TheWhiteSpider
Civilian
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- Jan 10, 2006
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I am stunned and amazed after returning to my usual comic reading/forum scanning after
a few weeks working on important projects. There are so many misconceptions about
Peter Parker, so much turmoil about the marriage, cries to the left for a new Spidey,
cries to the right for a return of Ben Reilly -- and of course, the real possibility that
his identity may be revealed during Civil War. It's incredible how complicated the
situation is becoming, with everyone and his Mom thinking of ways to "cure, fix,
save, reboot or oust" Peter Parker. Before I can go into what I think the problem to be,
I will first outline what the problem is not.
The Formula/The Man Behind the Mask
The idea of delving into the personal life of the hero, his true thoughts, his social circle,
his moral struggles in the face of human failure -- power and responsbility -- the boy/man
behind the costume; history has proven that this formula is not only successful but
extremely satisfying as a reading experience. There is no doubt that the character and
format of Spider-Man changed the way comics are told and taught the value of greater
depth in super hero storytelling.
Spider-Man will and always should be about the life, struggles and accomplishments of
the man behind the mask. Anything else would not only betray a rich legacy, but also betray
a way of enhancing the comic artform that has been universally accepted and respected
for years. Replacing Peter Parker would be like shutting down NASA because we haven't
yet found a way to make better spacecraft. Spider-Man and Peter Parker are forever intwined,
and the way they intersect is an award winning formula. Pete is not the problem.
Aging, Marriage
Accepting that Peter is not the problem, then it must be that he aged, got married, left college or
some combination of the above. First of all, I disagree with what some consider a dire sin: the
fact that Spider-Man aged. I reject as an argument statements such as:
"who wants a Spidey with gray hair, 5 kids and a bum hip."
Only an extremely tiny minority wants to see Spider-Man age to seniority and die. Even typing
such a thing is a waste of time. No one wants it and it will never happen. Ever.
Spider-Man provided a unique experience in comics. We saw the hero go from being a lonely,
isolated and angry teen to being a responsible, well adjusted and determined young man. This
did not ruin the character, as the pre-1985 years have proven. Even if you believe Spider-Man
works best as a teen, actual stories have shown that Spider-Man can still work very well
as an adult if the themes are the same. His social circle would deal with more complex problems than
popularity and "to be, or not to be -- a nerd," but they could still be compelling to read about and
follow as young adults. And with all due respect, being a geek is not the only way to feel isolated from
one's peers.
A story where Peter needs help tracking a killer who's striking at former E.S.U. students
and their loved ones, causing him to turn to old friends like Liz & Flash, as well as the Bugle for
archived information; only to realize that they are either out of the country [Betty on a story], don't remember
their friendship [Flash], or just feel so put off by Peter they don't care enough to hear him out [Liz],
would go a long way towards highlighting his social isolation and set him on a path to rebuilding
his friendships and social life. Let's face it. Peter has never been as isolated as he is now.
The writers have completely forgetten that he should be trying to "maintain some semblance of a normal life."
An adult Spidey can work if its thematically true to the character and he doesn't age
beyond this point.
What of a married Spider-Man?
Lately I keep hearing about how Marvel's creative team asks "What would Stan do?" 'Yeah, that's the next
great thing because that's "What Stan would do."' Then, in the same breath, Spider-Man's marriage is regarded
as a cheap stunt because, wait for it -- "That's what Stan wanted to do." Stan wanted Pete married in his strip,
just as he made him marriage minded when he wrote him. In days of Gwen he was that way. Years later he
proposed to M.J. the first time. Wanting marriage is consistent with Spidey's roots. Being married is another
story all together.
Quesada keeps talking about how he would have had M.J. be kidnapped before the wedding,
leading to a Spider-Man movie moment: "I love you, but I can never be with you." I admire the sentiment but
that logic is so broken the pieces are indistinguishable from the debris surrounding them. If Peter were ever
to decide he couldn't develop a serious relationship because of the dangers of being Spidey, it would have happened
after, you know, the kidnapping and murder of the first girl he wanted to marry.
However, the writers couldn't keep Pete off the saddle and very quickly threw him into a relationship with M.J. and
others. It'd be ridiculous, and a true disservice to Gwen, whose father he gave a vow to always protect her, that now --
since M.J. was abducted he just can't get involved with a woman seriously. No dice. The primary problem with the
marriage is that the dynamic between the characters that made their relationship interesting was lost after they
became married. M.J. could have remained spirited and good hearted without being an uber rich married woman out partying
all the time. Also, the power of a "Go get 'em tiger!" relationship, as seen at the end of Spider-Man 2, would have played out
much better than having M.J. resent Spidey and become a nag. It could have taken a slow emotional toll on her
that Peter would later discover and have to deal with.
An equally large issue is that Peter Parker's life was always rooted in the harsh and real facts and hardships of life.
Why wasn't anyone in an uproar over Peter being with Felicia Hardy? Because it was rooted in the above.
Pete was out busting his hump to pay her medical bills, even after he warned her about the dangers. He felt
guilty for letting it happen and he was in his old "gotta get the money" routine. He even quit college to pay her
bills.
His marriage and life with M.J. should have remained rooted in that true-to-life setting. I'd love to see things such as
Peter mapping out a lesson plan for his students, attempting to think of a simple way to explain a concept to them. M.J. wants to get
involved and help, and realizes she has no clue on the subject. Another encounter with someone in her profession
reveals that M.J. doesn't know what she wants to do with her life if/when she ever stops modelling. She starts to take
night classes and is not very successful, but hides that fact from Peter; wanting to accomplish things on her own and share the results with him later.
This causes him to wonder what she is keeping from him.
Peter later finds out about this, and presses M.J. about why she didn't come to him for help. M.J. reveals that one
of the reasons she always tried to deal with Peter on a "care free, let's party" level, was because she was intimidated
by his intelligence, and never thought they could really relate on that level the way he and Gwen did. She'd muse that
he and Gwen would have found the cure for cancer by now, to which Pete would reply that he and M.J. found the
secret to happiness, which is just as elusive. Spider-Man can be entertaining and worthwhile as a married man as
long as his personal life remains on a down to Earth level.
Agree or disagree about whether it should have happened, but keep it grounded in the overall framework of his hardluck life and
it'll work better than uprooting it in a mega crossover.
Which would you rather see:
Scenario one:
M.J.'s career goes bust, leaving them with
massive debt Pete has to pay off and forcing him to deal with J.J.J. ["Now you come crawling back..? The grass wasn't as green
on the other side as you thought, eh Parker? What makes you think I'd still want your tired, rehashed Spid-- Spi-- Spider-Man unmasking Iron-Man?!
I'll give you $200 and not a dollar more].
Not to mention the fact that Aunt May has nowhere to go -- due to one of Pete's villains destroying her house. Classic Parker crisis.
Scenario two:
A mega event to wipe out the marriage. *Ahem*
"Maximum Baggage: 'Till Death Do Us Part: Gamma"
I'd opt for doing the marriage the right way, arguably for the first time.
In my opinion none of the above are the problem. Their execution is symptomatic of the true problem, however. Which I'll go into later this week.
Next time>>
"Which came first, the damage or the outcry?"
and
"Who Broke Peter Parker?"
a few weeks working on important projects. There are so many misconceptions about
Peter Parker, so much turmoil about the marriage, cries to the left for a new Spidey,
cries to the right for a return of Ben Reilly -- and of course, the real possibility that
his identity may be revealed during Civil War. It's incredible how complicated the
situation is becoming, with everyone and his Mom thinking of ways to "cure, fix,
save, reboot or oust" Peter Parker. Before I can go into what I think the problem to be,
I will first outline what the problem is not.
The Formula/The Man Behind the Mask
The idea of delving into the personal life of the hero, his true thoughts, his social circle,
his moral struggles in the face of human failure -- power and responsbility -- the boy/man
behind the costume; history has proven that this formula is not only successful but
extremely satisfying as a reading experience. There is no doubt that the character and
format of Spider-Man changed the way comics are told and taught the value of greater
depth in super hero storytelling.
Spider-Man will and always should be about the life, struggles and accomplishments of
the man behind the mask. Anything else would not only betray a rich legacy, but also betray
a way of enhancing the comic artform that has been universally accepted and respected
for years. Replacing Peter Parker would be like shutting down NASA because we haven't
yet found a way to make better spacecraft. Spider-Man and Peter Parker are forever intwined,
and the way they intersect is an award winning formula. Pete is not the problem.
Aging, Marriage
Accepting that Peter is not the problem, then it must be that he aged, got married, left college or
some combination of the above. First of all, I disagree with what some consider a dire sin: the
fact that Spider-Man aged. I reject as an argument statements such as:
"who wants a Spidey with gray hair, 5 kids and a bum hip."
Only an extremely tiny minority wants to see Spider-Man age to seniority and die. Even typing
such a thing is a waste of time. No one wants it and it will never happen. Ever.
Spider-Man provided a unique experience in comics. We saw the hero go from being a lonely,
isolated and angry teen to being a responsible, well adjusted and determined young man. This
did not ruin the character, as the pre-1985 years have proven. Even if you believe Spider-Man
works best as a teen, actual stories have shown that Spider-Man can still work very well
as an adult if the themes are the same. His social circle would deal with more complex problems than
popularity and "to be, or not to be -- a nerd," but they could still be compelling to read about and
follow as young adults. And with all due respect, being a geek is not the only way to feel isolated from
one's peers.
A story where Peter needs help tracking a killer who's striking at former E.S.U. students
and their loved ones, causing him to turn to old friends like Liz & Flash, as well as the Bugle for
archived information; only to realize that they are either out of the country [Betty on a story], don't remember
their friendship [Flash], or just feel so put off by Peter they don't care enough to hear him out [Liz],
would go a long way towards highlighting his social isolation and set him on a path to rebuilding
his friendships and social life. Let's face it. Peter has never been as isolated as he is now.
The writers have completely forgetten that he should be trying to "maintain some semblance of a normal life."
An adult Spidey can work if its thematically true to the character and he doesn't age
beyond this point.
What of a married Spider-Man?
Lately I keep hearing about how Marvel's creative team asks "What would Stan do?" 'Yeah, that's the next
great thing because that's "What Stan would do."' Then, in the same breath, Spider-Man's marriage is regarded
as a cheap stunt because, wait for it -- "That's what Stan wanted to do." Stan wanted Pete married in his strip,
just as he made him marriage minded when he wrote him. In days of Gwen he was that way. Years later he
proposed to M.J. the first time. Wanting marriage is consistent with Spidey's roots. Being married is another
story all together.
Quesada keeps talking about how he would have had M.J. be kidnapped before the wedding,
leading to a Spider-Man movie moment: "I love you, but I can never be with you." I admire the sentiment but
that logic is so broken the pieces are indistinguishable from the debris surrounding them. If Peter were ever
to decide he couldn't develop a serious relationship because of the dangers of being Spidey, it would have happened
after, you know, the kidnapping and murder of the first girl he wanted to marry.
However, the writers couldn't keep Pete off the saddle and very quickly threw him into a relationship with M.J. and
others. It'd be ridiculous, and a true disservice to Gwen, whose father he gave a vow to always protect her, that now --
since M.J. was abducted he just can't get involved with a woman seriously. No dice. The primary problem with the
marriage is that the dynamic between the characters that made their relationship interesting was lost after they
became married. M.J. could have remained spirited and good hearted without being an uber rich married woman out partying
all the time. Also, the power of a "Go get 'em tiger!" relationship, as seen at the end of Spider-Man 2, would have played out
much better than having M.J. resent Spidey and become a nag. It could have taken a slow emotional toll on her
that Peter would later discover and have to deal with.
An equally large issue is that Peter Parker's life was always rooted in the harsh and real facts and hardships of life.
Why wasn't anyone in an uproar over Peter being with Felicia Hardy? Because it was rooted in the above.
Pete was out busting his hump to pay her medical bills, even after he warned her about the dangers. He felt
guilty for letting it happen and he was in his old "gotta get the money" routine. He even quit college to pay her
bills.
His marriage and life with M.J. should have remained rooted in that true-to-life setting. I'd love to see things such as
Peter mapping out a lesson plan for his students, attempting to think of a simple way to explain a concept to them. M.J. wants to get
involved and help, and realizes she has no clue on the subject. Another encounter with someone in her profession
reveals that M.J. doesn't know what she wants to do with her life if/when she ever stops modelling. She starts to take
night classes and is not very successful, but hides that fact from Peter; wanting to accomplish things on her own and share the results with him later.
This causes him to wonder what she is keeping from him.
Peter later finds out about this, and presses M.J. about why she didn't come to him for help. M.J. reveals that one
of the reasons she always tried to deal with Peter on a "care free, let's party" level, was because she was intimidated
by his intelligence, and never thought they could really relate on that level the way he and Gwen did. She'd muse that
he and Gwen would have found the cure for cancer by now, to which Pete would reply that he and M.J. found the
secret to happiness, which is just as elusive. Spider-Man can be entertaining and worthwhile as a married man as
long as his personal life remains on a down to Earth level.
Agree or disagree about whether it should have happened, but keep it grounded in the overall framework of his hardluck life and
it'll work better than uprooting it in a mega crossover.
Which would you rather see:
Scenario one:
M.J.'s career goes bust, leaving them with
massive debt Pete has to pay off and forcing him to deal with J.J.J. ["Now you come crawling back..? The grass wasn't as green
on the other side as you thought, eh Parker? What makes you think I'd still want your tired, rehashed Spid-- Spi-- Spider-Man unmasking Iron-Man?!
I'll give you $200 and not a dollar more].
Not to mention the fact that Aunt May has nowhere to go -- due to one of Pete's villains destroying her house. Classic Parker crisis.
Scenario two:
A mega event to wipe out the marriage. *Ahem*
"Maximum Baggage: 'Till Death Do Us Part: Gamma"
I'd opt for doing the marriage the right way, arguably for the first time.
In my opinion none of the above are the problem. Their execution is symptomatic of the true problem, however. Which I'll go into later this week.
Next time>>
"Which came first, the damage or the outcry?"
and
"Who Broke Peter Parker?"
