Wow... Did anyone see the date in the back of ASM# 544 of Joe Q's original sketches? June, 2006. Fifteen months ago. Jeez, this has either been in the can for a while, or it takes Joe Q a damn long time to draw four comics.
Pete's jaw in many scenes does look nobby and his whole mouth area lumps out a bit.....kinda odd way to draw it.
IGN's review was kinda funny.
I think they're gonna stretch it out over the first three issues....Pete lamenting and looking for someone to help him....then throw Aunt MAy and MJ under the bus one way or another finally in the last issue of the ARC....is my guess.
One dead (May) and one wiped (MJ). Ewww.
Okay, Jarvis and Tony had no idea about May, and yet everyone from Flash to JJJ to Reed Richards to Curt Conners knew about her in Sensational and Friendly. Once again, old Alonso and Joey Q are sleeping at the job. Old continuity is one thing, but damn, at least keep current continuity from week to week in check. Also only a few days have passed since she was shot and yet it seems like a few weeks have passed considering the events of Friendly and Sensational, but whatever. JMS is once again in his own bubble and any events that happen in the second-tier books mean nothing to him.
Overall, nothing of real note happened in this story. Once again, a solid issue, but uneventful considering it's part one of the most-hyped Spidey story in years.
Things that I liked:
Pete's skirmish with Tony and using his organic webbing to their max (before it presumably goes back to mechanical webbing according to either Slott or Wells in BND). Cool visual effect with Tony webbed up.
Tony is still a little human and not a complete dick.
VIBRANT, beautiful coloring. Didn't care for the art so much (more on that later) but the art was done really well.
Comprehensive history of Spider-Man in the back from beginning to present. Despite my reservations that they may have just ripped it off of Wikipedia, whoever wrote it needs to get a job at Marvel as continuity editor.
Things I didn't care for:
As has been mentioned.... Him going back to the red and blues without an explanation? Stupid. What is he no longer in a "dark state of mind" since Spider-Man 3 hooplah has come and gone? I have a sinking suspicion that work on 'One More Day' started before 'Back in Black' was even conceived, thanks to Joey Q's lateness issues.
Jarvis loved May? I thought they went on one or two dates and even those dates seemed forced. I don't know. It seemed out of place and since the last time they even interacted was more than a year ago, it seemed a waste of space for this monumental storyline.
Joe Q's art. I don't know if it's the inker or being out of practice, but it was too scratchy and just all over the place. Some parts Pete looked too cartoonish... other parts too detailed and sketchy. And never did it look like Peter Parker. His Spider-Man was good though, but nothing amazing (or spectacular). The colors made up for it however.
The continuity issues I mentioned above.
Nothing really happened. You could skip this issue and pick up part 2 and not have any trouble following the storyline.
That's it. Not much to praise or criticize either way. Very short and uneventful. I'll give it a 6 out of 10. Hopefully more happens in the next part.
Peter: I never should have revealed I was Spider-Man. No! Really? What was your first clue, Mr. I know what will happen if I do this, but Ill do it anyway because I got a snazzy new suit and free room and board from Tony and my Aunt, who has no idea what its like being a superhero, told me to, so that makes be both a tool and a fool?
2.
So Iron Man, out of a sense of guilt, decides to have Jarvis hand over a check for $2 million dollars to pay off Aunt Mays medical bills. If he REALLY wanted to help out Peter, he couldve given Peter and his family a temporary pardon and used his own vast resources from Stark Enterprises, the Federal Government, and SHIELD--all of which have better medical technology than some rinky-dink New York clinic could ever hope to have--to give Aunt May medical care, certainly enough to treat a gunshot wound. After all, isnt Iron Mans own armor capable of repairing damaged muscle tissue (the heart is muscle after all)? Help? Half-assed more like it. (Better yet, why not go to Reed Richards, the smartest man on Earth, who could probably find a way to help out Aunt May and resusatate her in five minutes.) But Peter has too much pride to accept that kind of help from Tony Stark, youd say. Really? Then why did Peter go to him in this issue? But Tony Stark wanted to do things in secret, you add. What? You think that the guy who now is in charge of the most highly trained, highly advanced paramilitary and espionage organization in the world cant come up with a way to pay off the hospital staff, bring in his own guys, and treat Aunt May--all done in secret besides? Then again, if this happened, then there be no reason for Peter to seek out Dr. Strange for help which will, of course, result in some contrived result to erase the marriage, which of course is what, apparently, this whole event appears to be about.
3.
As someone noted, One More Day has already made the entire Back in Black event utterly pointless, in that a reader couldve gone directly from the last part of the War on Home, skipped the next five issues of Amazing Spider-Man (not to mention Friendly Neighborhood and Sensational), and gone directly to the first part of One More Day without missing a beat. Just wait until Spidey alters history by preventing Aunt May from getting shot and that will make the past five months (if not more) a complete waste of time and money. (Joe Quesada: Another name for Marvel Zombies are SUCKERS!)
4. If One More Day is leading up to some kind of erasing of the marriage, its one thing to alter the status quo and then fix things and then build upon the aftermath--thats what comic books do all the time. However, its entirely another thing to essentially make the past 20 years worth of comics not really count in an effort to fix things--i.e. the Clone Saga with Ben Reilly being the real Spider-Man, and potentially erasing the marriage from existence in One More Day.
5. Speaking of the Clone Saga, one of the proposed solutions that almost got green lit was that a time warp caused by Mephisto allowed both Peter and Ben to actually be the original Spider-Man, only from different time periods. It was ultimately rejected because it was too supernatural and cosmic for a down to earth comic like Spider-Man. Flash forward 10 years later and now we are talking about using supernatural and cosmic solutions--courtesy of Dr. Strange, no less, Marvels go to guy for all thing deus ex machina--in order to get Spidey back to basics. So much for Spider-Man being down to earth.
6. If Marvel is going to use a cosmic solution to rewrite reality in the case of Spider-Man, then they are hypocritical now when they criticize DC for doing to same thing in order to fix their continuity. Also, rewriting reality is what got DC comics into trouble in the first place--and is still having problems with--so what makes Marvel think it will work in this case? Cause its on a limited scale? All that will cause is continuity problems between Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Universe. (Watch how in a couple of years, Marvel will eventually have a Crisis and merge the 616, Ultimate, and Adventures universes into one Marvel universe in order to keep everything straight.)
7. If One More Day was a last minute ditch effort to not only fix the marriage but also erase from continuity the totem origin, Gwen and Normans mutant ninja kids, the unmasking, Aunt May getting shot, etc., then JMS cant be all that thrilled that virtually his entire seven year run has essentially been discounted (not unlike Grant Morrisons entire run on New X-Men). If this was something JMS had in mind since the beginning of his run, then basically hes established himself as a hack of the worst kind--someone who strings his readers along only to pull the rug out and essentially say Ha, Ha! Everything that happened was essentially a dream. Marvel Zombies--I mean SUCKERS!
8. For those who say, Quit criticizing the story before its finished, may I remind you that the exact same comments were made with regards to Sins Past, the Other, the Unmasking, and--dare I say--Back in Black--all of which failed to live up to their hype and promise, and were essentially the brainchildren of the very same folks who are bringing us One More Day. Given that recent history with regards to Spider-Man, is it any wonder why one couldnt be skeptical about the outcome, no matter how well the story is told? To paraphrase Stephen King, Its not how you tell the tale but the tale itself that matters, or a bad story is still a bad story no matter how well the writer can write.
^^^^
Now what kind of internet poster would I be if I DIDN'T criticize the story before it's finished at least once. It's one of the cardinal rules after all*. t:
*See the Mythological Guidebook for Internet Message Board Poster Etiquette for details.
Well, I went out and bought OMD. I haven't bought a Spider-Man comic in quite a long time... but I figured (as another poster pointed out) I may as well get the last few issues of MJ and Peter together. Lame, I know, but this arc seems to be the culmination of everything that has happened to my favorite character in the last 6 years... and I've enjoyed JMS' run up until right after Aunt May found out Peter was Spider-Man.
Spoilers:
First of all, I was shocked by the price: 4 bucks?! HAHA, guess it has been awhile since I've bought a comic...
On the plus side: It was refreshing to visually see Spider-Man kick Tony's ass and put him in his place. No matter who argues it, I firmly believe Peter could kill Iron Man if it ever came to that. So BRAVO for that scene.
However: the dialogue pissed me off. As I noted in another post, I've never believed that Peter and Tony were good friends, much less that there was ever a "father/son" thing between them, and have firmly believed that Tony's relationship to him being ANY reason for Peter to unmask was utter BULL ****. But right here in this issue, Marvel CONFIRMED that they have been writing the Tony/Peter relationship as psuedo "father figure" one. Peter's complete whining about how his trust in Tony (You were like a Father to me! ) is what led to Aunt May's condition was utterly annoying and uncharacteristic.
The other gripe I had was the constant, neverending *****ing, whining, moaning, and complaining that Peter does... and here's the thing: he's been doing the SAME thing for the last 6 issues! Jesus Christ already, we get it! The entire issue (save for the Iron Man scene) is one long RECAP of Back In Black. And it seems like almost every other page we are beaten over the head with how Peter will do ANYTHING to save Aunt May. "I'd storm the gates of hell! I'd sell my puppy! I'd cut off my nuts!" Good god, you'd think he should be married to her instead of Mary Jane! Seriously, just slip her the salami and get it over with already!
And to echo other posters' annoyance: Peter is back in Red and Blue with NO EXPLANATION whatsoever. It wouldn't even be that noticable if it weren't for the giant "Back in Black" slogan that's been plastered on every cover of Spidey issues for the last 6 months. We've been constantly reminded of why Peter went back to the black costume for months (to be a scarier Spider-Man or some nonsense... ) and now he swings off in red and blue... Either lazy writing strikes again or "who knows, insert whatever other lame Marvel excuse here".
And finally, the artwork... utter crap. :heart:
Anyhow, Marvel got my 4 bucks, so shame on me. And in all honesty, I'll buy the other 3 issues as well. Cause a train wreck this big just shouldn't be missed.
Good to see the original logo back on the cover, anyway what did I think…
It was a little slow but in a good way. Peter’s confrontation w/ Iron Man was done well and I liked Stark coming to May’s aid by the end of the issue, showing he is not a complete bastard. Aside from that, not much happens but the slow plotting worked for me, for this issue at least. What is not going to float is if the rest of the arc is as predictable as posters are making out. It seems everyone knows what is going to happen next- enter Dr Strange or some other character w/ similar powers who offers Peter a get out of jail card w/ a huge ret con of the last year of his life at the cost of his marriage.
The ret con I’d take, bar killing the marriage. It’s all a big tease though, there’s no way the story will play out as many here expect. If it does then that is a pretty lame story- if we already know the ending.
Joe’s art- sometimes I think he does not know how to draw Spidey in action or just general figures in action, but I think in this issue he makes his shortcomings work by heaping on the stylisation. I liked seeing MJ in her classic tight black top and Purple pants combo, as seen in the Romita/Ross lithograph, and I was amused by how Tony Stark is now uncannily reminiscent of a certain Robert Downey Jr.
I'm happy to say I did NOT buy this today... Not even tempted. Sounds like a good move.
If they end the marriage with this story, I would hate myself for supporting it.
It looks like there will be no more Spider-Man for me for a very long time. That makes me very sad.
But there is NO freaking way I'm going to buy into JQ destroying Peter and Mary Jane's marriage. Not now. Not later. Never.
Their relationship has been a consistent highlight for me (and apparently MOST fans) even when the rest of the stories have been sub-par. I find JQ's determination to wipe it out, in-spite of the fact it's NOT the "problem" with Spider-Man, and a stunning MAJORITY of fans want it to STAY... to be a new LOW for this bottom-feeder. Seriously... it makes my blood boil.
Plain and simple. He's ruining Spider-Man for me... and I LOVE this little bit of escapism... Spider-Man. THAT is why I'm so angry and so dead set against supporting this "scheme" of his... even as it unfolds.
I think Joe Q sees himself as an artist (not in the term of guy who draws pictures, but as in one who explores truths through their medium of expression) and thinks the fact that we hate his ideas is some badge of honor.
I picked up the issue, surprisingly, it was better than I thought it'd be, Joey Q's art was great especially the two page spread at the end, and Peter's thought's on the last two page's, again, have me thinking about how this is going to turn out in the end. So I'm looking forward to buying the delayed FNSM next month.
the story was good (and that Peter/Tony part particularly), but damn the art I found it horrible! wow I've never seen such weird faces, and that last pages of Spidey swinging was terrible, I've nerver seen such horrible muscles! I think it's the first time I absolutely HATE the drawing style of someone.
You also don't have to worry about continuity issues if you skipped everything involved with Back in Black and wonder just where everything fits within the "few days" between the time May got shot and the first part of "One More Day." I mean it's one thing to have Spidey go after the Kingpin, filler that that whole thing turned out to be, but what about the duplicate Spider-Men? The return of the alternate universe Uncle Ben and the Sandman frame up? Ero's plan coming to fruition? Spidey off with the New Avengers in Japan? World War Hulk? All happening before One More Day? Hmm, maybe Spidey is some of those stories IS a Skrull after all.
Dangerous said:
What is not going to float is if the rest of the arc is as predictable as posters are making out. It seems everyone knows what is going to happen next- enter Dr Strange or some other character w/ similar powers who offers Peter a get out of jail card w/ a huge ret con of the last year of his life at the cost of his marriage.
Well, it certainly doesn't help when matters when Marvel shows the preview art of Peter vs. Iron Man from this issue--great fight that it is--and it turns out to be the only thing that is really eventful in the entire comic. Not to mention all the interviews and appearance Joe Q gives which all but express his disdain for Spidey's marriage and how "One More Day" will be the "last word on it." It a way, things are shaping up like the Other, in that a heavily hyped event was speculated on, in which, while not many got the specific details of the plot right, many got the gist of where it was going: Spidey dies and is reborn with new powers. Here it's: Spidey saves Aunt May courtesy of Dr. Strange at the cost of his marriage.
Peter: I never should have revealed I was Spider-Man. No! Really? What was your first clue, Mr. I know what will happen if I do this, but Ill do it anyway because I got a snazzy new suit and free room and board from Tony and my Aunt, who has no idea what its like being a superhero, told me to, so that makes be both a tool and a fool?
2.
So Iron Man, out of a sense of guilt, decides to have Jarvis hand over a check for $2 million dollars to pay off Aunt Mays medical bills. If he REALLY wanted to help out Peter, he couldve given Peter and his family a temporary pardon and used his own vast resources from Stark Enterprises, the Federal Government, and SHIELD--all of which have better medical technology than some rinky-dink New York clinic could ever hope to have--to give Aunt May medical care, certainly enough to treat a gunshot wound. After all, isnt Iron Mans own armor capable of repairing damaged muscle tissue (the heart is muscle after all)? Help? Half-assed more like it. (Better yet, why not go to Reed Richards, the smartest man on Earth, who could probably find a way to help out Aunt May and resusatate her in five minutes.) But Peter has too much pride to accept that kind of help from Tony Stark, youd say. Really? Then why did Peter go to him in this issue? But Tony Stark wanted to do things in secret, you add. What? You think that the guy who now is in charge of the most highly trained, highly advanced paramilitary and espionage organization in the world cant come up with a way to pay off the hospital staff, bring in his own guys, and treat Aunt May--all done in secret besides? Then again, if this happened, then there be no reason for Peter to seek out Dr. Strange for help which will, of course, result in some contrived result to erase the marriage, which of course is what, apparently, this whole event appears to be about.
3.
As someone noted, One More Day has already made the entire Back in Black event utterly pointless, in that a reader couldve gone directly from the last part of the War on Home, skipped the next five issues of Amazing Spider-Man (not to mention Friendly Neighborhood and Sensational), and gone directly to the first part of One More Day without missing a beat. Just wait until Spidey alters history by preventing Aunt May from getting shot and that will make the past five months (if not more) a complete waste of time and money. (Joe Quesada: Another name for Marvel Zombies are SUCKERS!)
4. If One More Day is leading up to some kind of erasing of the marriage, its one thing to alter the status quo and then fix things and then build upon the aftermath--thats what comic books do all the time. However, its entirely another thing to essentially make the past 20 years worth of comics not really count in an effort to fix things--i.e. the Clone Saga with Ben Reilly being the real Spider-Man, and potentially erasing the marriage from existence in One More Day.
5. Speaking of the Clone Saga, one of the proposed solutions that almost got green lit was that a time warp caused by Mephisto allowed both Peter and Ben to actually be the original Spider-Man, only from different time periods. It was ultimately rejected because it was too supernatural and cosmic for a down to earth comic like Spider-Man. Flash forward 10 years later and now we are talking about using supernatural and cosmic solutions--courtesy of Dr. Strange, no less, Marvels go to guy for all thing deus ex machina--in order to get Spidey back to basics. So much for Spider-Man being down to earth.
6. If Marvel is going to use a cosmic solution to rewrite reality in the case of Spider-Man, then they are hypocritical now when they criticize DC for doing to same thing in order to fix their continuity. Also, rewriting reality is what got DC comics into trouble in the first place--and is still having problems with--so what makes Marvel think it will work in this case? Cause its on a limited scale? All that will cause is continuity problems between Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Universe. (Watch how in a couple of years, Marvel will eventually have a Crisis and merge the 616, Ultimate, and Adventures universes into one Marvel universe in order to keep everything straight.)
7. If One More Day was a last minute ditch effort to not only fix the marriage but also erase from continuity the totem origin, Gwen and Normans mutant ninja kids, the unmasking, Aunt May getting shot, etc., then JMS cant be all that thrilled that virtually his entire seven year run has essentially been discounted (not unlike Grant Morrisons entire run on New X-Men). If this was something JMS had in mind since the beginning of his run, then basically hes established himself as a hack of the worst kind--someone who strings his readers along only to pull the rug out and essentially say Ha, Ha! Everything that happened was essentially a dream. Marvel Zombies--I mean SUCKERS!
8. For those who say, Quit criticizing the story before its finished, may I remind you that the exact same comments were made with regards to Sins Past, the Other, the Unmasking, and--dare I say--Back in Black--all of which failed to live up to their hype and promise, and were essentially the brainchildren of the very same folks who are bringing us One More Day. Given that recent history with regards to Spider-Man, is it any wonder why one couldnt be skeptical about the outcome, no matter how well the story is told? To paraphrase Stephen King, Its not how you tell the tale but the tale itself that matters, or a bad story is still a bad story no matter how well the writer can write.
In regards to spoiler 2; i think he couldnt risk offering any help, because if it were to leak out that he was helping one anti-reg superhero, he may be called upon to arrange pardons for ALL of them. Actually; He DID arrange a pardon for all of them after Civil War. Only the NEw Avengers and New Warriors seem to have declined...
I bought ASM Issue#544 and Here's what I thought of it.
It was awesome! I loved how Peter was so focused on keeping his Aunt alive. I'm also really happy to see Spidey back in his red and blue suit. The end of the Issue really got me excited and pumped. Peter beating up Iron Man was great and showed how far Peter will go to keep his Aunt May alive. It was an emotional scene and I really liked how Stark felt bad for Aunt May.
The art was fantastic IMO! I loved the expressions Joe Q made for Peter when he was angry. Same for MJ, etc.
This Issue was very promising which makes me think that the next Issue of Freindly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be pure greatness!
Good to see the original logo back on the cover, anyway what did I think
It was a little slow but in a good way. Peters confrontation w/ Iron Man was done well and I liked Stark coming to Mays aid by the end of the issue, showing he is not a complete bastard. Aside from that, not much happens but the slow plotting worked for me, for this issue at least. What is not going to float is if the rest of the arc is as predictable as posters are making out. It seems everyone knows what is going to happen next- enter Dr Strange or some other character w/ similar powers who offers Peter a get out of jail card w/ a huge ret con of the last year of his life at the cost of his marriage.
The ret con Id take, bar killing the marriage. Its all a big tease though, theres no way the story will play out as many here expect. If it does then that is a pretty lame story- if we already know the ending.
Joes art- sometimes I think he does not know how to draw Spidey in action or just general figures in action, but I think in this issue he makes his shortcomings work by heaping on the stylisation. I liked seeing MJ in her classic tight black top and Purple pants combo, as seen in the Romita/Ross lithograph, and I was amused by how Tony Stark is now uncannily reminiscent of a certain Robert Downey Jr.
In regards to spoiler 2; i think he couldnt risk offering any help, because if it were to leak out that he was helping one anti-reg superhero, he may be called upon to arrange pardons for ALL of them. Actually; He DID arrange a pardon for all of them after Civil War. Only the NEw Avengers and New Warriors seem to have declined...
Well, that's true about the pardon bit, the point I made about Tony could've handled things secretly without necessarily have Jarvis do it still stands, I believe, because he is in charge of an organization that's all about secrecy, not to mention has a lot more medical technology to provide in secret than virtually whatever crappy coverage the Parker's HMO currently offers them. And I'm certainly not saying Iron Man wouldn't have helped out with the medical bills (in terms of his current characterization, it actually fits in that he feels that he can easily solve problems because he's wealthy). What I am saying is that given his tremendous resources, especially with SHIELD behind him, he could've used state-of-art tech medical technology to aid Aunt May whether Peter liked it or not rather than sign over a two million dollar check. (For some reason, I kept thinking about Dr. Evil in Austin Powers trying to hold the world hostage for "1 MILLION dollars!" and the entire U.N. security counsel laughing their asses off.)
I haven't read the comic yet, but I have a silly question:
How does a person cash a check for $2 million? I didn't think any bank would do that... I guess it's just a magical superheroey world where banks carry lots of cash, which explains the villains who are always trying to steal it. And wouldn't Peter attract a little attention cashing it?
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t:
) is what led to Aunt May's condition was utterly annoying and uncharacteristic.
) and now he swings off in red and blue... Either lazy writing strikes again or "who knows, insert whatever other lame Marvel excuse here".
