Comics IGN: Spidey Unmasked! - VERY Good Article

[imdaly]

Hey all, just found this awesome article from IGN.com that addresses Spidey's latest move and the pluses and minuses that can and probably will come from it. It's completely unbiased, and does not even attempt to say that this is ultimately a good or bad move.

And here it is:

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June 16, 2006 - Unless you've been living in a cave (and if so, who the heck's your Internet provider?), you know that this week Peter Parker revealed his identity to the public. It happened in the pages of Civil War #2, Marvel's new epic that pits heroes against one another in a civil liberties battle for the ages. With the Superhuman Registration Act in need of some heroic supporters, Tony Stark stepped into the spotlight to reveal he was, in fact, Iron Man. Moments later, Stark's new associate, Spider-Man, appeared before reporters and removed his mask. People across the world watched as one of the great Marvel mysteries was solved. Some of Parker's closest associates were stunned. J. Jonah Jameson fainted. The issue ended with this revelation, but rest assured, all hell is about to break loose. Now that Spider-Man is a hero unmasked, we thought it a good idea to give Mr. Parker a sneak peek at what he can expect in this new chapter in his life. As with most any life-altering decision, there are both positives and negatives. We provide both ying and yang in our list of the five changes in store for the Amazing Spider-Man.


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Celebrity
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The Good News: Mr. Parker, Angelina Jolie is on line 1. Superheroes are the true celebrities of the world and even the biggest movie stars likely hold them in some reverence. Peter Parker is now among the most famous men in the world overnight. He doesn't need to have the mask on, if he walks down any street in New York, he's going to be spotted. He's John, Paul, George and Ringo all rolled into one. He's bigger than you know who. Removing the mask humanized the wall-crawler. The public could not even be certain there was a man underneath the mask. Heck, Spider-Man could have literally looked like a spider, using the mask to hide his truly icky form. Instead, he's a nice-looking kid who looks like he can barely grow a beard, much less be the menace J. Jonah Jameson claims him to be. Spider-Man just won over some fans.

And talk about skyrocketing your Q Score. He's going to have a lot of admirers, both in and out of costume, both old and young. It's one thing for a thirteen-year-old girl to have Spider-Man on the cover of Tiger Beat, but to have the first photos of Peter Parker at play? Priceless for a youthful crush. Of course, all that attention won't make life any easier for Peter Parker, but you never know, celebrity may suit him.

[SIZE=-1]A secret no more.[/SIZE]
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Infamy
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The Bad News: There will always be people who hate Spider-Man. Now they know the face under the mask. Heck, he's probably listed in the phone book. Not everyone will be taken in by Spider-Man's act of sincerity, seeing it as another foul trick from New York's greatest menace. Imagine walking down the street with your wife, just wanting to grab a nice dinner and having someone on the street tossing tomatoes your way. Or, worse yet, having the paparazzi following your every move. You think Peter Parker got great shots of Spider-Man because he's a great photographer? Hell no... it's because he's with Spider-Man 24/7. The paparazzi will follow suit.
Worst of all, no matter how positively the public initially reacts, it's inevitable that, at some point, the man on the street will want to see Peter Parker crash and burn. Face it -- we like to build people up just to see how far they can fall.

The Bottom Line: With the exception of random calls from Angelina Jolie, celebrity seems like a real burden. Even if reaction is mostly positive, Peter Parker won't get a moment of rest in public.

 

[imdaly]

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The Perfect Excuse
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The Good News: Peter's wife already knows he's Spider-Man, but most everyone else in his life is clueless. To them, Peter Parker is an unreliable guy who's always late and certain to bail early. Now they know why. This can be used to great advantage by young Mr. Parker. Spider-Man generally has a legitimate excuse -- that is, usually he bails because he has to save lives. Now that people know Peter must rush out to save folks, he can abuse the trust with tiny white lies. Forced to sit through the school talent show in the past, Parker can now get up 10 minutes into the performances and declare something like, "My Spider-Sense tells me there's trouble down at Scores. Anyone got some dollar bills?" Who can argue? He's friggin' Spider-Man.

[SIZE=-1]"Excuse me class, I have to go, like, save the world and stuff..."[/SIZE]

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No Excuse At All
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The Bad News: The flipside is that everyone knows you're not just some bumbling, absent-minded kid. You can't be stuck in traffic as Spider-Man and no one's going to buy that Spidey can get sick. And any excuse, no matter how valid, is going to get old. "Oh really, Parker, you were fighting the Lizard again this morning and so that's why you didn't get enough donuts for everyone? Unbelievable." Worst of all, Peter will become a target of blame. Remember, that Peter got away with a lot of stuff simply for his image as a geeky shut-in. With the truth out, people will always look to lay blame his way, whether justified or not. Peter, in the minds of the average person, can be just about anywhere now. It's not like the average Joe knows the limits of Spidey's capabilities. The definition of superhero is left up to individual interpretation.

The Bottom Line: Spider-Man already accepted a heap of blame when his ID was secret. Now that he's public, more will be expected of Peter Parker, but he'll also have considerably more leeway. This is definitely a plus.

 

[imdaly]

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Villains Know His Address...
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The Bad News: Spider-Man has quite a lot of enemies, almost none of whom know his true identity -- that is until now. Spidey has, perhaps, the most robust Rogues Gallery in the Marvel Universe and every last one of his enemies will be coming for him (and his family). Remember what happened when Norman Osborn found out Peter Parker was Spider-Man? Dead girlfriend. Now that the world knows, you can bet your ass that Peter's life will be hell for quite a long time. The real problem for Peter is that most enemies upon learning his secret wanted to keep it to themselves. They wanted to have the privilege of being the only one who knows Spider-Man's true identity. It empowered them. They would always fail to kill Spidey, but they could come away with some slight satisfaction. The few enemies with knowledge could comfort themselves with the thought that, if they really wanted to, they could hurt Peter Parker where it counts. That power is gone. With the secret in every enemy's pocket, the only glory is to see who can kill Spider-Man first. Spidey's villains have long been locked in a pissing contest and now, unfortunately for the wall-crawler, they have only one way to prove their manhood.

Guess who's coming for dinner?

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...So Does Santa
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The Good News: Peter has not had the best life. His parents died when he was young. His uncle died because Spider-Man did not yet realize the responsibility that came with his power. His girlfriend was dropped from a bridge. An old Chinese saying suggests that luck can only find those who do not hide from it. The same can be said of Santa Claus. If anyone deserves a drop of good fortune, it's Peter Parker. With his name in the public, there is bound to be some gifts of gratitude coming his way. In the past, the deli owner whose life was saved by Spidey could do nothing but offer a hasty "thank you." Now he can send Spidey a card for a year's supply of hoagies. Yum!

The Bottom Line: As delicious as a hoagie sounds, it doesn't look like Peter will ever have the chance to enjoy it. The negatives greatly outweigh any positives in this instance.

 

[imdaly]

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Support Group
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The Good News: Top this point in his career, Peter's support group has been limited to his wife, his aunt and a handful of heroes who know his true identity. Pete's a good guy, someone who's loved by a lot of ordinary people who had no idea what he was dealing with. He's going to have a lot more people to lean on and, if the tenets of celebrity hold true, a whole lot of forgotten friends who'll reach out to him. It might seem like a minor bonus for being outted, but this is actually quite a big deal for Peter. He's one of the few heroes that internalizes just about everything. He can't always go to MJ or Aunt May with his concerns, because he doesn't want to worry them. And Captain America isn't always the easy guy to bear your soul to. Now Pete can find a few trusted friends he can confide in who are a little more removed than his always-in-danger wife and aunt.

Does this make JJJ a co-conspirator?

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Guilt by Association
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The Bad News: We've already established that Spidey has plenty of public detractors. His family, for better or worse, will now be forever linked to the web-slinger. The fact that they will likely be more accessible than Peter Parker can only make the situation worse. We live in an age where everyone must voice their frustration. Where they once projected their own troubles onto the actions of Spider-Man, they now associate MJ and May with the crime-fighter. His doings are, in the minds of the common man, their doings. It's going to be interesting to see what will become of Mary Jane's career. Her husband is now infinitely more famous than she. This could raise her stock. Get MJ in your movie and maybe Spider-Man will show up to the premier. That could mean big box office, just for being linked to Spidey. It could easily have the opposite effect. Studios could push for an actually Spider-Man appearance in their movies in order to cast MJ, leveraging his stardom for box office success.

The Bottom Line: MJ and May can take care of themselves. There's bound to be a rift between Peter and MJ over her career and any negative effects from Spidey's unmasking. But Spidey needs the support group more than the two ladies in his life need to live free of the guilty by association tag.

 

[imdaly]

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Show Me the Money...
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The Good News: Spider-Man could never cash in on his fame. If they made a movie about him, sold toys based on his likeness or released authentic Spidey costumes for Halloween, the web-slinger had no legal recourse. Now he can get money. A lot of money. Even if Peter doesn't actively seek endorsements, he is legally entitled to money from any product bearing his likeness. Who needs a stipend from the government (as all registered heroes are funded by SHIELD), when you can make some serious cash with "officially licensed" Spider-Man Silly String? Best of all, with a public identity, Spider-Man can sue for slander and liable. If J. Jonah Jameson starts slinging mud at Peter Parker, it could prove costly for the newspaper mogul.
As a side effect, just about everyone who's ever known Peter Parker can also cash in. Are you ready for Flash Thompson's new best-seller, "I Was Spider-Man's Best Friend" or the fat appearance bonus due Aunt May for giving 60 Minutes an exclusive interview? Like we said earlier, superheroes are the true celebrities of the Marvel Universe. Time to cash in, Spider-Man.

You think Venom is paying for all that property damage?

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...Then Sue Me for Every Last Cent
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The Bad News: Let's hope Tony Stark provides Peter with some great lawyers. He's going to need them. Though the registered superheroes will be trained and sponsored by SHIELD, there is no way the government can possibly afford to deal with the endless frivolous (and not so frivolous) lawsuits that are sure to come Spider-Man's way. Peter couldn't sue others when he hid behind the mask, but no one could sue him either. Spidey has taken out his frustration on common hoods before. He might crack a rib or otherwise use excessive force because he's having a stressful day. Get that on film and you could have the superhero version of the Rodney King trial with civil suit to follow. Peter Parker is now responsible for everything Spider-Man does, both morally and legally. It's not going to be easy adapting to Spidey's new role in the community or Peter's added responsibility.

The Bottom Line: If he didn't live in an altruistic comic-book world, Peter could make a fortune as Spider-Man. He wouldn't even need to be active, just merely have a team of lawyers cashing in for the illegal use of his likeness. The lawsuits won't stick, because they would create a precedence preventing heroes from basically saving the world.

There you have it, five things for Peter Parker to consider now that he's revealed his secret identity. How will this event really affect Spidey? Keep your peepers on Civil War and the various Spider-Man titles to find out


Source: http://comics.ign.com/articles/713/713070p1.html
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Yeah, it's long, but it's a good read.

 

[PhotoJones]

good lord. analyze much?

 

[AlteredEgo]

pretty well put. yeah, interesting read. dont know how much of it we'll actually see put in to motion, but still interesting nonetheless.

 

[OzzyKP]

Great article.

 

[Kool-Aid]

With the secret in every enemy's pocket, the only glory is to see who can kill Spider-Man first.

I think that should be the only glory no matter what. **** knowing the ID.



Cool artical.