Comics What If? Spider-Man: Back in Black

[JerseyJoker]

http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.6269.What_If~colon~_Woes_of_the_Wallcrawler

When a sniper shot May Parker, it shook Spider-Man's world so badly he would make a decision that changed his entire life.

On December 24, it happens all over again.

This time, in WHAT IF? SPIDER-MAN: BACK IN BLACK, written by Steven Grant with art by Gus Vazquez, the crucial moment reoccurs with a twist. Instead of Spider-Man's kindly aunt being felled, the sniper's bullet strikes down his then-wife, Mary Jane. While the event similarly sparks Spidey's desire for vengeance as it did in the source arc, fans can expect some notable discrepancies.

"There are differences," Grant explains. "Your connection to your wife will always be different from your connection to your mother, I hope. But also the circumstances are changed. Peter had options to him when May was shot that are closed off to him in this story. His priorities are different."

The issue marks Grant's return to Marvel many years after crafting a body work including several definitive Punisher stories. The desire to collaborate with some familiar and new talent drove Grant's homecoming.

"[Editor] Justin Gabrie, who was on the editorial team when I was doing PUNISHER for Marvel in the mid-90's, was always a dream to work with, so when he called and asked, I was there," notes the writer. "[Also] there was Gus Vasquez. I'd never heard of him but when Justin sent me his samples, I thought, 'I have to work with this guy.'"

Additionally, the chance to write one of Marvel's biggest characters in the context of the current Marvel Universe proved too tempting to pass up.

"I always liked writing Spider-Man, once I figured out how the character should be written," Grant recalls. "I'd also been reading the Civil War stories and had some questions of my own about them, and this story gave me the opportunity to pose some of those questions, and put my own spin on some of the philosophical quandaries left in the wake of [that story]."

The writer found the ongoing conflict between Spidey and his former ally and mentor, Iron Man, to be of particular interest.

"Our story is as much a conflict between Spider-Man and Iron Man as between Spider-Man and The Kingpin," he teases.

I really can't wait for this, its been talked about for some time recently, about a What If story revolving around BiB. And from the art, and direction of where the story can go, im really interested in it (no just cause we go into a pre-BND Spidey world)/

 

[bryanss3]

maybe he'll beat the **** out of stark in front of every avenger ever like when he beat the **** out of Fisk in front of all the criminals.

 

[USMC]

Meh, I'm more of the midset of "Who gives a crap?" since BiB never happened now anyway...

 

[bryanss3]

I know its sad he beat down kingpin in front of all those people and now it doesn't even count. I bet when Kingpin comes back(which he is suppose to in daredevil) they'll avoid putting him in ASM cause they'll be to confused with what actually did happen between them in that span of time since it never happened. hopefully they turn pete's world back to normal. no one wants Aunt May to die, but if I had to choose between her dying and Mephisto's option. Shouldn't Aunt May end up dying in some other ways isn't that how mephisto's deals usual work.

 

[arachnid-guy]

Peter saves the life of Mary Jane in exchange for his marriage to Aunt May.

um. wait.

 

[Styleshift]

I may pick this up just to see what its about.

 

[Themanofbat]

I know its sad he beat down kingpin in front of all those people and now it doesn't even count. I bet when Kingpin comes back(which he is suppose to in daredevil) they'll avoid putting him in ASM cause they'll be to confused with what actually did happen between them in that span of time since it never happened. hopefully they turn pete's world back to normal. no one wants Aunt May to die, but if I had to choose between her dying and Mephisto's option. Shouldn't Aunt May end up dying in some other ways isn't that how mephisto's deals usual work.

Of course it happened... tell me where it says that it didn't?

 

[spiderfan970]

How about a One More Day "What If" where Peter and MJ choose to let Aunt May die naturally instead of being kept alive by a demon.


...Or is that Spider-Girl?

 

[bryanss3]

Of course it happened... tell me where it says that it didn't?

well if Aunt May was never shot due to the result of Mephisto's work then the beating that was a reaction to it didn't either

 

[SpideyZERO]

How about a One More Day "What If" where Peter and MJ choose to let Aunt May die naturally instead of being kept alive by a demon.

No, just no. A What If One More Day will end very badly if Peter doesn't make the deal with the devil, just to show us "See, Peter did the right thing! Now go and buy Brand New Day!"

Anyone, nice art of What if BIB, and Spidey pwns Iron Man. Hope it will be exciting (although a very bad ending is guaranteed)

 

[moraldeficiency]

Of course it happened... tell me where it says that it didn't?

The very nature and plot of the story couldn't happen unless aunt may was shot which mephisto made not happen, ergo BiB couldn't have happened. Plus Peter Parker made a point of showing who he was to everyone there. Remember all that about "it's not spider-man beating you now, it's me"? How does that happen without aunt may getting shot, which now she wasn't?

 

[crivelliman]

Wow. This actually looks like Pete might step up to the plate, as far as his life being royally screwed over is concerned. As opposed to crying, begging smart people to help, and talking to alternate versions of himself, maybe he'll be proactive about the whole thing. Not a bad take. The art is kind of... "What Iffy" to me, which I'm not all surprised by. That cover is effing poster-worthy, though.

Did anyone else consider the fact that, if Strange gave Peter the ability to be anywhere at any point to ask for help about May, why didn't he grab the Cosmic Cube?

 

[Spider-Gnome]

I actually think shooting MJ would have been a better way of handling this. I mean look, Pete agrees to give up his marriage to MJ to save her life. I mean that should have been a more logical choice for Marvel. Pete gives up what they have, but knows she will be all right.

 

[Donald Thomas]

double post

 

[Donald Thomas]

The very nature and plot of the story couldn't happen unless aunt may was shot which mephisto made not happen, ergo BiB couldn't have happened. Plus Peter Parker made a point of showing who he was to everyone there. Remember all that about "it's not spider-man beating you now, it's me"? How does that happen without aunt may getting shot, which now she wasn't?

Aloha,
Good questions. I don't think it's been established exactly what Mephisto did. Aunt May could have gotten shot but not mortally. Peter then catches the Sniper and finds out it was the Kingpin and then beats up Kingpin for trying to hurt him or his family.There are plenty of Untold Tales within BND/OMD.My big question, when and how did Peter lose the organic webbing?
Spidey rules

 

[spiderfan970]

I actually think shooting MJ would have been a better way of handling this. I mean look, Pete agrees to give up his marriage to MJ to save her life. I mean that should have been a more logical choice for Marvel. Pete gives up what they have, but knows she will be all right.

That makes a hell of a lot more sense. I probably wouldn't have minded as much had it happened that way.

 

[spiderfan970]

Aloha,
Good questions. I don't think it's been established exactly what Mephisto did. Aunt May could have gotten shot but not mortally. Peter then catches the Sniper and finds out it was the Kingpin and then beats up Kingpin for trying to hurt him or his family.There are plenty of Untold Tales within BND/OMD.My big question, when and how did Peter lose the organic webbing?
Spidey rules

I thought they said in an interview that he still had all of those powers...he just doesn't remember or some bs. Take that with a grain of salt though, I just remember hearing that from somewhere.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Aloha,
Good questions. I don't think it's been established exactly what Mephisto did. Aunt May could have gotten shot but not mortally. Peter then catches the Sniper and finds out it was the Kingpin and then beats up Kingpin for trying to hurt him or his family.There are plenty of Untold Tales within BND/OMD.My big question, when and how did Peter lose the organic webbing?
Spidey rules

I thought the standard was that may was not shot and pete did not demask, and that was the result of the deal (though the how and what else happened was different) if may was shot she recovered perfectly in very little time for someone old as dirt.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Of course it happened... tell me where it says that it didn't?

Aloha,
Maybe I'm missing some things. If Marvel states that EVERYTHING that happened in the past happened, just not with a married Peter and MJ, how is it that I'm still reading people who are talking like it didn't. Of course, no wedding, no Honeymoon, but they still could have gone to France for a trip at that same time period.I still contend that in order for BIB to have happened, Aunt May was shot but recovered.If shot but not mortally, then any of the scientist Spider-Man went to or Dr. Strange would have been able to speed up her recovery.
Spidey rules

 

[Styleshift]

Aloha,
Maybe I'm missing some things. If Marvel states that EVERYTHING that happened in the past happened, just not with a married Peter and MJ, how is it that I'm still reading people who are talking like it didn't. Of course, no wedding, no Honeymoon, but they still could have gone to France for a trip at that same time period.I still contend that in order for BIB to have happened, Aunt May was shot but recovered.If shot but not mortally, then any of the scientist Spider-Man went to or Dr. Strange would have been able to speed up her recovery.
Spidey rules

Not to step on your toes (again...god your going to hate me. lol)
But Marvel doesn't exactly tell the truth these days when it comes to promoting their stories....

Remember how heartwarming a story One More Day was?
The funny thing is thats not my sarcasim...it's marvel's.

Just imagine it this way.
Your married.
Something happens and takes that all away. You never get married yet your still with your wife. Would you and your wife have made ALL of the same choices you did as a married couple? Probably not. The same commitment just isn't there. It's so much easier to walk away when things get rough....there is no divorce. you don't have to "split the items".

Now if you still don't think that can't possibly apply to you. Think of Peter's situation. Especially when you now consider that when Mj got pregnant she was his "baby mama". Some chick he knocked up.

Your main page has the first Spidey comic I ever read. It's one of my favs.
I love you so much....well your website anyways, but you make the most disingenuous comments sometimes dude.

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

I thought that Joe Q said that Preggers MJ didn't happen... (So in those issues she's got a pillow under her clothes...)

Joe Q:The question sort of answers itself when you quoted my saying that "almost" everything happened. The funny thing about the pregnancy issue is that Marvel at the time scrambled to derail the story as quickly as possible. I don't know exactly how that story got as far as it did, but they ultimately realized it was a huge mistake. So, taking that into consideration, I personally feel that that's one that didn't happen, chiefly because Peter and MJ now not having been married, would have taken proper precaution to avoid getting in the family way in the first place.

http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12395
The link...

 

[Styleshift]

I thought that Joe Q said that Preggers MJ didn't happen... (So in those issues she's got a pillow under her clothes...)


http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12395
The link...

Exactamundo.... everything didn't happen the same.
They just say that crap to convince current fans to continue to buy.

When a writer is trying to convey something the answers should be in the book, not an interview.

If you can't get your point across why write the book?

Just my two cents. I'm don't mind if people are enjoying the book. I just like the attention....

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

They should've gone with Loki* as the force that fixed things... Cause Loki owed Peter one... And the hiccups in continuity plus the elimination of the marriage would've been in character for Loki, cause he's the God of Mischief... instead of this messy devil deal...

*(Loki in disguise, so it wouldn't interfere with the events on Thor, but it would've been revealed later that it WAS Loki...)

Rearding What If? BiB... Chances are that It'll suck so bad that it'll make The Other and What If? The Other be Pure Gold...

Now a What If? One More Day in which Peter Rejects the Deal... That would be Golden...

 

[Styleshift]

They should've gone with Loki* as the force that fixed things... Cause Loki owed Peter one... And the hiccups in continuity plus the elimination of the marriage would've been in character for Loki, cause he's the God of Mischief... instead of this messy devil deal...

*(Loki in disguise, so it wouldn't interfere with the events on Thor, but it would've been revealed later that it WAS Loki...)

Rearding What If? BiB... Chances are that It'll suck so bad that it'll make The Other and What If? The Other be Pure Gold...

Now a What If? One More Day in which Peter Rejects the Deal... That would be Golden...

If they do a "what if One More Day" you know it's going to defend the decision Peter made....lol.


Not only do I disagree with the whole mephisto-boot of the series. But I find it difficult when reading the new stuff to see that things are much "happier". There's no real drawback serious from the deal he made. Other than losing the relationship with his wife.

Oh yea I think Loki's dead isn't he?

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

This really intrigued me, so there's no doubt I'll be picking it up.