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

[LordUltimus]

They said it would be six issues.

One for each decade, it looks like.

[Kevinroc]

They said it would be six issues.

One for each decade, it looks like.

Checks out. Should be interesting to see them juxtapose major real world events with Spidey history.

[Mister Mets]

There was a question on another board about what we'd do with a mini-series about a Peter Parker who grew in real-time from 1962.

My thoughts then...

I'd try to go with a series of mini-series, covering different eras, and using narrative elements of the comics of those eras. Granted, Amazing Fantasy #15 was eleven pages, so there is precedent for going very dense.

The first mini-series would cover a young Spider-Man in the 60s. It would have some stuff that wouldn't have been allowed by the Comics Code of Authority, or that benefits from hindsight.

The second mini-series would be a twenty-something Spider-Man dealing with the death of Gwen Stacy. He might consider following in the direction of the Punisher.

The third mini-series might cover the Alien Costume saga, with a Peter Parker pushing 40 feeling he needs some kind of boost to be able to keep saving lives when a new villain (the Hobgoblin) makes things difficult. While under the influence of the costume, he romances a jewel thief (the Black Cat.) In the end, he reconciles with MJ and gets married to her.

The 90s might be a Clone Saga, except the clones had a literal infancy, so they're basically in their twenties, fighting against a Peter Parker in his mid-40s.

The 2000s might combine a Spider-Girl status quo with the major comics of the time, as Spider-Man's daughter faces Morlun and a superhero civil war, after the Bush administration tries to draft superheroes into the war on terror.

The 2010s might show this universe's perspective of events from Spider-Verse, as well as a mindswap story involving Spider-Man's daughter.

[Naked Bat]

I'm quite excited by this! It sounds neat and the creative team is great! It gives me Marvel vibes!

[LK3185]

if its six issues, i hope those issues are supersized cause otherwise, its just going to touch on real events briefly and not not be the epic telling of Peter's life maybe some people want.

[SuperiorIronman]

It probably wont be an epic retelling.

In-fact I'm expecting it's going to a big ole comic for each decade. If it's six issues then it's going to make its way to the modern day.

The Vietnam thing has me curious because there is soooooo much that can prevent Peter from going like the sheer amount of injuries he's received. Not to mention what doctors would find if one did examine his biology which may prevent him from going. Then you have to consider that if he aged in real time he was in ESU in 1965. Meaning that if it is a four year college he would've dodged the draft. But then we have to consider that Peter would only serve minimum three years or alternatively two assuming he actually does get drafted.

A thing that's interesting as a continuity point is that by 1966, Peter is fighting the Green Goblin and can't bring himself to kill him. The Green Goblin has not killed Gwen Stacy yet and by that point Peter just doesn't have it in him to try. So would Peter be willing to gun down soldiers if he can't bring himself to kill a clearly bigger threat than just some guy with a gun?

[Batman Begins 2005]

I'll give this a go as Chip Zdarsky's PP: TSSM run had some great issues especially My Dinner With Jonah and Finale.

[bat39]

Again, I don't see where you're getting marrying Gwen from. This is the complete established history of Spider-Man against a real world backdrop. In the established history, Gwen still dies and Peter marries MJ. There is no ifs or buts about it.

Not necessarily.

John Byrne did this with DC history in Superman/Batman: Generations.

Mild SPOILERS

The starting point was familiar enough. For the first couple of decades, Superman and Batman mostly followed the familiar progression of the real-world comic stories. But by the time they hit the 1950's, things started changing. Robin was now Batman's son Bruce Jr. because Dick had aged out of the role. And Kara was Clark's daughter with Lois, rather than his cousin who crash-landed on earth. By the 1960's, things had changed even more - Dick had become Batman because Bruce was now middle-aged and had retired from the role. Also, the sequel series touched on the wider DCU where there were other changes. For instance, since Superman and Batman were part of the JSA, the JLA was formed by Dick and the other kid sidekicks who traditionally formed the Teen Titans.

End SPOILERS

So basically, you can't just have Spider-Man history as we know it play out over the span of decades. The real-time nature of the story will naturally change things the further apart you get from Spider-Man's origin. The 60's will be virtually identical to the original comics, the 70's will be similar but with some differences, the 80's will have some familiar beats but be quiet different, and by the 90's things will be quiet different from the published comics of the era.

[Hypestyle]

we'll see how this looks. If spider-man is aging here, then, by default, all the other heroes (those who were non-retcon active by then) will be aging, too.
I don't think it's a good idea to get too speculative on what type of stories are told.

[Scott Taylor]

This book is confusing and awesome at the same time. He would have been around 16 when he debuted in 1963, so now he would be 70. Is he going to be Spider-Man Reign at the end, with a bunch of geriatric bad guys?

[Derek Metaltron]

Having thought about it I think I would prefer it if outside some milder references, especially with characters Peter regularly has hung out with since the 60’s like Human Torch and Daredevil if they stick to the Spider-Man supporting cast- it’s likely to mean that they can give a proper focus on characters like Harry, Flash, Ned, Liz, Betty, Robbie, JJ and May if they don’t have to constantly mention Avengers or X-Men all the time too. I also expect they might do what Generations did with Joker and Lex Luthor by having a main villain as a consistent aging threat, even though their legacy if they are dead - I suspect that Norman Osborn or Otto Octavius would be the logical choices.

[bat39]

This book is confusing and awesome at the same time. He would have been around 16 when he debuted in 1963, so now he would be 70. Is he going to be Spider-Man Reign at the end, with a bunch of geriatric bad guys?

Well...its possible that they eventually show Peter becoming young again somehow. Would be a nice meta-nod to the constant 'reboots' and 'resets' the character has had to get him back to his youth.

[Derek Metaltron]

Well...its possible that they eventually show Peter becoming young again somehow. Would be a nice meta-nod to the constant 'reboots' and 'resets' the character has had to get him back to his youth.

One way of doing that as some have suggested is having the Clone Saga in the 90’s issue result in a younger ‘Ben Reily’ 20 something Peter to be a counterpart to the 50 something Peter, a Solid Snake to his Big Boss.

[Digifiend]

Just for something different it would be cool if they worked in Mayday (y'know, the other Peter Parker legacy hero from an alternate universe).

Well, she ought to be born in the 1970s. So she'd already be active as Spider-Girl by the late 90s.

[Derek Metaltron]

Odd thought but I was thinking of actors who could play a 70 plus Peter and I immediately realised that Ted Danson is exactly the right age (even if he was born in California rather than New York) and kinda looks like a elder Peter to me... just a random thought if we ever get a Spider-Man: Life Story movie!