Amazing Spider-Man #1 preview

[Kanos]

The most extreme fans have spent a part of their day, almost every day, for the past 14 years, complaining about the marital status of a super-hero in a comic aimed at teenagers. It's silly, it's a waste of time and energy, and ironically at odds with the maturity they wish to see in Peter Parker.

Um, hi, I'm 21, I've been reading Spider-Man comics since I was 5 years old. In 2014, I hated the third volume of Dan Slott run and constantly wrote that Peter and MJ should get married. It was not only me who wrote this, but also my friends, because we did not want to look at stupid Peter (remember how Anna Maria found out that Peter was Spider-Man?).

[RJT]

Why would Peter ever stop growing as a person? That's what the Marvel Editors want, not what fans want.



We are being way too semantic with numbers. Fans just want him to be 25-35 and married.

Some fans want that. Most don’t really care.

And I don’t get why it upsets people that Peter keeps having ups and downs in his personal life but are totally fine with the fact that he never stops Dr. Octopus for good. Don’t you want him to grow as a superhero?

[Mercwmouth12]

Some fans want that. Most don’t really care.

And I don’t get why it upsets people that Peter keeps having ups and downs in his personal life but are totally fine with the fact that he never stops Dr. Octopus for good. Don’t you want him to grow as a superhero?

Because he has a no kill policy

[Matt Rat]

Some fans want that. Most don’t really care.

Other way around.

[Vortex85]

Um, hi, I'm 21, I've been reading Spider-Man comics since I was 5 years old. In 2014, I hated the third volume of Dan Slott run and constantly wrote that Peter and MJ should get married. It was not only me who wrote this, but also my friends, because we did not want to look at stupid Peter (remember how Anna Maria found out that Peter was Spider-Man?).

I understand completely! I was 9 when I started reading and he was married. When I saw that Spider-Man was married I thought that was so cool and also brave for Marvel to do in the comics.

It appealed to me to see that the character had changed from his origins over the decades and I quickly fell in love with him and his relationship to his wife.

I really wanted them to find happiness together because they were going through a lot of dramatic things in their marriage. I also really looked up to Peter and self inserted into as the kind of guy I could see myself as. Someone who would grow up and find a woman like Mary Jane to marry one day.

So I'll never understand those claiming kids or teenagers wouldn't be drawn to Spider-Man if he was married. It was very much the opposite for me. That's a big part of why I kept coming back to the comics for so long. I wanted to see Peter and MJ improve in life together and when OMD happened I lost interest completely.

The reason I am on here today talking about it is when I ignored it and moved on, it never changed, but I wanted to come back to Spider-Man. I missed him. Then we had teases in the comics referencing Mephisto and stuff since then so I was hopeful things would change.

Anway, I generally agree if you are not happy don't read it. I really just like coming to the forums to talk Spider-Man so that's why I'm on here. Also I feel that people like me should have a voice and not remain silent. I tried that and nothing changed.

[Lukmendes]

I can understand your view in Fraction's Annual, but for whatever reason is just works for me, maybe is because i don't read many romance stories.

As for Jenkins, he wrote the second tittle Peter Parker Spider that came when Mackie/Byrne rebooted the line, i think that his most famous stories are Revenge of the Green Goblin (althougth that has Mackie involved too) and Death in the Family, the one when Norman put Flash in a comma and Norman revealed that his original villaon name was going to be Mr Cafe lol.

Oh so that's where that's from, I saw it at random on TV tropes and they didn't say where it happened.

Edit: He started writing around issue 24 if i remember correctly by the way.

Thanks.

Checking out the PP:SM issues I read, only one from him I read is #36, in which some guy thinks he figured out Spidey's identity, and we see him making a few deductions that led him to that conclusion, like his speech pattern, that he hides that he's strong, and either is smart of pays someone to come up with the webs, and then the end of the issue has him talking with the one he thinks is Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson.

So yeah, at the very least the guy has talent for humor lol.

I also saw that he wrote the Spider-Queen's debut, which's, pretty forgettable, but I hear he was overworked at the time or somethin', and if so, maybe

Oh wow, I'm kind of surprised you didn't like the annual.

I liked the ending, but not the rest of it (Aside from the moment he rescues MJ, it's probably Spidey's last speed feat), I got bored of the way Peter and MJ were thinking of each other, specially the 70's flashback (At least I assume it's 70's), where they're doing really awkward flirting attempts over music tapes, which's fine, but their thoughts about each other, eh...

Edit: Oh what the fuck, ScarletCape got banned while I was writing the reply lol.

[FFJamie94]

I understand completely! I was 9 when I started reading and he was married. When I saw that Spider-Man was married I thought that was so cool and also brave for Marvel to do in the comics.

It appealed to me to see that the character had changed from his origins over the decades and I quickly fell in love with him and his relationship to his wife.

I really wanted them to find happiness together because they were going through a lot of dramatic things in their marriage. I also really looked up to Peter and self inserted into as the kind of guy I could see myself as. Someone who would grow up and find a woman like Mary Jane to marry one day.

So I'll never understand those claiming kids or teenagers wouldn't be drawn to Spider-Man if he was married. It was very much the opposite for me. That's a big part of why I kept coming back to the comics for so long. I wanted to see Peter and MJ improve in life together and when OMD happened I lost interest completely.

The reason I am on here today talking about it is when I ignored it and moved on, it never changed, but I wanted to come back to Spider-Man. I missed him. Then we had teases in the comics referencing Mephisto and stuff since then so I was hopeful things would change.

Anway, I generally agree if you are not happy don't read it. I really just like coming to the forums to talk Spider-Man so that's why I'm on here. Also I feel that people like me should have a voice and not remain silent. I tried that and nothing changed.

Same here, I came into Amazing when I was about 12 and Peter was married (fun fact, the first arc that started me on my ongoing Spider-Man journey was Sin's Past) and I really liked it at the time. There was a certain level of interesting drama that rose from it.

I think enough time and I've read enough interesting comics that I'm indifferent to a remarriage. I would love for Marvel to address One More Day, but I also just want good stories.
I feel if Marvel skirt between the lines of One More Day and not give us anything good, then that's when I quit Spider-Man.
But currently, it seems the new volume is going back to a more street level approach, and I'm happy for that.
I'm just hoping that the return to back to basics style of writing doesn't become overshadowed by Marvel dancing around OMD.
Either address it, or don't, but don't pretend you will and do nothing about it.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Some fans want that. Most don’t really care.

Other way around.

And I don’t get why it upsets people that Peter keeps having ups and downs in his personal life but are totally fine with the fact that he never stops Dr. Octopus for good. Don’t you want him to grow as a superhero?

Peter murdering Doc Ock to "stop him for good" wouldn't be growth as either Peter Parker or Spider-Man.

Ups and downs are one thing. Consistent downs with little-to-no ups are another.

[Vortex85]

Same here, I came into Amazing when I was about 12 and Peter was married (fun fact, the first arc that started me on my ongoing Spider-Man journey was Sin's Past) and I really liked it at the time. There was a certain level of interesting drama that rose from it.

I think enough time and I've read enough interesting comics that I'm indifferent to a remarriage. I would love for Marvel to address One More Day, but I also just want good stories.
I feel if Marvel skirt between the lines of One More Day and not give us anything good, then that's when I quit Spider-Man.
But currently, it seems the new volume is going back to a more street level approach, and I'm happy for that.
I'm just hoping that the return to back to basics style of writing doesn't become overshadowed by Marvel dancing around OMD.
Either address it, or don't, but don't pretend you will and do nothing about it.

Yeah, I do wonder if I would be much more ok with them never getting married again had I started later in the marriage like mid-JMS. I think what may have happened with me is I started on just the right issues and followed just the right stories where I became extremely emotionally attached to their marriage and how important that was for Peter. It was written as the #1 most important part of Peters life by some very good, talented writers, and such value and weight was put on it that I was absolutely in disbelief and disgust when I found out what several editors and writers actually wanted it gone and had worked towards that.

As far as it coming back, I keep changing my mind on what I'd be ok with, LOL. During Spencers run I was ok with it the way it was and just addressing OMD. But now I'm back to wanting them married again because I see what kind of miserable stories result in him not being married. I guess it depends on the current writer and story as to how badly I want that or am ok with them just being in a committed relationship. I am so tired and exhausted of the get together / break up that writers seem to be milking as part of his single status. I think that's pushing me to the marriage again as a way to avoid that type of story. I'd be so happy to never see this type of miserable break up story again for Peter.

[Matt Rat]

After I caught wind Stan had retconned the BND status quo of the newspaper comics, I started following it regularly, and I'm glad I did. It was a delight and kept producing one cracking Peter/MJ moment after another. It helped MJ really stepped up in that strip too. There's one story where it's her, Peter and Rocket Racoon against Ronan The Accuser.

[phonogram12]

I first started reading Spidey right at the beginning of McFarlane's Amazing run when Pete and MJ were more or less newlyweds. I dipped in and out for a number of years until I started picking it up regularly again near the beginning of JMS' run and dropped that right before the debacle that was the Osborn/Stacy twins reveal. Since then I've dipped in and out yet again and I can still pretty much go either way on their marriage.

I haven't picked up this first new issue yet, but from what I've read, the current status of their relationship gave me a good chuckle. Seriously, this will they/won't they crap is never going to end. Just pick one already, Marvel. I literally don't care which. But if you don't have them together, just jettison her back to L.A. or something, so engrossed in her career or some other dude (or lady or some non-binary person) that she is not even giving Pete a second thought as he's moving on with his own life. Or have them happily married without a care in the world. I don't care. But this romcom/sitcom stuff is just plain grating.

[Frontier]

I liked the ending, but not the rest of it (Aside from the moment he rescues MJ, it's probably Spidey's last speed feat), I got bored of the way Peter and MJ were thinking of each other, specially the 70's flashback (At least I assume it's 70's), where they're doing really awkward flirting attempts over music tapes, which's fine, but their thoughts about each other, eh...

Edit: Oh what the fuck, ScarletCape got banned while I was writing the reply lol.

I thought it showed some good introspection on the couple, how far they've come from the early days, how loyal MJ is to Peter compared to any other man, being willing to risk prison time for him, getting their personalities down from the old days to now, and that scene where Peter busts in just as she's being handcuffed was great...and, of course, the ending. Also probably one of Salvador Larocca's best art.

But your mileage may vary .

[federicodettofred]

The X-Men.

X-Men is worse than ASM. The mutant stories are literally "we are screwed, half of us die, Magneto is good then he's bad, people who died resurrect" x100. I honestly can't recall a single X-Men great story in the last 20 years besides House of X/Powers of X.

[Lee]

There is a canyon-wide amount of difference between Peter outgrowing any and all character flaws and where he is now.

I was addressing the idea of a Peter Parker outgrowing any and all character flaws. That's the natural end point of a character who is consistently growing and maturing and learning from every mistake. Real people in the real world take 2 steps forward and 1 step back at best.

Peter had flaws during the marriage years. Peter had flaws during Spider-girl when he was a parent to a teenage daughter. They're just different flaws that are appropriate for the stage of life he is at in those comics. The flaws he exhibits in ASM are often more fitting of a 19 year old than someone in their late twenties. They're also often used as an excuse to have him make wilding bad and IMO out of character decisions for the sole reason of moving the plot along instead of finding a more organic way to tell a story. That's the problem. Peter's flaws make him relatable when they're treated as an aspect of his character and not his entire personality. I don't know too many adults that have completely ironed out all of their flaws regardless of age, do you?

Marvel wants Spider-Man to be a character young people relate to. I'm sure they're perfectly willing to lose readers in their 30s and 40s if they gain readers in their teens and 20s.

What those fans want is for Spiderman stories to build on themselves and reward the readers of their loyalty. When you spend the last few years building up Peter and MJ again and then have them immediately break up off screen during a 6 month time skip then it's not satisfying storytelling to read. It's not about Peter's age or the marriage even. It's about not having Marvel insult long term readers intelligence by shifting directions in the laziest way possible over and over again in the name of "putting toys back in the box".

The toys will always get put back in the box. That's always been the nature of Marvel Comics. These characters and their stories will outlive us all.

Taking issue with Marvel super-heroes reverting to status quo is like taking issue with ice cream being cold.

Peter and Mary Jane will get back together. Then they'll break up again. Then they'll get back together again. It is what it is.

I'm very skeptic about this. I don't know if anyone ever reaches a dead end where they can no longer keep growing as a person. If human lifespan was more than 100 years, I'm sure people would continue the cycle of learning and growing for as long as they live. The brain is a bio-computer, after all. And computers are programmed to constantly learn and adapt to new environments and events.

Real people don't reach a dead end. But real people don't mature in the linear way some fans want Spider-Man to. Real people, for the most part, change slowly and subtly, they fall back into bad habits and repeat the same mistakes and patterns over and over again. Some people get worse as they get older. Real people are messier. There's no steady and constant positive maturation. A Peter Parker who is frozen at age 35 but getting more mature with every issue wouldn't end up resembling a real human, and would be difficult to write dramatic stories about.

[phonogram12]

Peter and Mary Jane will get back together. Then they'll break up again. Then they'll get back together again. It is what it is.

This is literally my living nightmare for the character, but I do see what you mean about putting the toys back in the box. I'm less attached to MJ than some, so if they broke up, I'd just prefer them both to move on from each other, personally.

Real people don't reach a dead end. But real people don't mature in the linear way some fans want Spider-Man to. Real people, for the most part, change slowly and subtly, they fall back into bad habits and repeat the same mistakes and patterns over and over again. Some people get worse as they get older. Real people are messier. There's no steady and constant positive maturation. A Peter Parker who is frozen at age 35 but getting more mature with every issue wouldn't end up resembling a real human, and would be difficult to write dramatic stories about.

Exactly. All of this.