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Spider-Girl (1998) (Collected Editions)
Spider-Girl, Vol. 2: Like Father, Like Daughter
Collects Spider-Girl (1998) #6-11.
Her name is May "Mayday" Parker, and she recently learned her father was the original Spider-Man. The good news is that she's having the time of her life as she hones the amazing spider-like abilities she inherited from him. The bad news is that some of her roughest, toughest battles lie ahead - against the likes of Ladyhawk, the Kingpin of Crime, Mr. Nobody, Crazy Eight...and her own parents?!
Her name is May "Mayday" Parker, and she recently learned her father was the original Spider-Man. The good news is that she's having the time of her life as she hones the amazing spider-like abilities she inherited from him. The bad news is that some of her roughest, toughest battles lie ahead - against the likes of Ladyhawk, the Kingpin of Crime, Mr. Nobody, Crazy Eight...and her own parents?!
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2004
About the author
Tom DeFalco
2,522 books108 followersTom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Comics and Spider-Man.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 2, 2024
This took forever. Jesus.
I will not be continuing the series and will be un - hauling the two books I own of this. Unfortunately, just not for me. This one, especially, the issues and villains just sucked. I only really liked the last two comics where May had made her way to her father’s past, to when he was a web - slinging teenager like her.
I will not be continuing the series and will be un - hauling the two books I own of this. Unfortunately, just not for me. This one, especially, the issues and villains just sucked. I only really liked the last two comics where May had made her way to her father’s past, to when he was a web - slinging teenager like her.
May 26, 2015
Wow, it's been a week since I've last written a review. I missed last Thursday, which would usually be on my schedule for dropping a review because work took a lot out of me last week, and I just wasn't feeling up to it. And, I didn't want to get too far off the track I'm attempting to follow for releasing new blog posts. So anyway, I'll stop babbling now and get on with it. My trip to the library two weeks ago led me to this fruitful find, and I am sure glad that I decided to take this book home with me.
This book is the second volume in the Spider-Girl Marvel series. The library didn't have the first volume, possibly checked out, possibly not there to begin with. In this collection of comics, Spider-Girl, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's daughter, Mayday Parker, has recently reached her teen years and has discovered that she has somehow inherited her father's abilities. The story of her first making the discovery is in the first volume, but much of it was hinted back to in this one, so I never found myself lost during the story or trying to glue big holes together. Peter has recently taken away Mayday's costume (also in volume 1) and has told her that she cannot be a superhero. In this volume, May continues to struggle with coming to terms concerning her powers and what that means for her and the people she loves while facing an array of villains and other tests.
Now, I'm going to be completely honest with everyone right now. I have been very afraid to jump into the universe of Marvel Comics because there is just so much. I have been trying to find a place to start for a long time now, but haven't been able to pinpoint one that is any better than the other. Plus, comics are so expensive, especially Marvel ones, and they are hard to come across at my small library. I've also been spending a significant of time and money on The Walking Dead comics, since I recently started those as well. Then I came across this book and was intrigued enough to say fuck it, this is where I'm starting. I'm jumping into the Marvel Comic Universe with Spider-Girl, and I'm gonna pray like hell that I picked a decent starting point.
So after giving you this whole long story spiel through a bunch of information you didn't actually need, I can assure you that it was a good starting point. I absolutely loved this collection. The story line was phenomenal as well as the characters. The cast was diverse and, given that Mayday is a girl, highly female. This made me so unbelievably happy. I'm among all those other people who love Marvel, but definitely am not afraid to call the movies out on being generally male-focused (UM HELLO WHERE IS OUR BLACK WIDOW MOVIE PLEASE?). But, I found that this comic was a breath of fresh air, and I was absolutely meant to start here. The stars aligned and the universe said this is where you will begin, and so I have.
Not only are most of the characters female, they are also strong characters. I started fangirling within like the first ten pages of this volume, basically. I was also surprised that misogyny is tackled very well in this text, and Mayday sure doesn't put up with anyone's bullshit. She also blatantly calls out sexism at one point. In my head, I was screaming yass girl yasss. And to think, this was already published back in 2004.
On top of the amazing cast, the authors do an amazing job of bringing the story and stories together into something that is both enjoyable to read and look at. Everything fell into place perfectly and there is plenty of tension to keep you flipping pages. Of course you do have to be into the layout and design of how comics function, since it is a different type of storytelling than fiction writing. But, if you have been afraid to check out comics, don't be. If you read one and you don't like it, at least you know for sure, instead of constantly questioning yourself. And, I can assure you this would be a great place to start.
I loved everything about this collection and highly, highly recommend it to comic book lovers, fresh starters in the comic book world (especially the Marvel one), you if your comic book interests are starting to pique, or anyone who found this review helpful or interesting. I also strongly urge females to read this text. It was important for me to find this, and it might be for you to too.
This book is the second volume in the Spider-Girl Marvel series. The library didn't have the first volume, possibly checked out, possibly not there to begin with. In this collection of comics, Spider-Girl, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's daughter, Mayday Parker, has recently reached her teen years and has discovered that she has somehow inherited her father's abilities. The story of her first making the discovery is in the first volume, but much of it was hinted back to in this one, so I never found myself lost during the story or trying to glue big holes together. Peter has recently taken away Mayday's costume (also in volume 1) and has told her that she cannot be a superhero. In this volume, May continues to struggle with coming to terms concerning her powers and what that means for her and the people she loves while facing an array of villains and other tests.
Now, I'm going to be completely honest with everyone right now. I have been very afraid to jump into the universe of Marvel Comics because there is just so much. I have been trying to find a place to start for a long time now, but haven't been able to pinpoint one that is any better than the other. Plus, comics are so expensive, especially Marvel ones, and they are hard to come across at my small library. I've also been spending a significant of time and money on The Walking Dead comics, since I recently started those as well. Then I came across this book and was intrigued enough to say fuck it, this is where I'm starting. I'm jumping into the Marvel Comic Universe with Spider-Girl, and I'm gonna pray like hell that I picked a decent starting point.
So after giving you this whole long story spiel through a bunch of information you didn't actually need, I can assure you that it was a good starting point. I absolutely loved this collection. The story line was phenomenal as well as the characters. The cast was diverse and, given that Mayday is a girl, highly female. This made me so unbelievably happy. I'm among all those other people who love Marvel, but definitely am not afraid to call the movies out on being generally male-focused (UM HELLO WHERE IS OUR BLACK WIDOW MOVIE PLEASE?). But, I found that this comic was a breath of fresh air, and I was absolutely meant to start here. The stars aligned and the universe said this is where you will begin, and so I have.
Not only are most of the characters female, they are also strong characters. I started fangirling within like the first ten pages of this volume, basically. I was also surprised that misogyny is tackled very well in this text, and Mayday sure doesn't put up with anyone's bullshit. She also blatantly calls out sexism at one point. In my head, I was screaming yass girl yasss. And to think, this was already published back in 2004.
On top of the amazing cast, the authors do an amazing job of bringing the story and stories together into something that is both enjoyable to read and look at. Everything fell into place perfectly and there is plenty of tension to keep you flipping pages. Of course you do have to be into the layout and design of how comics function, since it is a different type of storytelling than fiction writing. But, if you have been afraid to check out comics, don't be. If you read one and you don't like it, at least you know for sure, instead of constantly questioning yourself. And, I can assure you this would be a great place to start.
I loved everything about this collection and highly, highly recommend it to comic book lovers, fresh starters in the comic book world (especially the Marvel one), you if your comic book interests are starting to pique, or anyone who found this review helpful or interesting. I also strongly urge females to read this text. It was important for me to find this, and it might be for you to too.
December 12, 2021
Revisiting Spider-Girl/Mayday Parker has been fun.
There are some heartfelt family moments between May and both her parents, May herself is given nice doses of character development and reflections on what it means to be a superhero and take responsibility, and there is a lot of good old fashioned superhero action. The classic style artwork reflects this aesthetic.
However, May doesn't have a solid connection to any of her school friends, some of whom are inconsistent and baffling in their characterisation, or lack thereof. A couple of her male friends have a crush on her, but this goes nowhere. The first issue introduces Ladyhawk, a superheroine who is built up to be Spider-Girl's potential partner in fighting crime, but after that issue she is never seen or mentioned again. Often the comic feels like it's taking May through the same motions and classic character beats as her father, in fast forward in order to fit a single volume. Also what is Darkdevil's deal? Is he a villain or hero or both? That guy is sketchy as all hell.
While 'Spider-Girl: Like Father, Like Daughter' feels incomplete in various stages in each issue, it is overall a fun comic reading experience. It's always great to see superheroines in action, against campy baddies. There's time travel in the ending issues, too. Franklin Richards, aka Psilord, the leader of the Fantastic Five, appears occasionally to help out Spider-Girl, who might have a crush on him. Comic book sexism, as well as discriminating against minorities (code for the LBGTQ community), is commented on. And has J. Jonah Jameson ever been so OTT, actually controlling a robot to eliminate Spider-Man!?
It's the stuff comic books like this are made for. Nonsense is its juice.
(May still looks too way old to be a fifteen-sixteen year old)
Final Score: 3.5/5
There are some heartfelt family moments between May and both her parents, May herself is given nice doses of character development and reflections on what it means to be a superhero and take responsibility, and there is a lot of good old fashioned superhero action. The classic style artwork reflects this aesthetic.
However, May doesn't have a solid connection to any of her school friends, some of whom are inconsistent and baffling in their characterisation, or lack thereof. A couple of her male friends have a crush on her, but this goes nowhere. The first issue introduces Ladyhawk, a superheroine who is built up to be Spider-Girl's potential partner in fighting crime, but after that issue she is never seen or mentioned again. Often the comic feels like it's taking May through the same motions and classic character beats as her father, in fast forward in order to fit a single volume. Also what is Darkdevil's deal? Is he a villain or hero or both? That guy is sketchy as all hell.
While 'Spider-Girl: Like Father, Like Daughter' feels incomplete in various stages in each issue, it is overall a fun comic reading experience. It's always great to see superheroines in action, against campy baddies. There's time travel in the ending issues, too. Franklin Richards, aka Psilord, the leader of the Fantastic Five, appears occasionally to help out Spider-Girl, who might have a crush on him. Comic book sexism, as well as discriminating against minorities (code for the LBGTQ community), is commented on. And has J. Jonah Jameson ever been so OTT, actually controlling a robot to eliminate Spider-Man!?
It's the stuff comic books like this are made for. Nonsense is its juice.
(May still looks too way old to be a fifteen-sixteen year old)
Final Score: 3.5/5
October 17, 2018
Such a easy-reading-fun. Fluent art, not too much millions-of-issues-knowledge-needed-story. Good fun.
February 15, 2025
First introduction to Spider-Girl and it was great. Tom DeFalco knows how to tell a good Spidey story.
May 10, 2011
I will begin this review with an admission: I am not knowledgeable about superhero comic books, and they are not my favorite genre. With that little confession out of the way, while Tom Defalco’s Like Father, Like Daughter was not my most favorite comic ever, it was entertaining.
Mayday Parker, Spider-Man’s daughter, inherited his powers. As much as I am a proponent of the Willing Suspension of Disbelief, it’s hard to understand how a mutation from a radioactive spider bite could be biologically handed down. However, for the sake of comic book verisimilitude, we will roll with it. More disconcerting than the biological impossibility is the necessity of introducing Mayday Parker every issue. If you are picking up the comic book, you should know that she is Spider-Girl. The other pestering repeated detail is Peter Parker’s worry that Mayday is too young to take on superhero duties. Again, there has to be a more sly way to communicate this information each issue.
Defalco does make an effort to enliven the narrative by putting it into the second person, a good attempt to slip us into Mayday’s mind, and especially appropriate for the teenage crowd that Marvel is trying to catch. Teenagers like to identify, especially with their superheroes.
Also, the effort to be sensitive to females is appreciated, even though Mayday could not possibly be anatomically correct and she has been named Spider-Girl when her father, who was already imbued with powers at her age was called Spider-Man and not Spider-Boy. In one especially endearing story line, Mayday is trapped in the past and is disturbed to find that her father makes sexist comments. However, she does not dwell on this for long, and neither does the plotline, for when she returns to the present, her father acts like her present day father.
There could be a bit more complexity in the characters and plotlines, but again, Like Father, Like Daughter was a pleasurable diversion from a chaotic day.
Mayday Parker, Spider-Man’s daughter, inherited his powers. As much as I am a proponent of the Willing Suspension of Disbelief, it’s hard to understand how a mutation from a radioactive spider bite could be biologically handed down. However, for the sake of comic book verisimilitude, we will roll with it. More disconcerting than the biological impossibility is the necessity of introducing Mayday Parker every issue. If you are picking up the comic book, you should know that she is Spider-Girl. The other pestering repeated detail is Peter Parker’s worry that Mayday is too young to take on superhero duties. Again, there has to be a more sly way to communicate this information each issue.
Defalco does make an effort to enliven the narrative by putting it into the second person, a good attempt to slip us into Mayday’s mind, and especially appropriate for the teenage crowd that Marvel is trying to catch. Teenagers like to identify, especially with their superheroes.
Also, the effort to be sensitive to females is appreciated, even though Mayday could not possibly be anatomically correct and she has been named Spider-Girl when her father, who was already imbued with powers at her age was called Spider-Man and not Spider-Boy. In one especially endearing story line, Mayday is trapped in the past and is disturbed to find that her father makes sexist comments. However, she does not dwell on this for long, and neither does the plotline, for when she returns to the present, her father acts like her present day father.
There could be a bit more complexity in the characters and plotlines, but again, Like Father, Like Daughter was a pleasurable diversion from a chaotic day.
November 10, 2014
I never got to read the first volume of this book before picking this one up. This was in a bargain bin at a comic convention, which can sometimes be a bad sign. But I am glad I picked it up, and I think Mayday Parker, our titular hero, may be one of my favorite Spider-verse characters, if not my favorite outright.
It's a few years down the road from current comics continuity, and Mayday Parker, daughter of Peter and Mary Jane Parker, is Spidergirl. She has the abilities. She has the enthusiasm. To a point, she has the skills. The one thing she doesn't have? Her father's blessing. He doesn't want her to put on the costume and deal with the whole superhero thing - understandable from our POV as readers who know all he's been through. But for Mayday, who truly wants to help people, it seems unfair.
This book encapsulates what I really enjoy about certain teenage superhero books - the sheer enthusiasm and drive to change the world that your protagonist has. She makes mistakes, but she has a good head on her shoulders and her moral compass is more or less unerring. She has people willing to help. Man, it was just FUN to read.
Plus, we get to see her time travel and meet her parents when they were her age, which, I loved.
I want to read the first book now, but I can definitely recommend this one even if you haven't read the first. It pretty much can stand on its own merits.
It's a few years down the road from current comics continuity, and Mayday Parker, daughter of Peter and Mary Jane Parker, is Spidergirl. She has the abilities. She has the enthusiasm. To a point, she has the skills. The one thing she doesn't have? Her father's blessing. He doesn't want her to put on the costume and deal with the whole superhero thing - understandable from our POV as readers who know all he's been through. But for Mayday, who truly wants to help people, it seems unfair.
This book encapsulates what I really enjoy about certain teenage superhero books - the sheer enthusiasm and drive to change the world that your protagonist has. She makes mistakes, but she has a good head on her shoulders and her moral compass is more or less unerring. She has people willing to help. Man, it was just FUN to read.
Plus, we get to see her time travel and meet her parents when they were her age, which, I loved.
I want to read the first book now, but I can definitely recommend this one even if you haven't read the first. It pretty much can stand on its own merits.
October 22, 2012
Summary: Mayday Parker is Spider girl. She is Peter Parker's, Spider Man, daughter. Peter retired after he got hurt and decided that all his time needed to be dedicated to May. May some how developed his powers and wants to be able to use them. The problem is her dad doesnt want her to get hurt and be a super hero like him. May secretly takes down villians, wishing her dad would except her choice. When her dad finally does she realizes what it truly takes to be a superhero.
Reccomendation: this would be good if you like comic books and girl power. Mostly for ages 10 and up.
Reccomendation: this would be good if you like comic books and girl power. Mostly for ages 10 and up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2014
My second foray into the world of Spider-Girl. I really like that she is a rookie and is being trained by both her Uncle Phil and her father. May is a really great mix between Peter and Mary Jane. The plot was not too serious and May throws out plenty of quips just like her father. She is learning her own way to live the Parker motto "great power and responsibility." I would love to read more of Mayday's stories!
November 28, 2012
Great stories as Spider-girl continues to grow as a character including how Spider-man retired to take care of family and Peter growing to accept May in the role.
Loved the trip back to the 1960s and the meeting of Spider-girl and her father's younger self, although they overplayed sexism as such in the 60s.
Still, Spider-girl continues to be a great read so far.
Loved the trip back to the 1960s and the meeting of Spider-girl and her father's younger self, although they overplayed sexism as such in the 60s.
Still, Spider-girl continues to be a great read so far.
Want to Read
May 20, 2014Tom defalco
5
Unknown
I really liked the book it was cool
It was interesting and they used a lot of interesting ideas
I wish her dad would let her do what she wants to and save the world from bad people
Teenagers, people who like superheroes and people that like comic books
5
Unknown
I really liked the book it was cool
It was interesting and they used a lot of interesting ideas
I wish her dad would let her do what she wants to and save the world from bad people
Teenagers, people who like superheroes and people that like comic books
March 14, 2015
A nice enough book. But having read this in a different form, it really didn't hold up to a re-read. Just a little too obvious, and a lot too light. May is nice enough, but the back just doesn't have any real depth. 3.5 of 5.
May 14, 2015
Yeah, 1997 just keeps going on and on. All of this was basically fun, plain and simple. The characters are a little weak. The author's use of "mad on" appears to have been dated as well as wrong.
January 31, 2019
It goes in directions it should have probably waited to go, but DeFalco can hardly be blamed considering the unease of Spider-Girl's future at the time, and he still managed to pull off an entertaining story.
March 16, 2009
spider man is my fave superhero so i luv all books even slightly related to him
Currently Reading
April 29, 2009its a great book also great art work to look at
April 12, 2011
Fun, liked the bit where she teamed up with her Dad. It feels like innocent spiderman comics from way back.
November 27, 2012
Another enjoyable tale; really enjoying this series.
December 11, 2012
This story was a lot of fun. It read like an old Spider Man comic, full of teenage drama and hokey villains. The father/daughter element adds an interesting touch to a standard superhero romp.
June 30, 2015
This wasn't bad really, just not particularly interesting. I don't love May as a character and Peter is basically unrecognizable.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews