CSBG Archive
12 Elements of Spider-man (Part 1)
- by MarkAndrew
- in General
When Spider-man works, when all the thematic and visual elements that have been used in the character’s past are used correctly, and together, he’s the greatest American super-hero ever.
Well, at least my Spider-man is. And this post is about my Spider-man, a list of elements of the Spider-man hero myth that are now or have been elements of the character, and the twelve elements that resonate with me most strongly the reasons I think Spidey’s the greatest.
So while this piece is purely opinion, I’m gonna try to lay the facts backin’ my case down clearly enough that it will, by the time I’m done with part two, also serve as a defense of Spider-man as the greatest hero ever.You’re free to disagree, of course. 
You’re even free to tell me about it. So let’s fire up our… um… web-shooters and our Spider-mobiles, and DAMMIT, Stan Lee makes these inspiring sounding introductions sound so easy!
Letsus just get started.
1) Spider-man Is An Everyman
It’s not just that Spider-man is beset on all sides by woes marital, financial, physical, and emotional. That’s part of it, certainly. And make no mistake, the pure variety and scope of the problems that Peter Parker encounters make for entertaining reading. And certainly this provides an instinctive empathic bond between the character and those members of an audience who are likewise beset with a constant stream of problems.
(IE damn near all of them.)
Spider-man has regular day-to-day hassles. (He can’t pay the rent.) Spider-man has soul-rendering angst type problems. (Usually current-girlfriend and Aunt May related.) Spider-man has problems unique to being Spider-man. (Ah! I need to change my costume without my roommate seeing me!) AND there’s the matter of that dude in a grizzly bear costume try’nto kill him dead. You might excuse the late, lamented Unca Cheeks analysis that Spider-man is the first superhero to really suffer. Maybe, but to concentrate solely on the suffering is to mss the point of the character by a wide margin. It’s certainly true that Spidey tends to write himself off as the Charlie Brown of superheroes, BUT, it’s equally true that he also has his fair share of triumphs and happy endings. Aunt May’s all right after all, he gets the girl and the Green Goblin’s dumped back in jail.
Well written Spider-man stories duplicate the rhythms of day to day life, full of both small triumphs and large tragedies and vice versa. Peter Parker’s fictional life has more has more variety, richness, and scope to his life than any other superhero. He has a job, he has girlfriends, he has family that he regularly interacts with… and more on all of those later in the 12, I guarantee ya.
Spider-man might not QUITE be the hero that could be you, but he’s the hero who’s life can be just as crazy-weird as yours. He’s never quite in control of any situation, and things don’t always turn out OK in the Spider-verse, but that just makes his perserverence in the face of little obstacles as well as big ones all the more admirable.
2) Spider-man Improvises:
Sure, there’s more super-hero types more powerful’n Spider-man. Most of them, in fact. And certainly some of them have a stronger knack for inventive genius or battlefield strategy. But none of ‘em are quite as adroit at thinking on their feet in the middle of pitched combat as Spider-man. Ferinstance:
Amazing Spider-man # 29: Spider-man is faced for the second time with the Scorpion, an opponent comparable to Spider-man in speed, and demonstrably greater in sheer power, due to his mysteriously long, cybernetic appendage.
No, no, no you pervs. His TAIL.
In fact, the Scorpion has a whole suit designed to increase his power and pretty much eliminate his chances of getting hurt, even from a barrage of Spider-powered punches. Realizing that he’s outclassed in the whupass department Spider-man does what the title says. He uses his environment and keen observance of the green garbed meany’s weaknesses to beat him, wielding the twin Greek elements of sky and water. After getting smacked around by Scorp for nigh-on half the book, Spider-man hangs back and uses the greater range of his web-shooters to temporarily (but only temporarily) imprison his enemy. Now to the outside observer this might seem like putting a band-aid on a decapitation, but Spider-man improvises, dammit! Next, via web-shooters and some nearby buildings, Spidey takes to the air… Dragging the scorpion behind him. NOW if the Scorpion frees himself from the Spider-web he’s got a couple hundred foot drop to contend with. Still, this ain’t a permanent sort of affairs, and Spidey’s gotta land sometime. So both Spider (Willingly) and Scorpion (Quite unwillingly) head off towards the Hudson river, where an angry, confused, and above all dizzy Scorpion is unceremoniously dumped. Spider-man reasons (quite correctly) that the Scorpion suit ain’t built for aquatic mobility, and the dude IN the suit, bein’ just a regular joe*, can’t hold his breath for as long as Spidey, Spider-man lets the poor Scorpion wear himself out before webbing him up and hangin’ him out to dry. He wasn’t more powerful than his enemy. No-way, no-how. And he didn’t even have TIME to formulate a plan before bein’ Scorpioned upside the head. THis was a purely mental triumph. (And, hey, here’s another theme that we’ll be returning to in the future.)
* Or, as it turns out, not. Apparently, except for his tail, the Scorpion’s powers were all natural.
Want More? Here’s my very favorite example:
Spider-man # 45: Spider-man’s been fighting the Lizard for a few issues and has, quite simply, been getting his hinder handed to him, repeatedly. Not only is Lizzy a notch up on Spider-man in terms of sheer power, he’s the Lizard’s caught himself a case of the Spider-man equivalent of Werewolfism. Most of the time he’s regular, mild-mannered scientist Curt Connors, sometimes he’s scaly and green and out for world conquest. So, anyway, after being whumped around for a while Spider-man catches the Lizard on the East-Bound train, trying to free the reptile exhibit that’s being moved from the Brooklyn Zoo to Philly. Outclassed by an opponent he really doesn’t want to hurt and surrounded by slimy, slimy snakes, Spider-man lures his opponent into a refrigerator car… And BAM! Cold Blooded lizard bilology takes over, and the Lizard passes out to sleep. This also aptly demonstrates Spidey’s scientific knowledge, a point which’ll be quite relevant a little later.
(Note: Actually the cover to # 44, here, which (A) I like better than 45, (B) is part of the same storyline, and (C) the Grand Comic Database had a better scan.)
Superman has the powers to deal with any situation. Batman is prepared for any situation. The Thing perseveres against his enemies through sheer willpower and gumption. But Spider-man rarely has the time to plan, and he’s cursed with a rogues gallery that’s almost to a man more powerful than he. So, more’n any other major super-folk, Spider-man has to improvise.
3) Spider-man Is Funny:
“You guys are so out of fashion. I mean, the whole evil twin thing went out of vogue years ago. Just be glad you’re not clones. Because I’m telling you right now, if I ever see a clone again, I’ll throw it off the nearest bridge. Thus making an obscene clone fall.
He’s not the first superhero to let loose a wisecrack whilst lambasting some unfortunate bank robber about the head, but until Spider-man came along, comic superheroes were Henry Youngman. (”Take My Wife. Please.”)
OX (Enforcers) Trying to crush SM: “Dis is da day DA OX makes a name for hisself!}
Spider-Man: “What was wrong with the old one? Too hard to spell?”
Spidey is George Carlin, or Ricard Pryor. He unleashes whole routines, on his hapless adversaries. This is another example of Spidey’s improvisatory ability to adapt to any situation but, more importantly…
(To the Kingpin) You got any more henchmen or did you eat them already?
Ha! Bwahaha even! Most superhero fiction is routed in enjoyable escapism, and featuring a hero with a playful and easy way with words is simply fun, fun, fun for the audience. And I’d wager for the writers as well. A little later we’ll look at how his verbal nature defines how Spider-man is. But first, a bit of a counterpoint.
4) Spider-man Is Creepy:
He’s funny and happy go lucky, sure, but there’s something that just ain’t quite about a dude who crawls up and down sheer surfaces on all fours. And, heck, there’s plenty of people who are none to fond of Spider’s anyway, a fact duly noted by Spider co-creator Steve Ditko. Happily, the inherent creepiness of Spider-man’s ppowers played to Ditko’s greatest strength as an artist, an ability to conjure subtle menace and eerie disquiet t. And while this aspect of Spider-man has been lost at times, even by artists all-’round apt as Ross Andru and Gil Kane, there’s been several who GOT it, too. Todd Macfarlane did a fine job of recapturing the “Not quite human” aspect of the character, and John Romita Jr. aptly delineates a shadowy and darker Spider-man. Spidey’s a comedian, sure, but isn’t just the whacky, web-swingin’ wall crawler, he’s also two impossibly wide inhuman eyes starting out of the darkness, and the repetitive “Shuck…. Shuck…. Shuck….” Of his feet on the wall. Makes you identify with J. Jonah Jameson a little bit, and definitely makes you forgive any pickpocket who ends up in Spidey’s web a speedy and unexpected bowel movement.
5) Spider-man Is a Scientist:
Toldja we’d get back to this. Spidey’s a scientist, and, in fact, Spider-man’s whole milieu is defined by science, albeit science derived from the pulp version of same. (Read: Contains precious little ACTUAL science.) Heck, you could re-title the original Spidey comic “Mad Scientists at War” and you’d be tituarily correct 99% of the time. His origin is based in science. His best friends are often scientists, and most of his enemies have held a beaker in one hand and shouted “It’s ALIVE!” during an electrical storm in AT LEAST one point in their lives. seems like the This gives Spider-man an interesting and unique power dynamic, separate from virtually all other Marvel heroes. Power, in Spider-man’s world, is more mental than physical, and mental power dominates physical might. If we take a look at Spidey’s rouges gallery, muscled up thugs like the Rhino are considered relatively minor threats when compared to the self made geniuses like the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. And, as we saw before, brain power can also net you a Lizard! On a similar note, I was quite impressed by Ultimate Spider-man scribe Brian Bendis’ integration of the “Mad Scientists at War” theme with the origin of Venom, replacing the, well, completely-UNSPIDEY magic costume from outer space origin. Nice t’see someone get it.
6) Spider-man Is a Social Construct
Now, I’ve heard certain unfortunately misguided Spider-fans argue that “Spider-man is, by nature, a loner.” “Horsefeathers,” sez I, followed by a hearty guffaw. In fact, how ’bout you go back and re-glance at number two above, ’cause this bit is almost a direct continuation of what we talked ’bout up there. Now it’s POSSIBLE that you could argue that Peter Parker is by nature a loner and not be too far off the bullseye, factual accuracy-wise, although I’ve got even that argument in my rhetorical sights for next time.
But Spider-man? Naw. Spidey’s only REALLY Spidey when he’s got someone to talk to. And he talks with a completely different voice than Peter Parker. Spidey’s the laughing, happy go lucky one and Peter’s the mopey angsty one, and neither are the “real” man and neither is an act. They’re two seperate aspects of Peter Parker’s personality, an’ he feels most comfortable expressing one of those aspects when he’s Spider-man. However, when Spider-man is alone he most often goes back to his worrisome Peter Parker voice, as we used to be able to tell before Marvel decided to ditch the thought balloons. Spidey, by his nature, is kind of a ham and needs someone around to laugh at his jokes, be they friend or foe.
Or, from a storytelling standpoint, Spider-man is jes’ about the most purely VERBAL hero around, and as well over 200 issues of Marvel Team-up (First through Third Series), Giant Sized Spider-man, Marvel Team-up annual, Spider-man Team-up, Ultimate Spider-man Team-up, and Marvel Age Spider-man Team-up demonstrate, his verbal nature works spectacularly well when he’s given other heroes to play off of.
So Spider-man isn’t a loner, folks. In fact he’s got more friends than…. But nah. Gotta save something for next time, when we look at Spidey and the Media, Spider-man and free will, and Spidey and Joseph Cambell.
*MarkAndrew Clears his throat*
So we’ll see y’all next time, and in the immortal words of the Man
Ex-Cel-Si *HICCUP*
Dang. Stan makes it look so EASY!
- Posted on May 7, 2007 @ 01:12 AM
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37 Comments
5
May 7, 2007 at 2:23 am
Man, what you’ve got to say is interesting but your writing sucks. Lose the “’bouts” and “jes’s” and just write English, huh?
kloran
May 7, 2007 at 5:28 am
Agreed, use regler inglish an not dat shortnd up vrsion.
Spider man is indeed an iconic figure in comics history and Ill certainly not argue AGAINST his importance in the industry. But since we are talking OPINIONS here. .
PERSONALLY I’ve never been able to get into Marvel books. There’s always been something very B movie about them that just put me off. Once in a while a good story comes along that really sells me but for the most part spider man is just a big yawn.
He’s most comparable to DC’s Superman to me. When ALL the elements are working he’s great and the rest of the time he’s a spandex wearing goof ball I can’t take seriously. The ONLY thing that let’s me rate the big blue school boy over Spiderman is his obvious role as the modern Heracles (Hercules) and his cultural connection to a story that’s been part of our collective culture for thousands of years.
And ultimately thats the flaw with Spider man. When / IF ALL the elements are working he’s just amazing, uncanny, super duper, fantastic and every other fluffy three syllable adjective Marvel can throw at you. But how often are ALL the elements EVER working?
Not as often as I would like, because many of those elements you list above really are what make Spidey ONE OF but certainly not THE best heros in comics.
joe
May 7, 2007 at 5:30 am
Seemed like pretty good writing to me, aside from some typos.
Greg
May 7, 2007 at 5:38 am
I like da shortened up type o’ writin’…it seems down home and folksy.
With Superman, you always know he isn’t going to lose. It’s just ingrained into his character. But with Spidey, whe he gets in a fix you really wonder “how the heck is he going to get out of this one”. What’s more, you really seem to feel for the guy and WANT him to get out of it.
Least that’s how I see it.
T.
May 7, 2007 at 5:40 am
Honestly, I never understand how people could love superheroes but hate Spider-Man. Never been any as good before, never will be anyone as good after.
“Shuck…shuck…shuck?” I always imagined Spider-Man as climbing walls noiselessly.
Keith
May 7, 2007 at 5:42 am
Joe is Mark Andrew in disguise.
I couldn’t get through all of it with the inane writing style. It was interesting, don’t get me wrong. It’s like listening to somebody sing a great song but every now and then they hicup.
Michael
May 7, 2007 at 6:21 am
Hey, 5, how are your sisters, 3 and 4?
One of my favorite Spider improvisational moments is from Untold Tales of Spider-Man. He’s fighting Radioactive Man, and for the second fight, he comes at him with lead-laced webbing. It doesn’t work, and he miffedly remarks, “Aw, c’mon! It’s supposed to work when the hero comes up with some crazy plan like that!” Only the dialogue was better than that.
plok
May 7, 2007 at 6:24 am
Holy shit, that’s getting a little fucking strong now, isn’t it?
plok
May 7, 2007 at 6:25 am
Sorry, I meant the criticism, obviously.
John Seavey
May 7, 2007 at 6:29 am
I enjoyed it, writing style and all. And I’d agree with you on “Spider-Man is a social construct”, but point you to “Spider-Man is creepy” as an example of why people think he should be a loner. Spider-Man shouldn’t be in the Avengers, not because he doesn’t work well in a team, but because nobody in the Avengers should really be wanting Spider-Man on their team.
J To The AAP
May 7, 2007 at 7:46 am
Yeah, but having him on the Secret Avengers fits pretty good since they can be viewed as the outcasts of the Marvel universe.
David C
May 7, 2007 at 7:55 am
Nice, *well-written* piece, despite what some clueless people say.
A few thoughts:
2 & 3: The combination of these two gives you Spider-Man’s true comic (as in “comical”) analogue. He’s not George Carlin or Richard Pryor; he’s the superheroic version of Bugs Bunny, the greatest comic hero of all time.
4. One thing I love that accentuates the creepiness is that, on occasions that involve just relatively normal conversation (like an Avengers meeting or somesuch) Spidey almost never just sits in a chair and talks like a normal person. He’s always standing on the ceiling, hanging upside down from a web, or *some* crazy thing. Which makes sense on several levels (as Peter David and others have noticed, a guy in a Spidey suit doing “normal” stuff looks *completely* ridiculous and dorky!)
6. Another aspect of this is that Spider-Man is a construct of *showmanship*. It’s always worth remembering (but sometimes forgotten) that Peter Parker’s first impulse wasn’t to use his powers to fight crime, or be an explorer like the FF, but to become an entertainer!
And there’s a bit of a dark side to that as well, like craving an audience, and a need to be the center of attention. Spider-Man 3 nails this, and I like the fact that fame and adulation turns Spidey into a little bit of an asshat *before* finding the Venom symbiote!
T.
May 7, 2007 at 9:35 am
Uhh…what? I don’t get it.
Lewis
May 7, 2007 at 9:43 am
Surprisingly, my favorite Spidey quip comes not from the comic, but the cartoon:
TOMBSTONE: Come down here and fight like a man!
SPIDER-MAN: I don’t suppose I could convince you to come up here and fight like a spider?
Paribus
May 7, 2007 at 10:24 am
Spiderman is just normal enough that you can actually imagine science giving us the technological ability to achieve at least some of his powers within 50 years. Micro-cilia, like lizards feet, can hold 100lbs with a square inch of contact. And artificial spider-silk is a coveted industrial material – which means sooner or later, they’ll get it right. I suppose the weakest link of my conjecture concerns “spidey-sense” and the other genetic, as opposed to technological, powers he has. So unless getting bitten by a radioactive spider actually works (have any of YOU tried it?) Spidey will unfortunately remain a purely fictional creation.
Omar Kamel
May 7, 2007 at 10:50 am
Thanks for writing this up. Yeah, I’d prefer good spelling and good grammar all around, but that’s not why I’m writing.
I have two particular comments to make about the Spidey movies, and this seems as good a place as ever to mention them:
1. The wisecracks! One of the things that the movies have gotten all wrong is that Spidey doesn’t punctuate his fight scenes with wisecracks! That’s just eerie for me, I’m USED to hearing wisecracks all the time during a Spidey fight! I’ve been wanting to shout this at Raimi ever since Spiderman 1. Not having him jabbing wisecracks totally detracts from his character in the movies, and I miss it like hell. It’s just not Spidey in those movies. Never mind that I think Toby was NOT the best choice…but that’s another story.
2. Kirsten Dunst – HUH!?!?! Who the hell cast her as Mary Jane Watson? She’s COLD. COLD. COLD. Mary Jane was never cold. Not to mention that Dunst is just…ungh – dunno – she just totally doesn’t work for me. I’ve been saying this since Spiderman 1 and I’m more sure of it now having just seen Spiderman 3. She’s a HUGE casting MISTAKE.
Well, that’s it. Just needed to get those two points off my back…
Bill Reed
May 7, 2007 at 10:56 am
Charlie Brown joke.
As for your writing, Mark, I like it; but I try to be as conversational as possible in my posts, too. There’s no pleasing some people.
This is a good start to a Spider-Manifesto, and you’re doin gwell to convince me. I’m not much of a Spider-fan, though I used to love him when I was a kid. My current problem with him seems to be that he’s played out, that his villains are more interesting than him, that I can’t come up with a decent story to tell with him that’s actually *about* him.
So maybe it’s all in my head. The last few years of the comics’ execution, though, have been abysmal. They’ve pretty much ruined every facet of Spider-Man, and they’ve done it on purpose. Now, Sam Raimi gets it: Spider-Man 2 was probably the perfect superhero film.
I forget who said/wrote it, but in regards to your everyman angle, they were right: the old stories worked so that when Peter’s life was in the crapper, Spidey’s life was doing great, and when things were looking up for Pete, they were going downhill for Spidey. It’s a neat parallel.
And yes, it’s about mad science, like all classic Marvel characters. This is why Venom DOES NOT WORK.
Anyway, I await part two, especially the Joseph Campbell bits. Tying Spidey to the monomyth, are you? Or what?
Jaap
May 7, 2007 at 11:20 am
Omar: THANK you. I’ve been saying the wisecrack stuff since SM1, and I really miss it. It’s there when he fights the wrestler, in 1, but that’s about it.
On the other hand, it’s a lot more understandable in a comic if he punches Harry once and explains the velocity of his punch against his nose. This could not be done in a movie. Still some pre-fight banter could not hurt.
I got no beef with Kirsten Dunst, but Tobey is not a spider-man.
T.
May 7, 2007 at 11:27 am
Omar:
I think the lack of jokes may have a lot to do with the casting as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if jokes were originally intended for the first installement but were dropped based on Tobey’s delivery. The few jokes we do hear Maguire say in Spidey attire just sound awful. In fact, just about any time I see Spider-Man with Maguire’s voice coming out of the mask just seems wrong. I think even the voice from the PC vs. Mac parodies sounds more like Spider-Man should than Maguire.
Andrew Collins
May 7, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Omar said:
“2. Kirsten Dunst – HUH!?!?! Who the hell cast her as Mary Jane Watson? She’s COLD. COLD. COLD. Mary Jane was never cold. Not to mention that Dunst is just…ungh – dunno – she just totally doesn’t work for me. I’ve been saying this since Spiderman 1 and I’m more sure of it now having just seen Spiderman 3. She’s a HUGE casting MISTAKE”
Total agreement there. I still think they should have cast Alicia Witt as Mary Jane. She looks the part more, is prettier (In my opinion, anyway), IS a natural redhead, and can come across as a warmer, livelier person. Dunst’s MJ seems to wooden and forced to me…
Dan K
May 7, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Nice post, looking foward to part two (I love me some Joseph Campbell).
I’ve got to say that, although I like wisecracking Spidey in the comics, I completely agree with Raimi’s choice to leave them out of the movies. Raimi’s chosen to go with the more anxsty, dramatic aspects of Spidey’s persona and history (probably the right choice for the format) too many puns might detract from that. You can’t have all the ha ha as well as all the boo hoo.
Tobey and Kirsen are both a bit lack-lustre as far as I’m concerned, but can we all at least agree that J K Simmons as JJJ is the best casting choice in history?
km
May 7, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Nice piece. I can do without the overtly-precious apostrophes (’jes’, etc) but otherwise, lots of fun.
Absolutely. For me a lot of what you’ve written here can be summed up in a unique, or at least uniquely engaging, self-awareness. Peter Parker realises *exactly* how ludicrous it is for a grown man to be clinging to the side of a building in tights, fighting off mad scientists…
…but hey, it’s also kind of fun. Plus of course people keep kidnapping his nearest and dearest and stuff. So…what’s a regular guy gonna do in that situation? Yep: improvise.
I’ll leave the deeper analysis to someone with more of a familiarity with the later comic plotlines – I haven’t picked up a Spidey Book since being burned by the Clone Saga – but that’s what totally enchanted me, as a teenager. Spidey, quite simply, gets it. He made the superhero fantasy accessible, and he entertained the hell out of me while he did it.
Ian
May 7, 2007 at 4:56 pm
“The wisecracks! One of the things that the movies have gotten all wrong is that Spidey doesn’t punctuate his fight scenes with wisecracks! That’s just eerie for me, I’m USED to hearing wisecracks all the time during a Spidey fight! I’ve been wanting to shout this at Raimi ever since Spiderman 1. Not having him jabbing wisecracks totally detracts from his character in the movies, and I miss it like hell. It’s just not Spidey in those movies.”
I agreed with this at first but I think the inclusion of moments of absolute hilarity throughout all the movies kind of make up for this. Save the fight with the Bonesaw every fight has been very serious and having him crack jokes would have lessened the impact.
The fights in Spider-man are dark, brutal fights. It works when he cracks jokes fighting characters on the page becuase a) they’re just drawings and b)the static images allow for extended dialouge that would really slow down a fight.
Peter is still funny and light-hearted and Tobey executes that well, so I think its one of the things that is more a victim to the medium change than anything else.
By the way, for people with such strong feelings for Spider-Man, I find it odd that so many of you spell his name wrong.
seth
May 7, 2007 at 5:54 pm
“that the Scorpion suit ain’t built for aquatic mobility, and the dude IN the suit, bein’ just a regular joe,”
I don’t know if someone else has pointed this out already, but Mac Gargan wasn’t just a “regular joe”, he had superpowers, too. Much like Spider-man had the proportionate powers of a spider, so too did Mac have scorpion powers. Unless I’m mistaken.
Ditko Hands
May 7, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Thank you for saying that Spider-Man is interested in science–but is not a super-genius! I absolutely loathe the idea that Peter Parker is basically Reed Richards with different powers (how many geniuses does the Marvel Universe need, anyway?), and the whole organic web-shooter “controversy” is solely due to some people thinking that PP must be a scientific mastermind.
T.
May 7, 2007 at 7:39 pm
No, you’re right. The only purpose of the suit is to attach the tail, the actual powers are in Gargan.
MarkAndrew
May 7, 2007 at 8:33 pm
So Scorpion’s naturally super-powered, except his tail, which is mechanical. Got it.
I’m not ENTIRELY sure that Stan remembered either, though. It’s clearly established that the Scorpion is more powerful than Spidey, but Spider-man (in an info-dump style thought balloon) is absolutely sure he can hold his breath longer than the Scorpion. If the Scorpion is stronger than Spider-man, wouldn’t he have equivalent lung power?
I DID go back and change the post, though. Thanks fer
the info.
Huh. THAT’S a really good point, and never occured to me.
(If I ever reprint this in another format I’ll definitely work that in, and credit you as best I can.)
Patient Boy
May 8, 2007 at 11:03 am
Mark Andrew: I seem to remember you at some point denying being the creator of the Unca Cheeks the Toy Wonder page.
Now I’m not so sure anymore.
Matt Brady
May 8, 2007 at 11:26 am
I don’t know if I would characterize Spidey as creepy (although there are some good arguments here). I think part of the reason he doesn’t necessarily work so well in a team comes down to his antagonistic nature (witness all the times he got in fights with other heroes (especially the human torch) about a misunderstanding) and the fact that his constant joking is annoying. Sure, the jokes are great when he’s fighting a villain, as it often gets them upset and reckless, but I think allies would get tired of this fast. Jeff Parker illustrates this well in Marvel Adventures: Avengers, with Spidey often going off on a comedy routing, and the other team members saying, “Will somebody please get him to stop?”
chroom
May 8, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Well, Matt Brady, Parker does just about EVERYTHING well in MA AVENGERS. Man, that’s a great book.
And I like my Spider-Man in huge Essential volumes. Pretty much anything published after I was born is uninteresting to me.
mattcomics
May 9, 2007 at 9:37 am
The dark covers of Spider-Man in the rain to me symbolize alot about the wrong way to approach the character. That’s more emo than everyman. Spidey is not a grim and darkness character!
geckoman
May 12, 2007 at 2:55 am
Hey nice stuff!
My favorite Spidey joke is when he first faces x-23 (kind of wolverine girl):
-Oh my god Wolverine! What did they do to you!
guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
May 17, 2007 at 6:56 am
jhıııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööööıııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııımmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkıııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııııı
ashley
May 28, 2007 at 8:37 am
i don’t know
i like spiderman 3
ulises
May 29, 2007 at 10:38 am
i dont know
i like spider man 3
ulises
May 29, 2007 at 3:52 pm
why u guys taklin shit huh fuck u
MILLIND
March 26, 2009 at 12:51 am
I WANT TO DO SEX WITH MJ