Peter Parker and Mary Jane's First Kiss

ASM 143. Here is the first panel where Parker and MJ become an item, officially. At least, they become "itemish." It's a bit of a rocky thing: on and off. It really never goes "off," it just gets interrupted, first by the clone of Gwen Stacy and then by Parker's constant disappearances during the dates (because he has to go fight someone as Spiderman). MJ doesn't know his identity, and thinks Peter is disappearing all of the time because or his need to be a news photographer. So something breaks, and he goes to photo it. She resents this because: (a) it isn't normal; and (b) she thinks he goes overboard with it. Fundamentally, she doesn't like being a contingent girlfriend. It is interesting, though, given my speculation as to why the writers killed off Gwen Stacy. It seems that they always wanted the relationship part never to get in the way with the other parts of the story. In short, they always wanted a contingent (convenient) girlfriend. They couldn't do that with Stacy, because she had become as important as the villains in the storyline, and because Stan Lee was no longer writing. Anyway, I already coved that. The point for now is that this is the first kiss between Parker and MJ.

Peter Parker Realizes That Mary Jane is the One

ASM 150. Amid the brief return of the Gwen Stacy clone, the status of Parker's interest with Mary Jane became somewhat uncertain. She had already become a girlfriend of sorts after the airport kiss, but the emergence of the Stacy clone had caused him uncertain feelings. Here, the moment of clarity's is announced. It should be noted, however, that the relationship goes on to develop at a snail's pace, with on-again/off-again features. This seems to confirm my long-held thesis: the writers didn't want to return to the way things were when Parker had a relationship that was equal to the villains he was fighting. They wanted relationships to be convenient, in the hero's "down time" -- because they could not handle complex story lines. This tradition continues after Conway moves on. Hence, MJ appears in Parker's life only as convenience allows. (This is a point that actually causes he some irritation).)