The Problem With Spider-Man Comics Today

[Thezmage]

that's me give me the hero doing the hero things. whoever he's sleeping with shouldnt be my priority

Then I don't know why you would read Spider-man comics. From the very start, Spider-man comics have focused on the soap opera aspects. That's even why Quesada retconned the marriage in the first place.

Here's a thread about the long history of the way Spider-man developed and how attempts to undo his marriage have hurt the comic

[RJT]

The marriage hasn't gone anywhere

It's back next week.

I'm happy for you. Why are you complaining then? You're getting what you want.

[Vegeta]

You mean the video games and movies that feature him married, trying to sort out his relationships, and come to terms with his Aunt's death?

Those movies and games?

I don't think Peter was married in any of the movies except for "Into the Spiderverse" where the first Peter is killed immediately and the other one is divorced. He is also not married in the Insomniac Playstation game where Aunt May dies, although he IS married in the old Genesis game, as well as "Maximum Carnage," and "Return of the Sinister Six." Probably the game boy games too, but I never played them.

[Refrax5]

Oh, I got a surefire way to bring the marriage back, btw--READ MILES's BOOK!

Read it, love it, tell everyone about it. Buy it and give it to your mates! See his movies, play the games! Show Marble with your cash-money that he's got what it takes to be the #1 Spider-Man of the MU.

Peter's trouble is that he's the face of the franchise. If he were a B-lister off in his own corner, he'd be without the pressure to be all things to all people.

Look at X-Men, for example. The franchise's leads--Cyclops and Phoenix--can hardly stay alive at the same time to consummate any relationship. Meanwhile, Rogue and Gambit, the B-listers, get married ON PANEL, get a solo or mini every couple years, guest-star in each other's team books, and generally have a good time being in love.

Make Miles the face of Spider-Man and watch Pete become the happiest he's ever been.

Ben Reilly is what happens to a Spider-Man that isn't the face of the franchise. You don't want to suffer like Ben fans have. Trust me.

[Matt Rat]

I'm happy for you. Why are you complaining then?

Because the current run of the core books is terrible and the characters all feel stale and unaccomplished, and will prove to be again by run's end no matter how far they advance. The key to new ideas and directions lies in a status quo Marvel evidently still see a use for, but are content to simply showcase in settings specific to it's era or alternate futures.

I'm still happy we get them of course, but if it's this easy to keep giving me what I want, why not just bring it back to core continuity? Publishing marriage stories doesn't exactly convince people it isn't required for 616. And if anything continuing to do so just makes everyone in 616 look more and more pathetic that they can't get their act together.

I don't think Peter was married in any of the movies except for "Into the Spiderverse" where the first Peter is killed immediately and the other one is divorced. He is also not married in the Insomniac Playstation game where Aunt May dies, although he IS married in the old Genesis game, as well as "Maximum Carnage," and "Return of the Sinister Six." Probably the game boy games too, but I never played them.

I was speaking in general. The older games like Genesis and Playstation 1 and 2 had Peter married (and 'Web of Shadows' tested you as a husband by giving you Black Cat and the Symbiote as temptation), even so, Peter considered marrying MJ in Spider-Man 3, and still dealt with adult themes in the Insomniac game and No Way Home when Aunt May dies, and ends up cohabiting with MJ by game's end.

[RJT]

Because the current run of the core books is terrible and the characters all feel stale and unaccomplished, and will prove to be again by run's end no matter how far they advance. The key to new ideas and directions lies in a status quo Marvel evidently still see a use for, but are content to simply showcase in settings specific to it's era or alternate futures.

I'm still happy we get them of course, but if it's this easy to keep giving me what I want, why not just bring it back to core continuity? Publishing marriage stories doesn't exactly convince people it isn't required for 616. And if anything continuing to do so just makes everyone in 616 look more and more pathetic that they can't get their act together.

Again, most readers don't agree with you. Otherwise we'd see the marriage in the main continuity and the unmarried Spider-man in side miniseries.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

For the most part, Marvel doesn't operate in a free market where the ideas most in demand win. Marvel is "too big to fail" like the banks and other corporations. Especially post-Disney Buyout.

An ongoing subtext in all the OMD defenses is the idea that corporate power isn't a thing or the dominant factor in 21st century American life. Well, good luck convincing anyone of that. That argument isn't going to be taken seriously in any other discussion, and discussions surrounding OMD and the marriage are no exceptions.

[Hoodj]

Then I don't know why you would read Spider-man comics. From the very start, Spider-man comics have focused on the soap opera aspects. That's even why Quesada retconned the marriage in the first place.

Here's a thread about the long history of the way Spider-man developed and how attempts to undo his marriage have hurt the comic

But mostly its a coming of age young superhero story and has run off typical action and suspense like any other superhero story, the soap opera stuff isnt as prioritized as the superhero action and fun sci fi street level heroism in the long run nor isnt why spodey is so popular, even though its tied to his character.

[Hoodj]

You mean the video games and movies that feature him married, trying to sort out his relationships, and come to terms with his Aunt's death?

Those movies and games?

Yeah because spidey fought awesome battles with equally cool villians and actually had awesome legendary heroic scenes. The drama is the least talked about thing in those renditions.

[Hoodj]

The marriage hasn't gone anywhere

It's back next week.

For at least 5 months. So it wont last.

[Mercwmouth12]

For at least 5 months. So it wont last.

He's referring the Lost Hunt mini. So ...enjoy that if you want and not it's ok

[NC_Yankee]

I'm literally telling you NOT to consume the product if you dislike it.

You're saying a "better" product, but the thesis of this thread, and the most vocal unsatisfied fans on this particular forum, is that Spider-Man comics are bad because Marvel won't age Peter up, won't make him a married man again, won't make him a mature and sensible grown-up who has his life together. That's not about "good comics" or "bad comics". That's about wanting to read a particular type of comic, one where characters get older and older and all of the big changes stick and don't get undone. That's not Marvel's wheelhouse. That's not the nature of the beast. They have to ensure that their characters are still viable 10, 20, 50 years down the line.

You can demand that McDonald's starts serving steak, or you can go to a steak restaurant.

I can agree with the McDonalds analogy, but I can tell you that the Wells run has caused me to lose interest in Spider-Man ( I even stopped being angry), I am more concerned these days about how the Islanders play then what happens with Peter. Why? The quality of the product. Islanders good, Spider-Man bad itÂ’s that simple.

[Matt Rat]

For at least 5 months. So it wont last.

Doesn't matter. The fact is you still will never be rid of it. They've proven they'll always keep cranking out marriage books, even if it's sporadic. We're even closer to a total victory because Lost Hunt is the first marriage title to be tied to continuity in a post-OMD world.

[RJT]

Doesn't matter. The fact is you still will never be rid of it. They've proven they'll always keep cranking out marriage books, even if it's sporadic. We're even closer to a total victory because Lost Hunt is the first marriage title to be tied to continuity in a post-OMD world.

"Total victory"?
This isn't a war, it's Spider-Man comics.

[Thezmage]

But mostly its a coming of age young superhero story and has run off typical action and suspense like any other superhero story, the soap opera stuff isnt as prioritized as the superhero action and fun sci fi street level heroism in the long run nor isnt why spodey is so popular, even though its tied to his character.

And coming of age involves growing and changing and sometimes getting married and trying to make that work. This obsession with keeping Peter unchanged is directly preventing the "coming of age" story from working.