Comics A Healthy Respect

[ScottishFogg]

Just got out of JJ Abrams' Star Trek. Go see it. If you're any fan of science fiction, go see it. It is an absolutely fantastic space adventure. After you've gone and seen it, come back to this blog because the next paragraph (and the rest of the blog) is going to revolve around some plot points I'm not sure you want spoiled.

I've been a fan of JJ Abrams since Alias. I enjoyed that show so much, and the things he's done since, I've even gone back and watched Felicity. When it was announced he was doing Star Trek, I was psyched. Now, have just left the theatre not even an hour ago, I wish he and Quesada could have a sit-down.

The movie's plot revolves around a new timeline beginning. It isn't history being rewritten, it's a new tangent timeline being created. Which means the old movies and the old shows are still canon. They just don't apply to this new universe. Spock is the only character from the old universe to see this new universe. In fact, him being isolated or lost in this new universe is really quite tragic -- though, it does, admittedly, give him a new chance to be a new kind of hero.

This healthy respect Abrams has for the old show, its fanbase, and all prior continuity is so appreciated it's nearly humbling. In this single (first?) movie, he has created the opportunity for new adventures to begin. We can have new adventures of Kirk, Spock, Bones and Scotty. We can go back and revisit these beloved characters in the situations we loved seeing them in -- and even new moments as we carve out a new history for them. We get all that. Without having to forfeit a single episode or movie.

We can have our continuity and a reboot too.

It may be comparing apples and oranges. Doing this to the Spider-Man books would wreck havoc on all the Marvel comics, as interwoven as they all are. But it sure would have been nice.

A healthy dose of respect would have been appreciated. Instead of the slap in the face we got.

 

[imdaly]

Well, really, if you wanted to, can't you just look at it the same way with Spider-Man with the branching point being the wedding? If it bothers you so badly, just view this as an alternate timeline after the wedding didn't happen, where mostly everything else didn't alter much at all. The old comics still happened, just like the old Trek shows/movies still happened.

 

[ScottishFogg]

I could. But pretending doesn't make it the truth.

 

[shinlyle]

Yup. I thought the same thing upon seeing the new Trek flick (which was AWE-SOME, by the way).

If there was just SOMEONE who still remembered the marriage, and now had to live with that torment (and not in a halg-assed, "Their soul will remember it, but it will never be mentioned sort of way, either), as well as point our hero in the direction he needs to go, then we would have something that we could all, however hesitantly, follow. Sure, it wouldn't be the same, but nothing we've already read would be meaningless, either.

*awaits the hundreds of "it still happened, but not the way it happened originally, nothign changed but the marriage posts.

 

[Meehaul]

I suspect Marvel will use this for its next character re-boot. When timid beach comber Nick Fury becomes enraged, he IS the incredible Hulk! When mild mannered Dr. Peter Parker taps his cane against the ground, he becomes the mighty THOR! Struck by a lightening bolt at 17, Sue Storm commands the elements! Speacial agent Hank Pym is transformed into _________ (fill in the blank, he's been almost everyone).

That's the groovy thing with messing with time lines, you can do almost anything or, as the saying goes, eat your cake and have it too.

 

[ScottishFogg]

How I would have done it:

May is shot. Doctors don't know what they can do for her. Try as they might, they just can't save her. The damge is too vast and her body is too old. Spidey swings off, desperate for help. He doesn't care who has to provide the help, he just wants to save his dear old Aunt May. So he goes to everyone, hero and villain alike. Everyone reviews the case, but in turn, each of them shake their head and apologize. There is nothing that can be done.

Doctor Strange, who had bent time and space for Peter, that he might travel to each person quicker tells Peter, "it seems the universe is set in its way. Sometimes, to keep the balance, death is required." This sparks an idea in Peter. "A death?" He repeats. "Could it be someone else?"

The next issue begins with "one last day" between Peter and MJ. They're melancholy. They laugh, they love, they revisit all their favorite memories. Finally Peter kisses her "good-bye." Doctor Strange opens a time portal. Through it, Spider-Man can see the hotel room from last week. He knows where the sniper is. He waits as long as he can, and just as his Spider-sense starts tingling, he leaps through the portal.

Spider-Man crashes into Peter Parker, shoving him in the way of the bullet. MJ screams. Spider-Man falls to the floor, turns around, and sees Peter falling onto the floor, a bloody mess. Under his mask, he smiles, "it worked!" And then he fades from existence.

Between One More Day and Brand New Day we have an interlude: The Funeral of Peter Parker. It's a beautiful book in which all the heroes (and even a few surprise villains) show up to bade Peter good-bye. J Jonah Jameson even stands up and says, "he was the best damn photographer I had." Everyone you would want to be there, is there. Afterwards, MJ and Aunt May climb into a car and are driven home (would that be Stark Tower at this point? I honestly can't remember).

They find Peter there, in his Spider-Man suit, mask off. MJ looks at him and smiles. "So what's a world without Peter Parker going to be like?"

In Brand New Day, we pick up the adventures of Spider-Man. We discover that because of his heightened abilities, the gun shot wound didn't hurt him nearly as bad as it would have Aunt Many. A lucky side-effect no-one was counting on (though that won't be able to be said straight-out, as this Peter will have no memory of One More Day).

With Peter out of the picture, the Parkers now have to rely on MJ's workload to pay for their bills. This could be a new and exciting way to make her character more relevant to the story.

Peter refuses to show or tell anyone his identity. It's the only way he can protect MJ and May. With Peter "dead," no villains have any reason to target the Parker girls. This, however, does lead to a lot of distrust amongst the heroes. They don't know who this Spider-Impostor is and they think it's real disrespectful what he's doing. So this puts Spidey on the outs with everyone.

That's just the starting point. Countless stories could spin out of this set-up and would give Spider-Man a real interesting identity among comic book heroes. He would be the only one (that I can think of) that wouldn't have a dual identity. He'd be just Spider-Man.

But at this point, we would need a Delorean to pull this off.

 

[diespinne]

How I would have done it:

May is shot. Doctors don't know what they can do for her. Try as they might, they just can't save her. The damge is too vast and her body is too old. Spidey swings off, desperate for help. He doesn't care who has to provide the help, he just wants to save his dear old Aunt May. So he goes to everyone, hero and villain alike. Everyone reviews the case, but in turn, each of them shake their head and apologize. There is nothing that can be done.

Doctor Strange, who had bent time and space for Peter, that he might travel to each person quicker tells Peter, "it seems the universe is set in its way. Sometimes, to keep the balance, death is required." This sparks an idea in Peter. "A death?" He repeats. "Could it be someone else?"

The next issue begins with "one last day" between Peter and MJ. They're melancholy. They laugh, they love, they revisit all their favorite memories. Finally Peter kisses her "good-bye." Doctor Strange opens a time portal. Through it, Spider-Man can see the hotel room from last week. He knows where the sniper is. He waits as long as he can, and just as his Spider-sense starts tingling, he leaps through the portal.

Spider-Man crashes into Peter Parker, shoving him in the way of the bullet. MJ screams. Spider-Man falls to the floor, turns around, and sees Peter falling onto the floor, a bloody mess. Under his mask, he smiles, "it worked!" And then he fades from existence.

Between One More Day and Brand New Day we have an interlude: The Funeral of Peter Parker. It's a beautiful book in which all the heroes (and even a few surprise villains) show up to bade Peter good-bye. J Jonah Jameson even stands up and says, "he was the best damn photographer I had." Everyone you would want to be there, is there. Afterwards, MJ and Aunt May climb into a car and are driven home (would that be Stark Tower at this point? I honestly can't remember).

They find Peter there, in his Spider-Man suit, mask off. MJ looks at him and smiles. "So what's a world without Peter Parker going to be like?"

In Brand New Day, we pick up the adventures of Spider-Man. We discover that because of his heightened abilities, the gun shot wound didn't hurt him nearly as bad as it would have Aunt Many. A lucky side-effect no-one was counting on (though that won't be able to be said straight-out, as this Peter will have no memory of One More Day).

With Peter out of the picture, the Parkers now have to rely on MJ's workload to pay for their bills. This could be a new and exciting way to make her character more relevant to the story.

Peter refuses to show or tell anyone his identity. It's the only way he can protect MJ and May. With Peter "dead," no villains have any reason to target the Parker girls. This, however, does lead to a lot of distrust amongst the heroes. They don't know who this Spider-Impostor is and they think it's real disrespectful what he's doing. So this puts Spidey on the outs with everyone.

That's just the starting point. Countless stories could spin out of this set-up and would give Spider-Man a real interesting identity among comic book heroes. He would be the only one (that I can think of) that wouldn't have a dual identity. He'd be just Spider-Man.

But at this point, we would need a Delorean to pull this off.

Wow... that's really good.

 

[ScottishFogg]

Thank-you. I like it.

 

[shinlyle]

How I would have done it:

May is shot. Doctors don't know what they can do for her. Try as they might, they just can't save her. The damge is too vast and her body is too old. Spidey swings off, desperate for help. He doesn't care who has to provide the help, he just wants to save his dear old Aunt May. So he goes to everyone, hero and villain alike. Everyone reviews the case, but in turn, each of them shake their head and apologize. There is nothing that can be done.

Doctor Strange, who had bent time and space for Peter, that he might travel to each person quicker tells Peter, "it seems the universe is set in its way. Sometimes, to keep the balance, death is required." This sparks an idea in Peter. "A death?" He repeats. "Could it be someone else?"

The next issue begins with "one last day" between Peter and MJ. They're melancholy. They laugh, they love, they revisit all their favorite memories. Finally Peter kisses her "good-bye." Doctor Strange opens a time portal. Through it, Spider-Man can see the hotel room from last week. He knows where the sniper is. He waits as long as he can, and just as his Spider-sense starts tingling, he leaps through the portal.

Spider-Man crashes into Peter Parker, shoving him in the way of the bullet. MJ screams. Spider-Man falls to the floor, turns around, and sees Peter falling onto the floor, a bloody mess. Under his mask, he smiles, "it worked!" And then he fades from existence.

Between One More Day and Brand New Day we have an interlude: The Funeral of Peter Parker. It's a beautiful book in which all the heroes (and even a few surprise villains) show up to bade Peter good-bye. J Jonah Jameson even stands up and says, "he was the best damn photographer I had." Everyone you would want to be there, is there. Afterwards, MJ and Aunt May climb into a car and are driven home (would that be Stark Tower at this point? I honestly can't remember).

They find Peter there, in his Spider-Man suit, mask off. MJ looks at him and smiles. "So what's a world without Peter Parker going to be like?"

In Brand New Day, we pick up the adventures of Spider-Man. We discover that because of his heightened abilities, the gun shot wound didn't hurt him nearly as bad as it would have Aunt Many. A lucky side-effect no-one was counting on (though that won't be able to be said straight-out, as this Peter will have no memory of One More Day).

With Peter out of the picture, the Parkers now have to rely on MJ's workload to pay for their bills. This could be a new and exciting way to make her character more relevant to the story.

Peter refuses to show or tell anyone his identity. It's the only way he can protect MJ and May. With Peter "dead," no villains have any reason to target the Parker girls. This, however, does lead to a lot of distrust amongst the heroes. They don't know who this Spider-Impostor is and they think it's real disrespectful what he's doing. So this puts Spidey on the outs with everyone.

That's just the starting point. Countless stories could spin out of this set-up and would give Spider-Man a real interesting identity among comic book heroes. He would be the only one (that I can think of) that wouldn't have a dual identity. He'd be just Spider-Man.

But at this point, we would need a Delorean to pull this off.

Wow. That would have been cool as hell. It would make for one of the absolute best Spidey stories in awhile. Also, imagine when someone DOES discover that Peter Parker is still alive!!! Or, when MJ can't hack it with the bills, and Peter has to figure out what to do!

AH! The stories that could be told!