Comics ASM #551 (spoilers)

[Themanofbat]

Thought it would be a good idea to have a thread soley dedicated to discussing the current issue on it's own. Please save all your "Joe Q is a prick" and "they just wiped out 20 years of continuity" comments for the OMD and BND threads, respectively.

Just read the issue... a slight let-down from the build-up, but I like the feel of the new "Menace", and there is some definite intrigue with Jackpot.

I really am enjoying how the stories are being told with a begining/end format that leaves you feeling like you have to pick up the next issue to figure out more about the minor little things that are going on...

The art was pretty good, and the story flowed pretty nice...

It'll be nice for Peter to finally be able to afford web-fluid ingrediants... t: t: t:

 

[Dangerous]

Hmmm, is this the last issue with the current artist?

 

[Kraven]

For a few arcs, at least, it will be. I'm not sure if he's done permanently on the title, but the next issue will start with Phil Jiminez's (sp?) art I believe.

 

[Themanofbat]

Hmmm, is this the last issue with the current artist?

Yes... the next issues are written by Bob Gale and drawn by Phil Jimenez (the same artist who drew the FCBD Swing Shift comic)

 

[Themanofbat]

Now that Larroca is slated to be the new artist on the new "Invincible Iron Man" comic, I don't know if this will affect his scheduling with ASM...

 

[Dangerous]

Initially I thought the 3 ASM teams were going to be solid and keep taking turns, but I don't see this happening.
#559-560 host different creators... and I bet we don't see McNiven again. That was just to pick up the slack after OMD.

 

[farmernudie]

Friend got his. (darn him for buying it!..lol..)

Well....it is nice that Pete finally earns some money (from his pics) and could finally buy web fluid stuff.

Tho, he is paying an awful lot for it!!

Sheesh!

Is he buying it from Iran or Cuba???? Massive and Sudden Inflation since he recently squirted it out his orifices?

This is something he made up dirt cheap before, they'd always say, including when he was 15 and first became spidey and invented it.

I am still not digging MJ as a superhero...(any more than I like Aunt May wearing Armor, as I've stated elsewhere about THAT.)

Art was ok. Will prefer Jimenez.

Some good dialogue writing here and there (banter).

Menace...blah. Maybe a bit more interesting than Mr. Negative was...but still feels like some new cheap Goblin version whatever. (original Orange and Blue Hobby is still my favorite, besides GG)

Still not worth buying it, for me personally. This story could still be all completely told within confines of marriage frankly. (Even with Mj a superhero if people like that kind of thing) Just my opinion.

 

[Dangerous]

Two things-

-MJ is not yet confirmed as Jackpot, or is that revealed in this issue?
I just think they're being too obvious with Jackpot for it to be Miss Watson, .. it will be pretty lame if it turns out to be her!

Also-

Friend got his. (darn him for buying it!..lol..)

Does that wink mean you are secretly buying it? ..

 

[Themanofbat]

I think Peter was being sarcastic about the price of his web-fluid ingredients...

Bennett basically shysted him of the 10 grand and he had to settle for two thousand...

When you read the bit, Bennett asks Pete what he thinks about the $2000 and he sarcastically thinks in his head "that's what I need to buy web-fluid"... as if to say that he's getting shafted.

Same thing as a Hype "rolley-eyed" effect...

At least, that's how I read it...

 

[stillanerd]

Okay, here's a question:

Spoiler

When in the past has Peter's "Spider-Sense" ever been used as a built in lie-detector akin to Daredevil? Because that was apparently what convinced him that Jackpot wasn't lying to him when she told her name was "Sara Erhet" last issue. However, when he meets Sara back at the house Jackpot took him to last issue, she denies ever being Jackpot, which confuses Spidey because his Spider-Sense supposedly told him the truth last time. So, either this Sara woman really is Jackpot and is a very good liar, OR Jackpot really is Mary Jane and--surprise, surprise--successfully fooled Spidey by giving her a "friend's name" as her own after he did the same to her (which means he fell for his own gag) and that either Sara is totally in the dark or is covering for MJ (which I think is definitely the case). Either way, the tease continues, but it also opens up a big plot hole because, whether Jackpot is Mary Jane or Sara Erhet, she lied to Peter without triggering his Spider-Sense that is a full-proof lie-detector--which apparently is a new use for it as far as I know.

 

[Themanofbat]

Initially I thought the 3 ASM teams were going to be solid and keep taking turns, but I don't see this happening.

The writers will be taking turns, but paired up with different artist, some of whom will be on the rotating list as well.

From what I've read, we have McNiven, Larroca, Jimenez, Bachelo, Romita Jr., Marcos Martin & the newly signed Barry Kitson...

Man, that's some decent artists right there...

 

[farmernudie]

Does that wink mean you are secretly buying it? ..

Nope. I am not buying any of this crap. I am just trying to not say anything about what I think of my friend STILL buying it. He feels how i do....but still buys it, waiting for the great pumpkin to come and make it better soon.
He is a great friend, but he really does NOT like ruining his "run". We argue and laugh over it. He hated Clone Saga and bought every issue of it and whined and complained. After awhile as it dragged on so long, he bought it and didn't even read it! haha...Oh well. That's what makes him, him.

When you read the bit, Bennett asks Pete what he thinks about the $2000 and he sarcastically thinks in his head "that's what I need to buy web-fluid"... as if to say that he's getting shafted.

Um...........I dunno....I didn't take it as him being sarcastic...i took it as him being more.....hmn....more down on his luck...like..."this is where all my money i just finally got is going to"...kind of thing. Not sure. I guess it could be taken either way??? I dunno....

 

[Dangerous]

delete.

 

[Dangerous]

Okay, here's a question:

Spoiler

When in the past has Peter's "Spider-Sense" ever been used as a built in lie-detector akin to Daredevil? Because that was apparently what convinced him that Jackpot wasn't lying to him when she told her name was "Sara Erhet" last issue. However, when he meets Sara back at the house Jackpot took him to last issue, she denies ever being Jackpot, which confuses Spidey because his Spider-Sense supposedly told him the truth last time. So, either this Sara woman really is Jackpot and is a very good liar, OR Jackpot really is Mary Jane and--surprise, surprise--successfully fooled Spidey by giving her a "friend's name" as her own after he did the same to her (which means he fell for his own gag) and that either Sara is totally in the dark or is covering for MJ (which I think is definitely the case). Either way, the tease continues, but it also opens up a big plot hole because, whether Jackpot is Mary Jane or Sara Erhet, she lied to Peter without triggering his Spider-Sense that is a full-proof lie-detector--which apparently is a new use for it as far as I know.

^Either way it does not work.
I don't remember the spider sense bit tho, I'll have to re-read it.

I'll go with Sara being a really good liar, maybe having some sort of power enabling her to beat a polygraph, heh.
I just don't want it to be MJ. As for the Spider-sense as a lie detector, that's a new one on me.

 

[farmernudie]

Really tho....why would Sara want to dress like MJ to a "T".....and copy the way she talks even??

They've made it SO obvious it's MJ....for it to be anyone ELSE...is kinda creepy and lame too now..is it not?

 

[Dangerous]

The writers will be taking turns, but paired up with different artist, some of whom will be on the rotating list as well.

From what I've read, we have McNiven, Larroca, Jimenez, Bachelo, Romita Jr., Marcos Martin & the newly signed Barry Kitson...

Man, that's some decent artists right there...

Ok the writers are fixed cool.

Martin & Kitson, I am not familiar with.

McNiven and JRJR- it sure would be nice to see those guys again.

Aside from an ASM cover they have got coming, it would be awesome to see The Dodson's do 3 issues.

 

[Dangerous]

Really tho....why would Sara want to dress like MJ to a "T".....and copy the way she talks even??

They've made it SO obvious it's MJ....for it to be anyone ELSE...is kinda creepy and lame too now..is it not?

It's very lame.
If it turns out to be MJ that is.
If it's some weirdo that talks like her that's fine with me, at least it will not be what readers are expecting.

What issue / page do we see Jackpot walk like her?
I'm guessing PP muses this inside his head while checking her butt out..

 

[stillanerd]

Really tho....why would Sara want to dress like MJ to a "T".....and copy the way she talks even??

They've made it SO obvious it's MJ....for it to be anyone ELSE...is kinda creepy and lame too now..is it not?

Exactly. As I've stated before, I don't believe Marvel is even trying to hide the idea that Jackpot is Mary Jane but is trying to get people to ask HOW Mary Jane became Jackpot. It was obvious who she was the moment the Free Comic Book Day of Swing Shift came out. However, my guess is Marvel soon realized just how transparent this was and so, in order to maintain any degree of interest and prolong the suspicion that MJ has somehow become a disco-themed superhero (which, let's face it, is the ONLY reason readers are even remotely curious about Jackpot) they throw in the "Sara Erhet" angle to make her more "mysterious." But what they've done is set-up a no-win situation if they continue with the tease. Kind of reminds me a bit of DC's Millennium mini where it was so obvious that--and all the evidence pointed towards--Monarch was Captain Atom, DC at the last minute made it so he was Hawk despite the complete lack of evidence that he was.

 

[farmernudie]

^ Right. If they suddenly tell us Jackpot is someone other than MJ...everyone is gonna be like...WHAT???

And then they're gonna have to expain why someone is going out of their way to look and act like MJ in a disco-uniform. Kind of a weird thing for a person wanting to be a superhero to do....going out of there way to act like Mary Jane Parker while fighting crime...?!!

Maybe The Thing should try that?? "It's clobbering time, Tiger!"

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I just read the Issue and I really enjoyed it. From beginning to end, it defenitley was entertaining and worth reading. Menace was badass in his battle with Spider-Man and I really thought it was cool when Spidey said "Whump", then Menace said "What?", then Spidey says "I said.." and the WHUMP was the sound of Spider-Man giving Menace a very nice looking puch right to the jaw.

The Concilwoman getting killed by the glider was actually suprising to me. I was expecting her to live through that, but I guess I thought wrong. I thought it was a gross death, but I'm not mad that she died or anything.

I was defenitley suprised at the end of the Issue when Sara Ehrete (I think that's her name) said she wasn't Jackpot. It was a big twist that I defenitley want to know more about.

 

[imdaly]

Just a thought, but...with the mention of a celebrity stalker coming up in ASM #560...could the girl who's really Jackpot be some crazed MJ stalker who's acting like MJ and a superhero all into one??

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

About the Spider-sense, thing... Unless it can sense the chemical changes (like adrenaline rushes) it COULD Work as a lie detector... but I'm not certain about that...

 

[Themanofbat]

Well, Pete thinks to himself that the possibility of Jackpot giving him a false name didn't even "tweak" his spider-sense...

I'm not suggesting that it's a lie-detector, but I think he was just feeling for any type of response to her answer...



Still a very good issue, and BND has me hooked...

 

[Themanofbat]

Exactly. As I've stated before, I don't believe Marvel is even trying to hide the idea that Jackpot is Mary Jane but is trying to get people to ask HOW Mary Jane became Jackpot. It was obvious who she was the moment the Free Comic Book Day of Swing Shift came out. However, my guess is Marvel soon realized just how transparent this was and so, in order to maintain any degree of interest and prolong the suspicion that MJ has somehow become a disco-themed superhero (which, let's face it, is the ONLY reason readers are even remotely curious about Jackpot) they throw in the "Sara Erhet" angle to make her more "mysterious." But what they've done is set-up a no-win situation if they continue with the tease. Kind of reminds me a bit of DC's Millennium mini where it was so obvious that--and all the evidence pointed towards--Monarch was Captain Atom, DC at the last minute made it so he was Hawk despite the complete lack of evidence that he was.

Man... DC had some bad events after their first Crisis... Millenium, Legends, Armageddon, etc... ugh...

 

[stillanerd]

Well, Pete thinks to himself that the possibility of Jackpot giving him a false name didn't even "tweak" his spider-sense...

I'm not suggesting that it's a lie-detector, but I think he was just feeling for any type of response to her answer...

Well Marvel, to be fair, always had a problem portraying the Spider-Sense consistently to begin with. I mean there was that one Gerry Conway issue where Aunt May managed to get to drop on Spidey and clock him over the head because the spider-sense didn't regard her as a threat to Peter. That was definitely a WTF! moment when I read that in the Essentials volume copy. Even so, you'd think there should definitely be some sort of guidelines for it...then again, we ARE in the "It's MAGIC, we don't have to explain it" era.

Man... DC had some bad events after their first Crisis... Millenium, Legends, Armageddon, etc... ugh...

Crap, you just reminded me that it was Armageddon that had the whole Monarch is Hawk but was supposed to be Captain Atom fiasco and that Millennium was the one where various people (including Lana Lang and Commissioner Gordon) were "revealed" to be Manhunter robots. Then again, who cares considering how they both sucked.