walk. Her father tells her to be on hand, because some people from the 'new school' should be visiting soon, but Nancy needs some fresh air. The narration shifts to Nancy's point of view. She knows her parents only want the best for her, but she is still grappling with the idea that she is a mutant. There was an offer from a school for gifted students to help her hone her powers three years prior, but Nancy turned it down - she didn't want to embrace her mutant powers.
A group of hooded bigots crosses Nancy's path and accuses her of being out to go harm other helpless teens. One of them declares they are friends of Davida's; Nancy recognizes him as Jimmy Henderson, someone she used to tutor in Math. The group keeps up their hateful accusations, calling her a freak, saying she was pretending to be human, and so on, and close in on Nancy threateningly. Nancy knows she could use her powers to defend herself, but it is too risky - she might seriously harm them, and in so doing, become the monster she fears she is.
A timely intervention by the Buzz (AKA JJ Jameson) delivers Nancy from harm. The group of four harassers tries to fight Buzz, but he is too powerful for them. He mocks their macho bravado, and flings them around, employing his flypaper adhesive ribbons to bind the legs of one that he then grabs to deliver a blow to. Nancy protests that hitting the guy won't change anything.
Spider-Girl arrives and kicks Buzz's arm to deflect the blow. Buzz defends his actions as necessary punishment for the assembly of bigots. Spider-Girl references Law & Order to Buzz in explaining that as heroes they catch the bad guys, and let others handle the punishment. With Buzz still not standing down, Spider-Girl has to web up his wrist-mounted armaments, and wrestle with him. Buzz is furious that the bigoted boys all turned on Nancy, when they all know her - to him, they should have stuck up for her, especially one of them that he fingers: Brad Miller.
Brad protests that the heroes don't know the full story, that Nancy attacked a friend of theirs. Nancy tells Brad that violence never solves anything, and points out, what would Mayday say if she knew what Brad was up to. Brad walks away, mocking the idea, wondering aloud whose version of events May would believe - his, or Nancy's. Spider-Girl is aghast. Buzz figures they should not let the bad guys go so easily, but Nancy again urges non-violence to break the circle.
The X-People arrive, led by Jubilee. They have come for their appointment with Nancy and her parents to discuss their school. Buzz and Spider-Girl agree that Nancy doesn't have to go with the X-People, and that they can protect Nancy from people like Brad. Nancy agrees they could - but Nancy is more afraid of herself</i. She decides to go with the X-People, wanting to learn to control her powers.
Out of costume, May visits the house of Howard Kavanagh and apologies for almost breaking his hand before. She explains she was angry about what Howard had been doing to Sandra, but knows that violence upon violence was not solving anything. Howard protests that May doesn't know his side of the story, but it does not matter to May. His actions are harmful, and he needs help, otherwise he will grow up to be a monster.
Walking home, thinking on how Nancy find the courage to change her life for the better, May decides to do the same. She calls her mother and takes her up on her mother-daughter outing - May knows what she wants for her birthday.
That weekend, Peter greets May and MJ as they return home. May, complete with a new hair style - a variety of shag cut with tapered ends, textured bangs, and reddish highlight - stuns Peter as he seems to recall the first time he met MJ, years ago. "Daddy, please say something... did we hit the jackpot?" May is ready to show the world she is moving forward.
Notes
- When Meagyn Brady tells Courtney she's in a lot of her classes, and Courtney says, "I don't recall seeing you," Meagyn quips that she gets that a lot - a sly nod to Meagyn's imperceptibility power. She also indicates that she overheard the football team in a manner that suggests she was spying on them using her special ability.
- Nancy Lu joins the X-People. She will return in later issues in an X-uniform, as the masked adventurer Push.
See Also
Links and References
References