Well, Cap wasn't supposed to be "dead" that long, but the response to Bucky as Cap was so overwhelmingly positive, they ran with it long. And Thor was dead because the sales on his book were pretty damn bad toward the end, and they didn't get any pitches for a new Thor book they liked.
@Webhead oh wow! You really have a distaste for that character?
It is more that I do not care for a non-Peter Parker Spider-Man.
So a temporary change of character as part of the on-going soap opera will make you quit? I think Spider-Man is about the only character left who didn't have someone step into the shoes for a storyline. Hell, Steve Rodgers has been replaced as Cap 7 times that I can think of.
And for the folks who say they haven't read Spidey since BND...you've missed out on some REALLY great stories that have reminded me why JMS may be a talented writer, and he may have done good stories on the Spider-Man books, but whoever the hell he was writing during his run wasn't Spider-Man.
Nah, I disagree with that. In fact, it was JMS' writing on the book that brought me back to Spider-Man for those few years. I thoroughly enjoyed his dialogue and his themes, and even when he was forced into specific storylines that he didn't agree with he still turned out good stories. And I thought his Spider-Man was on the money: older and wiser than his salad days, but still a conscientious smart-mouth.
I disliked most of it on a second read. He eliminated all outside characters but Aunt May and Mary Jane, adding the Avengers when needed. He made "big changes" that he did nothing with like:
-Peter as a teacher. Peter David did great stuff with that, but in Amazing, ti was ignored -All of the stuff in "The Other", again, he did NOTHING with it -The Spider-Totem. The Spider-Freaking-Totem. At least the freckin clone has some precedent in previous stories. -The Gwen Kids. -Did I mention how much I hated the Spider-Totem? A HUGE buildup and then nothin. A big ball of nothin. The story that WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE SPIDER-MAN AND CHANGE HIS ORIGIN?
Nothin.
Hell, Peter David is the one who picked up on the most obvious thing that would come out of Spidey unmasking: JJJ goes ballistic! PAD said he wrote the story because he was shocked NO ONE ELSE HAD DONE ANYTHING WITH IT.
And I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it: Spider-Man should not kill someone and eat their head like he did in The Other. Thanks, JMS, for making Peter Parker a murdering cannibal with no friends.
I disliked most of it on a second read. He eliminated all outside characters but Aunt May and Mary Jane, adding the Avengers when needed. He made "big changes" that he did nothing with like:
-Peter as a teacher. Peter David did great stuff with that, but in Amazing, ti was ignored
No it wasn't. He got a handful of stories out of it. Peter's first day as a teacher, taking down a kid with an AK-47; helping the homeless student whose brother was being pursued by the hitman who struck from the astral dimension (requiring some aid from Dr Strange; that was a multi-parter); dealing with the student whose older brother Spidey had caught in a street robbery years earlier. JMS rotated these in along with his other story arcs. They weren't major arcs (except for the mystic hitman story), but he didn't ignore Peter's life as a teacher and he treated these tales with all of the attention he gave the other storylines.
-The Spider-Totem. The Spider-Freaking-Totem. At least the freckin clone has some precedent in previous stories.
So he introduced something new. I didn't see that it actually contradicted anything that went before, except to challenge the reader (as well as Peter) as to what we really knew about his origins. Granted, I much prefer the radioactive spider in the lab accident, but I had no problems with the Spider-Totem and thought it opened the door for some great story possibilities. And I thought JMS delivered on it.
I liked the story, if not the idea behind it. And this was one of the couple of story arcs that were actually foisted on JMS. He didn't want to do this particular one, anymore than he did OMD. He did the story because that was his job and that was his assignment. And, like I say, while I didn't like the idea of the story, I thought he did well with it.
-Did I mention how much I hated the Spider-Totem? A HUGE buildup and then nothin. A big ball of nothin. The story that WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE SPIDER-MAN AND CHANGE HIS ORIGIN?
I don't agree that it fundamentally changed Spidey in any way. It certainly put a different perspective on his origin, but, fundamentally, he and his life were exactly as they were before.
Hell, Peter David is the one who picked up on the most obvious thing that would come out of Spidey unmasking: JJJ goes ballistic! PAD said he wrote the story because he was shocked NO ONE ELSE HAD DONE ANYTHING WITH IT.
I thought there was quite a bit about JJJ's reactions to Spidey's unmasking pretty much everywhere, including in the Avengers. PAD did the focus, and JMS skipped on to the major Civil War tie-ins; given what was going on with CW at the time, I honestly don't think he had time for more than a panel or two of JJJ's reaction anyway. Besides, I thought he did an excellent job with Aunt May's previous discovery of Peter's double-life and I absolutely love the stories where she dealt with it. I'd say that the Aunt May story was just as important as JJJ's reactions. You could only cover so much in one magazine; good thing there were three books with three writers who could catch what couldn't get into the main titles.
And I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it: Spider-Man should not kill someone and eat their head like he did in The Other. Thanks, JMS, for making Peter Parker a murdering cannibal with no friends.
I... have absolutely no recollection of this event? I'll need to reread the series to evaluate that.
If this was 5 or 10 years ago I would not worry because the change might only last 3 or 4 issues. Today this change might last 2 or 3 years and 3 years of The Superior Substitute-Man is something I do not want to read.
2-3 years? No way.
It happened with Cap (I think), sure, but no way for Spider-Man.
Why not?
Cap was "dead" for over two years before he got better and in the mean time we got Bucky as Cap.
Thor was about three years and his book was cancelled until they brought him back.
The Human Torch was dead for almost a year and they replaced him with Spider-Man.
In the case of the Human Torch and Cap remember how much free publicity they got out of it when they "killed" them and the amount they got when they brought them back. Imagine the amount of press they will get if they say "Peter Parker is no longer Spider-Man" Marvel will want to ride that for al that it is worth and then after a good long time they will bring him back and start the whole media circus all over again.
I view Cap (And Torch) and Spidey as way different animals.
But, now I'm going to sink my own point. They did it with Batman. 'nuff said.
I disliked most of it on a second read. He eliminated all outside characters but Aunt May and Mary Jane, adding the Avengers when needed. He made "big changes" that he did nothing with like:
-Peter as a teacher. Peter David did great stuff with that, but in Amazing, ti was ignored
No it wasn't. He got a handful of stories out of it. Peter's first day as a teacher, taking down a kid with an AK-47; helping the homeless student whose brother was being pursued by the hitman who struck from the astral dimension (requiring some aid from Dr Strange; that was a multi-parter); dealing with the student whose older brother Spidey had caught in a street robbery years earlier. JMS rotated these in along with his other story arcs. They weren't major arcs (except for the mystic hitman story), but he didn't ignore Peter's life as a teacher and he treated these tales with all of the attention he gave the other storylines.
-The Spider-Totem. The Spider-Freaking-Totem. At least the freckin clone has some precedent in previous stories.
So he introduced something new. I didn't see that it actually contradicted anything that went before, except to challenge the reader (as well as Peter) as to what we really knew about his origins. Granted, I much prefer the radioactive spider in the lab accident, but I had no problems with the Spider-Totem and thought it opened the door for some great story possibilities. And I thought JMS delivered on it.
I liked the story, if not the idea behind it. And this was one of the couple of story arcs that were actually foisted on JMS. He didn't want to do this particular one, anymore than he did OMD. He did the story because that was his job and that was his assignment. And, like I say, while I didn't like the idea of the story, I thought he did well with it.
-Did I mention how much I hated the Spider-Totem? A HUGE buildup and then nothin. A big ball of nothin. The story that WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE SPIDER-MAN AND CHANGE HIS ORIGIN?
I don't agree that it fundamentally changed Spidey in any way. It certainly put a different perspective on his origin, but, fundamentally, he and his life were exactly as they were before.
Hell, Peter David is the one who picked up on the most obvious thing that would come out of Spidey unmasking: JJJ goes ballistic! PAD said he wrote the story because he was shocked NO ONE ELSE HAD DONE ANYTHING WITH IT.
I thought there was quite a bit about JJJ's reactions to Spidey's unmasking pretty much everywhere, including in the Avengers. PAD did the focus, and JMS skipped on to the major Civil War tie-ins; given what was going on with CW at the time, I honestly don't think he had time for more than a panel or two of JJJ's reaction anyway. Besides, I thought he did an excellent job with Aunt May's previous discovery of Peter's double-life and I absolutely love the stories where she dealt with it. I'd say that the Aunt May story was just as important as JJJ's reactions. You could only cover so much in one magazine; good thing there were three books with three writers who could catch what couldn't get into the main titles.
And I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it: Spider-Man should not kill someone and eat their head like he did in The Other. Thanks, JMS, for making Peter Parker a murdering cannibal with no friends.
I... have absolutely no recollection of this event? I'll need to reread the series to evaluate that.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3.
Peter Parker becomes "The Spider" and eats Morlun.
Well, Cap wasn't supposed to be "dead" that long, but the response to Bucky as Cap was so overwhelmingly positive, they ran with it long. And Thor was dead because the sales on his book were pretty damn bad toward the end, and they didn't get any pitches for a new Thor book they liked.
The point is Marvel did do it , so what is gonna stop them from doing it again...especially if they get the big splash in the media.
In fact the more attention they get whether or not the book is good the more likely they will stick with the change for an extended period of time. At best we can hope for about only a years worth of The Superior Substitute-Man
For me it all hinges on what they do with Peter. If he is pushed to the side or forced out then I am off the book
Well, Cap wasn't supposed to be "dead" that long, but the response to Bucky as Cap was so overwhelmingly positive, they ran with it long. And Thor was dead because the sales on his book were pretty damn bad toward the end, and they didn't get any pitches for a new Thor book they liked.
The point is Marvel did do it , so what is gonna stop them from doing it again...especially if they get the big splash in the media.
In fact the more attention they get whether or not the book is good the more likely they will stick with the change for an extended period of time. At best we can hope for about only a years worth of The Superior Substitute-Man
For me it all hinges on what they do with Peter. If he is pushed to the side or forced out then I am off the book
I hope Parker gets killed, and replaced by a teen clone, a cyborg, an armored dude, and an ice-cold vigilante.
Comments
-Peter as a teacher. Peter David did great stuff with that, but in Amazing, ti was ignored
-All of the stuff in "The Other", again, he did NOTHING with it
-The Spider-Totem. The Spider-Freaking-Totem. At least the freckin clone has some precedent in previous stories.
-The Gwen Kids.
-Did I mention how much I hated the Spider-Totem? A HUGE buildup and then nothin. A big ball of nothin. The story that WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE SPIDER-MAN AND CHANGE HIS ORIGIN?
Nothin.
Hell, Peter David is the one who picked up on the most obvious thing that would come out of Spidey unmasking: JJJ goes ballistic! PAD said he wrote the story because he was shocked NO ONE ELSE HAD DONE ANYTHING WITH IT.
And I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it: Spider-Man should not kill someone and eat their head like he did in The Other. Thanks, JMS, for making Peter Parker a murdering cannibal with no friends.
I view Cap (And Torch) and Spidey as way different animals.
But, now I'm going to sink my own point. They did it with Batman. 'nuff said.
Peter Parker becomes "The Spider" and eats Morlun.
In fact the more attention they get whether or not the book is good the more likely they will stick with the change for an extended period of time. At best we can hope for about only a years worth of The Superior Substitute-Man
For me it all hinges on what they do with Peter. If he is pushed to the side or forced out then I am off the book