Spider-man 77 Preview

[ZeroBG82]

Did I miss something or did the cover have.... nothing to do with the issue? Ben's only fights were sparring with Misty and Colleen and then "Michael" at the end.

Look more closely. The cover is a bionic arm (Misty) and a sword (Colleen). It's playing on the training fight from the beginning of the issue.

[Chris0013]

Ben needs to tell that boss-lady to %#@& Off with her bull$#!%. Comes out there treating him like a slave. "Keep you suit on...keep your coms on...you don't get to do anything unless we approve of it."

[IamnotJudasTraveller]

Issue was just okay, the highlight was Janine's banter with Ben which did seem very DeMatteis-esque.

Conversely though it's also what it seems like the biggest issue out of these 3 issues - Janine herself. Not because she's badly written or that she sounds off, but she's done the same thing for all of her appearances so far: chats up Ben a little, then remarks something is off and Ben immediately has to leave. Since this is just 19 issues and we're already 3 issues in it sounds like the focus of the story might be a whole lot narrower than we first thought.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Issue was just okay, the highlight was Janine's banter with Ben which did seem very DeMatteis-esque.

Conversely though it's also what it seems like the biggest issue out of these 3 issues - Janine herself. Not because she's badly written or that she sounds off, but she's done the same thing for all of her appearances so far: chats up Ben a little, then remarks something is off and Ben immediately has to leave. Since this is just 19 issues and we're already 3 issues in it sounds like the focus of the story might be a whole lot narrower than we first thought.

Like MJ in the 90s you think? Just less fretting over Ben.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Read it, it's mediocre writing and art's a bit worse.The conversations w/ both Kafka and Danger were generic, Fav part was seeing you-know-who checking up on Peter this soon.There are multiple people MJ could have reached w/ ease.Doc conners and horizon labs for 2.End was bleh as well.

The creative team and Peter being in the first 2 issues elevated them to A-/B+ IMO, this is a C- for me.

To be fair, most of them aren't as versed in radiation as Otto is. Hence why I think it is wise to be roping him in instead of others. Besides, Otto has a soft spot for May.

[Spiderfan001]

To be fair, most of them aren't as versed in radiation as Otto is. Hence why I think it is wise to be roping him in instead of others. Besides, Otto has a soft spot for May.

I agree, but MJ says she's tried everything which isn't true.Also acc. to May and MJ Ock is evil, whose to say he won't misuse this chance to hurt Peter more.Mj's reaction to seeing Ock will be something else.

[Somecrazyaussie]

I agree, but MJ says she's tried everything which isn't true.Also acc. to May and MJ Ock is evil, whose to say he won't misuse this chance to hurt Peter more.Mj's reaction to seeing Ock will be something else.

I agree. Probably done for convenience sake. It also depends on the place of the comic. For example the Fantastic Four might be off in early stages of The Reckoning War at the point and that is why she didn't reach out to Reed.

I also like that other certain players were impossible to reach as they are dealing with their own things (the fact the editors tossed in references gives me hope that the duties of such a position aren't totally lossed).

Now, a more important question is this: how the heck would May contact Otto in the first place? Not like he is listed in the phone book

[Spiderfan001]

I agree. Probably done for convenience sake. It also depends on the place of the comic. For example the Fantastic Four might be off in early stages of The Reckoning War at the point and that is why she didn't reach out to Reed.

I also like that other certain players were impossible to reach as they are dealing with their own things (the fact the editors tossed in references gives me hope that the duties of such a position aren't totally lossed).

Now, a more important question is this: how the heck would May contact Otto in the first place? Not like he is listed in the phone book

Yeah, like Tony is on earth for multiple stories but he's in Space in his solo. The funny thing is so is Ben, he's literally w/ Tony rn, so if Tony is on the ship, so is Ben...

Peter was part of the recent issue of DD even though he's in a coma(shame they didn't just put Devil's Reign before Beyond, I really really just want Chip to get to finish his Peter arc there.It's peak Spider-man).

I also was talking about people like Doc Conners and Horizon lans(Max) who they know and can reach and are part of Spidey's universe.

As for reaching Otto, I have no clue.Depends on where he went after SW, but May probably called him(I think she would have his number).

Also thinking about how Black Cat fits in it all, I'm guessing
1)she saw the explosion and checked up on him since there were no sighting of Spider-man after,
2)then we have the Death of Doc strange .She keeps an eye on him because she owes Doc(acc. to solicits) or is trying to sabotage him.She isn't a fan(acc. to solicit) maybe because of the whole U-foes thing.
3)Then we get the whole Mj issue which ties into the Black Cat/MJ one shot
4)Cap joins in and both Cap and Cat help Peter get back into the game

[Vworp Vworp]

Aside from still struggling to see this Ben as proper Ben (which to be fair, is through no fault of the writing so far, but simply due to how excruciatingly badly his return was handled by Slott and David respectively), one of my other problems with this storyline is that it already feels very reminiscent to me of when Ben became Spidey the first time around. Back then, he'd barely been in the webs for two minutes when Peter returned from his supposed retirement to Portland, that glass broke in his hand and it became instantly obvious that Ben's days were numbered. And so as the story played out, it really became just a matter of time before Peter was back in the suit.

Sure, this time around, we knew that going in. Certainly more so than I did back in 1996, when for a brief moment after "The Greatest Responsibility", the relative newbie to comics that I was genuinely believed that the switch would be permanent. But that doesn't really make it better. Basically, there's still that same undercurrent, that same vibe of "the clock is ticking", just as there was during Ben's 90's Spidey era. Obviously the parallels with Peter in hospital are already there, but now there's also the added threat of whatever Beyond's real agenda is.

I dunno, I guess it just feels like whenever Ben finally gets in red and blue, the cards are already completely stacked against him so it's hard to completely enjoy his stories, much less, get invested in them, because you know for a fact that it's all gonna go completely pear shaped before long. And so really, the only important part of the story is the end, when we find out where/what/who will Ben be when the inevitable finally happens.

[Sr. Bungle]

Aside from still struggling to see this Ben as proper Ben (which to be fair, is through no fault of the writing so far, but simply due to how excruciatingly badly his return was handled by Slott and David respectively), one of my other problems with this storyline is that it already feels very reminiscent to me of when Ben became Spidey the first time around. Back then, he'd barely been in the webs for two minutes when Peter returned from his supposed retirement to Portland, that glass broke in his hand and it became instantly obvious that Ben's days were numbered. And so as the story played out, it really became just a matter of time before Peter was back in the suit.

Sure, this time around, we knew that going in. Certainly more so than I did back in 1996, when for a brief moment after "The Greatest Responsibility", the relative newbie to comics that I was genuinely believed that the switch would be permanent. But that doesn't really make it better. Basically, there's still that same undercurrent, that same vibe of "the clock is ticking", just as there was during Ben's 90's Spidey era. Obviously the parallels with Peter in hospital are already there, but now there's also the added threat of whatever Beyond's real agenda is.

I dunno, I guess it just feels like whenever Ben finally gets in red and blue, the cards are already completely stacked against him so it's hard to completely enjoy his stories, much less, get invested in them, because you know for a fact that it's all gonna go completely pear shaped before long. And so really, the only important part of the story is the end, when we find out where/what/who will Ben be when the inevitable finally happens.

Yeah, that irks me too especially seeing how Ben already fails big against Doc OCk as early as January. At this point, I'm just hoping they don't kill Ben and don't sh*t too much on him

[Spiderfan001]

Aside from still struggling to see this Ben as proper Ben (which to be fair, is through no fault of the writing so far, but simply due to how excruciatingly badly his return was handled by Slott and David respectively), one of my other problems with this storyline is that it already feels very reminiscent to me of when Ben became Spidey the first time around. Back then, he'd barely been in the webs for two minutes when Peter returned from his supposed retirement to Portland, that glass broke in his hand and it became instantly obvious that Ben's days were numbered. And so as the story played out, it really became just a matter of time before Peter was back in the suit.

Sure, this time around, we knew that going in. Certainly more so than I did back in 1996, when for a brief moment after "The Greatest Responsibility", the relative newbie to comics that I was genuinely believed that the switch would be permanent. But that doesn't really make it better. Basically, there's still that same undercurrent, that same vibe of "the clock is ticking", just as there was during Ben's 90's Spidey era. Obviously the parallels with Peter in hospital are already there, but now there's also the added threat of whatever Beyond's real agenda is.

I dunno, I guess it just feels like whenever Ben finally gets in red and blue, the cards are already completely stacked against him so it's hard to completely enjoy his stories, much less, get invested in them, because you know for a fact that it's all gonna go completely pear shaped before long. And so really, the only important part of the story is the end, when we find out where/what/who will Ben be when the inevitable finally happens.

Yeah, that irks me too especially seeing how Ben already fails big against Doc OCk as early as January. At this point, I'm just hoping they don't kill Ben and don't sh*t too much on him

Well that's too be expected, there's no way around it as well.

1)It's a "replacement" arc and no matter how much they try to change it Peter is the Spider-man(notice the "the", there can be/are multiple Spider-men but Peter is THE Spider-man) and Amazing Spider-man is his book.
They tried in the clone saga and failed, and Superior was presented to us as Peter being gone forever(even though everyone knew that's false), Beyond is smart enough to tell us what we know(that it won't last, we know it's only 19 issues) and not use the Peter's "death" as a/the main selling point.

2)It's a placeholder run, it's not even a run as much as a large arc.It feels rushed because it is, even in the first 2 issues we rushed through Peter's coping w/ Kindred,Ben's intro, Peter's "death",Beyond, Janine, Ben's blessing, etc.They have to set and wrap up the whole replacement and back thing along w/ the meat of the story in 19 issues, not to mention how much Beyond is doing in side plots whether issues for MJ,May, etc.

3)Peter's death is for Beyond, most replacements get better treatment because the characters "dies" as part of his own story instead of being "killed" off for the sake of replacement.The latter along w/ the Superior stuff in superior and Beyond being a "new and improved" Spider-man means you have to make a big deal of Peter's comeback since you killed him off in a way showing the new guy is better.Superior in the start was pushing Ock is smarter than Peter when he used the web airbags, Ben's encounters w/ Peter speak for themselves in who is portrayed as the better one.You bring the protaganist down also means you have to swing him back up.They create the competition/comparison which shouldn't have been done w/ Ben, they're bros.Also Peter's physical performance in beyond has been terrible at best, he's been sh*t fighting wise.

4)Spider-man's are always on their back, and solicits exaggerate.Not to mention Devil's reign has multiple Ocks(from multiverse, guess who else has multiversal level powers?), which I feel connects into Ben being there(in Devil Reign where Ock has him on the cover).Which also connects to NYC taking a hit, which leads to Cap wanting Peter back ASAP.

For what it's worth they seem to be doing the best replacement arc so far, and Ben is def. not a pushover.But such a change from creative team has me excited/worried on how all the others will perform.Good news is it's almost out every week.

Also no way they kill Ben, w/ this and the DeMatties mini they are pushing him back up IMO.Probably gonna ride off into the sunset and re-locate w/ Janine then have a solo or something else.

[Pav]

Sure, this time around, we knew that going in. Certainly more so than I did back in 1996, when for a brief moment after "The Greatest Responsibility", the relative newbie to comics that I was genuinely believed that the switch would be permanent.

Same! I remember seeing copies of Amazing Scarlet Spider through the front windows of the store and being so excited, despite my dad unexcitedly saying there's no way it would last. What a spoilsport!

I dunno, I guess it just feels like whenever Ben finally gets in red and blue, the cards are already completely stacked against him so it's hard to completely enjoy his stories, much less, get invested in them, because you know for a fact that it's all gonna go completely pear shaped before long. And so really, the only important part of the story is the end, when we find out where/what/who will Ben be when the inevitable finally happens.

Respectfully disagree here though, Vworp. I'm reminded of "Chronicle of Death Foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: the whole point of that book is that everyone -- the characters and the reader -- know how the story is going to end. And yet the book is intriguing because HOW we get to that point is just as important and interesting as the end itself.

Knowing Peter will be back doesn't dampen my enthusiasm; I'm enjoying the ride for the ride, y'know? And even if Ben doesn't remain "THE Spider-Man," we still don't know what his status will be after Beyond is over. Will he and Janine move away and live happily ever after? Will he remain "a Spider-Man" or go back to being the Scarlet Spider? Will he suffer tragedy, or will he be victorious? Will he and Peter patch things up or will their relationship still be prickly? These are all things I'm looking forward to finding out.

-Pav, who still dreams of an alternate reality in which the original Scarlet Spider comics kept going indefinitely...

[IamnotJudasTraveller]

Like MJ in the 90s you think? Just less fretting over Ben.

I dunno, MJ sure did her fair share of that but she was along for the long ride and since we had all those satellite titles she inevitably would get to DO something more by sheer need of 4 titles alone handling her being a supporting character. Even if it was just all the 1001 ways she'd segue into sexytimes with Peter.

With Janine we know it's just a 19 issue ride if she lasts that long (I sure hope so) where 3 issues already had her basically doing the same thing.

[Sr. Bungle]

Same! I remember seeing copies of Amazing Scarlet Spider through the front windows of the store and being so excited, despite my dad unexcitedly saying there's no way it would last. What a spoilsport!



Respectfully disagree here though, Vworp. I'm reminded of "Chronicle of Death Foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: the whole point of that book is that everyone -- the characters and the reader -- know how the story is going to end. And yet the book is intriguing because HOW we get to that point is just as important and interesting as the end itself.

Knowing Peter will be back doesn't dampen my enthusiasm; I'm enjoying the ride for the ride, y'know? And even if Ben doesn't remain "THE Spider-Man," we still don't know what his status will be after Beyond is over. Will he and Janine move away and live happily ever after? Will he remain "a Spider-Man" or go back to being the Scarlet Spider? Will he suffer tragedy, or will he be victorious? Will he and Peter patch things up or will their relationship still be prickly? These are all things I'm looking forward to finding out.

-Pav, who still dreams of an alternate reality in which the original Scarlet Spider comics kept going indefinitely...

Personally, I'm not worried about Peter returning sooner rather than later. That's a given and I'm 44, I know how comics work. I fear they damage Ben too much in the process just to make the point that Peter is THE Spider-Man (We all know it).

Speaking of Latin American writers. have you read Borges Pav?

[Spiderfan001]

I dunno, MJ sure did her fair share of that but she was along for the long ride and since we had all those satellite titles she inevitably would get to DO something more by sheer need of 4 titles alone handling her being a supporting character. Even if it was just all the 1001 ways she'd segue into sexytimes with Peter.

With Janine we know it's just a 19 issue ride if she lasts that long (I sure hope so) where 3 issues already had her basically doing the same thing.

MJ was well written even when she was doing that IMO, she was kind and understanding and (nt sure about the era in this) but she kept at her job and provided while Peter was saving lives.

Personally, I'm not worried about Peter returning sooner rather than later. That's a given and I'm 44, I know how comics work. I fear they damage Ben too much in the process just to make the point that Peter is THE Spider-Man (We all know it).

Honestly still wish they did it in a way Ben and Peter were working together and Ben went undercover into Beyond, we know that's not true via inner monologue.Problem is they did the whole Peter isn't up to par thing, that he's not enough.You do that you have to make it go back up, but w/ how Beyond is set it doesn't need to be at the cost of Ben at all.Peter just needs to be the main guy who takes out Beyond and not in an Ock way where Ben sacrifices himself or something, just Peter being the best at what he does, saving the day.