I appreciate JQs position, but for the last 40 plus years Marvels EIC has had to sit around in meetings listening to suits. Not until Joe Qs tenure did the EIC feel the need to negate one of the core principles that define who Spider-man is- his secret identity. All previous EICs turned out Spider-Man comics that the editorial/creative teams could be proud of- the difference is the guys who held the position before JQ all had a clear understanding of the parameters that define Peter Parker/Spider-Man,- and one of those is keeping both identities separate.
Of course the other Editor In Chief's went through the same thing. But the year 2007 is a lot different than 1985 or even 1996. Time moves on and so do ideas in marketing strategy and creative stategies. You are saying it yourself here, "the last 40 years". We are closing in on 50 fast here too...and how do you keep a character going for so long without repeating the same stories over and over again until it becomes a sad shell of what it used to be?
I know that you understand that too. And for the past 40 plus years it has been a great ride with Peter Parker and Spider-Man identities being separate. But eventually through all the decades of stories EVENTUALLY they are going to combine into one. If you take the story of Spider-Man realisitically it would be absolutely impossible for a person to hold two separate lives like that for such a long period of time without outting himself to a great deal of the public. But this IS a comic book and belief is suspended to the infinite degree in certain respects. So in our reality he went about 43 to 44 years with a dual identity. In Marvel time it has been, what...a decade or so roughly? Definitely suspending disbelief, heh. But the storyline that was going on at the time dealt HEAVILY with the secret identity factor. It was thought provoking and it was definitely a shake up. Of course it was a shake up for sales. Just like killing off Captain America was for sales and media attention. Anytime something big like that is done it's ALWAYS going to be selling books and media attention. Why WOULDN'T you want those types of events NOT to garner attention and sell books? Why wouldn't you want to spark interest in future generations of comic readers? I'm not saying this to dissuade your opinion or change your mind. It's just the simple fact of Joe Quesada's job. When it comes to the creative side I'm not saying he's a genius or a fantastic guy. I'm just saying that he doesn't deserved to be fired for wanting to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT with the character. It's your opinion that you think his decisions on Spider-Man have been terrible. It's mine that, while he's made a handful of bad decisions, he's still done a good job with the entire Marvel line and gaining new and different kinds of creative talent. When it comes to Spider-Man I think he's done what HE FEELS is in the best interest of moving the character forward. And in that mission it's obvious he lost sight of WHERE the character should really be evolving to next. It does almost seem like he was desperately making an attempt at trying to make the next big thing happen with Spider-Man and sometimes you've just gotta let it FLOW. But anyway...
He does not have to be the ultimate decision maker to understand not to cross a boundary that has defined his superhero career. Hheheh, In fact- we as readers know that Peter understood what the consequences would be if he were to ever reveal his id. Considering this, Spider-Mans unmasking appears to be glaringly out of character.
Well, of course the reader knows this. In your personal life isn't it always easier to diagnose someone elses problem than doing it for yourself, in most cases? To judge someone elses life looking from the outside because you're not so close to the problem? Yes, it is easier. And it's easier to also point your finger and say, "All the fans knew..." when you are reading what's going to happen in the comic book three months in advance and seeing teaser covers and teaser pages of the comics. Peter Parker doesn't get teasers or newsarama updates on what's going to happen next in his life, haha.
I mean to most people here Peter Parker's character is about being the average everyday guy who doesn't catch all the breaks. He tries to do the right thing and lead the righteous path. He's a great inspiration. And, in the unmasking case, I love the story because it's another lesson that Peter Parker is learning. It's what has made Peter Parker and Spider-Man great for all these decades that you were mentioning earlier. The superhuman registration act asked to register. Peter didn't HAVE to reveal his identity to the public but Tony Stark thought it would be a nice gesture to his fellow heroes to "come out of the closet". Peter ALWAYS wants to do the right thing. And while you may think, "But he's not...he's automatically endangering Aunt May and Mary Jane by doing it no matter what you say". And you are right. He would be and is and DID. But Peter has ALWAYS been about not putting himself or his life above the greater good. THAT'S been part of his character from day one as well. And you CAN'T argue that. And at the time helping out Tony Stark with getting his fellow heroes to register and make it easier on everybody SEEMED like a good idea. For all the years he's fought along side Iron Man and the other heroes would he ever suspect Tony Stark and Reed Richards to do such heinous things behind his back? Of course not. And they weren't doing it maliciously but to prepare themselves for the backlash that would come...and DID come. So, Peter did what he thought was right, which is what he's ALWAYS been about, and then he's learned that his decision has cost him more than he's realized. That Tony Stark and Reed Richards let arrogance and the "greater good" push Peter Parker to become a fugitive once again. His Aunt's life hanging in the balance from the backlash of a past enemy that wants to see him suffer for causing him such disaster. And Peter Parker is dealing with his decisions much like EVERY average everyday joe who walks the streets of America or Canada, England, Germany, Japan, China, Russia, and on and on. Everybody who makes a decision for, what they feel, are the right reasons. And then they find out that they sacrificed EVERYTHING. That they put themselves out there to the fullest extent and the right reasons were tarnished by lies and men who have agendas of their own. People go through it everyday and suddenly the everyday average joe Peter Parker can't? Once again, I do not see where he's been out of character at all through this storyline. It has been handled very well, not perfectly may I say you because nothing is perfect, but compared to the way past events have gone...this has been VERY well done.
If I believe in something then it is my right to state it, just as it is your right to contest my opinion.
I never specifically claimed ANYTHING as fact so you can drop that one.
As I see it- the un masking was totally out of character for PP.
You, JMS or JQ thinking otherwise is not going to make me change my mind.
You really seemed to claim it as fact by saying in your previous post to this one with "Really- your argument has no legs. Give it up." And I've stated that I'm not arguing, Dangerous. I'm merely expressing my opinion on why Joe Quesada should not be fired, which I think are very good reasons, and now I'm expressing my opinion on the unmasking situation, even supplying WHY I feel that way. And you are basically saying to me that my opinion has no legs and that I should give it up because you feel a different way than I do and more people on this particular board agree with you. That's what you are IMPLYING to me. I should clear that up. You aren't coming out and saying it. But it's ok for you and a handful of others to feel that way but the second that I or another poster points out that maybe some of you are being overly expressive of your feelings you get offended as much as I do when I'm hearing, "Oh you're not a real Spider-Man fan" and "Oh, it's the same posts over and over again". It's a two way street. I'm here to state my opinion on Spider-Man not listen to people acting like children because somebody doesn't share their thoughts.
And, one last thing. When you are speaking of Peter Parker being out of character I really don't think some of you realize what you are saying. You do, maybe, but I don't think you're placing your thoughts correctly. Because even when you go back to Sins Past Peter Parker is written in character. The storyline around him was just a bad idea. And the characters AROUND Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn, were extremely written out of character for that particular story. Gwen would never do something like that and as messed up in the head Norman was he would never do something like that to such a young girl. And The Other I wouldn't even say Peter was necessarily written out of character either. It was more or less just another horrid storyline surrounding the character. Him popping out stingers and gaining heightened powers isn't really writing someone "out of character". It's a bad decision with the character but it's not "out of character". And, the unmasking, I've explained earlier. So, just see that, heh.
But when you are saying "out of character" I'm thinking more along the lines of Peter Parker dressing up as a ****** and saying, "*****" at the end of every sentence, haha. Now THAT'S written HORRIBLY out of character. Not a character unmasking after 44 years of stories.
