How would you break the Spider-Man comics?

[Mister Mets]

Every now and then I see the argument that someone at editorial must be intentionally trying to sabotage the Spider-Man comics.

This does not bear out the facts, but it gets me thinking about how someone would sabotage the Spider-Man comics if they wanted to.

1. Select unreliable writers who would follow your instructions on other stuff.
2. Pick unknown artists with wildly divergent styles. If anyone becomes popular, immediately move them to another book.
3. Tackle hot-button political issues.
4. Stoke divisions in the fan-base. Maybe do some kind of story that suggests Miles Morales is better.
5. Have characters do things that are repulsive. Mary Jane dates Count Nefaria. Jonah lets someone else take the blame for his mistakes. Randy commits a crime to help his wife.
6. Give Peter unpopular and obnoxious opinions on religion, politics, etc. Maybe he should be a militant atheist.
7. Amazing Spider-Man is back to once a month. There are three satellite books. And about a quarter of a third of the issues of all these comics will be crossovers, so you still need to buy all the books to have a good sense of what's going on with Spidey.

I don't think this editor will last long.

What would be your instructions for how to send Spider-Man to the bottom of the sales heap?

[clonegeek]

Every now and then I see the argument that someone at editorial must be intentionally trying to sabotage the Spider-Man comics.

This does not bear out the facts, but it gets me thinking about how someone would sabotage the Spider-Man comics if they wanted to.

1. Select unreliable writers who would follow your instructions on other stuff.
2. Pick unknown artists with wildly divergent styles. If anyone becomes popular, immediately move them to another book.
3. Tackle hot-button political issues.
4. Stoke divisions in the fan-base. Maybe do some kind of story that suggests Miles Morales is better.
5. Have characters do things that are repulsive. Mary Jane dates Count Nefaria. Jonah lets someone else take the blame for his mistakes. Randy commits a crime to help his wife.
6. Give Peter unpopular and obnoxious opinions on religion, politics, etc. Maybe he should be a militant atheist.
7. Amazing Spider-Man is back to once a month. There are three satellite books. And about a quarter of a third of the issues of all these comics will be crossovers, so you still need to buy all the books to have a good sense of what's going on with Spidey.

I don't think this editor will last long.

What would be your instructions for how to send Spider-Man to the bottom of the sales heap?

Have Peter come out as gay or have MJ come out as a trans man.

Uncle Ben is either secretly a serial killer or did 9/11.

The Stacy's were part of a secret neo-nazi program to avenge the Third Reich.

The Burgler was actually arrested minutes after he stole the money but got released due to a liberal DA .

[blank]

Every now and then I see the argument that someone at editorial must be intentionally trying to sabotage the Spider-Man comics.

This does not bear out the facts, but it gets me thinking about how someone would sabotage the Spider-Man comics if they wanted to.


5. Have characters do things that are repulsive. Mary Jane dates Count Nefaria. Jonah lets someone else take the blame for his mistakes. Randy commits a crime to help his wife.


I don't think this editor will last long.

What would be your instructions for how to send Spider-Man to the bottom of the sales heap?

To me at least no 5. is kinda already happening, MJ "dating" Mr I helped commit a planetary genocide because "trust" and choosing him over Peter is pretty bloody repulsive behaviour and really isn't much better than dating Nefaria tbh.
As for how I would sabotage a run, I would probably make the entire run of the book just constantly mining the deaths of Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy and other moments of guilt for Peter, because too much sad Peter will eventually break the will of everyone who reads the book.

[TinkerSpider]

Every now and then I see the argument that someone at editorial must be intentionally trying to sabotage the Spider-Man comics.

This does not bear out the facts, but it gets me thinking about how someone would sabotage the Spider-Man comics if they wanted to.

1. Select unreliable writers who would follow your instructions on other stuff.
2. Pick unknown artists with wildly divergent styles. If anyone becomes popular, immediately move them to another book.
3. Tackle hot-button political issues.
4. Stoke divisions in the fan-base. Maybe do some kind of story that suggests Miles Morales is better.
5. Have characters do things that are repulsive. Mary Jane dates Count Nefaria. Jonah lets someone else take the blame for his mistakes. Randy commits a crime to help his wife.
6. Give Peter unpopular and obnoxious opinions on religion, politics, etc. Maybe he should be a militant atheist.
7. Amazing Spider-Man is back to once a month. There are three satellite books. And about a quarter of a third of the issues of all these comics will be crossovers, so you still need to buy all the books to have a good sense of what's going on with Spidey.

I don't think this editor will last long.

What would be your instructions for how to send Spider-Man to the bottom of the sales heap?

Hire Zeb Wells as a writer.

Keep Dan Slott on the character for over a decade.

Oh. Wait.

[phonogram12]

Do exactly what the fans say each and every month. No surprises, no risks, no growth, just the same three stories they like over and over and over again.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

I think I would weirdly have more respect for this run if Wells went all in on the vandalism.

Have Peter marry Norman and establish he is the sub. Have MJ be a b**** to Paul too. Have Paul commit genocide on a weekend cuz he is bored.

It wouldn't be good or okay... but it would weirdly be better than the current run (or at least more interesting). Probably because you know that for sure it would all get retconned and ignored, and that all pretext of it being for in the book's best interests would be gone. Like a Spider-Man version of Sharknado.

[Tuck]

Do exactly what the fans say each and every month. No surprises, no risks, no growth, just the same three stories they like over and over and over again.

No growth seems to be one of the major fan complaints.

[Little_Mac]

Every now and then I see the argument that someone at editorial must be intentionally trying to sabotage the Spider-Man comics.

This does not bear out the facts, but it gets me thinking about how someone would sabotage the Spider-Man comics if they wanted to.

1. Select unreliable writers who would follow your instructions on other stuff.
2. Pick unknown artists with wildly divergent styles. If anyone becomes popular, immediately move them to another book.
3. Tackle hot-button political issues.
4. Stoke divisions in the fan-base. Maybe do some kind of story that suggests Miles Morales is better.
5. Have characters do things that are repulsive. Mary Jane dates Count Nefaria. Jonah lets someone else take the blame for his mistakes. Randy commits a crime to help his wife.
6. Give Peter unpopular and obnoxious opinions on religion, politics, etc. Maybe he should be a militant atheist.
7. Amazing Spider-Man is back to once a month. There are three satellite books. And about a quarter of a third of the issues of all these comics will be crossovers, so you still need to buy all the books to have a good sense of what's going on with Spidey.

I don't think this editor will last long.

What would be your instructions for how to send Spider-Man to the bottom of the sales heap?

That's pretty easy.

A) "Year without Powers"

Make up a reason (Need to stop a mutation in body, wants kids,etc) that Peter can't be Spider-man in public for a year. There are plenty of stories that could be told, but force Peter to put down the suit for a bit. You could get him overseas (and have him train or go on vacation), run Stark Industries, take over the Daily Bugle, etc. It hasn't been done for awhile, and it would be interesting....but Sales would tank. No action, no money

B) Reveal Mephisto and the deal to the other superheroes

It's the biggest hole in Marvel comics. Let Doctor Strange, FF4, etc find out that he accepted OMD and outcast him. The angst in the stories will plummet sales short-term.

C) Spidey in Space.

Offset of A). Secret Wars is the only times when Spider-man ever had a major adventure in Space (that I can recall). Send him off-planet and put him with the Kree/Skrulls for 6 months. Heck, let him try and fight Paul off-planet. Do the equivalent of Planet Hulk. However, people want to see Spidey in NYC. That's a sales killer as well.

[Mister Mets]

No growth seems to be one of the major fan complaints.

If you really want to break Spider-Man, go for many permanent changes.

Have Peter come out as gay or have MJ come out as a trans man.

Uncle Ben is either secretly a serial killer or did 9/11.

The Stacy's were part of a secret neo-nazi program to avenge the Third Reich.

The Burgler was actually arrested minutes after he stole the money but got released due to a liberal DA .

Something with the origin could be toxic, like maybe Uncle Ben having a secret family.

I think the LGBTQ stories for Peter and MJ would raise too many red flags. That would get the attention of higher-ups imemdiately.

If someone wants to destroy the Spider-Man comics, they need to be a bit more subtle.

Normie being trans would be a divisive storyline that might plausibly be allowed to be published. And it would be divisive, in a way that's awkward to address.

[CaptainUniverse]

I would do everything in my power to alienate the current readership and drive away not only the long-standing customers but also any and all potential new customers.

[Coop]

Bring Uncle Ben back and reveal he was comprised by Hydra.

[Tuck]

If you really want to break Spider-Man, go for many permanent changes.

It would lead 616 closer to an end point, but so what? The alternative has a shelf life no matter what anyone thinks.

The various movies and television shows wouldn't work if people weren't open to iterations.

[clonegeek]

I would do everything in my power to alienate the current readership and drive away not only the long-standing customers but also any and all potential new customers.

Making the comics 5 dollars is doing that

[Kurus]

Let Nick Lowe edit the book for ten more years.

[Garlador]

Have Peter make a deal with the devil that sells out his wife and future children’s happiness to avoid responsibility for his actions, and then never have him even remember he did it so there are no consequences he’s aware of or lesson to learn from.

That would be AWFUL.