Spider-Man: Life Story By Chip Zdarsky & Mark Bagley

[Lee]

More Life Stories confirmed.


https://www.newsarama.com/44404-c2e2...-cebulski.html

I didn't read it that way. It sounds like he just said there'd be more self-contained stories.

Is there a video or a more thorough transcription anywhere?

[bat39]

I think Iron Man would be a good candidate for 'Life Story' treatment. Have him be the billionaire playboy/armored 'bodyguard' involved in the Vietnam War in the 60's, do 'Demon in the Bottle' redux in the 70's, go into 'Armor Wars' in the 80's...and so on. Maybe the 'Teen Tony' and Heroes Reborn insanity of the 90's can be worked in and used to 'de-age' the character. Or we could just see Tony using cybernetics and nanotech to become younger, but gradually lose his humanity in the process.

Daredevil would be another good candidate for 'Life Story' treatment. Of course, in his case, since his sonar is his only metahuman power, it'll be a bit hard to suspend disbelief that he's still able to operate as an acrobatic crime-fighter in his sixties.

Fantastic Four would be another great option. In fact, its worth remembering that it was in an FF annual that the first 'real time' alternate Marvel Universe made its appearance. I always thought its a pity that that particular world was never explored again.

[Snoop Dogg]

Captain America: Life Story. We start in the 30's, then the 40's, then the next 4 issues are the same page of him in a block of ice, reprinted over and over again.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I think Iron Man would be a good candidate for 'Life Story' treatment. Have him be the billionaire playboy/armored 'bodyguard' involved in the Vietnam War in the 60's, do 'Demon in the Bottle' redux in the 70's, go into 'Armor Wars' in the 80's...and so on. Maybe the 'Teen Tony' and Heroes Reborn insanity of the 90's can be worked in and used to 'de-age' the character. Or we could just see Tony using cybernetics and nanotech to become younger, but gradually lose his humanity in the process.

Daredevil would be another good candidate for 'Life Story' treatment. Of course, in his case, since his sonar is his only metahuman power, it'll be a bit hard to suspend disbelief that he's still able to operate as an acrobatic crime-fighter in his sixties.

Fantastic Four would be another great option. In fact, its worth remembering that it was in an FF annual that the first 'real time' alternate Marvel Universe made its appearance. I always thought its a pity that that particular world was never explored again.

With Spider-Man he started as a hero young and aged 10 years and he did grow up from teenager to adult, single to married. So he has a history of character growth and progression that other Marvel characters don't have. Spider-Man also has, as noted by Central Power in Page 5-8 of this thread, several defining stories in multiple decades. Which isn't the case for other characters. So that makes him uniquely suited to such an approach.

The Fantastic Four could be interesting to see aged from the 60s to the present day. Though personally I think Doctor Doom: Life Story would work, having Doom's history told from World War 2 to the present day and how his behavior intersected with the Cold War and the Post-Cold War era and you can use that to discuss political stuff about authoritarianism and how it's changed with the times. For that same reason: Captain America Life Story (whose spinoff practically announced itself on Zdarsky's pages) would work. It would be Forrest Gump but you know good. Also Black Panther:Life Story. Doom, Cap, and T'Challa have this amazing historical. political background and history you could work and have fun and play around with in real time.

Spider-Man was conceived originally as a character who would grow and change, but the other characters in Marvel, with the exception of the X:Men (for whom we have Grand Design) weren't. They were all fully formed beings set in stone, and there's not much you can do with them. Iron Man has mostly been the same static character he was when he started out, dude who is 40, sometimes late-30s, keeps having multiple affairs and doesn't settle down, has no children. Matt Murdock is a little different but essentially the same cycle of Matt falls for someone, someone gets killed by enemy, he breaks down and suffers and then does the same thing again.

[PCN24454]

The Fantastic Four technically already have a “Life Story”.

[bat39]

The Fantastic Four technically already have a “Life Story”.

Yeah, I mentioned that earlier. I always hoped they revisited that universe at some point.

[Mister Mets]

More Life Stories confirmed.


https://www.newsarama.com/44404-c2e2...-cebulski.html

That might be about self-contained minis, rather than the life stories series.

Though with the sell-outs of the first issue, I could totally see Marvel expanding on this world.

There is also potential in TPB length takes on the untold stories (IE- a five issue arc showing a teenager in 1963 with modern hindsight.)

[CentralPower]

The first issue was not bad. But. for what this series was billed as, "not bad" is not good enough.

The Spider-Man 616 moment would be the Master Planner arc for the '60s. For the 70s, he's alluding to Disco, Green Goblin and Gwen Stacy. Then in the 80s, he's going for nuclear weapons and KLH.

The Master Planner arc (ending with the famous Ditko "Spider-Man as Atlas" image) should have been central to the first issue. That is the moment when the regular Spider-Man (character and series) became "stuck" in a defined stasis-quo, rather than advancing as Ditko had intended.

I am also unsure why Zdarsky focused so much on Captain America in a niche-focused "Spider-Man" series.

[Prof. Warren]

The first issue was not bad. But. for what this series was billed as, "not bad" is not good enough.

It was billed as a limited series that would see Peter's story progress in real life. That's exactly what it is.

It wasn't billed as the Second Coming or the new gold standard in Comics Excellence. That said, I do think the first issue did a very fine job.

The Master Planner arc (ending with the famous Ditko "Spider-Man as Atlas" image) should have been central to the first issue. That is the moment when the regular Spider-Man (character and series) became "stuck" in a defined stasis-quo, rather than advancing as Ditko had intended.

When people say "advancing as Ditko intended," we have to keep in mind that neither Ditko nor Stan, nor anyone else in the early days of Marvel could have possibly imagined that their characters would have the longevity they did. So, early on, things moved faster - almost in real time - but once it became clear that these books would be sticking around, things slowed and these fictional lives now moved in "Marvel Time."

As for the Master Planner saga, that would have been a terrible choice to focus this first issue on. Introducing Ock, May's illness, all the personal drama that surrounded Peter at the time, the reveal of who the Master Planner is - it's all too much to cram into one issue. And, as we've seen from this first issue, Dzarsky isn't doing an adaptation. He isn't just summarizing the classic events we already know so much as he's writing an alternate take that only touches on familiar notes.

I am also unsure why Zdarsky focused so much on Captain America in a niche-focused "Spider-Man" series.

Cap was in this issue but I wouldn't say Dzarsky focused "so much" on him. And telling a story where Peter progresses in real time is naturally going to touch on the broader MU and show how that also differs from what we know.

[Hypestyle]

i wonder will certain supporting characters--and certain villains-- not appear at all because of the time shifting? We'll see. Already it seems if Peter is going to have to earn a living beyond taking photographs, the Daily Bugle backdrop may be marginalized. No Robbie, no Randy, limited Betty, etc.

[CentralPower]

It was billed as a limited series that would see Peter's story progress in real life. That's exactly what it is.

It wasn't billed as the Second Coming or the new gold standard in Comics Excellence. That said, I do think the first issue did a very fine job.

This is a self-contained, high-concept, series. It should be held to a higher standard for writing, art and breakdowns.

So, early on, things moved faster - almost in real time - but once it became clear that these books would be sticking around, things slowed and these fictional lives now moved in "Marvel Time."

And, that is the moment when Marvel abandoned the passage of time. "Life Story" assumes that real time has passed, making the Ditko panel the place to start.

Cap was in this issue but I wouldn't say Dzarsky focused "so much" on him. And telling a story where Peter progresses in real time is naturally going to touch on the broader MU and show how that also differs from what we know.

The issue ends with a splash page of Captain America fighting for the Viet Cong. The most striking image in a Spider-Man comic should not be Captain America, especially one that is going to obligate as many questions as the last page of "Life Story" did. Maybe it will read better as a compilation. But, as a single issue, it is not working.

[bat39]

This is a self-contained, high-concept, series. It should be held to a higher standard for writing, art and breakdowns.




And, that is the moment when Marvel abandoned the passage of time. "Life Story" assumes that real time has passed, making the Ditko panel the place to start.




The issue ends with a splash page of Captain America fighting for the Viet Cong. The most striking image in a Spider-Man comic should not be Captain America, especially one that is going to obligate as many questions as the last page of "Life Story" did. Maybe it will read better as a compilation. But, as a single issue, it is not working.

You have a valid point about the Master Planner arc, but ultimately, its a matter of opinion. The writer felt differently about what to cover in this issue.

The 'most striking image' thing is ultimately a matter of perception.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Spider-Man does have a close bond with Captain America. In the Pre-OMD days, Peter said that Captain America reminded him of Uncle Ben and originally Ben was a serviceman in the war and he once saw Cap in a USO show. That bit was still talked about in the JMS era but not Post-OMD. And Captain America did show up in one of Spider-Man's all-time great stories, Doomed Affairs, where like he does here, he advises Spider-Man not to close off his heart. And Zdarsky has often said he loves the JMS era. So I wouldn't say Captain America has no connection to Spider-Man whatsoever.

But yeah, getting a time-skip flash forward and splash panel feels odd. You could have conveyed Cap's later turn in a single panel where Peter or someone sees the newsreport explaining that Cap has gone renegade.

[Haquim]

The issue ends with a splash page of Captain America fighting for the Viet Cong. The most striking image in a Spider-Man comic should not be Captain America, especially one that is going to obligate as many questions as the last page of "Life Story" did. Maybe it will read better as a compilation. But, as a single issue, it is not working.

Honestly, the fact that you can interpret that last panel as Cap fighting for the viet-congs (they are shown nowhere on panel and the "explosive" is supposed to be a baby, not a bomb) while he's actually defending a group of villagers from a bunch of "trigger happy" soldiers (which is a real life historical reference btw) makes me doubt about the validity of your comments.

[David Walton]

But yeah, getting a time-skip flash forward and splash panel feels odd. You could have conveyed Cap's later turn in a single panel where Peter or someone sees the newsreport explaining that Cap has gone renegade.

Given that Cap helped Peter decide what his personal responsibility was with regard to Vietnam, I think seeing where Cap's separate journey took him is important.

As for a news report, I get the impression it's not public knowledge. Certainly not the kind of news the US government would want going public.

I think it's a cool note to end this chapter on, something that shows that the MU is going to spiral in some completely different directions in 'real time.' I think of it as a post-credits teaser sequence, not something that detracts from Peter's story in the slightest.