It truly is a new age in comic writing some things I like and somethings I don’t but that that is the way it is. I just read an exclusive interview by Newsarama with Dan Slott the Marvel writer who changed the Spider-Man character into a so called Superior Spider-Man in the story arc that ended in Amazing Spider-Man 700. I thought I would leave the subject alone for a while to see how fans reacted but could not keep silent after reading the interview. Dan is really committed to the current story of Spider-Man with no Peter Parker. Not a clone but with the mind of his arch Nemesis Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius) possessing Peter Parker’s body and life as Peter and Spider-Man.
After explaining how they made the decision to go in this direction He was asked a series of questions I want to highlight what Dan Slott said.
Newsarama: It’s actually very fun to think about how this character will work with all these other heroes, but as a comic fan yourself, I’m sure you recognize why it’s upsetting that Peter Parker is gone and Doc Ock is in his body.
Slott: Upsetting? Why? Why would fans possibly be upset? You make it sound like I took some character that was in the Macy Thanksgiving Parade and popped their balloon, some character that people have grown up with for 50 years of their life, people raised in Spider-Man onesies, and you make it sound like I destroyed that.
Nrama: [Laughs.] You did!
Slott: I did? Noooo!!!
Nrama: OK, I get the humor, Dan. But there are also fans who are saying this isn’t permanent. We’ve seen mind-swaps and people with leftover memories or personalities before in comics, like Rogue and Carol Danvers. Most people think it’s only a matter of time before Peter comes back, so was the mindswap technique used to leave that door more easily opened?
Slott: I love that response. I love that immediate response of “this won’t last.” To me, that’s the same kind of mindset that says, “Oh, well, Mr. Freeze trapped Batman in a snowcone machine, but he’ll get out next week.” When I think of the number of times I’ve put Spider-Man in, like, a death trap or a terrible situation, and readers immediately go, “Well, come on, the book’s called Amazing Spider-Man. What? They’re not going to publish it next month? Of course he’ll get out.”
And it only took us to go, “Hey, guess what? We’re canceling Spider-Man at #700″ to make people realize this is real.
It’s like people freaking out that Wally West was The Flash. “There’s only one Flash! It’s Barry Allen!” Or before that, when they said, “Barry Allen isn’t the Flash! It’s Jay Garrick!” I know every single person has done that for The Flash at some point.
You can read the whole interview HERE.
The mind set with writers is change because the complaint by readers is everything that could be done to their favorite has already been done in the past by other writers. While I can appreciate the difficulty of coming up with new ideas in story telling people cling to a personality in superheroes for a reason, something they see that they like, that they can relate to. Superman, is Clark Kent everyone know that. The man behind the secret identity makes the hero. Superman is strange visitor from another planet who is a farm boy in tights. It makes him who he is and drives the decisions he will make.
Peter Parker lost his parents hardly knowing them and was raised by uncle Ben and Aunt May till he lost Uncle Ben and was taught with great power comes great responsibility. These are things the reader can relate to. The classic ideas that make people do extraordinary things and become a hero is not super powers but life experiences. You put super powers in the mix and it amplifies the decisions that individual makes. Power in many people corrupts them but in some it makes them better people because of the life experiences. Some people rise to the occasion and Peter Parker was one that made the most of his abilities for others.
Doctor Octopus was a promising Doctor who could have accomplished much with his abilities but because of an accident became fused with powerful mechanical arms that gave him great power but he chose a life of crime and became a real villain. He is arrogant and self seeking and showed that in the new name he chose for himself the Superior Spider-Man. We are to believe because of the memories that Peter imparted to him in leaving that he is changed and perhaps he has but he is no Peter Parker and that is what people are upset about. The hero is gone and we are left with psychotic mess of brain waves and personalities. For those of us who liked Peter Parker it is a huge disappointment. Don’t know if I will read the Superior Spider-Man or not.
On a scale from 1 to 10 on the things that bother me in life this is a 2 or 3 at best so life goes on but things are always changing in the comic world that is what makes it so interesting. Still don’t know what Dan Slott was thinking (read article) but time will tell if it was worth the trouble. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. 🙂 Walt
I love Spiderman and I enjoyed Amazing 700, I thought it was a good enough storyline and pretty good art, in those respects I am pleased but it is not the perfect ending to my favorite Marvel character, The thing that ruined this comic for me was that I was completely dissatisfied with the end I love spiderman much like the writer of this review because of Peter Parker and when I realized he was going to die I was annoyed because he’s Peter Parker but I accepted it because I have hundreds of previous issues to re read. What made me dissatisfied was the plausibility of this ending I don’t believe Doc Ock would have ‘turned’ simply because he experienced Peter’s life, I feel that it’s completely implausible and that it would never happen, It left me with a slightly sour taste in my mouth after what should have been a sad, but excellent ending to one of (in my opinion) the best super hero series ever written, it might be a money making ploy to continue Spiderman in this way but hey, who knows? and neither am I going to pre judge Superior Spiderman because of this comic but I am still not satisfied. This should have been an amazing climax and it had the potential to be but it just went out with a slightly implausible bang. If I had written this comic, I would have ended with Spiderman and Doc Ock jumping off Avengers tower to their death, I think this would have made a better ending and been an excellent metaphor for what Spiderman is all about, WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY, If Peter Parker had of sacrificed himself to ensure that Doc Ock could do no damage with his Spiderman form then I think that would have ended Spiderman well and dramatically, this would have summed up Spiderman, and so I’m going to finish this (extremely long) comment, the book was enjoyable but left a VERY sour taste in my mouth.
I’m not leaping to conclusions. I’m stating facts. Doc Ock is a villain and has been for over 50 years. Just because he gets to see Peter’s life, doesn’t make him radically change into a hero after being what he is for 50 years. To accept this, I would have to suspend all logic, reason and common sense. If that is so simple for readers to do, then god bless them. My ability to think rationally won’t allow me to do it. Would this concept work if Norman Osborn became Spider Man? Would it work if Dr. Doom became Spider Man? How about Magneto as Spider Man? It just sounds completely ridiculous. Because a hard core villain is a villain. No amount of happy thoughts and guilt will change that. If he has no problem wiping out all of Manhattan with his final solution, then seeing Peter’s pathetic life would do nothing to him. That’s the betrayal. Not Peter’s death, which I accept. It’s the complete and utter idiocy that Doc Ock will now be good and that we will just smile and say ok. And that he won’t be found out immediately. MJ is already suspicious because even though he has Peter’s memories, he’s still Doc Ock, an ass with a superiority complex, at heart. The complete opposite of Peter. That is what makes me angry and disgusted.
Well I just read Superior Spider-Man good news for Peter Parker fans he is still around don’t dispair. Read it for yourself.
Well Dan Slott is not the low life people thought, he has restored faith in Peter Parker being the right man to be Peter Parker and Spider-Man. HooRay.