What Will Make You Come Back to Spider-Man?

[jackolover]

For me it’s to tell the truth. Get Peter Parker back married to MJ, and Aunt May buried. What’s the big deal? I haven’t been a Spider-Man fan since One More day. Not really. I can’t write articles about him because of this thing hanging over him. How do other people feel about Spider-Man these days?

I think the thing holding Parker back is this idea of Peter Pan Marvel have to stick to. The never ageing boy. Is Superman still a bachelor with no children?

[PCN24454]

Peter's death and removal from the story.

[LifeIsILL]

Is it that bad right now? Last Spider-Man stuff I read was Superior, finished the whole thing, disliked most of it although the Goblin War finale was great. The only way to go is up really.

[Blanks]

I could care less about Peter Parker. I want a Ben Reilly on-going with him as Scarlet Spider or Spider-Man. I feel that They have told every story they can with Peter, BUT, that is just my opinion. If they wanted to retire Peter all the way, make Miles THE Spider-Man, I’d be cool with that too, all I really want is a dedicated Ben Reilly solo.

[Riv86672]

Nick Spencer’s run is the first I’ve enjoyed in about 20 years.
It’s not perfect, but it’s as close as anyone’s gotten to what I want in the character.

Regarding the Peter Pan thing, I don’t mind Peter being married or having a child. But I don’t want him as a millionaire w. his own company, either. And, I like Aunt May, she’s a good character.

[Orbus]

I never left so it's a moot point for me.

Is it that bad right now? Last Spider-Man stuff I read was Superior, finished the whole thing, disliked most of it although the Goblin War finale was great. The only way to go is up really.

A lot of people were really liking Spencer's run and were hoping Last Remains would be the thing that puts it over the top but the whole storyline lasted sooo long and nothing really happened. I also think that fans were banking everything on that story reversing OMD and when that didn't happen they are starting to write off the whole thing even though we're clearly more than end of Act 1 phase of run. I've heard more legitimate complaints that the run doesn't really try anything new (or at least it hasn't yet) and relies a lot on pulling on Spider-Man history including much maligned stuff.

[Huntsman Spider]

Speaking as someone who stuck with Spider-Man out of sheer bloody-mindedness, I definitely understand and concur with all your reasons for stepping back. I don't think Marvel has completely exhausted all its options with Peter Parker, but I do believe that the options it hasn't exhausted are largely the ones it refuses to seriously explore because that would require being willing to let or make the character change dramatically --- perhaps even drastically --- from a certain default that Marvel believes he must stick to at all costs, creative stagnancy be damned. The rest, as I see it, will fall into place as soon as that reluctance towards or even outright fear of letting Peter Parker grow and change as a character is settled and dispensed with once and for all.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I dropped out of reading 616 Spider-Man for a decade after OMD.

In that time I still followed Ultimate Spider-Man through Ultimatum and beyond, through Miles Morales and Secret Wars 2015.

What brought me back was the PS4 game...as MJ put it well in that issue of Spencer's at the Lookouts, "I remembered all the reasons I fell in love" with Spider-Man.

Then I heard Dan Slott was leaving and I was like, "Thank God!" and while I was iffy about Spencer at first (owing to the whole "Hail Hydra" thing) I felt I should give him the benefit of the doubt, and while I won't say Spencer's run is a substitute or on the level fo JMS' peak, it's still the most welcoming I felt Spider-Man has been for a while.

But you know I don't know if I will continue reading Spider-Man all the way through. For that to happen, I'd like the marriage to be back...if Spencer steps down and whoever comes next, Donny Cates (ugh!) or whatever, they might break them up again...and I don't want that at all. I might come back for ASM#1000 but mostly no.

[PCN24454]

I never left so it's a moot point for me.



A lot of people were really liking Spencer's run and were hoping Last Remains would be the thing that puts it over the top but the whole storyline lasted sooo long and nothing really happened. I also think that fans were banking everything on that story reversing OMD and when that didn't happen they are starting to write off the whole thing even though we're clearly more than end of Act 1 phase of run. I've heard more legitimate complaints that the run doesn't really try anything new (or at least it hasn't yet) and relies a lot on pulling on Spider-Man history including much maligned stuff.

The only way they're going to be able to retcon OMD is if they completely retire Peter. Retconning OMD would cause too many inconsistencies in the books to continue onwards.

It would be best to end on a high note by retconning it so that Peter can retire as a character in peace.

[evolutionaryFan]

Well, basically Joe Quesada in this interview:

https://www.cbr.com/the-one-more-day...ada-pt-3-of-5/

said Peter must remain unmarried and childless for the character to work. I know he's not in charge anymore, but I'm wondering if that kind of attitude is still there at Marvel. If that's the case, then Peter is going to remain stuck.

This interview was a bit shocking to me... it amazes me they create this ridiculous story (OMD) just to avoid Peter having children. It was something sooo specific... it was to keep Peter from being married and having children... he could remain in a relationship with MJ... just not married and not with children. I'm still not sure how this works in the timeline... everything happened exactly as it did with MJ there, but they just weren't married?

I'd like Marvel to acknowledge OMD was a mistake. I mean... what's to stop another OMD from happening if they get married again.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I know he's not in charge anymore,

Joe Quesada unlike other EIC was promoted to a executive position. And he's been in the company long enough that he has a lot of say in hiring, appointments, suggestions, and other soft power stuff. That's why Editors in Chief who came after Quesada -- Alonso, Cebulski -- haven't for the most part broken completely from his legacy, and to be honest aren't really as powerful as EIC were before Quesada came along. Marvel Comics nowadays is a lot more decentralized and cliquish and it's not really clear anymore what the EIC even does, or if the EIC even has as much say and influence as for instance someone like Tom Brevoort (not an EIC but a company senior and editor of long standing and Quesada's right-hand mind in all respects). Quesada used to be Chief Creative Officer...recently that title has gone to Kevin Feige which means that Marvel Comics is technically his domain, but Quesada became executive VP or something, and the structure seems to be to give Feige main power but day-to-day stuff is still done by Quesada in terms of comics and stuff.

Quesada still attends Marvel's writers' retreats and often gives a yes or no for storylines and pitches (which to be honest is the work that the EIC should be doing). Until Quesada (and Brevoort) leaves Marvel, he's still going to be in charge because Marvel upper-executives don't really care all that much about the characters of the comics, not when the real money is in merchandising, and now they have a permanent home with Disney. Quesada also promotes his own brand inside Marvel and so on (which is something that ought to get pushback in Marvel since he's basically trying to poise himself as some latter-day Stan Lee when his career and achievement isn't on Stan's level).

but I'm wondering if that kind of attitude is still there at Marvel.

Until you look into the mind and soul of every employee of Marvel, you can't really answer the question.

The empirical truth is most people care about their paychecks, about promotion, keeping the lights on the superhero comics' industry on for the forseeable future (it's a precarious business after all). The top executives care about merchandising since that's where profits goes. As far as Disney goes, or MCU goes or Feige goes, they care about the movies, theme parks, Disney Plus. So 616 Peter being married/single...I don't think they care greatly either way for that. There will be a tendency to not "rock the boat" or do something just to settle scores especially if "undoing OMD" could be seen as insulting to a colleague and co-worker since Quesada has been at Marvel long enough to have an air of "elder statesman".

If that's the case, then Peter is going to remain stuck.

Well never say never...anything is possible and nothing is set in stone.

[evolutionaryFan]

So 616 Peter being married/single...I don't think they care greatly either way for that.

But Joe cared. And if he's still in charge, why would anyone go against him? Basically the guy that said the character must remain in a rut is still in charge. Not a good sign.

[Jewel Runner]

Peter's death and removal from the story.

So basically kill the franchise and make Spider-Man no longer viable as a brand.

I could care less about Peter Parker. I want a Ben Reilly on-going with him as Scarlet Spider or Spider-Man. I feel that They have told every story they can with Peter, BUT, that is just my opinion. If they wanted to retire Peter all the way, make Miles THE Spider-Man, I’d be cool with that too, all I really want is a dedicated Ben Reilly solo.

If they've told every story they can with Peter I fail to see how his clones can do better
The most these characters have going for them is "kind of Spider-Man but not really"

[Spidey_62]

I've been on and off again a lot of times over the years, I love the character and I always enjoy keeping an eye on what's happening in his world. I first started reading when JMS started, Jenkins and Bendis were also at their heights on the character so I feel like I'm automatically colored with an expectation that's hard to meet.

I'm back into an 'off' period, Spencer's run has been the most authentic ASM has felt in a long while and I really enjoyed a lot of the stories so far but I sorta jumped ship after Last Remains because it's hard to justify going for the purchase in the world right now when things aren't seeming to progress in the books.

I think my issue stems more from editorial direction since it's the flagship book and they're able to milk so much longevity out of stories where it's not really justified or worth it. Sometimes it makes more sense than other times (the Hunted tie-ins were good and unique perspectives while not being essential if you miss them, but the LR tie-ins felt like they were just artificially stretching an already long story's runtime).

I wish these books weren't written today feeling like they're only stretching things out til the next "milestone." There's been lots of really good smaller moments in the smaller stories, but they have trouble staying afloat when the big picture is middling. Some of Taylor and Zdarsky's stuff has been swell from the last couple years, too.

Generally though I feel like we're in a better place than Spidey comics were 10 years ago, though. The beginning portion of Dan Slott's solo run was going on around now and I think that's the strongest portion but it's nice to see the characters more or less resembling themselves instead of him Avenging, Fantastic 4ing, going to space, building suits and crazy gadgets every week, yet still acting way more immature than he usually did. I dunno, it's a hard line because we do wanna see the characters progress and get better but I think for me it's more in terms of seeing Peter feel more mature in his relationships and his status as a costumed figure, which again, it feels closer to that right now than it has for a while. Kinda like how he felt when I started reading haha. Go figure!

I wish they'd just let Peter and MJ marry again, let Peter be a little more grown up and Miles be the younger version. I feel like people would be more receptive to being pushed a Peter Parker who is slightly older and somebody else being the young school guy. I mean, just look at the PlayStation games and the Spider-Verse movie...

[Darthfury78]

A new writer would be good...