Polite Dissent

This is a look at the most recent Amazing Spider-Man Annual. It’s labeled #1, as well as #35, so take your pick on the numbering. This post will contain spoilers about the final fate of Jackpot, so don’t read any farther if you haven’t read the comics yet and want to keep it a surprise.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1/#35 “A Tale of Two Jackpots”
Marc Guggenheim, writer
Mike McKone, pencils

After Spider-Man discovers Jackpot’s true identity, he also breaks into her apartment and searches it (which is not really the best way to prove you’re not a criminal, Spidey). He discovers an entire drawerful of drugs, and realizes that Jackpot doesn’t have any real super-powers, just medically enhanced ability (but then, the same holds true for Captain America).

Later in the story, she dies of a sudden myocardial infarction (heart attack) while helping Spider-Man defeat the D-level villain Blindside. Reed Richards (the noted pathologist that he is) performs the autopsy and tells Spider-Man that Jackpot’s heart attack was caused by all the drugs she was taking compounded by the neurotoxin Blindside injected into her.

That’s pretty impressive work by Dr. Richards — he is the original über-doctor after all — being able to pinpoint the specific drug that caused the problem…since nearly every drug she was taking is known to cause cardiovascular problems:

Human Growth Hormone – Studies have shown that it causes high blood pressure, a contributing factor in cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. It can also cause diabetes, another contributing factor.

Anabolic Steroids – These frequently cause high blood pressure. In addition, they are known to cause increased cardiovascular disease, especially heart attacks.

COX-2 Inhibitors – A subclass of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS, the same class that includes such common drugs as Ibuprofen and Naproxen). They were quite popular until a study showed that they led to an increased risk of heart attacks. Because of this, Vioxx and Bextra were pulled off the market, and Celebrex is not used as much as it once was.

Amphetamines – A study released last year showed a higher than normal rate of heart attacks in amphetamine users, even when other risk factors are accounted for.

Mutant Growth Hormone – Sadly, no good controlled studies of this fictitious drug have ever been published, so my resources are limited here. I would suspect it’s use would lead to an increased rate of heart attacks due to the increased demands on the heart for the blood needed to supply the (temporary) mutant powers. Imagine having Colossus’s metal skin without the muscles to support it.

Paracetamol – It’s interesting that Spider-Man finds paracetamol, which is the European name for what we in the United States call acetaminophen — i.e. Tylenol. It’s an over the counter pain killer, and is not associated with a risk of heart attacks, but why would she have the European version in her possession instead of acetaminophen (usually, I can blame this mistake on a British writer, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here).