Comic Book Resources

Well said, Greg.

Brian,

You should give some of Sacasa’s run over on Sensational a look.

Just like with MK4, he does really fun stuff with tone and his playwright’s background (and with Stegronn the Dragon Man but that’s totally beside the point). The Medina art can hurt the soul occasionally though.

I have a really different take on Spidey because I started reading Amazing Spider-Man with issue #24, and to me it has always been about angsty, mopey, put-upon Peter Parker. That’s what set it apart, and also what made me stop buying it around issue #150. (My little brother LOVED Spider-Man, so I still got to read them. Heh.) I’m not sure where people are finding all the “fun” in his comics, other than the fight scene banter.

Spiderman can’t actually make the shift from guilt ridden whipping boy – the story isn’t about growth, it’s about the illusion of growth.

Oops. I missed the ‘Guest” up at the top.

Still, the Sacasa issues are fun and different. Statement stands.

Mutt: In reading the back issues of Spider-Man, besides the fight scene banter – which was always fun – there were of course those times when Peter Parker was interacting with his supporting cast (Flash, Harry, Liz, MJ, Gwen, Randy Robertson, etc., etc.) or just enjoying a quiet moment with Aunt May. I think nowadays the angsty, mopey, put-upon stuff has been amplified to a level where it almost seems like self-parody. And as a result, there seems to be no room for those quiet, humanizing moments that readers can use not only as a breather between all the costume-y action moments, but as a way to connect and care about the characters.

Bryant: I can agree with you only to a certain extent…I think you can find plenty of evidence of growth in Spider-Man’s story in the larger sense – not only in its own book, but as the “face” of the Marvel Universe.

Have you ever noticed that as each decade passed since his debut, Peter Parker had completed something that we could all call a “milestone” in American life:

1960s: Peter Parker is a high school student – enters college.
1970s: Peter Parker is a college student – becomes a young adult.
1980s: Peter Parker is a young adult – becomes a husband.

Now, the 1990s is where that changed, and the “illusion” came into play. Because Peter Parker was all set to take that next step from husband to FATHER. And that apparently freaked somebody out to NO end, and they slammed on the brakes, saying this’d age the character too much.

Personally, I EXPECT Marvel characters to age. I understand and accept, from a business sense, that they likely never will, but I still expect it. But I looked forward to Peter Parker having a baby (and I was 17 at the time!), because that was the next step – and if there’s ANY Marvel comic that should’ve been about “what comes next,” it was its flagship character.

I think that Spider-Man is about pain and guilt, but what makes Spider-Man so Amazing is his ability to keep going through it. Often, that not only means that he physically keeps going, but it usually refers to him keeping his spirits high, as much as possible, through the worst the world can throw at him. Look at back in the late 80s early 90s when he got thrown out of bedford towers. He kept on plugging, even though he was flat broke and (iirc) had to move back in with Aunt May with his wife. He’s amazing ebcause he bounces back*.

Also, if you look back, basically, every so often, they write the story where Peter goes dark. Where it all becomes too much for him, and he becomes grim for an arc or two, before realizing that he needs his humanity to keep him grounded, or such. I think it was just before the Clone Saga when he was going around referring to himself as “The Spider” in his head, and not making jokes, just beating the crap out of people. These things come, and then they go again. I think fun Spidey will return. Hopefully with a Brand New Day.

*Side note: of course, Speedball’s powers work this metaphor much better… except I don’t anticipate him bouncing back any time soon.

Also: a format note.

Brian-

I think it would be better to put the name of the person writing the guest review at the top. Possibly with a colon afterwards. If you look at this review, it starts with a line saying “Guest Review”, then says it was posted by you, then begins with “Before I get to the review…” which, in my mind, made it seem like that was YOU talking before posting the review.

I think putting the name of the reviewer at the beginning would alleviate that. Also, there’s the fact that you can’t see who wrote it from the main page of the blog, which is alightly annoying.

Just a thought.
Jordan D. White

I’ve been looking forward to this issue for a while, and I ended up being pretty underwhelmed by it.

It’s not that there was anything particularly bad about it (aside from some of the painful banter), it was just…okay.

And as for wishing that Spider-Man was fun again, I just don’t see the problem. Spider-Man stories are fun except when they’re not. That’s the way it is today, that’s the way it was 30 years ago. The only difference is nowadays the “not” stories tend to last 6 issues instead of 1 or 2, which is a different complaint, I think.

@Greg: That’s a valid point about Peter becoming a father. For the same reasons you mentioned I still hope they’ll let MJ live. Making Peter a father would be an interesting new step, a step that not only seems to have become out of the question but now they’re even trying to take it back a step.

It’s definitely about time for some light in Pete’s life.

Jordan: Absolutely…I don’t mind Spidey entering a dark period. I have those comics where he took to calling himself “the Spider” and I have to say, I didn’t mind it then because it didn’t FEEL so contrived. Not like the storylines have felt from “Sins Past” even up to “Back in Black.”

I think those storylines were called either “On the Edge” or “Over the Edge” but as I recall, that period of darkness was brought on by a plan Harry Osborn had put into effect before he and Peter reconciled during his last moments in Spectacular Vol. 1 #200. Being teased with the prospect of his parents returning from seeming death, then having it snatched away by the best friend he had just reclaimed, it felt organic and natural. And then on top of that, he couldn’t even confront Harry about this because he was gone now. And THEN Aunt May goes and has a stroke.

Actually, I remember quite a few of our Marvel mainstays going through different problems during that period. Iron Man had “Crash & Burn,” Captain America had “Fighting Chance,” Fantastic Four had “Nobody Gets Out Alive,” and Daredevil had just faked his death and was running around as Jack Batlin. But as far as I can tell, NONE of this felt half as forced as the stuff that’s been going on in Marvel for the last two or three years. That’s why I feel concerned about what to expect from “Brand New Day” – I feel like it may be a great new period for Spider-Man, but at the same time based on all we’ve seen of late, I’ve got reservations.

J to the AAP: Making Peter a father would’ve been a great way to keep the overall saga going, no doubt about it – it would’ve propelled Spider-Man easily into the next ten to twenty years without having to keep going back to themes that got worn out back in the 80s. Especially now that Mark Waid has gone and pulled that trigger with THE FLASH. The main character now has twins and look at that…the world didn’t explode! LOL

Moreover, I wonder how much longer it may be before Spider-Girl fans are no longer satisfied with May Parker as a “possible” character and want her a part of the real canon.

I believe we are all projecting a bit of our own personality when looking at this dark period. What seems dark for some is not so bad for others. I’ve been reading ASM for well over 30 years. Alot has gone on during that time but the intensity of depression and self doubt is unprecendented.

Quite possibly, there have been too many “life altering” arcs in session. The small time period at Avengers HQ was a bit of a repreive but ended pretty quickly.

On a good note, as S. Wacker noted, to keep the charactor at this stage would “kill the fanchise”. It has to get a little better.

By the way, Friendly, Sensational, Ultimate SM and SM Loves MJ have been terrific. For the most part, they provide that balance between conflict, guilt, self-doubt, levity and perseverance. They seem to capture the real personality of PP/spider-man and not the over the top stuff we are seeing in OMD.

I have just begun to order Amazing spider-girl. The title has been getting great reviews.

The above review was well done. Thanks for taking the time to do it.