A stunning tale of an alternate reality, in which Mary Jane was bitten by a radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker! Finding that she has gained the incredible powers of a spider, she takes on a new identity and faces the forces of evil as... Spi...
"Gracious me, Mary Jane," a flabbergasted Anna Watson managed to say as her niece finished explaining about her new super powers. "And you say this all happened after your trip at the science exhibit?"
"Sure thing," nodded Mary Jane as she finished her cup of coffee and slumped down on the sofa. "And I have to say, I feel like a million bucks, Aunt Anna. Only thing is... what am I going to do with these new powers of mine?"
"Well I don't think it would be wise to tell anyone at school about this," suggested Aunt Anna. "You know how judgmental people can get these days, especially with all those awful anti-mutant groups running rampant."
"I guess so," conceded Mary Jane, a little nervous of the thought of her friends denouncing her as a grotesque monstrosity, "but I ought to do something that'll make use of all this."
She pondered for a minute, then an idea came into her head. "I've got it! Why don't I become an entertainer or something? TV producers are always on the lookout for star attractions."
"Makes sense I suppose," said Anna, secretly glad that her niece did not have anything more extreme or reckless in mind. "Though what about your studies?"
Mary Jane shrugged. "Well maybe I could be a part-time evening performer. That would give me a chance to do all my studying and still have time to appear on the telly."
"Well, all right," said Anna a little skeptically. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. But if you're going to be get a chance at any of this, you'll need some kind of outfit to impress those TV people and conceal your identity."
******
And so in the weeks that followed, Anna Watson got to work designing a costume for her niece, while Mary Jane did some self-training in order to better master her new spider powers. Eventually, all was ready, and soon Mary Jane tried on her extravagant new costume.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Wow, Aunt Anna, you've done a real sweet job here," said Mary Jane as she admired her new threads in the mirror. The costume was certainly impressive, consisting of a scarlet spandex suit with a large gold-coloured spider symbol on her chest, long gold-coloured gloves that reached up to just under her elbows, and a mask with lenses that completely covered her face, but left her long red hair exposed and hanging loose.
"Yes, I'm quite pleased with it myself," said Anna. "So have you decided what your stage name is going to be yet, dear? The 'Scarlet Spider', perhaps?"
Beneath her mask, May Jane smiled. "Nah, I figure Spider-Girl is as good a name as any. So look out world... Here comes the Sensational Spider-Girl!"
******
Mary Jane Watson's dreams quickly became a reality. Maxwell Shiffman, the TV producer she first approached, was so impressed by her act that he immediately signed her up to appear on the Sullivan Edwards show that week. The debut appearance of Spider-Girl was a smash hit and ratings reached new record heights as viewers tuned in to see the mysterious web-slinger perform her amazing feats. However, Mary Jane's alter-ego was always careful to warn young viewers not to try to copy her superhuman stunts, a bit of advice given to her by her Aunt Anna. This proved quite wise as it helped to defuse the attempts of 'Daily Bugle' publisher J. Jonah Jameson to have Spider-Girl kicked off the air. And so as Spider-Girl's popularity grew in the weeks that followed, so did her fanbase at Midtown High...
