Mark Gruenwald Retrospective

  Spider-Woman #11 "And Dolly Makes Three" Writer: Mark Gruenwald Penciler: Carmine Infantino Plot: Spider-Woman clashes with Brother Grimm again.  Comments: On the opening page, there is some foreshadowing with the doll on the shelf in the background being an effigy of Mr. Doll, an Iron Man villain from Tales of Suspense #48.  I guess her hand bumped against the drawer and she wasn't snooping. Jessica finds dolls that look like her foe Brother Grimm.  Magnus comes home and his thoughts express how Gruenwald feels about the character and how he wanted to write him out.  Brother Grimm attacks the restaurant Jessica and Jerry are eating at. They both pursue him, but he manages to capture them both. Meanwhile the dolls come alive at the Dolly house and head towards Magnus. All those dolls creeping towards him and this was before Child's Play . Cue The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky or The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas.  It's revealed that their captors are...

  Spider-Woman #10 "Things That Go Flit in the Night" Writer: Mark Gruenwald Penciler: Carmine Infantino Plot: Spider-Woman tries to befriend who she thinks is another outsider like herself, the Gypsy Moth.  Comments: The captions declare Spider-Woman and Jerry as two people in love.  Jessica spots something in the sky. This page explicitly shows that Spider-Woman wears a wig as part of her disguise.  This is a great debut of Gypsy Moth as she gets closer. Spider-Woman isn't able to catch up with her.  Jerry isn't happy about Jessica leaving their date to chase after Gypsy Moth. It's somewhat jarring to see profanity here "hell", when Gruenwald would later choose to use euphemisms in the place of actual curse words.  Jessca checks in with her landlady Mrs. Dolly and receives a dress from Magnus and an invitation to his magic show. Jessica shows up late and possibly due to her condition that makes people feel hostile towards her, the lady at the ticket bo...

  Spider-Woman #9 "Eye of the Needle" Writer: Mark Gruenwald Penciler: Carmine Infantino Plot: Spider-Woman tracks a serial mutilator called the Needle.  Comments: Opening page, having concluded a date with Jerry Hunt, Jessica Drew is gliding home solo as Spider-Woman, which doesn't make Jerry very happy.  Credits are Mark Gruenwald, as the writer. Carmine Infantino (1925-2013) as the penciler, Al Gordon as the inker. Roger Stern is the editor, which would be the start of the professional relationship between them until it ended with Avengers #285, this time with Gruenwald as the editor and Stern as the writer. Jim Shooter is the editor in chief of Marvel, already.  Mark Gruenwald and inker Al Gordon were born four days apart. Gruenwald was born June 18, 1953 and Gordon was born June 22, 1953. Both were 25 years old when this story was released in September 1978.  Hearing a commotion, Jerry goes down a dark alley and sees the Needle. I think the Needle could ha...