Wanted to comment on one thing:
JQ: said:
To be honest, walking into a Spider-Man book with a married Peter Parker is more of a jolt to the system than his being unmasked.
No, it's not. I know you have a vendetta against any married character who wasn't hitched on your watch, Joey, but it's not a big deal.
Peter has been married to MJ in 616 since 1987, which is 19 years in real time. When SPIDER-MAN 3 hits theatres, it will be 20, as in AN ENTIRE GENERATION. A lot of us folks who are 25 or over even remember when that marriage was "new" and anyone who's read a Spidey comic from 1987 to present knows it. That's a MESSLOAD of people. In every SPIDER-MAN film so far, MJ has been the only woman in Peter's life and it is obvious he is devoted to her. In the 90's cartoon, which lasted 5 seasons from 1993-1998 and lived in reruns until this year, MJ is featured heavilly and they even marry there, too (even though it was just her hydro-clone. Ugh). In the MTV SPIDER-MAN series, Peter is again devoted to MJ. And, again, there have been 19 years worth of comics with them married.
In the real world, when two people are really devoted to each other as much as Peter and MJ are, they date, the go steady, get engaged, and eventually marry. Hell, a dumpload of people marry under far less stable circumstances. Most people, unlike you, Mr. Q, accept this as part of life.
What I find hilarious is Joe Q, in a preview FRIDAY, went up and down about how shameless a publicity stunt the Spider-Marriage was in 1987, like the all-knowing Oz. Well, then, what was the "Marriage of the Century" that was T'Challa and Ororo? Before BLACK PANTHER started gearing towards it, they barely met and interacted; they only had a back-up story from MTU #100, circa 1980, that had to be embellished and all but retconned in a recent mini. You have an exec from BET writing it. Besides both being black and from Africa, these two had almost nothing in common and no friendship until one was quickly created for them to get married within a few months real time. How is THIS not a publicity stunt!? At least Peter and MJ had met and dated for over a decade off and on in real time before they wed. What is your excuse for "Wedding of the Century" besides cheap sales?
Oh, that's right. You make no mistakes. That's why you won't admit that moving SUPREME POWER from MAX to MK to "get readers" failed, because it has. You also won't admit that relaunching IRON MAN has also failed, because IM now sells at the same level as it did in 2001, which was what seemingly sparked those relaunches.
But that's backtracking. No, I don't think it's as shocking for a "new" reader to know that Peter married his sweet-heart than knowing he unmasked, on national television, because he was manipulated by Iron Man during a Superhero Civil War.
But it was nice to see Joe acknowledge the "regular artist/creator" thing.
