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  1. #1
    Mighty Member Hybrid's Avatar
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    Default Who would you say is the "signature character" for each Spider-Man writer?

    By "signature character", I mean a side character that has heavy importance which wouldn't have happened by the pen of another writer, such as a rogue, a supporting cast member, a transplant from another series, or even an original creation that is highly associated with them. They expand upon their backstories, develop their characterization, make them more prominent than before, or just make them go from a bit extra to someone we remember. As such, it's a bit of a signature for them that stands out as their "mark". You may know what I mean by the examples below:

    • Dan Slott has Doc Ock. He centered the Superior Spider-Man arc around him, and completely shifted the direction Octavius would go while also changing his characterization. Whether it's permanent or not remains to be seen, but we're still feeling the effects what with SSM Vol 2 being an ongoing series.
    • Nick Spencer has Boomerang. Fred Myers has historically been a C-list villain. Enjoyable, yes, but hardly a staple. Under the pen of Spencer, he transplanted Boomerang from his Superior Foes run (in which he was the official lead character), and into a recurring character for his TASM as Peter's roommate.
    • Brian Michael Bendis has Kitty Pryde. He transplanted her from the Ultimate X-Men comics and had her be a regular of the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. Much of her character development occurred in Spider-Man, rather than in the X-Men books. It was also the start of Bendis' infamous obsession for her.

    What would you guys add? Remember, this is for characters that aren't Spider-Man.

  2. #2
    Kinky Lil' Canine Snoop Dogg's Avatar
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    Stan loves Jonah and embraced that Jonah was like an inverted Stan. He wanted to be him in a movie.

    Roger Stern loves Vulture.

    DeMatteis made Harry hot fire.

    I'd argue that Norman was the real Spider love of Bendis' life.
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  3. #3
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    JMS' Aunt May. Nobody wrote the character better. JMS did great work with MJ as well.

  4. #4
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    -- For Steve Ditko, I'd say it's Frederick Foswell. Obviously Ditko created the entire cast and rogues of Spider-Man. But I think Foswell was the character that's most unique to Ditko. A reporter turned gangster who redeemed and became a reporter again...kind of anticipates the direction he went in with Mr. A and Question, albeit Foswell is a more complex character than the latter two.

    -- For Lee-Romita, I'd say it's George Stacy who became this moral center in Spider-Man's corner and whose death is possibly the best story of that run.

    -- For Conway, it's of course Mary Jane Watson. But I'd also add Joseph "Robbie" Robertson. Conway gave him more appearances in his run, and he was set up as a positive father figure for Peter, and the only guy Peter in his rampage in ASM#122 is nice to. And later Conway returned in Spectacular, where he wrote the Tombstone arc centered around Robbie.

    -- For Len Wein, it's Aunt May. To the extent people see Aunt May as an activist type, someone interested in social issues and someone who's more able than you think, all that FEAST Center or Ultimate Hippy Aunt May and so on...that's Len Wein who did that first.

    -- For Roger Stern, it would have to be Hobgoblin and Vulture.

    -- For Bill Mantlo, it's Felicia Hardy.

    -- For Defalco-Frenz, it's Mary Jane Watson, and also for Defalco in his 90s stories, Doctor Octopus. That backstory that Slott used was all done by Defalco.

    -- For JMD, it's Kraven, Vermin, and Harry Osborn.

    -- For Michelinie, it's Venom.

    -- For JMS, it's Aunt May, Ezekiel, Morlun.

    -- For Paul Jenkins, it's Norman Osborn, and Uncle Ben.

    -- For Chip Zdarsky, it's Jameson.

    -- For Dan Slott, I'd say it's Max Modell, Anna Maria Marconi, and of course Superior Octopus.

    -- For Nick Spencer, yeah it would have to be Boomerang and Lady Beetle.

  5. #5
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    Todd Dezago and (ironically, since he hated him) Dan Jurgens- Ben Reilly
    JM DeMatteis- Kraven, Vermin and Harry Osborn
    David Michelinie- Venom, Carnage and Mary Jane
    Dan Slott- Dr Octopus
    JMS- Aunt May, Morlun
    Roger Stern- Hobgoblin, Black Cat
    Nick Spencer- Boomerang
    Paul Jenkins- Randy Robertson
    Stan Lee- JJJ, Betty Brant, Liz Allen
    Gerry Conway- Jackal, Tombstone
    Tom DeFalco- Puma, Kingpin

  6. #6

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    Peter David - J. Jonah Jameson and Bettey Brant

    Gerry Conway - Mary Jane Watson, Miles Warren, and Flash Thompson

    Marv Wolfman - Carradine and Mysterio (He even wrote his debut episode in the 90s cartoon)

    James Owsley/Christopher Priest - Richard Fisk

    Howard Mackie - Norman Osborn, Senator Ward (or whatever was the name of that disposable character with no good mystery)

    Tom Defalco - Mary Jane Watson and May Day Parker
    Quote Originally Posted by HypnoHustler View Post
    David Michelinie- Venom, Carnage and Mary Jane
    As some folks mentioned on another board I joined; he didn't do much with her as a character.
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Speed Force League Unlimited View Post

    As some folks mentioned on another board I joined; he didn't do much with her as a character.
    And they’re free to think that and I disagree with them. Just like I disagree with you listing Howard Mackie for Norman Osborn or Marv Wolfman for Mysterio. That’s the thing about opinions...

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by HypnoHustler View Post
    And they’re free to think that and I disagree with them. Just like I disagree with you listing Howard Mackie for Norman Osborn or Marv Wolfman for Mysterio. That’s the thing about opinions...
    I wouldn’t say Michelinie wrote MJ badly, in fact he wrote her well in my view. Still, I am curious why you think Michelinie’s MJ was signature to his run.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Revolutionary_Jack View Post
    I wouldn’t say Michelinie wrote MJ badly, in fact he wrote her well in my view. Still, I am curious why you think Michelinie’s MJ was signature to his run.
    MJ and Peter were each other’s rock during it. He comforted her when Venom terrorized her. He searched for her relentlessly when she was kidnapped. She helped him through the shock of his “parents” coming back (yes, I know...). MJ also expanded her acting career, quit smoking and had other developments. This Michelinie MJ gets unfairly maligned by some as making MJ a nagger or the marriage seem tense (aka unfun) at times. To that I’d say... First, there’s plenty of lighthearted, loving moments between the two depicted. And second, married couples DO bicker and quarrel at times. I should know... I’m married and love my wife, but we definitely argue. So to me he depicted a very realistic portrayal of an imperfect marriage and added a lot of nuances to MJ’s character.
    Last edited by HypnoHustler; 09-06-2019 at 03:32 PM.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by HypnoHustler View Post
    MJ and Peter were each other’s rock during it. He comforted her when Venom terrorized her. He searched for her relentlessly when she was kidnapped. She helped him through the shock of his “parents” coming back (yes, I know...). MJ also expanded her acting career, quit smoking and had other developments. This MJ gets unfairly maligned by some as making MJ a nagger or the marriage seem tense at times. To that I’d say... First, there’s plenty of lighthearted, loving moments between the two depicted. And second, married couples DO bicker and quarrel at times. I should know... I’m married and love my wife, but we definitely argue. So to me he depicted a very realistic portrayal of an imperfect marriage and added a lot of nuances to MJ’s character.
    I agree. I love the sweet moments there like when Peter and MJ go to LA for the book tour and he decided like a dork to go to Disneyland since he never got to enjoy that in his childhood. Also that bit where MJ buys that Supergirl comic rare edition for him.

  11. #11
    Astonishing Member Vortex85's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Revolutionary_Jack View Post
    I agree. I love the sweet moments there like when Peter and MJ go to LA for the book tour and he decided like a dork to go to Disneyland since he never got to enjoy that in his childhood. Also that bit where MJ buys that Supergirl comic rare edition for him.
    Agreed, Michelinie wrote some of my favorite Peter/MJ moments, particularly earlier in his run while McFarlane was on art. He wrote the marriage so well early on it got a lot of people on board and he did wonders for Mary Jane showing how amazingly loving and supportive she could be. He was also good for subverting expectations having her first major kidnapping in his run be one where she saves herself and Spidey in the process. I cannot praise that era enough for how it was handled I think it set the bar for Peter and Mary Jane and made them an impossible act to follow as far as alternative future love interests.

  12. #12
    The Spirits of Vengeance K7P5V's Avatar
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    Kurt Busiek and Sally Avril (A.K.A. Bluebird) from Untold Tales of Spider-Man.

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