Comics Get ready people, JMS and Joe Q are planning ANOTHER Spider-Man event

[roach]

I read the article in my LCS and put back all my Marvel books....I cant believe this.
And for the person who believes Peter should still be 15 fighting crime...Welcome to the Hype J.Q.
Sorry but I like it when people grow up. When Robin became Nightwing, when Wally became the Flash...these were moments when the hero grew up.
Peter marrying MJ was a natural progression of the story. This is the one thing that truely makes Peter "real" for me. Real people grow up and get married.

 

[Hoban]

I honestly think Id pay money to buy an issue where Pete does nothing but go grocerry shopping with his little old Aunt, carrying bags for her and watches a ball game, than read another "turn his world upside down inside out tearing it apart" story.

Read the Peter Parker: Spider Man issue called "Maybe Next Year" (I forget the issue number) by Paul Jenkins. It's a fantastic Peter Parker and Uncle Ben story. It's my very favorite Spider-Man comic.

I wish Jenkins was writing ASM, or at least still on a Spidey title.

 

[shinlyle]

And for the person who believes Peter should still be 15 fighting crime...Welcome to the Hype J.Q.

Exactly. That's the only person dumb enough to buy into this crap.

 

[roach]

I think I died a little inside when I read that article in Wizard

 

[Herr Logan]

Really? I thought Spider-Man was created as an everyman who comicbook readers can relate to.

How is he an everyman?

Peter Parker is a genius, an orphan, obsessed with doing the right thing, and consistently suffers from depression and anxiety. Considering how the majority of posters here act toward others who express depressed and anxious feelings and those who ask for help, they are unequivocally not in any way as moral as Peter Parker (we're not talking risking lives, we're talking about common decency and compassion) and they can't seem to relate with psychologically troubled people. People here don't seem to like people that complain. Parker complained constantly. It's no wonder there are so few real Spider-Man fans around here.

The "everyman" argument has always been completely invalid. There's absolutely nothing to back it up, and if anything, Quesada is trying to move things toward making Peter into an everyman. In other words, Peter should not be an everyman, but rather the way he was written toward the beginning of his career.

 

[Herr Logan]

I'm very disillusioned at this point. I'm not as angry as I was yesterday, but I'm still not going to buy anymore of this crap. FNSM gets the boot as soon as I can get my ass to the comic shop. That'll leave me with SSM...

Aside from Civil War and SSM, I won't be reading ANY 616 Spidey. This is just the last straw for me.

I seriously consider any so-called Spidey-Fan that supports this crap a total moron, totally unaware of who Spider-Man/Peter Parker is, or both.

There is no excuse for supporting these clowns any longer. Completists, wake up. New fans, learn to listen to those who've been reading the book a little longer. Old fans, remember what good stories are.

Drop this crap from your pull list and vote with your wallets, or stop complaining. I'm going to do with FNSM like I'v done with ASM: read it in the shop. If I care anymore, which I really don't. In fact, I think reading an issue of ASM for free is still paying too much, seeing as how it costs me valuable time.

LOUDER!!

Tell it to the back o' the auditorium!!

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

His everyman quality came from th' fact his life wasn't perfect, he had to pay bills, get to work, study fer school...as soon as he put on th' costume he coulda been anyone.

 

[Herr Logan]

His everyman quality came from th' fact his life wasn't perfect, he had to pay bills, get to work, study fer school...as soon as he put on th' costume he coulda been anyone.

So, he's an everyman simply because he isn't a robot and he isn't the Batman...

Okay, now I see.

 

[wolvie2020]

Stan and Steve didn't realize that Marvel would last, so they moved Spidey to college. Thus, Peter was in high school for 3 or so years of real time.

BUT, when Stan realized that Marvel wasn't a flash in the pan, the chronological brakes were put on. Thus, Peter was in college for 13 years, real time (and in graduate school for another 10 or so years, on and off, after that). Spidey aged veeeerrrryyyy slllloooowwwwwlllyyy.

Then the letters started coming in in the mid-70s, demanding that Spidey age and change.

And that led to the mess we're in now.

If Spidey had stayed a college-age single forever, that would have been great (although the high school version is the pures and most vital version of the character)...

...but it's too late to even go back to THAT.

You know, your not quite as in the right as you constantly seem to think, (but I'm only pointing out this simple fact.)

Stan Lee has always been the man to age Spider-Man, that's one of the main things he always intended to push forward.

Of course, Stan made the change for everything to slow down, but in the 80's, Stan was the one to marry Pete to MJ in the Spidey newspaper strip. This proved so popular, they married him off in the comics too.

Also, this mess you keep talking about doesn't really exist. There was no mess, until this totem thing, sins past, boring stories, new avengers thing, lack of supporting cast, blah, blah, happened. It wasn't that long ago that Spidey was experiencing another one of his heydays. Paul Jenkins was great, and proved very popular. JMS, at first was superb, and injected new life into Spidey, (at first,) and the debut of SSM got tons of people talking, and the Millar's run of MKSM was a hell of a lot of fun, and had great sales. They turned all the s**t of the clone saga around, and made Spider-Man a popular franchise again! This is fact.

Spidey WAS in the right path after the clone saga. The early Jenkins/JMS issues are still wildly popular. They WERE considers saviours after the clone saga.

and before the clone saga things were great, Spider-Man reached one of the all time highs of his popularity in the late 80's/early 90's. His books surpassed all sales of Batman and the X-Men, during the time where X-Men was gold, Burtons Batman was in cinemas, and DKR and Batman: Year One was all the rage.

So maybe YOUR fave era was the college years, but to MILLIONS of people around the world, Spidey stories were much more interesting afterwards. Spideys all time best sales were AFTER he married MJ. And when I say sales, I mean what percentage he takes of the comic market as a whole. We all know comics don't sell like they did in the early 90's! lol

So we had a great high during the 80's, which went on until the Clone Saga. And then there was a great high JUST after the turn of the century, and 5 years later, it's gone to s**t again. The problem is, what writers are doing now, they're NOT leaving 'back doors,' to the storylines. Leaving no easy retcon for some SERIOUSLY controversial storylines. This is stupid, if you know you''re onto gold, that's different. If you know, that there is a LARGE chance a story may backfire, you leave a back door. There were tons of back doors with the clone saga, that's how Spidei survived it fairly easily

 

[wolvie2020]

How is he an everyman?

Peter Parker is a genius, an orphan, obsessed with doing the right thing, and consistently suffers from depression and anxiety. Considering how the majority of posters here act toward others who express depressed and anxious feelings and those who ask for help, they are unequivocally not in any way as moral as Peter Parker (we're not talking risking lives, we're talking about common decency and compassion) and they can't seem to relate with psychologically troubled people. People here don't seem to like people that complain. Parker complained constantly. It's no wonder there are so few real Spider-Man fans around here.

The "everyman" argument has always been completely invalid. There's absolutely nothing to back it up, and if anything, Quesada is trying to move things toward making Peter into an everyman. In other words, Peter should not be an everyman, but rather the way he was written toward the beginning of his career.

Well, that may be your opinion, but read ANY interview, watch AND documentary, or ANY books studying the cases and philosophies on comic books as an art form, and that's what Spider-Man has always been noted as, the super-hero worlds' everyman

Stan Lee himself has always said, that he tried to make Spidey as REALISTIC as possible, as HUMANLY relatable a super hero comic could be, and to this day, he beieves that is the reason Spider-Man is still so popular. He wanted readers to think, hey! That's JUST like me! You have to accept the fact, that we are reading fiction on a fantastic level, so certain things need to be stretched for it to apply to the comic world. So a clever guy, a nerd, becomes a borderline genius, it makes sense otherwise how the hell is he supposed to save the city against Doc Ock! Lol It also gives something for people to aim towards

You may not think if him as an everyman, but millions of people around the world disagree with you, (2nd time I've said that in a row! Lol!) Sorry, that is just a fact, I have tons of books/articles/DVD's/and just general info I could throw you towards if you need to see

 

[roach]

So, he's an everyman simply because he isn't a robot and he isn't the Batman...

Okay, now I see.

I dont think he was an everyman but he has everyman qualities....he is a regular person thrown into extraordiary circumstances. Yes he has problems that I have and he is relateable but I dont see him as an everyman. If he was an everyman then anyone could be under the mask...and I think the Clone Saga proved that theory works

 

[The Joker]

So, he's an everyman simply because he isn't a robot and he isn't the Batman...

Okay, now I see.

Stan Lee never described him as an everyman.He said he tried to make Peter relatable,in the fact that he gave him every day problems that kids his age might typically face.

He had money problems,he was bullied at school,he was unpopular with girls,he worried about his loved ones,things rarely worked out the way he wanted.

These are problems we've all had at some time or another.And back then when Stan first created Spider-Man,those types of problems were not what super heros faced.People like the FF or Batman etc.Their problems didn't run along the lines of girl trouble,or worrying about school exams,or where their next pay cheque was coming from.

Stan wanted the average reader to think "Hey that could be me".And it seemed to work

 

[Herr Logan]

Well, that may be your opinion, but read ANY interview, watch AND documentary, or ANY books studying the cases and philosophies on comic books as an art form, and that's what Spider-Man has always been noted as, the super-hero worlds' everyman

Stan Lee himself has always said, that he tried to make Spidey as REALISTIC as possible, as HUMANLY relatable a super hero comic could be, and to this day, he beieves that is the reason Spider-Man is still so popular. He wanted readers to think, hey! That's JUST like me! You have to accept the fact, that we are reading fiction on a fantastic level, so certain things need to be stretched for it to apply to the comic world. So a clever guy, a nerd, becomes a borderline genius, it makes sense otherwise how the hell is he supposed to save the city against Doc Ock! Lol It also gives something for people to aim towards

You may not think if him as an everyman, but millions of people around the world disagree with you, (2nd time I've said that in a row! Lol!) Sorry, that is just a fact, I have tons of books/articles/DVD's/and just general info I could throw you towards if you need to see

Here's the definition of "everyman."

Thus, I am right. That was much too easy.


Peter Parker is not an ordinary person. It's not my fault that all those people giving interviews and writing books didn't use the right word. I don't give a damn about what they have to say if they can't use the English language properly.

Yes, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko did create a "realistic" character in terms of psychology and behavior, but that does not make him an everyman. Not even close. What, you think there aren't real people who obsess over doing the right thing and suffer from the anxiety and self-pity that Spider-Man does? By the way, Stan Lee is also known to have said that he wrote his characters so that he would like them. Especially Spider-Man, since that last issue of 'Amazing Fantasy' was supposed to be his last story for Marvel (he was going to quit and he wrote it for himself, not because he thought it would sell).

Judging from all the people who insist that the movies were faithful representations of the comics, it's pretty obvious that they do not truly relate to the character. They seem to think that all there is to Spider-Man is a longing romance for Mary Jane, and even that wasn't true in the comics in any similar way to the movie. They didn't grow up together, it wasn't love at first sight, and he didn't spend all his time obsessing over her. Spider-Man was witty, self-aware of his flaws and inner conflicts, and an excellent character that intelligent people could fully appreciate. Here's a big newsflash for you: Stan Lee is smarter than most people on Earth. I don't need an IQ test to see that he's got very high verbal intelligence and that he understands tge practical aspects of human psychology. It's all right there in the early comics for the world to see. It's because people are too damn ignorant to both see the big picture and analyze the material critically that they support things like the watered-down, vapid version of Spider-Man in the movies and all of the events JQ and JMS have engineered that have brought us to this lowpoint in Spider-Man history. Further proof of this ignorance is that you all buy into this "everyman" crap. I have no doubt in my mind that if Stan Lee ever used that word to describe Spider-Man, he was either talking down (not in a malicious way) to the people who don't know how to use that word, or he's under the delusion that most people are as smart as he and Peter Parker (not in a scientific way, but the other types of intelligence he showed) are. Stan had and still has a magnificent vocabulary, so don't tell me he was as ignorant as the rest of these plebeians when it came to that.

Yes, Stan Lee can relate to him, and clearly lots of other people did as well. Here's another thing you may want to consider: Spider-Man is a character who appeals to lots of different people for lots of different reasons. You know how 'The Simpsons' appeals to smart people and idiots alike? That's because it works on different levels. Spider-Man is the same. Even if you can't keep up with the intellectual, psychological and philosophical content from those early days, he still makes some quips that even morons can understand and find funny, and he's one of the most dynamic action heroes ever. His combination of powers and gadgets are superior to other heroes, so as action comics go, Spider-Man is way up there. Different levels, different dimensions. That's what makes Spider-Man so popular and "relatable." I see proof on these boards every day that a huge chunk of so-called "fans" don't understand anything about Spider-Man other than "He does good things" and "He jumps real nice" and other such obvious, banal, puerile observations. No, nobody says those things in those words, but that's what they recognize. I don't give much credit to the intelligence and analytic prowess of most posters here, and I've proven right every single day with the thousands of empty platitudes "change is good," "it has to be 'realistic,'" "I have faith in Raimi," "JMS saved Spider-Man," and other such nonsense worthy of troglodytes.

Still reading? Here's hoping you understood most of it.


And don't bother calling me "arrogant" or "condescending." That's like saying I have a keyboard. Everyone knows it, and nobody is interested in hearing something that obvious.

 

[Herr Logan]

I dont think he was an everyman but he has everyman qualities....he is a regular person thrown into extraordiary circumstances. Yes he has problems that I have and he is relateable but I dont see him as an everyman. If he was an everyman then anyone could be under the mask...and I think the Clone Saga proved that theory works

I'm confused by that last sentence. Do you mean that it doesn't work?

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Yes, he meant it didn't work 'cause nobody likes th' Clone Saga.

And dude, seriously? Get a life.

 

[roach]

Yes, he meant it didn't work 'cause nobody likes th' Clone Saga.

And dude, seriously? Get a life.

that's what I meant......

...Uh Oh WOLVERINE FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Herr Logan]

Stan Lee never described him as an everyman.He said he tried to make Peter relatable,in the fact that he gave him every day problems that kids his age might typically face.

He had money problems,he was bullied at school,he was unpopular with girls,he worried about his loved ones,things rarely worked out the way he wanted.

These are problems we've all had at some time or another.And back then when Stan first created Spider-Man,those types of problems were not what super heros faced.People like the FF or Batman etc.Their problems didn't run along the lines of girl trouble,or worrying about school exams,or where their next pay cheque was coming from.

Stan wanted the average reader to think "Hey that could be me".And it seemed to work

This is true. I just hate how all these people think that "relatable" = "everyman." That's just not true. I can relate to Spider-Man, and I'm not an "everyman."

I'm very intelligent verbally and have a mind for psychology and philosophy like Spider-Man does, but I don't have a God damn clue when it comes to math or science or even photography, and I have less social skills than he had when he was still in high school (see how easily he impressed Doris Whatsherface, the Human Torch's girlfriend, without even trying). I never had two knockout women fighting over me in college. I don't share Spider-Man's moral code ('yes' to the power/responsibility thing, but 'no' to the 'no killing rule'), either. I'm not an orphan and never had to support a relative monetarily, etc. I can relate to some things, but not all things, but I still appreciate basically all of what's at work in the early days of Spider-Man, because I can allow for the fact that there are people to whom the 'no killing' rule and other things I don't share do apply, while I can revel in the psychology/philosophy aspects (his inner monologues).

 

[Herr Logan]

Yes, he meant it didn't work 'cause nobody likes th' Clone Saga.

And dude, seriously? Get a life.

I realize I made some "nobody" generalizations earlier (and won't protest if anyone wants to point them out and challenge them), so I'm not going to be a hard-ass about the fact that you said "nobody likes th' Clone Saga" when I know for a fact that's not true. No, I don't remember which member here likes it, but there's more than one and they've said it publically.


Okay, "Get a life"? That's all?

Yeah, that stings. Really. You may as well take your ball and go home, bub.

 

[Herr Logan]

that's what I meant......

Okay, just checking.

...Uh Oh WOLVERINE FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No. No Wolverine fight. He pulled out the big guns with "Get a life," so I'm too distraught and afraid to stand up to him. I can't handle that level of wit.

 

[shinlyle]

Well, befor ewe get everyoen up in arms about who Spidey is, let's acknwledge who we think he is:

1) He's someone relatable that you could meet in the real world. He's Peter Parker. He's the nice, nerdy guy from your high school that was picked on (probably by you), and yet, he was never anythign but nice and easygoing (in my case, I was the geek for a couple of years, then became like Peter in the college years...natch!)

2) He's uncommonly responsible. He takes responsibility for everyone he comes in contact with. If he's rushing someone to the hospital, and they die, he considers it his fault. If he was sitting beside a guy on the subway, and that guy dies after Peter gets off the car, Peter would entertain the notion of it somehow being his fault. Peter is like our conscience....the way our conscience would be if we cared for everythign and everyone the way we should.

3) Peter is naive. He assumes the best of everyone, he assumes everyone can be saved, can be helped, and that everyone wants to do good. He even tried to look for the good in Cletus for awhile. (Maximum Carnage)

4) Peter wants to be normal and fit in. Like every geek, Peter just wants to be able to blend in with the crowd, be happy, and just fit in. It's part of that common human desire to "belong"....and Peter rarely feels that way, even amongst other super-people, he always feels like he shouldn't be there.

This, in my honest opinion, is what I think about Peter. He reminds me of some friends I've had through the years, and, at times, of myself. Trying to get the girl, losing the girl for reasons beyond his control, tragedies that he blames himself for. These are all things I went through as a teenager, and they are things I have experienced since.

Other things I have done:

I've gotten different jobs. I've gotten married. I've had to grow up. I've grown apart from my old friends and made new ones. I've had fights with my wife (verbally...not the Ike/Tina kind). I've had disagreements with family.

All these things happen to all of us. To deny Peter the same experiences and keep him in a perpetual state of suspended animation and permanently in high school limbo so as to make him more relatable to a fanbase that, quite honestly, has it's greatest numbers in the 20-30 year old range, is ridiculous.

Do kids read comics? Yes. Do they care if Spider-Man is married or not? Doubt it. Superman is married. Kids still read Superman. Why can't it be the same for Spider-Man?

I think what is really going on here is that JOE Q. doesn't like the marriage. Joe Q. has problems with it. Joe Q. wants it gone. He just thinks that he knows best for all thigns Marvel, and doesn't give two s***s what the actual fanbase thinks of it. Just like "The Other" and the "Iron Spidey" suit, he's going to go full steam ahead with these preposterous changes, whether the fans like it or not, and then, when he sees the irrefutable backlash from said events, he'll wiggle out of it, and say that it is HIS plan to return Peter Parker back to his "status quo".

It's a vicious cycle...one that won't end until Joe gets a brain transplant, or there is new management in the Marvel offices.

 

[Herr Logan]

Well, befor ewe get everyoen up in arms about who Spidey is, let's acknwledge who we think he is:

1) He's someone relatable that you could meet in the real world. He's Peter Parker. He's the nice, nerdy guy from your high school that was picked on (probably by you), and yet, he was never anythign but nice and easygoing (in my case, I was the geek for a couple of years, then became like Peter in the college years...natch!)

2) He's uncommonly responsible. He takes responsibility for everyone he comes in contact with. If he's rushing someone to the hospital, and they die, he considers it his fault. If he was sitting beside a guy on the subway, and that guy dies after Peter gets off the car, Peter would entertain the notion of it somehow being his fault. Peter is like our conscience....the way our conscience would be if we cared for everythign and everyone the way we should.

3) Peter is naive. He assumes the best of everyone, he assumes everyone can be saved, can be helped, and that everyone wants to do good. He even tried to look for the good in Cletus for awhile. (Maximum Carnage)

4) Peter wants to be normal and fit in. Like every geek, Peter just wants to be able to blend in with the crowd, be happy, and just fit in. It's part of that common human desire to "belong"....and Peter rarely feels that way, even amongst other super-people, he always feels like he shouldn't be there.

This, in my honest opinion, is what I think about Peter. He reminds me of some friends I've had through the years, and, at times, of myself. Trying to get the girl, losing the girl for reasons beyond his control, tragedies that he blames himself for. These are all things I went through as a teenager, and they are things I have experienced since.

Other things I have done:

I've gotten different jobs. I've gotten married. I've had to grow up. I've grown apart from my old friends and made new ones. I've had fights with my wife (verbally...not the Ike/Tina kind). I've had disagreements with family.

All these things happen to all of us. To deny Peter the same experiences and keep him in a perpetual state of suspended animation and permanently in high school limbo so as to make him more relatable to a fanbase that, quite honestly, has it's greatest numbers in the 20-30 year old range, is ridiculous.

Do kids read comics? Yes. Do they care if Spider-Man is married or not? Doubt it. Superman is married. Kids still read Superman. Why can't it be the same for Spider-Man?

I think what is really going on here is that JOE Q. doesn't like the marriage. Joe Q. has problems with it. Joe Q. wants it gone. He just thinks that he knows best for all thigns Marvel, and doesn't give two s***s what the actual fanbase thinks of it. Just like "The Other" and the "Iron Spidey" suit, he's going to go full steam ahead with these preposterous changes, whether the fans like it or not, and then, when he sees the irrefutable backlash from said events, he'll wiggle out of it, and say that it is HIS plan to return Peter Parker back to his "status quo".

It's a vicious cycle...one that won't end until Joe gets a brain transplant, or there is new management in the Marvel offices.

Great analysis, Shinlyle.


I have to admit, I'm not thrilled with Spider-Man being married myself. I don't feel quite as strongly as Gregatron, but I would prefer if Peter had stayed single, because there is more room for him to move that way, and I did enjoy college-age Peter better.

I'm not saying that if I was the editor in chief that I would split Peter and MJ up or having MJ die. I'm saying if I was editor in chief back in the 80's, I wouldn't have had them marry in the first place. At present time, I know that Peter would never truly get over it if he broke up with Mary Jane, and he mopes enough as it is. You do the best with the hand you're dealt-- something Joey Q, JMS, Jenkins, and even Peter David have not been doing.

 

[Dragon]

I heard it as, Stan tried everything he could to make Gwen an interesting character, but the fans were just so much more keen on MJ. Stan really liked the Gwen character and he thought it was a shame that she never gained the popularity of MJ.

None of that is correct. Stan was writing Gwen as the woman he meant for Peter to marry.

Stan left the book (and regular comic writing in general) in 1972. Spidey was assigned to Gerry Conway, who was then 19 years old. Conway, Editor Roy Thomas, and art director John Romita were looking for a way to inject some heat into the Spidey comic. So they figured it was time for another death. They decided on Gwen because that would have the most impact. Obviously, if she wasn't a popular character, the death wouldn't have mattered. Also, Conway, at 19 wasn't equipped to write a serious married couple. He wasn't even equipped to write a loving relationship, since once he got Peter and MJ together, he left the book.

Stan wasn't involved in the decision process of killing Gwen, and some stories even say he was away on vacation when the decision was made. Once it was done, he signed off on it. But Stan never wanted Gwen killed, and even said so in an interview around the time of the release of Sins Past.

Stan said, around the time that Peter & MJ were to be married that MJ was more fun to write than Gwen. But why wouldn't she be? When Stan was on the book, MJ was a supporting character, and all she did was stand in the background and make wise-cracks. She had no dramatic weight. Whereas with Gwen she had to be the one worrying and weeping over Peter. She had to carry all the drama on her shoulders. And MJ became just as tiresome when she had the drama placed on her, which is why she's been giving her walking papers numerous times as well.

MJ also had an advantage that Gwen didn't. When MJ returned to the Spidey books after refusing Peter's first proposal, the way comcis were produced was different. thus you could have whole stories devoted to supporting characters. This is how MJ was fleshed out, whereas Gwen never was developed as an independent character.

 

[roach]

and people will still buy it because they dont want a hole in their collections(like you get an award for having a full run). I'd rather have a hole in my collection than an "A hole" writing/editing my favorite characters. Drop this book if you dont like it. Drop the title if you dont like the proposed direction. Drop these books and when things get better go back issue diving...the only things these guys see are dollars...that is how you let them know you didnt like something...Internet whinning means nothing to them. Look at what he said..."Based on sales". That is all they care about. Drop these books and send a clear message to JMS and JQ that you are mad as hell and you arent going to take this anymore. Stop messing with Spider-man!!!!

 

[stillanerd]

Well, befor ewe get everyoen up in arms about who Spidey is, let's acknwledge who we think he is:

1) He's someone relatable that you could meet in the real world. He's Peter Parker. He's the nice, nerdy guy from your high school that was picked on (probably by you), and yet, he was never anythign but nice and easygoing (in my case, I was the geek for a couple of years, then became like Peter in the college years...natch!)

2) He's uncommonly responsible. He takes responsibility for everyone he comes in contact with. If he's rushing someone to the hospital, and they die, he considers it his fault. If he was sitting beside a guy on the subway, and that guy dies after Peter gets off the car, Peter would entertain the notion of it somehow being his fault. Peter is like our conscience....the way our conscience would be if we cared for everythign and everyone the way we should.

3) Peter is naive. He assumes the best of everyone, he assumes everyone can be saved, can be helped, and that everyone wants to do good. He even tried to look for the good in Cletus for awhile. (Maximum Carnage)

4) Peter wants to be normal and fit in. Like every geek, Peter just wants to be able to blend in with the crowd, be happy, and just fit in. It's part of that common human desire to "belong"....and Peter rarely feels that way, even amongst other super-people, he always feels like he shouldn't be there.

This, in my honest opinion, is what I think about Peter. He reminds me of some friends I've had through the years, and, at times, of myself. Trying to get the girl, losing the girl for reasons beyond his control, tragedies that he blames himself for. These are all things I went through as a teenager, and they are things I have experienced since.

Other things I have done:

I've gotten different jobs. I've gotten married. I've had to grow up. I've grown apart from my old friends and made new ones. I've had fights with my wife (verbally...not the Ike/Tina kind). I've had disagreements with family.

All these things happen to all of us. To deny Peter the same experiences and keep him in a perpetual state of suspended animation and permanently in high school limbo so as to make him more relatable to a fanbase that, quite honestly, has it's greatest numbers in the 20-30 year old range, is ridiculous.

Do kids read comics? Yes. Do they care if Spider-Man is married or not? Doubt it. Superman is married. Kids still read Superman. Why can't it be the same for Spider-Man?

I think what is really going on here is that JOE Q. doesn't like the marriage. Joe Q. has problems with it. Joe Q. wants it gone. He just thinks that he knows best for all thigns Marvel, and doesn't give two s***s what the actual fanbase thinks of it. Just like "The Other" and the "Iron Spidey" suit, he's going to go full steam ahead with these preposterous changes, whether the fans like it or not, and then, when he sees the irrefutable backlash from said events, he'll wiggle out of it, and say that it is HIS plan to return Peter Parker back to his "status quo".

It's a vicious cycle...one that won't end until Joe gets a brain transplant, or there is new management in the Marvel offices.

You forgot:

5) Peter Parker is an unappreciated scientific genuis, as evident from the fact that he invented his web-shooters, spider-tracers, etc. The reason why he wasn't in some gifted program was because his aunt and uncle were too poor to send him to some specialized private school where his talents could flourish so HE HAD TO GO to a public school. Plus because of his being Spider-Man, he couldn't be the full-fledged scientist that he wanted to be, but sacrificed that dream for the greater good of being Spider-Man.

6) He has a sense of humor, often self-depricating, designed to throw his enemies off their game and to help boost his own confidence.

Other than that, the rest of your analysis is spot on.

 

[roach]

Yes, he meant it didn't work 'cause nobody likes th' Clone Saga.

And dude, seriously? Get a life.

regardless if people like the Clone Saga or not the series fell flat for many when they tried to replace Peter with Ben