The events that led to the Spider-Man history re-write with "A Brand New Day" were necessary -- Marvel had written itself into a corner, however great and mature the storyline was -- and well-conceived, but they left a lot of unanswered questions. How did Mary Jane and Peter's marriage become a non-happening? How did Spider-Man's secret get put back in the bottle? What does Mary Jane now know about Spider-Man? What is the status of their relationship now? This book quite adroitly answers all these questions. We also find out what the nature of the whispered conversation Mary Jane had with Mephisto when Peter made his deal with the devil. I fully expect that someday Marvel will get around to getting these two crazy kids back together -- it seems inevitable -- but for now, we have space and time to explore other avenues, and I look forward to seeing these excursions. ( )

Collects Amazing Spider-man #638-641 ( )