One particular part of the interview caught my attention.
Everything happened. The fact that Norman Osborn doesn't know who Spider-Man is now doesn't mean he didn't know **then,** Slott told CBR. The thing that people seem to have a hard time wrapping their heads around is the fact that no one knows now doesn't mean that no one knew. Something happened and obviously Peter knows about it. Let me say again, whatever Peter did and whoever the 'We' is that he made reference to in 'New Ways to Die' chapter two, Mephisto was not part of that. Peter and his accomplice or accomplices did something and now people don't seem to know that he's Spider-Man.
Not only do people not seem to know, but you can have Anna Kravinoff discover a Spider-Man costume in Peter Parker's apartment and think it belongs to his room mate Vin Gonzales, Slott continued. You can have Venom sitting right in front of Peter Parker in his apartment and not detect symbiote residue in Peter Parker. Yet Anti-Venom can sense it in Spider-Man. You have Norman Osborn finding Peter Parker's camera webbed to a wall with Spider-Man pictures on it and he goes, 'Ah-ha! I've got it! Spider-Man takes pictures of himself and uses Peter Parker as a front!' So Something fishy is going on here.
So, if I'm reading this right, not only did whatever it was that was not Mephisto not only restore Peter's secret identity, but it also prevents them from figuring Peter is Spider-Man as well?
A while back, a poster on Newsarama speculated something along these lines after "Kraven's First Hunt" and seemed ludicrous at the time. That's because it pretty much says there really is no drama involved with anyone discovering Peter's secret identity. Basically, if we're reading what Slott is saying right, Peter got unmask in a public street, yell out "I'm Spider-Man" and everyone would think it's a gag. Or when he's fighting a villain and his mask gets torn off and it's witnessed by Aunt May, Jonah, Harry, Betty, etc. they'll somehow think he's not the real Spider-Man and that he's abusing Mutant Growth Hormones. Whatever the scenario, Peter's secret is safe because this mysterious force not only gave them brain damage but makes them loose all common sense.
Now, I can understand that it's hard to recreate the threat of having his identity exposed after the Unmasking, or that, if what ever prevented characters from figuring out Peter is Spider-Man wasn't in place would make them come across as stupid, but still, having some mysterious device or force involved to prevent them from putting two and two together? That's not only half-baked it kills what little drama is left of having his identity exposed again. And of course, we know darn well that whatever is in place will eventually be undone, so really it's nothing but an ongoing "mystery" that distracts from the overall stories themselves.
As for the Prometheus references with regards to Harry, I think anyone who knew a little about basic classical mythology got the reference from reading the latest issue and put it together, although I don't fault him for pointing it out in case there were those who did not.
Oh, and he basically is going with the emotional yo-yo explanation for Lily actions, which is understandable so as to not call attention to it taking place when Peter almost found the secret Goblin stash, and to some degree I believe that's partly what was happening with her as well. Problem is, considering what little character development we got from her prior to New Ways to Die, it still comes off as a bit forced.
Also, sorry to say, I'm really not all that impressed with the way he describes Brock as Anti-Venom and how he believes he's on a mission from God, now. Basically, all he's done is not just turn Brock into a Venom knockoff when he should be the original, not just revert him back to the "Lethal Protector" phase that all but ruined him in the 90s, but has basically made him into another cliched religious zealot villain.
All I can say is that, considering how much he's hyping "Character Assassination" these "mysteries" the Spidey braintrust have been dragging out better have a solid payoff. Because if the Spider-Man braintrust have essentially set-up all these expectations and have needlessly prolonged these various subplots with no resolutions for what amounts to close to 30 issues, including two one shots, and if their answers to those "mysteries" aren't satisfactory, then the problems they are having now with the title will only intensify. If they want fans to embrace this new status quo, then they need to show them that whatever the payoff is justified their retcon. Of course, it probably would have been better had they left things alone to begin with.
