Does Whatever A Spider Can
Right then, so the world knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
You know what? I kind of like it.
(Cue the sound of readers clicking on to another blog.)
Those of you who are still with me, let me explain.
For those of us like myself who have never been that invested in Spider-Man as a character, it's the first time in a LONG time that Marvel's given us a reason to care about him. He's exposed, he's famous, he's in a very dangerous position. It's a new twist on Spider-Man that hasn't (to my recollection) been done before.
I understand why fans are crying foul at the move, though. Many see Peter's anonymity as central to the character. I never understood that, either. I know that he wants to protect his family from the likes of Doc Ock and Venom or whoever; but I don't think taking his mask off for a while (and make no mistake, it's only for awhile --- a couple of years at most) makes him unable to do that.
And it doesn't remove the power/responsibility burden from his shoulders, which to me is what REALLY makes him Spider-Man.
Look, Marvel made it clear that the classic Peter Parker was done for the second they moved him into Avengers Tower. Now, with him revealing his identity to the public, he's essentially an Elseworlds-y version of Spider-Man anyway.
(That stupid Iron Spider suit was the first tip-off.)
But if you're going to have Spider-Man be an Avenger, suck up to Tony Stark, wear a different costume, and have whatever the hell happened with The Other happen, then why not go whole hog off the reservation and see what happens when he reveals his identity? Since we're playing with make-believe Spider-Man anyway, let's explore this while we can.
So I'm OK with it. What I'm not OK with is the fact that in order for the decision to make any kind of sense whatsoever you had to read the last issue of Amazing Spider-Man, where Aunt May and MJ essentially talk it through with him and we see him come to the decision. That's just stupid, and I think putting that conversation somewhere --- anywhere --- in Civil War would have made this event seem more believable.
Stupid Marvel.
Reviews on Monday!
7 Comments:
I tend to agree with you. I'd rather have them try something different and fail than to just keep going with the formula.
I mean, I haven't been crazy about some of the stuff they've pulled ("The Other") but I don't think we really need 3+ books a month of "Oh no! Green Goblin wants to blow something up! How will Spidey stop him?" If people want to read old-school Spider-Man there are plenty of options for doing so.
And if (or should I say WHEN) they undo it...who cares? Why can't we just enjoy the story (or not) on its own merits and see where it goes? I don't understand why people's enjoyment of comics seems to be so often based on whether the story will still have "happened" ten years from now.
Lame stories are lame stories, no matter how "new" or "radical" they appear.
But, as you said, why not? In my mind, classic Peter Parker died during the Clone Saga. It's been Bizarro Spidey ever since
You make a compelling argument. I think the funniest part of the whole thing is the way they made him wear the "classic" Spider-Man costume for the big reveal rather than the new, stupid iron suit. You can see them begging for news coverage with every line in the webbing. Ya sure don't need Spider Sense to pick up on the desparation, either.
Well, him revealing his identity is irresponsible, as that invites villains to harm him through his family and friends and various other plot devices, so I could see him revealing his identity beiong a horrible decison in almost any case.
But now he lives in the Avengers tower, and has a strong reason to reveal his identity, so I don't really mind the change either.
As the whole of CW war is based on the poor storytelling device of suddenly applying real world logic to a fictional universe that otherwise completely ignores said logic*, I couldn't care less either way.
I just wish all those who likewise don't care that much would stop making blog posts about it as if it was somehow important to them or as if there really is more than a handful people online who are really worked up over this. (I realise I'm contributing to what I'm criticising.) Because, regardless of one's take on this one, it pretty clearly a big helping of stunt driven storytelling which isn't followed up upon and primarily exists to gain exposure/publicity. And 9 out of 10 of those are bad stories.
* I long for the days when noticing such a gap would lead writers to work out just why it doesn't have the consequences one would expect (e.g. unstable molecules) instead of using it as a crowbar and hope no one will notice.
I wonder if Marvel writer's will explore the legal ramifications of unmasking superheroes. I mean Parker has 15+ years as Spidey logged in, beating up bad guys and destroying public and private property? Personal Injury attorneys would be lined up around the block, no? He's gonna need a helluva rep; Matt Murdock won't cut it.
"Since we're playing with make-believe Spider-Man anyway"
As opposed to...?
Post a Comment
<< Home