Dan Slott's Decade on ASM Broken Down

[Scarlet Spider-Man]

Alpha was such a cliche, generic character that I seriously thought it was a joke that was setting up something else. I kept waiting for a punchline that never materialized.

[Scarlet Spider-Man]

So it turns out we all liked the Alpha story. Now I just wonder if I should refer to it as an 'arc' or a one-shot?

And while I'm pushing my luck today, The Phantom Menace is a really good film.

Man, if you thought Alpha and TPM were good, I'd hate to see what you consider bad!

[Dan Slott]

I enjoyed the Mind on Fire story. Not my favorite of your stories, but I enjoyed it more than Alpha. Not to mention Mind of Fire set up your Mysterio storyline! I love the Mysterio story you told with Marcos Martin during the Gauntlet! It was the first Amazing Spider-Man story of yours that I read. Previously, I only read Spider-Man/Human Torch and your DC stuff. Rest assured, I caught up and now have your entire run! Love what you've done with Otto and Peter and the parallels there. Love what you did with Jonah and Horizon Labs (Wish we saw more Grady and Bella). Mr. Negative is one of the best modern Spider-Man villains and I'm so excited for him to become more prominent in the PS4 game and hopefully future comics.I'm curious as to what your plans for the original Black Cat redemption story were? Hopefully one day we'll know. Thanks for the great run, Dan!

Thanks. I hear you with the Mysterio set up. But, honestly, if I had to do it again, that two-parter did too much heavy lifting setting up future stories, progressing subplots, and explaining away continuity questions, that it barely had any room left to tell its own story. All of the Molten Man/Harry/Normie/Liz conflict was short shrifted for space. Which is a shame because I had some really neat Molten Man character beats that wound up on the cutting room floor. It was definitely a live-and-learn experience about writing ongoing monthly comics for a mainstream character.

Alpha was such a cliche, generic character that I seriously thought it was a joke that was setting up something else. I kept waiting for a punchline that never materialized.

I think you would've gotten that punchline you were looking for if we were able to stick to the original plan/ending. Another problem we had with the Alpha story was that we had to completely scuttle the end beat of Peter completely removing Alpha's powers. It was a much harsher/stronger last beat. But we had to water it down because the sales were too good on the first issue, there was too much buzz (negative or not) about Spidey getting a "sidekick" (which was SUPPOSED to be a red herring so you wouldn't see the ending coming!), and marketing didn't want Alpha to completely lose his powers... so that there could be a possible mini-series or spinoff series. :-/

Look, end of the day, I agree with you. The Alpha story missed the mark. Completely. That wasn't the intention. We went in trying to tell a good story. Sometimes you don't hit the ball well. That's all on me-- I've said that a LOT-- and will freely cop to it every time.

[oldschool]

Dan, You got to write virtually every character or villain under the sun during this incredible run. Was there a character in particular that you wanted to get around to but never did?

[Scott Taylor]

So it turns out we all liked the Alpha story. Now I just wonder if I should refer to it as an 'arc' or a one-shot?

And while I'm pushing my luck today, The Phantom Menace is a really good film.

Jane you ignorant slut!

TPM was a good but somewhat uneven film. It had great performances, was a fun movie, had great light saber fights, and introduced perhaps my favorite Jedi (Liam Neeson). But it also introduced poopy Jar Jar, featured lots of racist stereotypes, introduced a very annoying young Anakin and other annoying kids, had midichlorians, and ended with an incredibly odd plot point in the Senate (really, no one had evidence or...cared? ... that the trade federation attacked an entire planet?). But it still was far better than TLJ.

[David Walton]

Jane you ignorant slut!

TPM was a good but somewhat uneven film. It had great performances, was a fun movie, had great light saber fights, and introduced perhaps my favorite Jedi (Liam Neeson). But it also introduced poopy Jar Jar, featured lots of racist stereotypes, introduced a very annoying young Anakin and other annoying kids, had midichlorians, and ended with an incredibly odd plot point in the Senate (really, no one had evidence or...cared? ... that the trade federation attacked an entire planet?). But it still was far better than TLJ.

I never said TPM was perfect! But I enjoy it a lot. I'm of the opinion that there aren't any bad Star Wars films. I'll watch them all over and over.

And TLJ is a modern cinematic masterpiece!

[Dan Slott]

Dan, You got to write virtually every character or villain under the sun during this incredible run. Was there a character in particular that you wanted to get around to but never did?

There was a multi-part Chameleon story I always wanted to do, but I couldn't free up the character (or time) in my last year.
I really would've needed a good chunk of time to do it right. Maybe someday. But for now, I'm a little Spidey-ed out. :-)

[oldschool]

There was a multi-part Chameleon story I always wanted to do, but I couldn't free up the character (or time) in my last year.
I really would've needed a good chunk of time to do it right. Maybe someday. But for now, I'm a little Spidey-ed out. :-)

OK, take a few months off from Spidey to work on FF and TS:IM but, now that you have whetted my appetite for that Chameleon story, maybe get to it by year-end?

[Miles To Go]

Given what Dan said about not letting continuity get in the way of telling a story...is that why the Iron Man title changed up the majority of it's supporting cast right after Bendis left?

I'm expecting the title to cover those areas eventually because Dan is a continuity major and he said in an interview they wouldn't be forgetting the rich history, I just find what he said greatly informs the direction he took that first issue of TS: IM in.

[bob.schoonover]

Given what Dan said about not letting continuity get in the way of telling a story...is that why the Iron Man title changed up the majority of it's supporting cast right after Bendis left?

I'm expecting the title to cover those areas eventually because Dan is a continuity major and he said in an interview they wouldn't be forgetting the rich history, I just find what he said greatly informs the direction he took that first issue of TS: IM in.

If you re-read the first issue of Big Time (which I just did), he does something similar there - brings in the Horizon folks, re-establishes Phil Urich, establishes Smythe, Otto, and Kingpin (w/a Hobgoblin) as the first wave of big villains, sends off Michelle (leaving Carlie the only BND mainstay after the Harry/Menace/Stanley arc was concluded in the previous arc), and brings back Black Cat. It was a pretty big reset when you consider that he was on the BND team

[Miles To Go]

If you re-read the first issue of Big Time (which I just did), he does something similar there - brings in the Horizon folks, re-establishes Phil Urich, establishes Smythe, Otto, and Kingpin (w/a Hobgoblin) as the first wave of big villains, sends off Michelle (leaving Carlie the only BND mainstay after the Harry/Menace/Stanley arc was concluded in the previous arc), and brings back Black Cat. It was a pretty big reset when you consider that he was on the BND team

Yes there's that, but as you point out, a lot of BND's plot threads were concluded before Big Time, Carlie was kept around for half a year, and Michelle carried over briefly to make the transition more fluid, so the reset felt more like a natural continuation . Other than restore Tony and Jim, Bendis left quite a bit open for writers to play with and even set up Tony's place in the farthest future. MJ is still with Stark, Tony's mother should be accounted for etc. Maybe Dan will get to them later in the run, but it was just wild seeing the cast completely change over.

[Dan Slott]

Part of the reason BND's plot threads were concluded before Big Time was because the guys knew which characters I didn't have plans for. Keeping Carlie in the cast was something editorial wanted for the sake of more continuity from BND. That's not to say I disagreed or had an objection with the choice, but it's probably something I wouldn't have done from the get-go. Part of the job of writing for the Big 2 is working with editorial. You don't have the complete freedom of a creator-owned property or fan fic. You're working for a company and if you don't have the temperament and flexibility to work with your fellow collaborators, editorial, and the needs of upper management, then working on licensed properties might not be the the thing for you. It's tricky and not what a lot of people online think it is. It's not a blank check to do whatever you want to do in the way you want to do it.

[Scott Taylor]

Hopefully Dan will get a chance to come back to the character from time to time. I still really want to see Paper Doll return and would like to see him handle some of the other villains he wasn't able to during his run

I never said TPM was perfect! But I enjoy it a lot. I'm of the opinion that there aren't any bad Star Wars films. I'll watch them all over and over.

And TLJ is a modern cinematic masterpiece!

Yah I would agree with that. There is nothing in the Star Wars franchise like the Batman and Robin film, for instance, not even close. They are all pretty carefully constructed to be watchable

[The Rhino]

There was a multi-part Chameleon story I always wanted to do, but I couldn't free up the character (or time) in my last year.
I really would've needed a good chunk of time to do it right. Maybe someday. But for now, I'm a little Spidey-ed out. :-)

That's too bad. Chameleon is a great and very under utilized character. Would have loved to get your take on it.


The OP's summary is a really nice one that outlines the strengths and weaknesses of Slott's run. I agree with most of it. Great post!

[David Walton]

If only the Chameleon were the kind of character who was into, I don't know, industrial espionage, and could show up in Tony Stark: Iron Man or Fantastic Four...