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  1. #1
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    Default What ripped from the headlines stories work for current Spider-Man comics?

    In the later parts of his run, Stan Lee dealt with issues that were in the news like international terrorism, prisoner abuses and drug addiction. JMS would tackle contemporary issues as well in his run, looking at school shootings, team homelessness, etc. Peter David's Spectacular Spider-Man run focused more on ordinary crime and the people affected than supercrime.

    What type of issues would make sense for the Spider-Man comics to tackle in 2022?

    There are potential complications in introducing multiple sides of an issue in twenty page increments. Marvel doesn't want to damage a brand by association with controversial behavior, or to be too square.

    I think one topic that makes sense is counterfeit pills. Whatever your stance on whether Adderall should be more readily available, it's a bad thing if someone gets it laced with fentanyl.
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  2. #2
    A Green Unpleasant Man Rob London's Avatar
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    Cryptocurrency/NFTs seem like fertile ground for supervillainous plots.

  3. #3
    Astonishing Member Mercwmouth12's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob London View Post
    Cryptocurrency/NFTs seem like fertile ground for supervillainous plots.
    Think there's something like that in recent infinity comic

  4. #4
    Formerly Assassin Spider Huntsman Spider's Avatar
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    Could jump right into cyberpunk territory with corporate domination over various forms of media being used to exploit and manipulate the masses for the sake of private gain, with a new antagonist being introduced (or an old one being dusted off and revamped) for Spider-Man as someone taking a (violent) stand against corporate control of the media and manipulation of the public in a way that makes it tempting to paint them as an anti-hero in the vein of Cardiac (before he went off the deep end in Christopher Cantwell's Iron Man #2).

    Besides that, could tackle Spider-Man's relationship with the police in the vein of recent protests and debates concerning the overall role of policing in society, as well as his own recurrent conflicts with the police, and for more cyberpunk coming into modern reality, intersect that plot point with Alchemax debuting a present-day precursor to the "Public Eye" corporate police from Marvel 2099, marketing them as a better-trained, better-equipped alternative to the NYPD and the costumed (and often superpowered) vigilante set.

    On another front, with all the exposes of serial abusers and harassers in the entertainment industry, could have that tackled from Mary Jane Watson's point of view, given her experience and history with being stalked, harassed, and even kidnapped by a wealthy, powerful man who saw himself as entitled to have her and then tried to destroy her career when she wouldn't submit to him --- more than 25 years before so many of those real-life horror stories entered public knowledge.
    The spider is always on the hunt.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Huntsman Spider View Post
    Could jump right into cyberpunk territory with corporate domination over various forms of media being used to exploit and manipulate the masses for the sake of private gain, with a new antagonist being introduced (or an old one being dusted off and revamped) for Spider-Man as someone taking a (violent) stand against corporate control of the media and manipulation of the public in a way that makes it tempting to paint them as an anti-hero in the vein of Cardiac (before he went off the deep end in Christopher Cantwell's Iron Man #2).

    Besides that, could tackle Spider-Man's relationship with the police in the vein of recent protests and debates concerning the overall role of policing in society, as well as his own recurrent conflicts with the police, and for more cyberpunk coming into modern reality, intersect that plot point with Alchemax debuting a present-day precursor to the "Public Eye" corporate police from Marvel 2099, marketing them as a better-trained, better-equipped alternative to the NYPD and the costumed (and often superpowered) vigilante set.

    On another front, with all the exposes of serial abusers and harassers in the entertainment industry, could have that tackled from Mary Jane Watson's point of view, given her experience and history with being stalked, harassed, and even kidnapped by a wealthy, powerful man who saw himself as entitled to have her and then tried to destroy her career when she wouldn't submit to him --- more than 25 years before so many of those real-life horror stories entered public knowledge.
    I don’t think a critique on policing really works for superheroes since they’re typically beholden to less rules than they are (which is naturally a problem with any type of critique on real world concepts when it comes to fiction).

    As for your other two examples, I think it’s important that superpowers or technology get involved or else it doesn’t really have a place in the Marvel Universe.

    The only problem with stalker angle is that it’s been done a million times in Spider-Man comics alone with Caesar, the psychic link guy, and the girl that can turn into paper, so you really wouldn’t be treading new ground.

  6. #6
    Julian Keller Supremacy Rift's Avatar
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    Chinese scientists are working on tech to grant people telekinetic abilities. Spider-Man could bring in Hellion, an actual telekinetic, to fight a villain who's giving their henchmen powerful TK tech.
    2024: The Year of Hellion

  7. #7
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    There was a viral video last month in which the journalist Freddie DeBoer talked about the side effects of antipsychotic meds he's on, and how it's much better than the alternatives.

    https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p...l-bergners-new

    It might be worth exploring mental illness within the Spider-Man comics, especially if someone Peter Parker meets in his normal life (the subject of a piece, an expert on another topic, a coworker of MJ's, etc/) lives openly with mental illness and makes Spider-Man question whether he resorts too much on violence. It can lead to an interesting conversation with Black Cat, or a supporting character who has a form of mental illness.

    Quote Originally Posted by Huntsman Spider View Post
    Could jump right into cyberpunk territory with corporate domination over various forms of media being used to exploit and manipulate the masses for the sake of private gain, with a new antagonist being introduced (or an old one being dusted off and revamped) for Spider-Man as someone taking a (violent) stand against corporate control of the media and manipulation of the public in a way that makes it tempting to paint them as an anti-hero in the vein of Cardiac (before he went off the deep end in Christopher Cantwell's Iron Man #2).

    Besides that, could tackle Spider-Man's relationship with the police in the vein of recent protests and debates concerning the overall role of policing in society, as well as his own recurrent conflicts with the police, and for more cyberpunk coming into modern reality, intersect that plot point with Alchemax debuting a present-day precursor to the "Public Eye" corporate police from Marvel 2099, marketing them as a better-trained, better-equipped alternative to the NYPD and the costumed (and often superpowered) vigilante set.

    On another front, with all the exposes of serial abusers and harassers in the entertainment industry, could have that tackled from Mary Jane Watson's point of view, given her experience and history with being stalked, harassed, and even kidnapped by a wealthy, powerful man who saw himself as entitled to have her and then tried to destroy her career when she wouldn't submit to him --- more than 25 years before so many of those real-life horror stories entered public knowledge.
    It might be interesting to have MJ become associated with the movement, as someone who has been kidnapped twice and dealt with multiple stalkers. And that can set up some interesting questions. Is it a distraction from her other projects? Does she have the responsibility to get involved in other scandals?

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob London View Post
    Cryptocurrency/NFTs seem like fertile ground for supervillainous plots.
    That would have to be handled carefully. It's divisive with people on one end thinking this is going to change the economy for the better (and they may have invested a lot of money based on that understanding) and others thinking it's a scam that's bad for the environment. It's the type of thing that can turn off some readers permanently.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rift View Post
    Chinese scientists are working on tech to grant people telekinetic abilities. Spider-Man could bring in Hellion, an actual telekinetic, to fight a villain who's giving their henchmen powerful TK tech.
    I think Disney's cautious about any stories involving China, although the box office success of No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick may convince the studios that it's okay to do projects that piss off the Chinese government.
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  8. #8
    Formerly Assassin Spider Huntsman Spider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PCN24454 View Post
    I don’t think a critique on policing really works for superheroes since they’re typically beholden to less rules than they are (which is naturally a problem with any type of critique on real world concepts when it comes to fiction).

    As for your other two examples, I think it’s important that superpowers or technology get involved or else it doesn’t really have a place in the Marvel Universe.

    The only problem with stalker angle is that it’s been done a million times in Spider-Man comics alone with Caesar, the psychic link guy, and the girl that can turn into paper, so you really wouldn’t be treading new ground.
    Considering the 90s Spider-Man comics were delving into virtual reality technology that's currently seeing a resurgence in promotion and marketing, if not necessarily popularity, thanks to "the Metaverse," named for the VR framework in Neal Stephenson's (post-)cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, could have Carolyn Trainer/Lady Octopus get back into the VR business and create a prototype of what will become Alchemax's "Virtual Unreality" in Marvel 2099. The story could serve as an angle to tackle the dangers of escapism run amok, especially given how corporations will inevitably profiteer off people's reliance or dependence on technology, not to mention how virtual worlds thus far have tended to replicate the worst excesses of the real world, only without any of the legal restraints or social guardrails that exist in real life to keep people from acting on their worst impulses and instincts.
    The spider is always on the hunt.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Huntsman Spider View Post
    Considering the 90s Spider-Man comics were delving into virtual reality technology that's currently seeing a resurgence in promotion and marketing, if not necessarily popularity, thanks to "the Metaverse," named for the VR framework in Neal Stephenson's (post-)cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, could have Carolyn Trainer/Lady Octopus get back into the VR business and create a prototype of what will become Alchemax's "Virtual Unreality" in Marvel 2099. The story could serve as an angle to tackle the dangers of escapism run amok, especially given how corporations will inevitably profiteer off people's reliance or dependence on technology, not to mention how virtual worlds thus far have tended to replicate the worst excesses of the real world, only without any of the legal restraints or social guardrails that exist in real life to keep people from acting on their worst impulses and instincts.
    Escapism? You mean like the stuff people read comics for?

    /s

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Mets View Post
    That would have to be handled carefully. It's divisive with people on one end thinking this is going to change the economy for the better (and they may have invested a lot of money based on that understanding) and others thinking it's a scam that's bad for the environment. It's the type of thing that can turn off some readers permanently.
    I don't see why they'd need to treat it with kid gloves. That's cowardly. It is a scam and it is bad for the environment.

    If I found an old Spider-Man comic about pyramid schemes, I wouldn't expect it to weigh up the pros and the cons. Pyramid schemes are bad.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee View Post
    I don't see why they'd need to treat it with kid gloves. That's cowardly. It is a scam and it is bad for the environment.

    If I found an old Spider-Man comic about pyramid schemes, I wouldn't expect it to weigh up the pros and the cons. Pyramid schemes are bad.
    Be prepared to get called preachy and woke.

  12. #12
    A Green Unpleasant Man Rob London's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PCN24454 View Post
    Be prepared to get called preachy and woke.
    You should probably prepare for that if you're writing anything with a glimmer of social consciousness these days, anyway. Brain worms abound in modern fandom.

  13. #13
    Formerly Assassin Spider Huntsman Spider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PCN24454 View Post
    Escapism? You mean like the stuff people read comics for?

    /s
    Escapism run amok, I said. It's fine in small or moderate doses, but when it gets to a point of completely disengaging from reality as it exists to indulge in fantasies or delusions, that's when the plug needs to be pulled.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob London View Post
    You should probably prepare for that if you're writing anything with a glimmer of social consciousness these days, anyway. Brain worms abound in modern fandom.
    Pretty much this, sadly. It's amazing(ly sad and horrific) how deeply anti-intellectual parts of comics fandom have become when comics used to be extolled by their fans and defenders as inspiring young people to read and learn in more exciting and dynamic ways than the kind of material the mainstream educational system would give them to consume.
    The spider is always on the hunt.

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