When you look back at the many stories of Dan Slott, that seems to be the pattern: they are larger-than-life, and there is often some cool gimmick that makes the story special. Slott seems to prefer writing such "cool" and "awesome" stories that are colorful and attention-grabbing, but when it comes to writing about how the characters react to these plots and why they react that way, these "boring" but no less important details are often rushed or even absent. It's this focus on plot over characters that often makes his stories a hollow spectacle in the long run.
And yet, when I read his Silver Surfer stories, I would say he’s the exact opposite. Don’t you think the difference could be in his editorial direction? He and Allred were given quite a bit of freedom on Silver Surfer, far less than I would assume he had on a character of Spider-Man’s importance to the company. There’s a lot more pressure for a Spider-Man book to sell well than there is for a book like Silver Surfer.
This wasn't the first and certainly not the last time Slott rushed out a story because he wanted to do the next fun thing with Spider-Man.
Just a personal nitpick here. I don’t like when reviews presume to know a creator’s motivations. Do you know how many hours, how much effort Slott put into the story? Because I sure don’t. Maybe he did phone this one in. Or maybe this type of story is simply more difficult for him to write. Maybe he had to make changes to the story because of an editorial direction. Maybe his schedule was jammed up that week, and he didn’t have as much time to fine-tune the story as he would have liked. Maybe he wasn’t getting enough sleep that week. Or maybe he was just off his game. Stuff happens. Even if someone sees a pattern, it doesn’t necessarily mean what they think it means.
Nothing personal. I think it’s great that you’re taking the time to write such thorough reviews. Blame it on the editor in me.
This wasn't the first and certainly not the last time Slott rushed out a story because he wanted to do the next fun thing with Spider-Man.
Even if someone sees a pattern, it doesn’t necessarily mean what they think it means.
Nothing personal. I think it’s great that you’re taking the time to write such thorough reviews. Blame it on the editor in me.
Yeah, I know. To be fair, I meant it more as an observation of his pattern than a factual statement of what he might've actually intended to do. My statements tend to swing into hyperbole, so I apologize when I exaggerate sometimes.
But I have to call it what it is. Maybe it's the editorial problems that led to his foul-ups, but his writing still came off as rushed and sloppy. The above review wasn't the first time I've noticed that it ended on a sour, anticlimactic note. The same thing happened again in a recent arc I've read actually, ASM #692-694, the "Alpha" arc that ended with Andrew Maguire's powers zapped away in a single page without any confrontation between him and Spidey (like it was promised in the front-cover of #694). He might have done better in Silver Surfer, but I have to call him out when he's messing up my (ex-)favorite Marvel book.
But you're right on presuming his motivations without knowing. I'll try not to do that in future reviews. Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge my writing; nobody else seems to. lol
This wasn't the first and certainly not the last time Slott rushed out a story because he wanted to do the next fun thing with Spider-Man.
Even if someone sees a pattern, it doesn’t necessarily mean what they think it means.
Nothing personal. I think it’s great that you’re taking the time to write such thorough reviews. Blame it on the editor in me.
Yeah, I know. To be fair, I meant it more as an observation of his pattern than a factual statement of what he might've actually intended to do. My statements tend to swing into hyperbole, so I apologize when I exaggerate sometimes.
But I have to call it what it is. Maybe it's the editorial problems that led to his foul-ups, but his writing still came off as rushed and sloppy. The above review wasn't the first time I've noticed that it ended on a sour, anticlimactic note. The same thing happened again in a recent arc I've read actually, ASM #692-694, the "Alpha" arc that ended with Andrew Maguire's powers zapped away in a single page without any confrontation between him and Spidey (like it was promised in the front-cover of #694). He might have done better in Silver Surfer, but I have to call him out when he's messing up my (ex-)favorite Marvel book.
I've read very little of Slott’s Spider-Man stories—basically just the ones when an artist I really like (Marcos Martin, Javier Pulido, etc.) came in for an arc or one-off—but what I’ve read I’ve enjoyed for the most part, and for my money his run on Silver Surfer was one of the best books Marvel was putting out. But writing something like Spider-Man has to be a slog at times. There’s soooo much material out there. I would hate to have to be the guy trying to come up with a fresh, new Spidey story every few weeks. What hasn’t been done with the guy? So I’ll tip my hat to anyone who can stick with the same character, especially one with so much baggage, for so long, knowing the stories aren’t all going to be winners. Even Roger Stern had some clunkers along the way. But if his work isn’t for you, then it isn’t for you. Nothing wrong with that.
Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge my writing; nobody else seems to. lol
Well, you have to admit, they are rather long. ;) But I'm sure more people are reading them than you might think. It just might take some of us a while to get to them.
Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge my writing; nobody else seems to. lol
Well, you have to admit, they are rather long. ;) But I'm sure more people are reading them than you might think. It just might take some of us a while to get to them.
For me, it’s just that I haven’t read those issues. Maybe the fact I’ve known about these and how everything unfold and still haven’t read them is an indication of what I think of the storyline (and Slott’s run).
A while ago, I complained about a Lizard story arc called "Shed" and how I loathed it. And I would argue that I still do. It was as much a practice in poor taste as the cover above, not to mention its lazy shock factor.
This story, however, does show me the potential of such a dark story, how it could exhaust our hero mentally when there's been so many deaths around him. The main reason I was bothered by Billy's death was because it came at a time when The Gauntlet was ending and Grim Hunt was beginning, so there wasn't a lot of payoff that reflect on the little boy's death, and that's just inexcusable for me, making his death feel like a cheap plot-device. This story does a little better to at least show the effect the many deaths have on Spidey's sanity.
The fact that the Lizard has literally destroyed Curt Connors' life at this point, however... is a mixed bag. I liked Connors. He's a good friend of Peter and a good supporting role. I don't enjoy seeing Peter's friends having their lives ruined for the sake of cheap shock. On the other hand, the Lizard is now an even more terrifying villain than before, and the whole "Hyde has taken over Jekyll's mind" angle is, I have to admit, rather intriguing and has potentials. Though to be fair, Hulk did it first, so it's not exactly original.
That being said... this is yet another Dan Slott story that comes to an anticlimactic end after a lot of build-up. The Lizard turned a lot of important supporting characters into his reptilian ilk, but that plan backfired when it's revealed that reptiles are naturally docile towards humans (and it's only The Lizard that's the exception)... lame. I wish there could have been some form of consequence at least, having another of Peter's friends turned into a monster.
There was also no big fight scene, and hilariously enough, the "battle" (if you could call it that) was resolved when Curt Connors hallucinated every child as Billy and every women as... Martha... Did Snyder took inspiration from this for Batman v. Superman? lol
Aside from the lackluster revelations, there's also a number of plot-holes I need to point out. First, Spidey claimed that the Connors side of the Lizard might be the evil persona because of his grief over losing Martha and Billy, but that doesn't explain the fact that the Lizard was still aggressive when he had his wife and son back then in his first few appearances. Second, when Spidey was going to pierce the Lizard with the hypodermic harpoon, he noted that it might kill him and hesitated, yet in the first part of the story in #688, he said nothing of the sort and stabbed his throat, violently I might add, with the same harpoon. Why is he hesitating here in the final part, #691 instead? It makes no sense.
And finally, the fact that he made such a big deal that the harpoon might kill him and then, after stabbing the Lizard with it for the second time, quickly apologized, that moment just came off as goofy and hilarious for the wrong reason.
I enjoyed that Slott reaffirmed Spidey's status quo of not letting any one die - his enemies included - and how he tried to play around with the Lizard's character by implying that the Jekyll persona might be the evil being in Mr. Hyde, but the execution here just feels so sloppy. I have a lot of qualms about Slott's writing, but "sloppy" isn't something I'd usually attribute him with.
That being said, I do like that big reveal at the very end... I was totally stoked about it when I saw that villain's return. YES! He's back! Can't wait to see his confrontation with the wannabe Hobgoblin. But outside of that, this has been the latest disappointing Slott-tale that I've read.
Final Rating:
Amazing Spider-Man #692-694: Alpha
What if Justin Bieber was Spider-Man? Brr. Horrifying thought, ain't it?
Last time in Spider-Island, I complained that it didn't focus enough on the whole "what if irresponsible people became Spider-Man" theme. This story fixed that. The result is a very annoying and self-entitled brat. And yet, it makes sense in a real world perspective. Teenage celebrities have often let their fame go to their head before they inevitably crash and burn with all the bad press.
There were many "50th anniversary" stories in the months prior to this story's release, but this was the one that supposedly marked the actual birthday of Spider-Man, so it's fitting that it's related Spider-Man's origin - this time, by creating a modern Peter Parker. With geeks and nerds being cool now, the modern day outcast is a little more different, and Andy Maguire (whose name might be a homage to a certain Spider-Man actor, perhaps) seems to fit the bill pretty well, a kinda anti-social recluse whose parents are neglectful, too busy with their career to shower the child with proper affection.
In the story, Andy goes through a very similar origin story as Peter, but ends up living "the good life" by utilizing his powers for self-gain. And in spite of his parents being put in danger because of him, he never mellowed the way Peter did, which makes sense since Andy and his parents barely have that strong relationship Peter had with his uncle. I've often liked stories with characters that parallel Peter's personality and morals, and it's honestly enjoyable to see another troubled kid use his newfound powers to live the fantasy of all that fame and fortune. Very similar to what Parker went through. The problem lies in how the story wrapped up in the final issue. It's a Dan Slott story with an interesting gimmick; can you guess how it ends? Yep. With an anticlimax and a rushed ending.
Once again, we are deprived of a big dramatic fight scene between Spidey and Alpha in the end (despite what the cover of #694 tells you). We didn't get to see Alpha's own pride swallowing him up in a karmic manner, which would have been more appropriate and a hell lot more interesting than how he was eventually brought down: by having his powers zapped away in a single page. That's it. Sigh.
It's a shame. This could have led to the next stage of Spidey's life as a role model and mentor like in MC2 Spider-Girl. But I guess that will make Peter too "mature", and I know the Marvel house wants Spider-Man to stay "youthful" and "hip" with the kids to sell books... Cue eye-roll.
The only saving grace is the two back-up stories in the first part of the story, #692. One's a heartwrenching tragedy about a father and his Spider-Man fan of a daughter with terminal illness ("Spider-Man For A Night"), bearing similarity to the also tear-inducing "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man"; the other is an uplifting tale exploring the inner-kid still existing in Spidey ("Just Right"). I think I've always preferred these smaller and more somber stories over the big over-the-top ones sometimes (especially where Spider-Island was concerned with "Infested"). Hope to see more of them.
Final Rating:
There's also Amazing Spider-Man #698-700, "Dying Wish" that also didn't work that well for me (wasn't as bad as I expected though). Currently working on a review that would look to the reasons that the story was created (the reader's feedback) and why I think Superior Spider-Man is not really a good idea (not an awful idea, just not a very good one).
Never really a Deadpool fan. I liked the "Your mama" battle in ASM, but this is kinda meh. Nice to see the Hypno Hustler upgrade his arsenal a little bit, if not his pop culture references. The Rocky Horror Show reference at the end was the only amusing part of Deadpool's gags.
Final Rating:
Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 - Enter: Morbius, The Living Vampire
Not a bad story, but it's an obligatory origin story for new readers, so it's done nothing for me. Doesn't help that Morbius' origin was always kinda boring. Science experiment in attempt to cure a disease gone wrong. Very similar to the Lizard's origin, among other villainous scientist origins.
In Conclusion... Spider-Island was a... 'fun' crossover event, I guess you could call it that. It led to some interesting development, but only at the very end. It didn't feel like a very special event in spite of having "Spider" in a crossover event for the first time in Marvel history, and it didn't really display the kind of "power and responsibility" theme I was hoping to come out of. Because the best Spider-Man stories have always focused more on such a theme, that second point on "spectacle over storytelling" hurts the rating for this arc more than the good points add up. It's not as bad as other crossover events I could think of, but it's not very amazing either.
6/10
Avenging Spider-Man #1-3
Some time before Spider-Island, there were two story arcs that involved characters that didn't really belong in the "Amazing Spider-Man" title, namely the FF and the kids from Avengers Academy. This new title gives Spidey a chance to guest star with other characters without affecting the Webhead's main book, sort of like Marvel Team-Up did back in the heyday (which used to be one of Spidey's core titles, volume 1 anyway).
I remember having a lot of fun reading MTU because it gave us the opportunity to see Spidey directly interact with other superheroes. I felt like Spidey hasn't had the chance to have that kind of up close and personal interaction for a long time. Often, when he guest stars in other books, he only has very few bits and pieces here and there, not worth the price of the book if you're only reading for Spidey. Here, it gives writers the excuse to keep the main focus on Spidey while also providing that "team-up" element.
That said, there is an immediate issue I have from page one of the book: Spidey breaking the fourth wall. Let's be real: Spider-Man is not Deadpool. He doesn't break fourth-walls. He doesn't do Looney Tunes humor. His brand of comedy can be cheesy, but not to the point of absurdity. So this book does tread a fine line at risk of turning into that Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon I absolutely abhorred so much. In fact, it irks me that this book might have been the inspiration for that animated series. That cartoon had the same meta-humor, and it also seems to focus a lot on Spidey teaming up with other heroes. But it's too soon to judge for now, so I'll hold back my biasness.
The first three issues did initially impress me with their humor. It's kinda juvenile and sometimes low-brow, and it reminded me too much of the aforementioned USM cartoon, but it was still kinda witty at times, especially Jonah Jameson's lines. He's one of the better parts of these three issues. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Spidey and Rulk, so the humor didn't bother me too much. It does feel like a less serious Spider-Man title compared to the past ones, even Marvel Team-Up - which is perfectly fine, since the buddy cop banter between Spidey and Rulk here is amusing enough to be entertaining. But of course, I prefer my comics to have little more dramatic flair to it. Comedy isn't really my favorite genre; juvenile comedy that deals with genitals even less (I find it lazy, even).
And that is disappointing, because #2 had some really strong writing there displaying Spidey's moral integrity in risking his life and limb for others, not to mention that impressive twist at the end. But then, #3 went and muck it all up with that anticlimactic low-brow humor, which I got the point of (a villain that took down Rulk was defeated by Spidey shaming him), and it could've been clever (sort of) if not for the lazy and childish genital cliche.
Let's call it 6/10. Hope the next story arc impresses me more and gives me a good reason to stick with this book.
Note: It does, but the quality quickly dropped after #5 when Zeb Wells isn't around for multiple issues. "The Omega Effect" in #6 was an annoying crossover that stretched out to two other books I have no interest in (Daredevil and Punisher). Then there was that silly She-Hulk team-up in #7 that, while kinda fun, still felt like stupid cat-humor, not to mention all the plots holes it has.
Finally, I'm currently reading Spider-Men, and I must say... it doesn't really live up to the hype. There's a lot of padding stuffed between the issues. Reminds me a lot of Spider-Island. I'll probably not write a full review, much like many of the books that didn't work for me this week. A pain in the ass. It's much more fun writing about comics that I actually enjoyed.
Bendis killed interest in events for me. Morrison’s Batman direction killed my interest in reading Bat-titles (and out of DC, actually). BND killed my interest in reading Spidey titles (and all Marvel titles except Moon Knight; his title did that on its own). I’ve had zero regrets not diving back in since.
It's a shame too. Bendis did some good work in Ultimate Spider-Man back in the day. But his work just seemed to get worse over the years, choked with so much unnecessary exposition that's more "tell" than "show". "Spider-Men", the crossover arc where 616 Spidey meets Miles Morales, is one of such examples of wastage of space.
I never cared for his Spider-man. He felt too annoying. Especially in New Avengers. I passed on Ultimate Spider-man. I was never interesting in an alternate version of Peter.
Your loss. Ultimate Spidey and Miles Morales were on point!
In Conclusion... Spider-Island was a... 'fun' crossover event, I guess you could call it that. It led to some interesting development, but only at the very end. It didn't feel like a very special event in spite of having "Spider" in a crossover event for the first time in Marvel history, and it didn't really display the kind of "power and responsibility" theme I was hoping to come out of. Because the best Spider-Man stories have always focused more on such a theme, that second point on "spectacle over storytelling" hurts the rating for this arc more than the good points add up. It's not as bad as other crossover events I could think of, but it's not very amazing either.
6/10
Avenging Spider-Man #1-3
Some time before Spider-Island, there were two story arcs that involved characters that didn't really belong in the "Amazing Spider-Man" title, namely the FF and the kids from Avengers Academy. This new title gives Spidey a chance to guest star with other characters without affecting the Webhead's main book, sort of like Marvel Team-Up did back in the heyday (which used to be one of Spidey's core titles, volume 1 anyway).
I remember having a lot of fun reading MTU because it gave us the opportunity to see Spidey directly interact with other superheroes. I felt like Spidey hasn't had the chance to have that kind of up close and personal interaction for a long time. Often, when he guest stars in other books, he only has very few bits and pieces here and there, not worth the price of the book if you're only reading for Spidey. Here, it gives writers the excuse to keep the main focus on Spidey while also providing that "team-up" element.
That said, there is an immediate issue I have from page one of the book: Spidey breaking the fourth wall. Let's be real: Spider-Man is not Deadpool. He doesn't break fourth-walls. He doesn't do Looney Tunes humor. His brand of comedy can be cheesy, but not to the point of absurdity. So this book does tread a fine line at risk of turning into that Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon I absolutely abhorred so much. In fact, it irks me that this book might have been the inspiration for that animated series. That cartoon had the same meta-humor, and it also seems to focus a lot on Spidey teaming up with other heroes. But it's too soon to judge for now, so I'll hold back my biasness.
The first three issues did initially impress me with their humor. It's kinda juvenile and sometimes low-brow, and it reminded me too much of the aforementioned USM cartoon, but it was still kinda witty at times, especially Jonah Jameson's lines. He's one of the better parts of these three issues. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Spidey and Rulk, so the humor didn't bother me too much. It does feel like a less serious Spider-Man title compared to the past ones, even Marvel Team-Up - which is perfectly fine, since the buddy cop banter between Spidey and Rulk here is amusing enough to be entertaining. But of course, I prefer my comics to have little more dramatic flair to it. Comedy isn't really my favorite genre; juvenile comedy that deals with genitals even less (I find it lazy, even).
And that is disappointing, because #2 had some really strong writing there displaying Spidey's moral integrity in risking his life and limb for others, not to mention that impressive twist at the end. But then, #3 went and muck it all up with that anticlimactic low-brow humor, which I got the point of (a villain that took down Rulk was defeated by Spidey shaming him), and it could've been clever (sort of) if not for the lazy and childish genital cliche.
Let's call it 6/10. Hope the next story arc impresses me more and gives me a good reason to stick with this book.
Note: It does, but the quality quickly dropped after #5 when Zeb Wells isn't around for multiple issues. "The Omega Effect" in #6 was an annoying crossover that stretched out to two other books I have no interest in (Daredevil and Punisher). Then there was that silly She-Hulk team-up in #7 that, while kinda fun, still felt like stupid cat-humor, not to mention all the plots holes it has.
Finally, I'm currently reading Spider-Men, and I must say... it doesn't really live up to the hype. There's a lot of padding stuffed between the issues. Reminds me a lot of Spider-Island. I'll probably not write a full review, much like many of the books that didn't work for me this week. A pain in the ass. It's much more fun writing about comics that I actually enjoyed.
Bendis killed interest in events for me. Morrison’s Batman direction killed my interest in reading Bat-titles (and out of DC, actually). BND killed my interest in reading Spidey titles (and all Marvel titles except Moon Knight; his title did that on its own). I’ve had zero regrets not diving back in since.
It's a shame too. Bendis did some good work in Ultimate Spider-Man back in the day. But his work just seemed to get worse over the years, choked with so much unnecessary exposition that's more "tell" than "show". "Spider-Men", the crossover arc where 616 Spidey meets Miles Morales, is one of such examples of wastage of space.
I never cared for his Spider-man. He felt too annoying. Especially in New Avengers. I passed on Ultimate Spider-man. I was never interesting in an alternate version of Peter.
Your loss. Ultimate Spidey and Miles Morales were on point!
Subjective. His Ultimate (and New Avengers” version I found extremely annoying. It’d be hard for me to comment on Morales, as I have never read the character. It would, however, be hard to fathom the character not being “on point,” as he was completely created by Bendis.
I enjoyed the novelty of Miguel O’Hara, but ultimately, there’s only one Spider-man for me.
In Conclusion... Spider-Island was a... 'fun' crossover event, I guess you could call it that. It led to some interesting development, but only at the very end. It didn't feel like a very special event in spite of having "Spider" in a crossover event for the first time in Marvel history, and it didn't really display the kind of "power and responsibility" theme I was hoping to come out of. Because the best Spider-Man stories have always focused more on such a theme, that second point on "spectacle over storytelling" hurts the rating for this arc more than the good points add up. It's not as bad as other crossover events I could think of, but it's not very amazing either.
6/10
Avenging Spider-Man #1-3
Some time before Spider-Island, there were two story arcs that involved characters that didn't really belong in the "Amazing Spider-Man" title, namely the FF and the kids from Avengers Academy. This new title gives Spidey a chance to guest star with other characters without affecting the Webhead's main book, sort of like Marvel Team-Up did back in the heyday (which used to be one of Spidey's core titles, volume 1 anyway).
I remember having a lot of fun reading MTU because it gave us the opportunity to see Spidey directly interact with other superheroes. I felt like Spidey hasn't had the chance to have that kind of up close and personal interaction for a long time. Often, when he guest stars in other books, he only has very few bits and pieces here and there, not worth the price of the book if you're only reading for Spidey. Here, it gives writers the excuse to keep the main focus on Spidey while also providing that "team-up" element.
That said, there is an immediate issue I have from page one of the book: Spidey breaking the fourth wall. Let's be real: Spider-Man is not Deadpool. He doesn't break fourth-walls. He doesn't do Looney Tunes humor. His brand of comedy can be cheesy, but not to the point of absurdity. So this book does tread a fine line at risk of turning into that Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon I absolutely abhorred so much. In fact, it irks me that this book might have been the inspiration for that animated series. That cartoon had the same meta-humor, and it also seems to focus a lot on Spidey teaming up with other heroes. But it's too soon to judge for now, so I'll hold back my biasness.
The first three issues did initially impress me with their humor. It's kinda juvenile and sometimes low-brow, and it reminded me too much of the aforementioned USM cartoon, but it was still kinda witty at times, especially Jonah Jameson's lines. He's one of the better parts of these three issues. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Spidey and Rulk, so the humor didn't bother me too much. It does feel like a less serious Spider-Man title compared to the past ones, even Marvel Team-Up - which is perfectly fine, since the buddy cop banter between Spidey and Rulk here is amusing enough to be entertaining. But of course, I prefer my comics to have little more dramatic flair to it. Comedy isn't really my favorite genre; juvenile comedy that deals with genitals even less (I find it lazy, even).
And that is disappointing, because #2 had some really strong writing there displaying Spidey's moral integrity in risking his life and limb for others, not to mention that impressive twist at the end. But then, #3 went and muck it all up with that anticlimactic low-brow humor, which I got the point of (a villain that took down Rulk was defeated by Spidey shaming him), and it could've been clever (sort of) if not for the lazy and childish genital cliche.
Let's call it 6/10. Hope the next story arc impresses me more and gives me a good reason to stick with this book.
Note: It does, but the quality quickly dropped after #5 when Zeb Wells isn't around for multiple issues. "The Omega Effect" in #6 was an annoying crossover that stretched out to two other books I have no interest in (Daredevil and Punisher). Then there was that silly She-Hulk team-up in #7 that, while kinda fun, still felt like stupid cat-humor, not to mention all the plots holes it has.
Finally, I'm currently reading Spider-Men, and I must say... it doesn't really live up to the hype. There's a lot of padding stuffed between the issues. Reminds me a lot of Spider-Island. I'll probably not write a full review, much like many of the books that didn't work for me this week. A pain in the ass. It's much more fun writing about comics that I actually enjoyed.
Bendis killed interest in events for me. Morrison’s Batman direction killed my interest in reading Bat-titles (and out of DC, actually). BND killed my interest in reading Spidey titles (and all Marvel titles except Moon Knight; his title did that on its own). I’ve had zero regrets not diving back in since.
It's a shame too. Bendis did some good work in Ultimate Spider-Man back in the day. But his work just seemed to get worse over the years, choked with so much unnecessary exposition that's more "tell" than "show". "Spider-Men", the crossover arc where 616 Spidey meets Miles Morales, is one of such examples of wastage of space.
I never cared for his Spider-man. He felt too annoying. Especially in New Avengers. I passed on Ultimate Spider-man. I was never interesting in an alternate version of Peter.
Your loss. Ultimate Spidey and Miles Morales were on point!
It’d be hard for me to comment on Morales, as I have never read the character. It would, however, be hard to fathom the character not being “on point,” as he was completely created by Bendis.
From what I heard, he's as shy and insecure as pre-Spidey 616 Peter Parker. Not sure how much of that is true though.
Amazing Spider-Man #698-700: "Dying Wish" Well, it's finally happened. Peter Parker is dead. The bad guy wins. Happy 50th anniversary, Spider-fans! Hope you enjoyed watching your favorite hero kick the bucket on his special day!
I'll be honest with you. I've been preparing for the worst. I was really uncomfortable with the idea of this arc just from reading about its details, that Doc Ock was going to swap brains with Spidey and assume his mantle. It sounded very gimmicky and contrived. Ever since "One More Day" happened, the Amazing Spider-Man comic seemed less like a character study of Peter Parker and more like a product where writers pitched the Marvel editorial board the next big thing that would draw the readers of tomorrow while keeping the book afloat for the next 10-20 years. Even Straczynski's run spent more time exploring the kind of person Peter was as a husband, adding new layers and depths to the hero rather than turning each book into the blockbuster of the month.
That being said... it's a good story. Not a great one, but certainly not the horrible nightmare some of us had hyperbolically generalized in a fit of panic. Somewhat disappointing, but not worth writing death threats about. And honestly, after reading an insightful article written by Cody Wilson of the ever-reliable Spiderfan.org, I realized that we were partially to blame for this "new direction" anyway. It's partly on us, the death of Spider-Man.
We can gripe and complain about the writers, editors and Marvel's entire company all day long, but when it comes down to it, let's face it: Spider-Man is a product, and business was booming in spite of all the supposedly "terrible" creative decisions they've made. And like any product, we the customers are a key source of how the business will be ran. Over the years prior to ASM #700, Marvel had been selling us different ideas by introducing story elements that would later be used again in "Dying Wish", and our feedback to those elements in earlier stories was what ultimately led to the "Superior Spider-Man", the book that would replace "The Amazing Spider-Man" title for better or worse - at least for a year and 33 issues.
Through this review, I hope to address these "elements" and analyze which of them worked for me and which merely raised my anxiety levels.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER This wasn't the first time a supervillain stole Peter Parker's identity. Back in ASM #602, Chameleon seemingly "killed" Peter in an acid pool and subsequently went about the rest of the day being him, even interacting with Peter's acquaintances and friends. Having the eccentric behavior of improving the lives of whomever he had disguised as, Chameleon did a few selfish things, including punching Mary-Jane's stalker (with the butt of a gun), calling Flash Thompson "Puny Flash" the way he called Peter years ago, and moving Harry's homeless butt into Peter's home.
These "improvements" Chameleon made in Peter's life were well-received by readers, myself included, thereby providing Marvel the first piece of the puzzle they needed. I have to admit, Peter calling the ex-bully "Puny Flash" was a guilty pleasure on its own, giving payback to the football star after so long. On the other hand, he's a crippled war hero, so it was still a scummy thing to say.
And while it could be fun to see someone carry out these naughty deeds in Peter's favor, doing and saying things what some of us wish Peter would just have the guts to do, it could also lead to some really creepy scenes as well. Let's not forget, these were bad people taking over Peter's life, Octavius the sociopathic egomaniac included. In ASM #602, Chameleon made out with Peter's roommate who wasn't aware who she was really kissing under that mask; this lack of consent was tantamount to an act of rape.
And then in #700, Otto (in Peter's body) was clearly thinking of having sex with MJ, a woman who would be unaware of the real person she's really sleeping with. This would eventually lead to some even more sleazy storyline in the "Superior Spider-Man", which I'll touch on in the future.
Playing devil's advocate for a bit, one could argue that crippling a woman and stripping her naked to show how evil a villain is was in poor taste too, yet Killing Joke was held by millions as some gold standard of storytelling. What Dan Slott wrote seemed trivial by comparison.
KILL HIM TWICE, SHAME ON YOU There's a reason why "Death of Spider-Man" worked in the Ultimate universe: Peter Parker died being known to his world as a hero, giving us a fitting finality. In the 616 universe, on the other hand? He died leaving a villain perving on his ex-girlfriend! What kind of finality was that?! What a way to shit all over our favorite hero!
Of all the feedback Marvel took into consideration, this had to be the dumbest. It's like simple math to them: "People loved Ultimate Death of Spider-Man, therefore they must be okay with killing off 616 Peter Parker and replacing him with a murdering sociopath on his 50th birthday." Unfortunately, the best storytelling is anything but simple math.
And unlike USM, the moments right before Peter's death here felt rushed. Ultimate Spider-Man had the benefit of "Ultimate Fallout", a mini series dedicated to addressing how everyone reacted to the death of such a great hero. Amazing Spider-Man didn't have that advantage and had to slap together several "closures" to end the book, including MJ finally confessing to Otto-Peter her love for him, Jonah Jameson finally approving of Spidey as a legit hero, and Peter experiencing a dream sequence where everyone he cared about who died came back to greet and thank him - all within a single issue. These "closures" should have been, in my opinion, focused on in an entirely separate issue of their own, not crammed together with the already crowded plot of #700. It ended up reading like a last minute homework assignment written hastily to beat the deadline.
There's also another thing that bothered me about Peter's final moments. Using the last remnant of his energy in Octavius' dying body, Peter was somehow able to channel the memories in his own body and forced Otto to experience all the guilt and pain he ever felt being Spider-Man. Afterwards, he almost seemed content to pass on the mantle to Doc Ock. Why was he so content at letting this potential killer take over his role as Spidey, and why would his dying wish be for Otto to take care of MJ and his loved ones? He's a selfish and self-centered jerk who only ever cared about himself! Why would he trust him?! No matter how sympathetic Otto came across, and no matter how desperate Peter was, it just didn't make sense.
I wish there would have been at least a last desperate struggle on Peter's part to resist letting this psycho do whatever he wanted with his powers, not quietly accept his takeover. In fact, it would have made more sense had Peter gone to the Avengers or the Fantastic Four, making his last request to have them stop Doc Ock, not to mention the fact that they would have bought his "mind-swap" story a lot more than Carlie did (she shot him multiple times when he tried to tell her the truth).
DRACO IN LEATHER PANTS The third feedback Marvel collected was the sympathetic side of Octavius. There were a number of stories detailing this, depicting him as a frail young boy in the past who had aspired to be scientist (just like Peter Parker). And there's grounds for such sympathy too, for Otto never received the proper grooming Peter had, thereby being an ideal mirror of Spidey (much like the Joker and Batman). This ambiguous side of Octavius' morality was well-received, along with, of course, Spider-Man 2, where he was made into an even more sympathetic antagonist than his comic counterpart.
Yet, the decision to place a murderer behind the mask of the webbed hero for a long period of time is strange and definitely inappropriate. Octavius is tied to at least three deaths, two of which were intentional: Bradley Miles in "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" Vol. 2 #40, James Warden in "Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure" #4, and the accidental death of George Stacy in ASM #90. Would that be appropriate for the kids reading this? Spidey's been a huge recognizable icon all over the world, and now kids are going to follow in the footsteps of this scum who thinks it's over to break the other criminals' jaws or just straight up kill them (the latter of which we'll see in "Superior" later on)? With how political Marvel had been with their "racial/sexual diversity" movement, I'm surprised they would risk such an idea in our SJW climate, not to mention the aforementioned sexual aggression towards MJ.
Again, there is potential for a good story here... if it's a tale of redemption, which would only work if Octavius turns himself in. Unfortunately, a move like that could possibly end the Spider-Man books for good (unless Peter returns), which is the exact opposite of why Marvel shook things up with this brain-swap in the first place (to keep the sales of Spider-Man books from dying). And even if the books continue with Otto being some kind of anti-hero vigilante hunted by the law, there's no way Spider-Man fans (and probably many parents) could approve of a murderer remaining as the new face of the inspiring hero for long.
I think Marvel knew that. Marvel's not stupid. And we knew that Marvel's not stupid, so I'm sure lots of people have speculated Peter Parker's return long before he did. What I don't know is why Marvel even bothered to hide it. It's kinda an obvious eventuality.
But when all is said and done, I admit that the idea of a Spider-Man who's not so morally clean does intrigue me, somewhat. Over the years, Spidey cutting loose and unleash all the strength and powers in him can be cathartic. While the fact that his integrity was why he's such an amazing character we could look up to, there's also an underlying pleasure in many of us in seeing him punishing those who deserve it, in seeing him get a little dirty to get things done. So to have "SpOck" (god that's an awful nickname) stay for a while before Peter eventually come back? I'm actually okay with that. I wouldn't mind seeing a "dark and gritty" chapter for Spider-Man.
However, a key reason I would like this approach lies in a factor that applies to me: I haven't read the other darker Spider-Man spin-offs, which brings us to our final feedback and problem.
DARKNESS WITHOUT LIGHT BREEDS APATHY There were two other Spider-Man spin-offs around the time this story arc was released. "Scarlet Spider" (Vol. 2) and Venom (Vol. 2), both of which received very favorable reviews (Venom in particular), and both were darker takes on the Spider-Man theme of power and responsibility (Scarlet Spider in particular since he's literally a clone of Peter Parker). If I want a darker story, I would read either of that. The only reason I didn't was because I only have enough time for Spidey alone. No time for the myriad amount of spin-offs out there.
And now a third dark Spider-story is introduced, filled with murders and bloodshed (and believe me, there will be blood). I've mentioned before that I love dark stories. I live for them. They can touch on our basest emotions and provide us a form of catharsis the lighter and warmer tales couldn't. But this is another case of businessmen blindly relying on statistics and numbers without considering the context. Too much darkness can ultimately lead to indifference in your audience, not to mention the fact that the "lighter" stories have their place in storytelling too, offering something dark stories couldn't either: hope, and moral inspiration.
Batman is an amazing character. His stories (often through his rogues' gallery) delve into complex analysis of the human mind, of our darkest and most frightening emotions and personality. But not everyone likes reading Batman, and even Batman fans probably don't want every superhero to be like Batman either! That would just dilute his unique quality. Besides, would you want all your heroes to be brooding or morally complex? Did you enjoy the dark and morose Superman in Batman v. Superman or even Man of Steel? Sometimes, we just want heroes to be heroes! Not straight up kill criminals without offering redemption like The Punisher and Wolverine! We already have those in the Marvel universe! Sigh.
For the most part regarding this point, I'm merely playing devil's advocate here. As I've mentioned, 'Spotto Octavius' wasn't going to stay for long-term, so it's fine. A temporary period of dark Spider-Man stories is fine. For me. But I do have to put my foot down and lay out what a darker Spider-Man means for the world, and why both writers and business executors alike must be careful not to push the scale too far. Balance. There must always be balance in all things. Take it from Thanos.
WAS THIS STORY ANY GOOD? I talked a lot about the aspects that came to piece together this Frankenstein monster. But was the story entertaining in its own right? The short answer is yes, especially #698. That first part of the story was truly like Doc Ock said, a magic trick. It began with an ordinary day in the life of Spidey. Nothing seemed unusual. But by the end of it, I was left slack-jawed and so utterly impressed by Slott that I had to read the ending twice to see if I had misread something.
The second and third issue went a step further. Essentially, the entire story arc could be summed up with "Peter trying to get back into his own body." But after we knew Peter was running out of time, the pacing of the story started to pick up really, really quickly. The readers would be as concerned as Peter, and at that time, nobody knew what was really going to happen because there was an announcement around that time that "The Amazing Spider-Man" book would come to an end. It's a real page-turning thriller in spite of its simple premise. Most gut-wrenching of all, they made Peter plead for his life. On his birthday.
Talk about a punch to the gut. Brings back tearful memories ("I don't want to go, Mr. Octavius").
Humberto Ramos' art really didn't help things. His depiction of Peter trapped in a dying body was a horrifying sight to endure for me. You could see all the horrid details; his skin decaying, his eye-socket popping out, and blood spilling out everywhere. I could only imagine how painful Peter's final moments were. No wonder many fans were outraged. This wasn't an honorable death in the arms of his loved ones like Ultimate Spider-Man; it was pure torture. Does Dan Slott actually hate Peter Parker?
Still, I have to give credit where it's due. It's an emotional story (albeit for the wrong reasons at times), and it's a really ballsy one too where the bad guy actually won. Not just any bad guy either, but one of Spidey's biggest bads of all. Since Norman Osborn had already became an Avenger villain, it made sense for Doc Ock to be the one who would finally do him in.
Now onto the other question: do I like the overall story? No. I don't hate it as much as certain stories in the past (marriage and The Devil come to mind), but on principle, I can't accept this story. I know why they made this story. It's almost the same thing as One More Day. I'm guessing the sales for ASM must have been dropping. And even if it wasn't, even if I'm completely wrong about the comparisons to OMD, I still don't like how shoddily his death was treated. I don't mind a Spider-Man death - I LOVED "Death of Ultimate Spider-Man". It respected and really reminded us why Spidey was the hero we loved. This story felt like just another rushed effort by Dan Slott to clean up the book and move onto the thing he seemingly loved more, Spotto Octavius "The Superior Spider-Man", a book that he's written far better than his entire run in ASM. Are we sure Dan is a Spider-Man fan? Or did he just like Otto?
To clarify, I don't begrudge Dan. It's more of the corporate executives behind Marvel that I'm so infuriated about. It's always the executives at one point or another whenever we are talking about a creatively-skewed story. And while his work might have been sloppy throughout most of his run, I was reminded recently that it might be due to Marvel pushing him with agendas and deadlines, so again, not his fault.
What's done is done. And I've already began reading "Superior", even as I'm writing this. It's not bad, and it's everything I expected: an extremist Spidey willing to cross the line to get things done. I like it, just not how we got there. I mean, give me a break, Peter was my hero. Is it too much that I wanted a death that wasn't as insulting? At the least, I wish that "dream sequence" I mentioned was more than just a dream, and everyone Peter cared about actually came to pat him on the back for doing a good job, that it was time for him to rest. The fact that it was only a dream felt like the final slap to the hero's face. Good job, hero. Now get the f*** out of here.
Final Rating:
I was going to give it three webs initially. I really did. But looking back now, at how Peter's death was treated, I feel more infuriated than satisfied, and also annoyed at how it was just another corporate decision that never stuck since he would come back later anyway. It cheapened the already cheapened idea of comic book death. Now even one of the most iconic heroes of all time suffered from the tired cliche of meaningless death.
Next time, we shall finally witness the birth of this supposedly "Superior Spider-Man" and see if Otto could truly surpass our lovable Pete as the hero we deserve:
I usually wait 'till either the end of the week or 'till I finish a TPB before I post a review, but the issue I just read makes it a special case...
The Superior Spider-Man #9: Gray Matters
It's a lot worse than I thought. I hate this issue. I hate Superior Spider-Man. I f***ing hate Dan Slott. This almost makes me want to drop the book. I knew I would probably wanna drop the book after this, but I just didn't know how much I would want it. Sigh.
First off, I don't mind that Spotto was a lot more effective than Spidey. If it's any one else making that argument, I would agree. Spotto was doing more good than Spidey ever did. But that's not what's happening here. This was Slott s***ting all over Peter Parker because he wanted to make Spotto look so awesome and cooler than Petey.
Second, Slott could have written Peter to be a more effective Spider-Man if he wanted to, so the fact that he had Spotto criticize Peter for not doing more is a f***ing hypocritical move on his part. YOU were the writer, Dan. YOU were responsible for his ineffectiveness. So shut up!
And worst of all, he's making an argument that disrespects 50 years of canon worked on by other writers. Peter Parker only cares about himself? Who the f*** are you talking about? Do you even f***ing know Peter Parker? I could agree with Peter being ineffectual to SOME extent, but selfishness? Really? Peter Parker, to my knowledge, is a martyr. He's anything but selfish prick who values his own life. You're s***ting on the many writers who built up this character as a good person worth respecting, so go f*** yourself, Dan Slott.
I don't know how anyone who's a real Spider-Man fan could actually enjoy this. There are so many uncomfortable things in this issue alone, such as Peter's loved ones who passed away being slaughtered again. Never mind that they were actually memories, but the depiction here is still disgusting to the fandom and the entire history of the book. You could have depicted a memory-wipe any other way, but noooooo, you just have to revel on how Spotto is sooooo much better than Peter that you have to SHOW his loved ones being killed again. What loathesome writing.
There could have been a better way to write this issue while making all the same points - that Peter wasn't as effective as a hero as Otto - but it's how appalling the execution (both literal and figurative) is that bothers me. It's like when you could tell a writer is reveling in the violence of a story rather than using it to make a point. That's what's happening here. You didn't have to disrespect the character like that. You could have inserted a final panel where Peter promises he would be back or... something, I don't know! The way the story was written here makes anyone who likes Peter want to burn the book and just forget about Spider-Man for 5 or 6 years 'till Slott is finally gone! Jesus!
The people who know me best know I’m a huge Clue fan. With the exception of the themed editions, I have virtually every version (Clue: Master Detective Edition is my favorite). When news of a Clue series was announced, I had a bunch of people reach to advised me.
Two issues in and I knew it’d be a rough 6 issue mini-series. I just finished issue 6 (which I got last month). I high recommend you don’t get it. They tried to “update” the characters (at least they acknowledged the victim’s true name: Dr. Black), but decided to 4th wall break the series. Needless to say, by the end of issue 6, I wished I was one of the victim.
It successfully concluded my last DCBS order for the immediate future.
It's the end of the week. Time for the weekly round-up of what didn't work for me.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Friendly Fire TP In spite of the trade's title, this is a collection of the final issues of Avenging Spider-Man by the way. That series had a great promising start thanks to Zeb Wells. After his departure, Yost managed to do some great work, but the horribly out-of-place promotional plug for the 2012 Avengers movie in "The Chameleon Sanction" gave a disappointing end to the book.
The Superior Spider-Man Annual fares a little better, featuring SpOck using torture as a means to an end. Ever since Massacre was killed, things at the SSM main title have been boring, and this shocking development really shook things up like it hadn't been for a while.
Secret War (2004) HC Such a compelling premise that felt timely after the events of 9/11. But of course, as with many great premises in comic books, the plot was rushed and didn't go anywhere fruitful. The controversial subject of assassinating a terrorist should have had a greater impact, not just on the readers, but the characters participating in said assassination - ESPECIALLY SPIDER-MAN, the one guy who doesn't kill. Hate how this event was never mentioned again in any Spider-books.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Versus TP "Sibling Rivalry" is basically a shameless plug for the Scarlet Spider title. There's very little to no development for SpOck here. Very disappointed at Yost for plugging his other book.
The "Infinity" tie-in is a little better, but still a mediocre and forgettable tale that's another promo-plug, this time for the Infinity event. This one is more disappointing for me, because it at least had an interesting premise tackling the subject of technophobia and how technology had divided us... but it turned out to be just a shameless plot-device, the theme never really explored.
Basically, just don't waste your money and skip this first volume of the Inferior Team-Up title.
Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1: Complete Collection TP Ho boy. Where do I even start with this atrocity?
Look, Superior Spider-Man had a good premise going for it. Spider-Man's greatest foe taking over his body and tries to be a hero seeking redemption... except he didn't. Slott spent over 10-12 issues of the title making SpOck gloat about how superior he was over Peter Parker. There's no "redemption," only a series of edgy display how SpOck could take down villains much more "effectively" than Peter ever could. Taking down Massacre was great and I approve, but everything after that just felt repetitive and humdrum, including setting up the new status quo for SpOck through these new Goblin plot-threads that I honestly didn't give a f*** about after the absolutely repulsive #9.
I'm not going into this too much. I'll do a full-length review of SSM after I finish the entire nightmare, which is thankfully coming to an end for me very soon (currently at #20).
Very disappointed at Yost for plugging his other book.
Hey, it’s a longstanding comic book tradition going back to the early days of the industry. The very idea of superhero teams/team-ups was based in the cross-promotion of titles. I mean, the Marvel Universe caught on in large part because of the constant references to/plugs for other books in the line (. I don’t have any problem with it in principle. As long as the story feels organic to the book and it’s an enjoyable read, it’s all good by me.
As long as the story feels organic to the book and it’s an enjoyable read, it’s all good by me.
Except it didn't feel organic and therefore wasn't an enjoyable read. Have you even read the team-up I mentioned? Just checking, because I don't think it's fair of you to judge my disappointment if you haven't. SpOck was barely a character there and more like a plot-device to progress Kaine's development.
A bigger reason why I was disappointed was because Yost used to develop SpOck much better than Slott ever did in Avenging Spider-Man, so to see him toss SpOck aside and focus entirely on Kaine (during a time when his more introspective writing was much-needed for Superior Spider-Man, I might add) was the real disappointing factor.
As long as the story feels organic to the book and it’s an enjoyable read, it’s all good by me.
Except it didn't feel organic and therefore wasn't an enjoyable read. Have you even read the team-up I mentioned? Just checking, because I don't think it's fair of you to judge my disappointment if you haven't. SpOck was barely a character there and more like a plot-device to progress Kaine's development.
A bigger reason why I was disappointed was because Yost used to develop SpOck much better than Slott ever did in Avenging Spider-Man, so to see him toss SpOck aside and focus entirely on Kaine (during a time when his more introspective writing was much-needed for Superior Spider-Man, I might add) was the real disappointing factor.
Nope, haven't read it. But I wasn't judging you, just talking about my feelings on that type of story in principle, not in regards to this specific story. From your wording, it sounded to me like you were making a comment on the promotional aspect of the story in a very general way, as if all stories promoting other titles were bad because of their very nature. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
As long as the story feels organic to the book and it’s an enjoyable read, it’s all good by me.
Except it didn't feel organic and therefore wasn't an enjoyable read. Have you even read the team-up I mentioned? Just checking, because I don't think it's fair of you to judge my disappointment if you haven't. SpOck was barely a character there and more like a plot-device to progress Kaine's development.
A bigger reason why I was disappointed was because Yost used to develop SpOck much better than Slott ever did in Avenging Spider-Man, so to see him toss SpOck aside and focus entirely on Kaine (during a time when his more introspective writing was much-needed for Superior Spider-Man, I might add) was the real disappointing factor.
From your wording, it sounded to me like you were making a comment on the promotional aspect of the story in a very general way, as if all stories promoting other titles were bad because of their very nature. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
Well, yeah, I was reviewing multiple trades in a single post (something new I've been trying as opposed to reviewing single issues), so I summed it up with a very generalized statement that unfortunately caused you to misunderstand. I'm sorry too for giving you the wrong idea.
Huh, I felt a bit different. I quite enjoyed this series. In fact, the only problem I had was that they had claimed they were going to do alternative endings but didn't wind up doing it... I felt that the cheekiness of the series worked for me. For that reason I didn't mind the 4th wall breaking.
Huh, I felt a bit different. I quite enjoyed this series. In fact, the only problem I had was that they had claimed they were going to do alternative endings but didn't wind up doing it... I felt that the cheekiness of the series worked for me. For that reason I didn't mind the 4th wall breaking.
It didn’t bother me until the very last issue. Then it felt like they were trying to fill pages. The throwback to the movie wasn’t bad.
Not much activity this week. Been preoccupied with my Superior Spider-Man review that I've been too lazy to write because I don't really like reviewing stuff I didn't really enjoy. Oh well. Let's see what I've read this week. The good news is, there's only one comic that didn't work for me this week, but that's only because I'm talking about entire trades, not single issues.
Superior Spider-Man Vol. 3 Finally, it comes to an end. And you know what? Were it not for #9, this whole entire one-off storyline wouldn't have been so frustrating to get through. That's why I had to rewrite my review a couple of times because my personal feelings about #9 kept getting in the way of acknowledging the narrative quality that do exist in this story. In hindsight, it's a fun story, just not a very mentally engaging one due to the mischaracterization of Peter and MJ, a mediocre second act (#11-20) where SpOck just do generic supervillain stuff, an utter lack of exploration of SpOck's motivation to be a hero outside of Yost and Gage's writing, and your trademark Dan Slott rushed ending we've already seen countless times in his entire run. In his defense, many comic book writers tend to rush out stories for the sake of meeting deadlines, even though that's no excuse for bad writing.
Anyway, will go into more details in my actual review, if I ever get around to finishing it.
So I pretty much stated online that I wanted to drop Dan Slott's Spider-Man permanently after what I've read regarding Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #7 (and now, #8). It's an old story, and I know this post doesn't have as much impact when Slott is almost out the door, but I'm still catching up with the trades, so yeah... there it is, experiencing the horrifically abysmal writing that is Spider-Verse for the first time. It's edgy, ultraviolent, and most of all, juvenile.
Folks, when it comes to gratuitous and mean-spirited violence done for the sake of showing how hardcore a villain is, I haven't seen writing this appalling, and most of all, lazy since Mark Millar's "The Motherf***er" rape scene in Kick-Ass. We literally have a villain that gloats about brutalizing the sweet and tender universe of "Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends". There are no words to describe just how lazy this metaphor is to show the edginess of the antagonist. It's like a 15 year old s***ing all over polished marble floor in a mansion to prove the offensiveness of such a notion. Why don't you kill some puppies while you're at it? Big round of applause, Sherlock.
And don't even get me started on destroying Mayday's happiness. Look, I don't care what you say about Mayday being a forgettable b-character (that's BS). What Slott did to Mayday was taking a very satisfying conclusion to a story many Spider-Girl fans loved and just exploited it for sensationalism and to "attract new readers." Wow. I can't tell you just how many levels of wrong that sounded. I mean, if you just pause for a moment and just think about the fundamental ethics of this, why people of other fandom (not just Spider-Girl) were upset over a franchise that ended on a high-note being exploited and continued again for cheap shock value. Just try and wrap your head around that notion. Think of it like Indiana Jones 4. It's that kind of appalling, taking a beloved character who had a great run and gave it a new spin of your own. Think of it like Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem level of edginess to prove something as fatuous as "the stakes are raised."
It's not even a comic book anymore. It's cultural vandalism. Literal vandalism of cultural icons.
Anyway, it's obvious I couldn't drop Spider-Man even if my life depends on dropping it. I love Spider-Man, for now and ever, and I'll always stick with him through the worst of it. Like I said, this would have sounded a lot more epic four years ago when Slott was still in charge. lol Anyway, here's to Spencer and a great run ahead.
Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 2 #5 Another obligatory tie-in to Spider-Verse. Who cares at this point? Props to Peter David for creating alternate 2099 Spider-Man, but seeing another Spider-Man happy with MJ getting killed off just killed my interest in this story. Also, lots of plot-holes regarding Miguel's ability to sense the other 2099's deaths.
Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 2 #5 Another obligatory tie-in to Spider-Verse. Who cares at this point? Props to Peter David for creating alternate 2099 Spider-Man, but seeing another Spider-Man happy with MJ getting killed off just killed my interest in this story. Also, lots of plot-holes regarding Miguel's ability to sense the other 2099's deaths.
Final Rating: Yawn.
I loved the original run of this character. I couldn’t get past the new costume & current day setting of the new series.
Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 2 #5 Another obligatory tie-in to Spider-Verse. Who cares at this point? Props to Peter David for creating alternate 2099 Spider-Man, but seeing another Spider-Man happy with MJ getting killed off just killed my interest in this story. Also, lots of plot-holes regarding Miguel's ability to sense the other 2099's deaths.
Final Rating: Yawn.
I loved the original run of this character. I couldn’t get past the new costume & current day setting of the new series.
Shame too, that it turned out that way. I haven't actually read the original run (except the first couple of issues), but I liked 2099's costume and his personality a lot, especially in "Edge of Time" (voiced by my boy, Christopher Daniel Barnes).
I can't thank Big Al (over at the Spider-Man Crawlspace forum) enough for introducing me to that Tumblr blog, "Hellz Yeah the Web-Wielding Avenger," because there are quite a number of posts here that feature a series of harsh and honest reviews criticizing Dan Slott's Spider-Verse event. It's originally posted on a website called "examiner.com" (now changed to "axs,com"), but those reviews no longer exist for some reason.
Anyway, there are so many great quotes that call out on the nonsensical nature of Spider-Verse and Slott's writing in general, but here's one from a review of ASM Vol. 3 #11 that catches my attention today:
"What drags this issue down below mediocrity is how the story seems to enhance certain characters and concepts while degrading others, all in service to the editorial and corporate overlords without even the pretense of if being for other reasons. For example, not only is the young Spider-Man who is currently starring in “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Web Warriors” on Disney XD a member of the assembled cross-universe Spider-Men, but he gets to have a notable team up with Miles Morales and the original animated Spider-Man from 1967. By sheer coincidence, Disney owns the rights to the original 1967 cartoon and that was the cartoon most adults in their forties (and up) consider their first exposure to Spider-Man. In contrast, readers should recall that the animated versions of Spider-Man which came a generation later - those from “Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends” and “Spider-Man Unlimited” - were dispatched and insulted with all the dignity of a used paper towel in “Amazing Spider-Man #7”. Predictably, while writer Dan Slott personally promised death and slaughter to everyone’s favorite versions of Spider-Man to promote the event, he’s apparently lost some nerve when it came to bruising the current animated version nor the version from his childhood. Those aren’t the scripts that imply a brave or innovative storyteller, but a self promotional hypocrite."
Ohhhhh snap, that's brutal, man. lol Brutal, but oh so true. So much for Slott's gloating that "I'm going to slaughter all your favorite Spideys!" at Comic-Con. It's just one of the many hypocrisies Slott has said over the years, his own words backfiring at him in the most beautiful fashion.
I'm long bored of Spider-Verse at this point, but it's juicy reviews like this that keeps me reading to see how stupid the writing can become.
Comments
Nothing personal. I think it’s great that you’re taking the time to write such thorough reviews. Blame it on the editor in me.
But I have to call it what it is. Maybe it's the editorial problems that led to his foul-ups, but his writing still came off as rushed and sloppy. The above review wasn't the first time I've noticed that it ended on a sour, anticlimactic note. The same thing happened again in a recent arc I've read actually, ASM #692-694, the "Alpha" arc that ended with Andrew Maguire's powers zapped away in a single page without any confrontation between him and Spidey (like it was promised in the front-cover of #694). He might have done better in Silver Surfer, but I have to call him out when he's messing up my (ex-)favorite Marvel book.
But you're right on presuming his motivations without knowing. I'll try not to do that in future reviews. Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge my writing; nobody else seems to. lol
Amazing Spider-Man #688 - 691: No Turning Back
A while ago, I complained about a Lizard story arc called "Shed" and how I loathed it. And I would argue that I still do. It was as much a practice in poor taste as the cover above, not to mention its lazy shock factor.
This story, however, does show me the potential of such a dark story, how it could exhaust our hero mentally when there's been so many deaths around him. The main reason I was bothered by Billy's death was because it came at a time when The Gauntlet was ending and Grim Hunt was beginning, so there wasn't a lot of payoff that reflect on the little boy's death, and that's just inexcusable for me, making his death feel like a cheap plot-device. This story does a little better to at least show the effect the many deaths have on Spidey's sanity.
The fact that the Lizard has literally destroyed Curt Connors' life at this point, however... is a mixed bag. I liked Connors. He's a good friend of Peter and a good supporting role. I don't enjoy seeing Peter's friends having their lives ruined for the sake of cheap shock. On the other hand, the Lizard is now an even more terrifying villain than before, and the whole "Hyde has taken over Jekyll's mind" angle is, I have to admit, rather intriguing and has potentials. Though to be fair, Hulk did it first, so it's not exactly original.
That being said... this is yet another Dan Slott story that comes to an anticlimactic end after a lot of build-up. The Lizard turned a lot of important supporting characters into his reptilian ilk, but that plan backfired when it's revealed that reptiles are naturally docile towards humans (and it's only The Lizard that's the exception)... lame. I wish there could have been some form of consequence at least, having another of Peter's friends turned into a monster.
There was also no big fight scene, and hilariously enough, the "battle" (if you could call it that) was resolved when Curt Connors hallucinated every child as Billy and every women as... Martha... Did Snyder took inspiration from this for Batman v. Superman? lol
Aside from the lackluster revelations, there's also a number of plot-holes I need to point out. First, Spidey claimed that the Connors side of the Lizard might be the evil persona because of his grief over losing Martha and Billy, but that doesn't explain the fact that the Lizard was still aggressive when he had his wife and son back then in his first few appearances. Second, when Spidey was going to pierce the Lizard with the hypodermic harpoon, he noted that it might kill him and hesitated, yet in the first part of the story in #688, he said nothing of the sort and stabbed his throat, violently I might add, with the same harpoon. Why is he hesitating here in the final part, #691 instead? It makes no sense.
And finally, the fact that he made such a big deal that the harpoon might kill him and then, after stabbing the Lizard with it for the second time, quickly apologized, that moment just came off as goofy and hilarious for the wrong reason.
I enjoyed that Slott reaffirmed Spidey's status quo of not letting any one die - his enemies included - and how he tried to play around with the Lizard's character by implying that the Jekyll persona might be the evil being in Mr. Hyde, but the execution here just feels so sloppy. I have a lot of qualms about Slott's writing, but "sloppy" isn't something I'd usually attribute him with.
That being said, I do like that big reveal at the very end... I was totally stoked about it when I saw that villain's return. YES! He's back! Can't wait to see his confrontation with the wannabe Hobgoblin. But outside of that, this has been the latest disappointing Slott-tale that I've read.
Final Rating:
Amazing Spider-Man #692-694: Alpha
What if Justin Bieber was Spider-Man? Brr. Horrifying thought, ain't it?
Last time in Spider-Island, I complained that it didn't focus enough on the whole "what if irresponsible people became Spider-Man" theme. This story fixed that. The result is a very annoying and self-entitled brat. And yet, it makes sense in a real world perspective. Teenage celebrities have often let their fame go to their head before they inevitably crash and burn with all the bad press.
There were many "50th anniversary" stories in the months prior to this story's release, but this was the one that supposedly marked the actual birthday of Spider-Man, so it's fitting that it's related Spider-Man's origin - this time, by creating a modern Peter Parker. With geeks and nerds being cool now, the modern day outcast is a little more different, and Andy Maguire (whose name might be a homage to a certain Spider-Man actor, perhaps) seems to fit the bill pretty well, a kinda anti-social recluse whose parents are neglectful, too busy with their career to shower the child with proper affection.
In the story, Andy goes through a very similar origin story as Peter, but ends up living "the good life" by utilizing his powers for self-gain. And in spite of his parents being put in danger because of him, he never mellowed the way Peter did, which makes sense since Andy and his parents barely have that strong relationship Peter had with his uncle. I've often liked stories with characters that parallel Peter's personality and morals, and it's honestly enjoyable to see another troubled kid use his newfound powers to live the fantasy of all that fame and fortune. Very similar to what Parker went through. The problem lies in how the story wrapped up in the final issue. It's a Dan Slott story with an interesting gimmick; can you guess how it ends? Yep. With an anticlimax and a rushed ending.
Once again, we are deprived of a big dramatic fight scene between Spidey and Alpha in the end (despite what the cover of #694 tells you). We didn't get to see Alpha's own pride swallowing him up in a karmic manner, which would have been more appropriate and a hell lot more interesting than how he was eventually brought down: by having his powers zapped away in a single page. That's it. Sigh.
It's a shame. This could have led to the next stage of Spidey's life as a role model and mentor like in MC2 Spider-Girl. But I guess that will make Peter too "mature", and I know the Marvel house wants Spider-Man to stay "youthful" and "hip" with the kids to sell books... Cue eye-roll.
The only saving grace is the two back-up stories in the first part of the story, #692. One's a heartwrenching tragedy about a father and his Spider-Man fan of a daughter with terminal illness ("Spider-Man For A Night"), bearing similarity to the also tear-inducing "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man"; the other is an uplifting tale exploring the inner-kid still existing in Spidey ("Just Right"). I think I've always preferred these smaller and more somber stories over the big over-the-top ones sometimes (especially where Spider-Island was concerned with "Infested"). Hope to see more of them.
Final Rating:
There's also Amazing Spider-Man #698-700, "Dying Wish" that also didn't work that well for me (wasn't as bad as I expected though). Currently working on a review that would look to the reasons that the story was created (the reader's feedback) and why I think Superior Spider-Man is not really a good idea (not an awful idea, just not a very good one).
Avenging Spider-Man #12-13: Spider-Man & Deadpool
Never really a Deadpool fan. I liked the "Your mama" battle in ASM, but this is kinda meh. Nice to see the Hypno Hustler upgrade his arsenal a little bit, if not his pop culture references. The Rocky Horror Show reference at the end was the only amusing part of Deadpool's gags.
Final Rating:
Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 - Enter: Morbius, The Living Vampire
Not a bad story, but it's an obligatory origin story for new readers, so it's done nothing for me. Doesn't help that Morbius' origin was always kinda boring. Science experiment in attempt to cure a disease gone wrong. Very similar to the Lizard's origin, among other villainous scientist origins.
Final Rating:
I enjoyed the novelty of Miguel O’Hara, but ultimately, there’s only one Spider-man for me.
Well, it's finally happened. Peter Parker is dead. The bad guy wins. Happy 50th anniversary, Spider-fans! Hope you enjoyed watching your favorite hero kick the bucket on his special day!
I'll be honest with you. I've been preparing for the worst. I was really uncomfortable with the idea of this arc just from reading about its details, that Doc Ock was going to swap brains with Spidey and assume his mantle. It sounded very gimmicky and contrived. Ever since "One More Day" happened, the Amazing Spider-Man comic seemed less like a character study of Peter Parker and more like a product where writers pitched the Marvel editorial board the next big thing that would draw the readers of tomorrow while keeping the book afloat for the next 10-20 years. Even Straczynski's run spent more time exploring the kind of person Peter was as a husband, adding new layers and depths to the hero rather than turning each book into the blockbuster of the month.
That being said... it's a good story. Not a great one, but certainly not the horrible nightmare some of us had hyperbolically generalized in a fit of panic. Somewhat disappointing, but not worth writing death threats about. And honestly, after reading an insightful article written by Cody Wilson of the ever-reliable Spiderfan.org, I realized that we were partially to blame for this "new direction" anyway. It's partly on us, the death of Spider-Man.
We can gripe and complain about the writers, editors and Marvel's entire company all day long, but when it comes down to it, let's face it: Spider-Man is a product, and business was booming in spite of all the supposedly "terrible" creative decisions they've made. And like any product, we the customers are a key source of how the business will be ran. Over the years prior to ASM #700, Marvel had been selling us different ideas by introducing story elements that would later be used again in "Dying Wish", and our feedback to those elements in earlier stories was what ultimately led to the "Superior Spider-Man", the book that would replace "The Amazing Spider-Man" title for better or worse - at least for a year and 33 issues.
Through this review, I hope to address these "elements" and analyze which of them worked for me and which merely raised my anxiety levels.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER
This wasn't the first time a supervillain stole Peter Parker's identity. Back in ASM #602, Chameleon seemingly "killed" Peter in an acid pool and subsequently went about the rest of the day being him, even interacting with Peter's acquaintances and friends. Having the eccentric behavior of improving the lives of whomever he had disguised as, Chameleon did a few selfish things, including punching Mary-Jane's stalker (with the butt of a gun), calling Flash Thompson "Puny Flash" the way he called Peter years ago, and moving Harry's homeless butt into Peter's home.
These "improvements" Chameleon made in Peter's life were well-received by readers, myself included, thereby providing Marvel the first piece of the puzzle they needed. I have to admit, Peter calling the ex-bully "Puny Flash" was a guilty pleasure on its own, giving payback to the football star after so long. On the other hand, he's a crippled war hero, so it was still a scummy thing to say.
And while it could be fun to see someone carry out these naughty deeds in Peter's favor, doing and saying things what some of us wish Peter would just have the guts to do, it could also lead to some really creepy scenes as well. Let's not forget, these were bad people taking over Peter's life, Octavius the sociopathic egomaniac included. In ASM #602, Chameleon made out with Peter's roommate who wasn't aware who she was really kissing under that mask; this lack of consent was tantamount to an act of rape.
And then in #700, Otto (in Peter's body) was clearly thinking of having sex with MJ, a woman who would be unaware of the real person she's really sleeping with. This would eventually lead to some even more sleazy storyline in the "Superior Spider-Man", which I'll touch on in the future.
Playing devil's advocate for a bit, one could argue that crippling a woman and stripping her naked to show how evil a villain is was in poor taste too, yet Killing Joke was held by millions as some gold standard of storytelling. What Dan Slott wrote seemed trivial by comparison.
KILL HIM TWICE, SHAME ON YOU
There's a reason why "Death of Spider-Man" worked in the Ultimate universe: Peter Parker died being known to his world as a hero, giving us a fitting finality. In the 616 universe, on the other hand? He died leaving a villain perving on his ex-girlfriend! What kind of finality was that?! What a way to shit all over our favorite hero!
Of all the feedback Marvel took into consideration, this had to be the dumbest. It's like simple math to them: "People loved Ultimate Death of Spider-Man, therefore they must be okay with killing off 616 Peter Parker and replacing him with a murdering sociopath on his 50th birthday." Unfortunately, the best storytelling is anything but simple math.
And unlike USM, the moments right before Peter's death here felt rushed. Ultimate Spider-Man had the benefit of "Ultimate Fallout", a mini series dedicated to addressing how everyone reacted to the death of such a great hero. Amazing Spider-Man didn't have that advantage and had to slap together several "closures" to end the book, including MJ finally confessing to Otto-Peter her love for him, Jonah Jameson finally approving of Spidey as a legit hero, and Peter experiencing a dream sequence where everyone he cared about who died came back to greet and thank him - all within a single issue. These "closures" should have been, in my opinion, focused on in an entirely separate issue of their own, not crammed together with the already crowded plot of #700. It ended up reading like a last minute homework assignment written hastily to beat the deadline.
There's also another thing that bothered me about Peter's final moments. Using the last remnant of his energy in Octavius' dying body, Peter was somehow able to channel the memories in his own body and forced Otto to experience all the guilt and pain he ever felt being Spider-Man. Afterwards, he almost seemed content to pass on the mantle to Doc Ock. Why was he so content at letting this potential killer take over his role as Spidey, and why would his dying wish be for Otto to take care of MJ and his loved ones? He's a selfish and self-centered jerk who only ever cared about himself! Why would he trust him?! No matter how sympathetic Otto came across, and no matter how desperate Peter was, it just didn't make sense.
I wish there would have been at least a last desperate struggle on Peter's part to resist letting this psycho do whatever he wanted with his powers, not quietly accept his takeover. In fact, it would have made more sense had Peter gone to the Avengers or the Fantastic Four, making his last request to have them stop Doc Ock, not to mention the fact that they would have bought his "mind-swap" story a lot more than Carlie did (she shot him multiple times when he tried to tell her the truth).
The third feedback Marvel collected was the sympathetic side of Octavius. There were a number of stories detailing this, depicting him as a frail young boy in the past who had aspired to be scientist (just like Peter Parker). And there's grounds for such sympathy too, for Otto never received the proper grooming Peter had, thereby being an ideal mirror of Spidey (much like the Joker and Batman). This ambiguous side of Octavius' morality was well-received, along with, of course, Spider-Man 2, where he was made into an even more sympathetic antagonist than his comic counterpart.
Yet, the decision to place a murderer behind the mask of the webbed hero for a long period of time is strange and definitely inappropriate. Octavius is tied to at least three deaths, two of which were intentional: Bradley Miles in "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" Vol. 2 #40, James Warden in "Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure" #4, and the accidental death of George Stacy in ASM #90. Would that be appropriate for the kids reading this? Spidey's been a huge recognizable icon all over the world, and now kids are going to follow in the footsteps of this scum who thinks it's over to break the other criminals' jaws or just straight up kill them (the latter of which we'll see in "Superior" later on)? With how political Marvel had been with their "racial/sexual diversity" movement, I'm surprised they would risk such an idea in our SJW climate, not to mention the aforementioned sexual aggression towards MJ.
Again, there is potential for a good story here... if it's a tale of redemption, which would only work if Octavius turns himself in. Unfortunately, a move like that could possibly end the Spider-Man books for good (unless Peter returns), which is the exact opposite of why Marvel shook things up with this brain-swap in the first place (to keep the sales of Spider-Man books from dying). And even if the books continue with Otto being some kind of anti-hero vigilante hunted by the law, there's no way Spider-Man fans (and probably many parents) could approve of a murderer remaining as the new face of the inspiring hero for long.
I think Marvel knew that. Marvel's not stupid. And we knew that Marvel's not stupid, so I'm sure lots of people have speculated Peter Parker's return long before he did. What I don't know is why Marvel even bothered to hide it. It's kinda an obvious eventuality.
But when all is said and done, I admit that the idea of a Spider-Man who's not so morally clean does intrigue me, somewhat. Over the years, Spidey cutting loose and unleash all the strength and powers in him can be cathartic. While the fact that his integrity was why he's such an amazing character we could look up to, there's also an underlying pleasure in many of us in seeing him punishing those who deserve it, in seeing him get a little dirty to get things done. So to have "SpOck" (god that's an awful nickname) stay for a while before Peter eventually come back? I'm actually okay with that. I wouldn't mind seeing a "dark and gritty" chapter for Spider-Man.
However, a key reason I would like this approach lies in a factor that applies to me: I haven't read the other darker Spider-Man spin-offs, which brings us to our final feedback and problem.
DARKNESS WITHOUT LIGHT BREEDS APATHY
There were two other Spider-Man spin-offs around the time this story arc was released. "Scarlet Spider" (Vol. 2) and Venom (Vol. 2), both of which received very favorable reviews (Venom in particular), and both were darker takes on the Spider-Man theme of power and responsibility (Scarlet Spider in particular since he's literally a clone of Peter Parker). If I want a darker story, I would read either of that. The only reason I didn't was because I only have enough time for Spidey alone. No time for the myriad amount of spin-offs out there.
And now a third dark Spider-story is introduced, filled with murders and bloodshed (and believe me, there will be blood). I've mentioned before that I love dark stories. I live for them. They can touch on our basest emotions and provide us a form of catharsis the lighter and warmer tales couldn't. But this is another case of businessmen blindly relying on statistics and numbers without considering the context. Too much darkness can ultimately lead to indifference in your audience, not to mention the fact that the "lighter" stories have their place in storytelling too, offering something dark stories couldn't either: hope, and moral inspiration.
Batman is an amazing character. His stories (often through his rogues' gallery) delve into complex analysis of the human mind, of our darkest and most frightening emotions and personality. But not everyone likes reading Batman, and even Batman fans probably don't want every superhero to be like Batman either! That would just dilute his unique quality. Besides, would you want all your heroes to be brooding or morally complex? Did you enjoy the dark and morose Superman in Batman v. Superman or even Man of Steel? Sometimes, we just want heroes to be heroes! Not straight up kill criminals without offering redemption like The Punisher and Wolverine! We already have those in the Marvel universe! Sigh.
For the most part regarding this point, I'm merely playing devil's advocate here. As I've mentioned, 'Spotto Octavius' wasn't going to stay for long-term, so it's fine. A temporary period of dark Spider-Man stories is fine. For me. But I do have to put my foot down and lay out what a darker Spider-Man means for the world, and why both writers and business executors alike must be careful not to push the scale too far. Balance. There must always be balance in all things. Take it from Thanos.
I talked a lot about the aspects that came to piece together this Frankenstein monster. But was the story entertaining in its own right? The short answer is yes, especially #698. That first part of the story was truly like Doc Ock said, a magic trick. It began with an ordinary day in the life of Spidey. Nothing seemed unusual. But by the end of it, I was left slack-jawed and so utterly impressed by Slott that I had to read the ending twice to see if I had misread something.
The second and third issue went a step further. Essentially, the entire story arc could be summed up with "Peter trying to get back into his own body." But after we knew Peter was running out of time, the pacing of the story started to pick up really, really quickly. The readers would be as concerned as Peter, and at that time, nobody knew what was really going to happen because there was an announcement around that time that "The Amazing Spider-Man" book would come to an end. It's a real page-turning thriller in spite of its simple premise. Most gut-wrenching of all, they made Peter plead for his life. On his birthday.
Talk about a punch to the gut. Brings back tearful memories ("I don't want to go, Mr. Octavius").
Humberto Ramos' art really didn't help things. His depiction of Peter trapped in a dying body was a horrifying sight to endure for me. You could see all the horrid details; his skin decaying, his eye-socket popping out, and blood spilling out everywhere. I could only imagine how painful Peter's final moments were. No wonder many fans were outraged. This wasn't an honorable death in the arms of his loved ones like Ultimate Spider-Man; it was pure torture. Does Dan Slott actually hate Peter Parker?
Still, I have to give credit where it's due. It's an emotional story (albeit for the wrong reasons at times), and it's a really ballsy one too where the bad guy actually won. Not just any bad guy either, but one of Spidey's biggest bads of all. Since Norman Osborn had already became an Avenger villain, it made sense for Doc Ock to be the one who would finally do him in.
Now onto the other question: do I like the overall story? No. I don't hate it as much as certain stories in the past (marriage and The Devil come to mind), but on principle, I can't accept this story. I know why they made this story. It's almost the same thing as One More Day. I'm guessing the sales for ASM must have been dropping. And even if it wasn't, even if I'm completely wrong about the comparisons to OMD, I still don't like how shoddily his death was treated. I don't mind a Spider-Man death - I LOVED "Death of Ultimate Spider-Man". It respected and really reminded us why Spidey was the hero we loved. This story felt like just another rushed effort by Dan Slott to clean up the book and move onto the thing he seemingly loved more, Spotto Octavius "The Superior Spider-Man", a book that he's written far better than his entire run in ASM. Are we sure Dan is a Spider-Man fan? Or did he just like Otto?
To clarify, I don't begrudge Dan. It's more of the corporate executives behind Marvel that I'm so infuriated about. It's always the executives at one point or another whenever we are talking about a creatively-skewed story. And while his work might have been sloppy throughout most of his run, I was reminded recently that it might be due to Marvel pushing him with agendas and deadlines, so again, not his fault.
What's done is done. And I've already began reading "Superior", even as I'm writing this. It's not bad, and it's everything I expected: an extremist Spidey willing to cross the line to get things done. I like it, just not how we got there. I mean, give me a break, Peter was my hero. Is it too much that I wanted a death that wasn't as insulting? At the least, I wish that "dream sequence" I mentioned was more than just a dream, and everyone Peter cared about actually came to pat him on the back for doing a good job, that it was time for him to rest. The fact that it was only a dream felt like the final slap to the hero's face. Good job, hero. Now get the f*** out of here.
Final Rating:
I was going to give it three webs initially. I really did. But looking back now, at how Peter's death was treated, I feel more infuriated than satisfied, and also annoyed at how it was just another corporate decision that never stuck since he would come back later anyway. It cheapened the already cheapened idea of comic book death. Now even one of the most iconic heroes of all time suffered from the tired cliche of meaningless death.
Next time, we shall finally witness the birth of this supposedly "Superior Spider-Man" and see if Otto could truly surpass our lovable Pete as the hero we deserve:
The Superior Spider-Man #9: Gray Matters
It's a lot worse than I thought. I hate this issue. I hate Superior Spider-Man. I f***ing hate Dan Slott. This almost makes me want to drop the book. I knew I would probably wanna drop the book after this, but I just didn't know how much I would want it. Sigh.
First off, I don't mind that Spotto was a lot more effective than Spidey. If it's any one else making that argument, I would agree. Spotto was doing more good than Spidey ever did. But that's not what's happening here. This was Slott s***ting all over Peter Parker because he wanted to make Spotto look so awesome and cooler than Petey.
Second, Slott could have written Peter to be a more effective Spider-Man if he wanted to, so the fact that he had Spotto criticize Peter for not doing more is a f***ing hypocritical move on his part. YOU were the writer, Dan. YOU were responsible for his ineffectiveness. So shut up!
And worst of all, he's making an argument that disrespects 50 years of canon worked on by other writers. Peter Parker only cares about himself? Who the f*** are you talking about? Do you even f***ing know Peter Parker? I could agree with Peter being ineffectual to SOME extent, but selfishness? Really? Peter Parker, to my knowledge, is a martyr. He's anything but selfish prick who values his own life. You're s***ting on the many writers who built up this character as a good person worth respecting, so go f*** yourself, Dan Slott.
I don't know how anyone who's a real Spider-Man fan could actually enjoy this. There are so many uncomfortable things in this issue alone, such as Peter's loved ones who passed away being slaughtered again. Never mind that they were actually memories, but the depiction here is still disgusting to the fandom and the entire history of the book. You could have depicted a memory-wipe any other way, but noooooo, you just have to revel on how Spotto is sooooo much better than Peter that you have to SHOW his loved ones being killed again. What loathesome writing.
There could have been a better way to write this issue while making all the same points - that Peter wasn't as effective as a hero as Otto - but it's how appalling the execution (both literal and figurative) is that bothers me. It's like when you could tell a writer is reveling in the violence of a story rather than using it to make a point. That's what's happening here. You didn't have to disrespect the character like that. You could have inserted a final panel where Peter promises he would be back or... something, I don't know! The way the story was written here makes anyone who likes Peter want to burn the book and just forget about Spider-Man for 5 or 6 years 'till Slott is finally gone! Jesus!
Did I mention I f***ing hate this issue?
Final Rating: ZERO WEB! Absolutely loathsome!
Two issues in and I knew it’d be a rough 6 issue mini-series. I just finished issue 6 (which I got last month). I high recommend you don’t get it. They tried to “update” the characters (at least they acknowledged the victim’s true name: Dr. Black), but decided to 4th wall break the series. Needless to say, by the end of issue 6, I wished I was one of the victim.
It successfully concluded my last DCBS order for the immediate future.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Friendly Fire TP
In spite of the trade's title, this is a collection of the final issues of Avenging Spider-Man by the way. That series had a great promising start thanks to Zeb Wells. After his departure, Yost managed to do some great work, but the horribly out-of-place promotional plug for the 2012 Avengers movie in "The Chameleon Sanction" gave a disappointing end to the book.
The Superior Spider-Man Annual fares a little better, featuring SpOck using torture as a means to an end. Ever since Massacre was killed, things at the SSM main title have been boring, and this shocking development really shook things up like it hadn't been for a while.
Secret War (2004) HC
Such a compelling premise that felt timely after the events of 9/11. But of course, as with many great premises in comic books, the plot was rushed and didn't go anywhere fruitful. The controversial subject of assassinating a terrorist should have had a greater impact, not just on the readers, but the characters participating in said assassination - ESPECIALLY SPIDER-MAN, the one guy who doesn't kill. Hate how this event was never mentioned again in any Spider-books.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Versus TP
"Sibling Rivalry" is basically a shameless plug for the Scarlet Spider title. There's very little to no development for SpOck here. Very disappointed at Yost for plugging his other book.
The "Infinity" tie-in is a little better, but still a mediocre and forgettable tale that's another promo-plug, this time for the Infinity event. This one is more disappointing for me, because it at least had an interesting premise tackling the subject of technophobia and how technology had divided us... but it turned out to be just a shameless plot-device, the theme never really explored.
Basically, just don't waste your money and skip this first volume of the Inferior Team-Up title.
Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1: Complete Collection TP
Ho boy. Where do I even start with this atrocity?
Look, Superior Spider-Man had a good premise going for it. Spider-Man's greatest foe taking over his body and tries to be a hero seeking redemption... except he didn't. Slott spent over 10-12 issues of the title making SpOck gloat about how superior he was over Peter Parker. There's no "redemption," only a series of edgy display how SpOck could take down villains much more "effectively" than Peter ever could. Taking down Massacre was great and I approve, but everything after that just felt repetitive and humdrum, including setting up the new status quo for SpOck through these new Goblin plot-threads that I honestly didn't give a f*** about after the absolutely repulsive #9.
I'm not going into this too much. I'll do a full-length review of SSM after I finish the entire nightmare, which is thankfully coming to an end for me very soon (currently at #20).
A bigger reason why I was disappointed was because Yost used to develop SpOck much better than Slott ever did in Avenging Spider-Man, so to see him toss SpOck aside and focus entirely on Kaine (during a time when his more introspective writing was much-needed for Superior Spider-Man, I might add) was the real disappointing factor.
Huh, I felt a bit different. I quite enjoyed this series. In fact, the only problem I had was that they had claimed they were going to do alternative endings but didn't wind up doing it... I felt that the cheekiness of the series worked for me. For that reason I didn't mind the 4th wall breaking.
Superior Spider-Man Vol. 3
Finally, it comes to an end. And you know what? Were it not for #9, this whole entire one-off storyline wouldn't have been so frustrating to get through. That's why I had to rewrite my review a couple of times because my personal feelings about #9 kept getting in the way of acknowledging the narrative quality that do exist in this story. In hindsight, it's a fun story, just not a very mentally engaging one due to the mischaracterization of Peter and MJ, a mediocre second act (#11-20) where SpOck just do generic supervillain stuff, an utter lack of exploration of SpOck's motivation to be a hero outside of Yost and Gage's writing, and your trademark Dan Slott rushed ending we've already seen countless times in his entire run. In his defense, many comic book writers tend to rush out stories for the sake of meeting deadlines, even though that's no excuse for bad writing.
Anyway, will go into more details in my actual review, if I ever get around to finishing it.
Folks, when it comes to gratuitous and mean-spirited violence done for the sake of showing how hardcore a villain is, I haven't seen writing this appalling, and most of all, lazy since Mark Millar's "The Motherf***er" rape scene in Kick-Ass. We literally have a villain that gloats about brutalizing the sweet and tender universe of "Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends". There are no words to describe just how lazy this metaphor is to show the edginess of the antagonist. It's like a 15 year old s***ing all over polished marble floor in a mansion to prove the offensiveness of such a notion. Why don't you kill some puppies while you're at it? Big round of applause, Sherlock.
And don't even get me started on destroying Mayday's happiness. Look, I don't care what you say about Mayday being a forgettable b-character (that's BS). What Slott did to Mayday was taking a very satisfying conclusion to a story many Spider-Girl fans loved and just exploited it for sensationalism and to "attract new readers." Wow. I can't tell you just how many levels of wrong that sounded. I mean, if you just pause for a moment and just think about the fundamental ethics of this, why people of other fandom (not just Spider-Girl) were upset over a franchise that ended on a high-note being exploited and continued again for cheap shock value. Just try and wrap your head around that notion. Think of it like Indiana Jones 4. It's that kind of appalling, taking a beloved character who had a great run and gave it a new spin of your own. Think of it like Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem level of edginess to prove something as fatuous as "the stakes are raised."
It's not even a comic book anymore. It's cultural vandalism. Literal vandalism of cultural icons.
Anyway, it's obvious I couldn't drop Spider-Man even if my life depends on dropping it. I love Spider-Man, for now and ever, and I'll always stick with him through the worst of it. Like I said, this would have sounded a lot more epic four years ago when Slott was still in charge. lol Anyway, here's to Spencer and a great run ahead.
Another obligatory tie-in to Spider-Verse. Who cares at this point? Props to Peter David for creating alternate 2099 Spider-Man, but seeing another Spider-Man happy with MJ getting killed off just killed my interest in this story. Also, lots of plot-holes regarding Miguel's ability to sense the other 2099's deaths.
Final Rating:
Yawn.
Anyway, there are so many great quotes that call out on the nonsensical nature of Spider-Verse and Slott's writing in general, but here's one from a review of ASM Vol. 3 #11 that catches my attention today: Ohhhhh snap, that's brutal, man. lol Brutal, but oh so true. So much for Slott's gloating that "I'm going to slaughter all your favorite Spideys!" at Comic-Con. It's just one of the many hypocrisies Slott has said over the years, his own words backfiring at him in the most beautiful fashion.
I'm long bored of Spider-Verse at this point, but it's juicy reviews like this that keeps me reading to see how stupid the writing can become.