Opinion, Do you perfer to read or watch about High School Peter or Adult Peter?

[Vortex85]

Spider-Man also works in a college setting. Nick Spencer put Peter back in college didn't he? Is he still a student?

He did but it has barely been in the book, it feels like someone told him to do that because it has barely been featured or a component to the stories at all.

"Spider-Man also works in a college setting"

Ok, so you admit that Ultimate Spider-Man didn't need to be in high school if he works in college. As I said, that book sold well because it was the perfect storm of talent. Other attempts to tell the high school era have been attempted and not sold very well. Taking Ulitmate Spider-Man as an example that high school Spider-Man is inherently better is a false reading of why that book was popular. It was popular because after nearly 40 years, Spider-Man was being relaunched from the beginning of his continuity for the first time in a new modern day setting and that was a big advertisement and then the book was very well done to deliver on that promise. Do you really think it would be pulling those same numbers today if Peter was still in high school in that book over 20 years later?!

Spider-Man also works as a married adult. It lasted for 20 years and removing it was not done to help sales, nor did it increase sales. Some of the highest selling periods of the book happened under the marriage for various reasons (collector speculation being a major factor). Which shows comic book collecting popularity is based on much more than just what age Spider-man or if he is in school or not. I don't know why you can't recognize that.

[Frontier]

Isn't that the problem in itself? Rather than thinking about what's best for Spider-Man, you're thinking about your Spider-Man. That on its own is fine, but you're acting as though Dragon Ball started out with Dragon Ball Z.

If we're only going to treat high school Peter as a stepping stone for adult Peter, then the history doesn't actually matter.

I mean, I equally enjoyed Spectacular, but it just means I'm open to different takes on Peter so long as they handle him and his mythos well.

Like Spec handled the high school setting way better than Ultimate or Marvel's Spider-Man did, just as an adult Spider-Man can work well when executed right.

[Agent Z]

What makes high school better than college? What is it about going to a classroom full of teenagers makes the book so exciting? It can't be that. It can only be because when he is in high school everything is newer, he just became Spider-Man, he is just meeting villains for the first time, he is getting his very first romantic relationships. Well that works well for a few years of stories, but after that, the very thing that makes everything feel so new makes everything feel old and dry. How many battles, dates, etc can a character go through before you don't feel he is new anymore? When will the character get out of high school? When will he be allowed to be experienced? No one stays in high school forever, that is completely unrelatable.

Does anyone really get excited picking up a book about a character who has been around 60 years and seeing him still brand new the game?

Also you argue Spider-Man is a kid's hero? So that's why he works in high school? Does any teen at or past the age or puberty want to be reading the hero written for kids? Sounds like a good way to ensure a hero remains virtually nobody's favorite hero for long...

I'm sorry, but if Spider-Man remained in high school forever he would be doomed to being for kids only, everyone would grow out of him and he would not be one of the world's favorite heroes.

Look if high school Spider-Man is your thing, great! There is pleny of content out there for you. But the only way to make that work for serialized comics if Marvel reboots him every ten years or so into an alternate universe version. Because it's not high school that makes him feel new, it's actually that you are being introduced the character and his world for the first time and that world is new to you early on in the story.

As I've stated before, kids don't care if Spider-Man is an adult or a teenager. They may not want to read about an octogenarian Peter Parker, but a Spider-Man who is a young adult or somewhat older isn't automatically a turn off. The people insisting on Peter being a teenager are, ironically enough, adults themselves projecting their opinions onto teen readers.

[Agent Z]

The whole Spider-Man premise just works better with a teenager. Not fitting in with his peers, having secrets, an overprotective parent, a turbulent love life, being broke, being misunderstood, playing the clown, screwing up, trying to do the right thing but making his own life more complicated.

With a teenager it's easier to write those kinds of stories and easier to sympathise with Peter.

If those kinds of stories are written with an older Peter Parker, it becomes less sympathetic (see all the posts of people complaining about Peter being "immature", "a loser" and "a man-child").

The other option is to have stories where Peter has a stable life, a good job, has settled down, isn't such a wise-ass, isn't so neurotic, isn't so self-pitying and self-deprecating, isn't screwing up so badly. Essentially completely abandoning the original premise of the series for a watered down, less dramatic version.

Why does everyone who argues this think there is no middle ground between Peter being a screw up teenager and him having no conflicts or problems in his daily life?

[Kevinroc]

Why does everyone who argues this think there is no middle ground between Peter being a screw up teenager and him having no conflicts or problems in his daily life?

It's a straw man argument.

[Agent Z]

Isn't that the problem in itself? Rather than thinking about what's best for Spider-Man, you're thinking about your Spider-Man.

And the ones who prefer teenage Spider-Man aren't doing the same?

[marhawkman]

As I've stated before, kids don't care if Spider-Man is an adult or a teenager. They may not want to read about an octogenarian Peter Parker, but a Spider-Man who is a young adult or somewhat older isn't automatically a turn off. The people insisting on Peter being a teenager are, ironically enough, adults themselves projecting their opinions onto teen readers.

Octogenarian Peter Parker could be interesting.... I mean... grampa-Spidey has potential.... especially if there's plenty of reasons for people to call him Grampa. I'ts like I said before... MC2 was at that point in life where May was old enough to think about getting married... in a few years... fast forward 10 or so years and now you have Pete as a grampa and May as an adult.... and probably April too... yeah... let's just go with both to make it more fun.... for someone... Probably not Pete. ahaahahaaha! Hmm.... I wonder what a baby that's part Symbiote would be like? Well... time for Pete to find out! Yes I know that there was a time when Benjy was bonded with a symbiote... not the same thing as having it be part of you(like April).

[phonogram12]

This is a horrible argument and exactly the reason why Peter can never grow-up!

He's still treating things like he's still in high school!!!

High school kids don't pay rent. Making his life perfect to the point of no conflict is the horrible argument.

Maybe even have MJ die and he has to be a solo parent (with Aunt May’s help) and he has to tell May that he’s Spider-Man and the conversations she would have with him about how she’s proud of him being a hero but his child has to come first now.

Now this is a radical shift in the status quo I would be up for. Have him have to grow up significantly, but have his life no less complicated because of it (just different complications than the usual).

You could eventually revive MJ but have that single father period.

Nope! All or nothing here.

Even if he’s gonna get married and have kids, he’s not going to grow up or mature. His life will be stalled because people don’t actually want him to age up.

I think this is the fundamental problem, here. You seem to confuse growing up or maturing with having an absolutely faultless life. Believe it or not, even the most mature and "grown up" adults still face problems every day that complicate their lives more than they'd like.

[Vortex85]

I think this is the fundamental problem, here. You seem to confuse growing up or maturing with having an absolutely faultless life. Believe it or not, even the most mature and "grown up" adults still face problems every day that complicate their lives more than they'd like.

Exactly. And to add to that, most of the classic "Parker luck" scenarios were problems even mature adults would be thrown a loop for, because it's a result of him leading a complicated double life, which is going to be hard for anyone no matter how old or mature you are.

The mistake is when some writers confuse that with the idea that Peter being young or immature and making dumb decisions should be the reason for his bad luck or problems, and not the fact that life is going to throw him curveballs regardless of how well he conducts himself when he has to be a superhero and civilian life with a secret identity.

[blackspidey2099]

I like both, but I do prefer adult Spider-Man at this point since the high school stuff has been so overdone.

I will say that I think the ideal setting for Spider-Man is in college. It allows you to tackle a lot of the same problems from the high school setting (ex. missing classes, academic stress, love life drama, etc.) but also adds a lot more to work with (ex. needing to pay rent, having to balance a job to pay tuition, getting into a serious long-term relationship, etc.) while also allowing Peter to show some sense of progress and growth which I think is important. Also, having Peter be in high school kinda constrains his entire existence to a 3-4 year time period, which ends up being ridiculous and suspense of disbelief only goes so far. On the other hand, someone could theoretically be in college for a decade if they wanted to, with a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, getting a PhD, etc. So it works out a lot better timeline-wise as well. I don't think there are any downsides of having Peter be a college student since basically any storyline you could think of can work in that setting.

[PCN24454]

And the ones who prefer teenage Spider-Man aren't doing the same?

No, I was just pointing out a bias.

[Vortex85]

I like both, but I do prefer adult Spider-Man at this point since the high school stuff has been so overdone.

I will say that I think the ideal setting for Spider-Man is in college. It allows you to tackle a lot of the same problems from the high school setting (ex. missing classes, academic stress, love life drama, etc.) but also adds a lot more to work with (ex. needing to pay rent, having to balance a job to pay tuition, getting into a serious long-term relationship, etc.) while also allowing Peter to show some sense of progress and growth which I think is important. Also, having Peter be in high school kinda constrains his entire existence to a 3-4 year time period, which ends up being ridiculous and suspense of disbelief only goes so far. On the other hand, someone could theoretically be in college for a decade if they wanted to, with a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, getting a PhD, etc. So it works out a lot better timeline-wise as well. I don't think there are any downsides of having Peter be a college student since basically any storyline you could think of can work in that setting.

He AND MJ went back to college during the marriage, and MJ did post-pregnancy when she could have been a mom already. So literally given master's / phd, you COULD do almost anything during the time he is a student.

[PCN24454]

Exactly. And to add to that, most of the classic "Parker luck" scenarios were problems even mature adults would be thrown a loop for, because it's a result of him leading a complicated double life, which is going to be hard for anyone no matter how old or mature you are.

The mistake is when some writers confuse that with the idea that Peter being young or immature and making dumb decisions should be the reason for his bad luck or problems, and not the fact that life is going to throw him curveballs regardless of how well he conducts himself when he has to be a superhero and civilian life with a secret identity.

Actually, that’s pretty accurate. A lot of his problems are self-inflicted rather than the universe being out to get him (I mean it is, but he doesn’t really help himself).

He’s not Superman, yet he tries act like he’s Superman by putting on more responsibility than he can actually handle. I’d say that’s very immature.

[Vortex85]

Actually, that’s pretty accurate. A lot of his problems are self-inflicted rather than the universe being out to get him (I mean it is, but he doesn’t really help himself).

He’s not Superman, yet he tries act like he’s Superman by putting on more responsibility than he can actually handle. I’d say that’s very immature.

*Sigh*
I guess if you really wanted to argue it, dressing up in a costume and playing hero could be seen as immature. So with that I guess there is no getting out of it.

[PCN24454]

I think this is the fundamental problem, here. You seem to confuse growing up or maturing with having an absolutely faultless life. Believe it or not, even the most mature and "grown up" adults still face problems every day that complicate their lives more than they'd like.

Being an adult isn't having no problems; being an adult is knowing your own limits.

Peter is a really selfish person. For all his introspection, he doesn't really seem to value other people's input. That's why he always works alone.

That's why it's hard to take him seriously whenever he says that his life sucks; he didn't do everything in his power to make it not suck in the first place.