Spidey and Kamala swap genders and lives in Marvel Team-Up No. 2
By Alex Widen
Image by Marvel Comics
If This Were a Bad Cartoon, Their Voices Would Switch Too!
Kamala is quickly freaked out, but Spidey has been through it before. His longest and most controversial tenure as a mind-swap victim was during the Superior Spider-Man arc, when Dr. Octopus took command of his body for nearly 2 years. After the pair stumble upon each other’s secret identities and prove ineffective at each other’s powers, the two compare notes on a ferry back to Jersey City. Peter wants to undo the switch, while Kamala is focused on keeping appearances at home.
Peter, in Kamala’s body, is rightly concerned about arousing suspicion. The irony is that due to poor writing, Dr. Octopus assumed his identity with all the grace of Skeletor yet none of his own friends or family — which included the Avengers as well as Mary Jane and May Parker, both of whom detected when Chameleon assume Peter’s identity — noticed! Fortunately, Bruno doesn’t seem to notice the pair stammer and stumble through the Circle Q for a soft drink and a chance to regroup.
Image by Marvel Comics
Another miracle is that the effects of the mind-switch prove temporary, at least so long as Peter and Kamala remain calm, and (presumably) far apart. This allows Peter to avoid having to fake his way at the Khan’s residence, but he still stays close and crashes with a neighbor (and her cat). Kamala, at least for two panels, seems happy with who she is and her lot in life, which readers of her main title know can be a rarity. For the sake of comedy, and to fill pages, this doesn’t last!
Image by Marvel Comics