From the audio files of Dr. Faustus, super-villain and family councilor.
The patients: The Jameson family. J. Jonah Jameson, son John Jameson and niece Mattie Franklin. Jonah's wife Marla Madison has issued the family an ultimatum that they receive counseling for their dysfunctions or she's leaving. Marla was unavailable for this session due to a traffic jam cause by an unrelated Skrull invasion of New York.
DR. FAUSTUS Hello, I'm Dr. Faustus. I want you all to feel safe here. And admitting you have a problem is the first step towards healing.
JOHN Wait a minute, aren't you evil?
JONAH Yeah, but he works cheap and he once fought Spider-Man. Go on Doc, cure 'em! You got a ray or a gas or something?
MATTIE Us? Uncle Jonah's the one with issues!
DR. FAUSTUS
Sounds like someone's got her dice out and is ready to play the blame game. You're Mattie Franklin, also known as Spider Woman.
JOHN Real original name huh doctor?
MATTIE Shut up!
JOHN No, you shut up!
JONAH You see doc, this is what the house has been like since John moved back in.
JOHN Just until I get back on my feet.
DR. FAUSTUS My file says you're John Jameson, also known as Man Wolf.
JOHN
I prefer to be called Star God.
MATTIE Ha!
JOHN What? People in another dimension call me Star God and worship me as a hero for saving their world, all right?
MATTIE Is this like the time you had that "girlfriend" in Canada?
JOHN She was real she was um... Guardian.
MATTIE Guardian's a guy.
JOHN What? I thought that was Vindicator.
MATTIE Maybe it was Puck.
JOHN Shut up!
DR. FAUSTUS Now, now. Yelling is what we do when we're afraid to hug. Mattie why don't you share your feelings?
MATTIE Well, this morning I went to my room and all my Spider-Man posters were torn down.
JONAH I replaced them.
MATTIE With posters of Shawn Cassidy and Bobby Darrin!
JONAH That's what you kids like nowadays right? I read Pizzazz Magazine!
JOHN That got cancelled in the 70s.
JONAH What? I had shares in that! How's Dynamite doing?
MATTIE The real problem is Uncle Jonah is obsessed with Spider-Man!
JONAH That's hogwash!
MATTIE Look at today's Daily Bugle.
DR. FAUSTUS This headline, "SPIDER-MAN WORSE THAN HITLER OR JUST WORSE THAN DRACULA?" It does seem a little over the top.
JOHN For a story about the garbage strike.
MATTIE And check out Garfield. He changed him from saying, "I hate Mondays" to "I hate Spider-Man".
JONAH How do you know that was me? Maybe Jim Davis hates Spider-Man, too.
MATTIE Oh right, like Jim Davis still does the strip.
DR. FAUSTUS Why don't we talk about the stresses that you as a newly fused family are going through...
JONAH Humph!
DR. FAUSTUS Jonah, you seem defensive.
JONAH What do you mean?
DR. FAUSTUS You're wearing a full suit of armor.
MATTIE He hollowed out a Spider Slayer robot he had in basement and wears it everywhere now.
JONAH It's the only way I can afford to get insurance. When you've been kidnapped 128 times your deductible goes through the roof. You know who I blame?
MATTIE AND JOHN Spider-Man!
JONAH Darned right!
JOHN He saved you each time Dad!
JONAH Yeah, well he probably set them all up.
MATTIE See Doctor, if he were any more biased he could work for Fox News!
DR. FAUSTUS How do you respond to this Jonah? Jonah? What have you got there? Are you going through your mail?
JONAH Sorry doc, I'm a busy man, gotta multi-task! Let's see bill, bill, request from an evil scientist to help genetically alter a convict. Brother, you help create 3 or 4 supervillains and you're on a mailing list you'll never get off of. Huh? So what's the good work doc? We done here? They cured?
DR. FAUSTUS Jonah, it's obvious to me that both your son and niece crave attention from you that you're not giving them. Your focus is always on Spider-Man.
JONAH But...
DR. FAUSTUS John, a respected astronaut turned, as many young people do, to stealing in the hopes of getting attention.
JOHN
Hey, I didn't steal that stone on the moon, I found it. And um...just didn't tell NASA. It was a souvenir. Lots of astronauts do it. Buzz Aldrin has a Martian corpse over his fireplace.
(pause)
JOHN
Okay, I stole it.
DR. FAUSTUS And then when it changed him, to get your attention he became the Spider-Man villain Werewolf By Night.
JOHN Man Wolf!
MATTIE I thought it was Star God!
JOHN Shut up! That is so like this lycanthrophobic society, lumping us all together. You don't call Dad Perry White do you?
DR. FAUSTUS I didn't mean to offend...
JOHN Werewolf by Night. What a stupid name. I mean what else would you be? Werewolf by Morning? Werewolf by Brunch? I have to kill the thing I love the most, but first some eggs benedict and a champagne orange juice spritzer!
DR. FAUSTUS Mattie, you dress up as and named yourself after the person your uncle hates the most. A clear cry for attention.
MATTIE I can stick to walls, have bio-electric blasts, can fly, can create energy webs, have clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, the ability to sense psionic powers in others, incredible strength and extra legs. What else would I call myself?
JOHN Overkill? Mish Mash?
DR. FAUSTUS Now John...
JOHN It's like she was bitten by a whole deck of radioactive Pokemon at the same time!
MATTIE You just have power envy. Look at me, I have the ability to clog up the shower drain with my fur! All hail the Star God!
JOHN And don't forget the time she turned to drugs.
DR. FAUSTUS You took drugs?
JOHN No she was turned into drugs.
DR. FAUSTUS I think we're getting off point here. Jonah, do you see where I'm going? Your family loves you and the more you turn your focus elsewhere the more they will take extreme measures to earn your love. Like I say in my book, "Self Matterz"...
JOHN That's Dr. Phil's book.
DR. FAUSTUS I spell mine with a "z." I'm an evil psychiatrist who laughs in the face of copyright law! Can I get on with the healing?
JOHN Sorry...
DR. FAUSTUS Give your love freely Jonah. Don't make your family earn it.
JONAH I think I see what you mean doctor. I feel like I'm not just hearing. For the first time... I'm listening.
DR. FAUSTUS Good.
JOHN Oh Dad.
JONAH You're saying...
MATTIE Sniff!
JONAH It's Spider-Man's fault.
A buzzer rings.
DR. FAUSTUS Sigh. Sure, whatever. Spider-Man's fault. What a bastard. Time's up.
MATTIE But...
JOHN I...
DR. FAUSTUS We're done! Get out!
JONAH Thanks doc! And curse you Spider-Man!
DR. FAUSTUS Next!
Jonah, John and Mattie leave. Medusa and Black Bolt enter.
MEDUSA He just won't talk to me anymore.
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