I have a prediction relating to Spider-Man

[Chris Wallace]

Some of us-MANY of us-didn't ask for any "innovation"! We were happy w/Spidey the way he was.

 

[Darthphere]

Some of us-MANY of us-didn't ask for any "innovation"! We were happy w/Spidey the way he was.

I havent seen any dramatic sales drop in the Spidey titles, so apparently people werent that outraged and arent out there burning copies of CW #2.

 

[Fading]

Some of us-MANY of us-didn't ask for any "innovation"! We were happy w/Spidey the way he was.

Well don't get me wrong, I like classic Spiderman better and think they made some bad choices in the last few years. Problem is that things that stay stagnent for 60 yrs in the entertainment field tend to lose ppl, and only keep the most hardcore. Spidey's had changes here and there over the years, everything from cosmic Spidey to the venom suit to, to deaths, to whatever. Plus, you honestly couldn't have thought he would stay masked forever. Based on his popularity, it was inevitable that eventually he'd be unmasked to hype some huge event, it just happened sooner than most seemed ready for.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Plus, you honestly couldn't have thought he would stay masked forever. Based on his popularity, it was inevitable that eventually he'd be unmasked to hype some huge event, it just happened sooner than most seemed ready for.

That's some bull. It NEVER occured to me that they would ever expose him. He's got too much to lose by his identity being a matter of public record. And since neither Superman nor Batman's identities have been outed, that argument just doesn't fly.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I havent seen any dramatic sales drop in the Spidey titles, so apparently people werent that outraged and arent out there burning copies of CW #2.

Right now the story's still developing & there's still entertainment value. Doesn't mean that the unmasking wasn't a bad move.

 

[Darthphere]

Right now the story's still developing & there's still entertainment value. Doesn't mean that the unmasking wasn't a bad move.

Doesnt mean it was, which is my point, its too early to call. All I know is I dont usually read ASM but the tie-in to CW, and the SPider-Man Unmasked stuff in Freindly have been fantastic so far.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Not thrilled w/Friendly myself. And my beef w/the unmasking mainly pertains to 1. the fact that he did it himself, in the face of 1,000,000 reasons not to; 2. the reason why he did it, & 3. the long-term ramifications.

 

[Darthphere]

Theres no way you can judge #3.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Theres no way you can judge #3.

Maybe not. But right now it doesn't look good.

 

[Darthphere]

What exactly doesnt look good? What has happened for you to make that judgement?

 

[Chris Wallace]

I've talked about it numerous times in other threads, but...
the MAIN thing that drew me to Spider-Man is his "everyman" appeal. Making him a public figure destroys that. And since he can't be an Avenger forever, then what? He can't sell pics to any newspaper anymore. And who's gonna hire him? Most employers would rather not have Doc Ock show up at their office & trash the place while looking to kill one of their employees. Who's gonna hire MJ? How's he gonna keep Aunt May safe? And it's not even the supervillains that are the real problem. Supervillains are, by their very nature, theatrical & predictable. Every one of his costumed enemies has had ample opportunity to kill him but has blown it b/c they stopped to gloat and/or make a big production out of it. But they're not the real threat. The real problem is some no-name, smalltime thug who's face he's forgotten, walking up to one of his loved ones in a supermarket & shooting her in the head.
And even laying the safety issues aside for now, I keep thinking of something Jor-El said in "Superman: The Movie"; you can't serve humanity 24 hours a day. They would abuse their resource & call on you to do things they ought to do for themselves.
I just don't see any good coming of his identity being exposed.

 

[Xofenroht]

I wouldn't mind his identity slowly getting out to the people he knows. But having it known to any person watching the news that night is quite idiotic and completely out of Peter Parker's character. He'd sooner have Flash Thompson know than the entire world.

Speaking of which, how is Flash taking it?

 

[Chris Wallace]

He doesn't believe it; he thinks it's a publicity stunt & once CW is over, Pete & Spidey will be seen together again.

 

[Darthphere]

Dude, Peter Parker stopped being the "everyman" a long time ago.

 

[Chris Wallace]

And it was wrong.

 

[Fading]

That's some bull. It NEVER occured to me that they would ever expose him. He's got too much to lose by his identity being a matter of public record. And since neither Superman nor Batman's identities have been outed, that argument just doesn't fly.

Well it may not have ever entered your mind, but I always thought somehow his identity would be revealed for shock value. It's like having the world's shiniest red button and being told to never push it, Spidey's identity is a huge part of him and his responisibility, I had no doubt it'd be used for a boost to sales, a series or whatever, but I didn't expect it to be in CW or for another 10 yrs or so. Comics always do shock value, maybe superman and batman haven't had their identities revealed but they've had other things happen. Superman 'died' it was all over in the media, not long after he was brought back, all in an attempt at boosting sales at the cost of shock value. We have to face facts that as the buisness goes on the ppl who loved and made the characters so likeable over the years are going to move on or get too old to keep running things, and new ppl are going to take over with only green in their eyes and less concerns about the characters past. Sucks, and they might lose readers rather than gain them, and it ticks me off that continuity and a characters core values get stepped on, but those in charge don't always care.

I still stick by saying it could be a positive in the long run. No need to judge it yet as we don't know where it's going. It could lead to great stories and put him in more peril in a good way, or it could lead to back stories at which point u can re-quote this a year down the road and rub it in my face . No reason to say it's ruined Spidey anymore than anything else that's been done to him, this could actually put him back on the road closer to what he used to be. By the end of CW I have no doubt he'll have gained his backbone back and smack Stark around a bit (whether he can beat IM or not I'm not sure, not that he can't try). As for a job, ya that's kinda a sticky situation, I don't look forward to Spiderman: The Welfare chronicals.

 

[Anubis]

I don't even give a damn anymore.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't even give a damn anymore.

Ah, the battle-cry of the disillusioned. It makes for such dulcet tones in my bitter, cynical ears.

 

[The Leaguer]

People need to stop getting angry and start not caring. Rage isn't going to get Quesada's attention, apathy will.

And a round between the eyes.

 

[Chris Wallace]

If history has taught me one thing, it's that the death of someone in the entertainment industry doesn't make their product go away.

 

[Tropico]

No, but it allows others to make it go away.up:

 

[Alex Summers]

Apathy makes the world go round.

 

[Xofenroht]

I'm quite fine with JMS's run on AMS, I think he's done brilliant work. Of course there are some things I would change and there are stories I'd rather see told or plotlines I want to see tied up, but hey...I'm enjoying it for what it is. The whole Morlun business was great and finally seeing Pete with a stable job as a teacher now was a big step towards aging Peter Parker while keeping him the everyman.