Preview: Jackpot #1

[Malachi]

MJ is damaged goods. I can’t wait for this era to be over for her. Hopefully someone can start repairing her then and we find out the damage isn’t permanent, hopefully.

I also hope that Bronfman realizes what sort of situation she has walked into and that she was promised or heavily teased better projects if she did this.

[MisterTorgo]

MJ is damaged goods. I can’t wait for this era to be over for her. Hopefully someone can start repairing her then and we find out the damage isn’t permanent, hopefully.

I also hope that Bronfman realizes what sort of situation she has walked into and that she was promised or heavily teased better projects if she did this.

I, too, can't wait for someone to get a chance to repair her (and Peter). While I am very, very happy for ULTIMATE, those characters don't have the amazing history of the 616 classics that makes them so compelling. That history is what makes me sad for what's happening to them now.

[Frontier]

MJ is damaged goods. I can’t wait for this era to be over for her. Hopefully someone can start repairing her then and we find out the damage isn’t permanent, hopefully.

I also hope that Bronfman realizes what sort of situation she has walked into and that she was promised or heavily teased better projects if she did this.

Honestly I was hoping this series would be able to start doing that but as long as Paul is around and they're dealing with her lingering trauma over the fake kids and how that transfers to her as a Superhero, I doubt it.

But I feel like Bronfman's hands are tied.

[MisterTorgo]

Honestly I was hoping this series would be able to start doing that but as long as Paul is around and they're dealing with her lingering trauma over the fake kids and how that transfers to her as a Superhero, I doubt it.

But I feel like Bronfman's hands are tied.

I read some spoilers from a guy who supposedly saw the issue, because there's no WAY I'll be buying it, but if they're true:

spoilers:

Jackpot gets a bridge dropped on her somehow and Paul is screaming mad at her at the end of the issue, though she's okay. Some folks seem to take that as a prelude to them breaking up, but it could just as easily lead to a reconciliation between them, who knows . Either way, none of it feels as though it would satisfy me.

end of spoilers

[Mercwmouth12]

I read some spoilers from a guy who supposedly saw the issue, because there's no WAY I'll be buying it, but if they're true:

spoilers:

Jackpot gets a bridge dropped on her somehow and Paul is screaming mad at her at the end of the issue, though she's okay. Some folks seem to take that as a prelude to them breaking up, but it could just as easily lead to a reconciliation between them, who knows . Either way, none of it feels as though it would satisfy me.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

another was they argued throughout the issue because Paul thinks it's too dangerous for MJ to be involved. We're going to get the end of superior with a break up except it's Paul doing the line instead

end of spoilers

[Hurricane Billy]

spoilers:

another was they argued throughout the issue because Paul thinks it's too dangerous for MJ to be involved. We're going to get the end of superior with a break up except it's Paul doing the line instead

end of spoilers

It's almost as if the Editorial are hellbent on trying to salt the earth with MJ as payback for the negative response to Paul from fans.

spoilers:

Nope, it can't possibly be MJ dumping Paul for any particular reason ranging from him not supporting her becoming a superhero or the gaslighting he did to convince her into dating him in the first place to the global genocide he helped cause in another timeline. It's just gotta be Paul who goes, "This ain't working out, I'm done with ya," huh?

end of spoilers

[Malachi]

Honestly I was hoping this series would be able to start doing that but as long as Paul is around and they're dealing with her lingering trauma over the fake kids and how that transfers to her as a Superhero, I doubt it.

But I feel like Bronfman's hands are tied.

I know nothing about Bronfman but I don't envy her for getting this job. By keeping Paul and putting him at the center of her changes they are pushing along a path that my impression is that fans abhor. I just hope that people treat her with respect and if they feel strongly about it they speak with their wallets.

I just get the impression that this is editorial. This is Nick Lowe or whoever sits above him that keeps on pushign for this.

From every storytelling view I can think of Paul is a roadblock. He's insterted to make readers dislike him. So doubling down on him is pure upset readers=buying readers. I don't for a second buy that Nick or Zeb doesn't understand why people dislike the character. It's his role, it's blatantly clear.

[Hurricane Billy]

I know nothing about Bronfman but I don't envy her for getting this job. By keeping Paul and putting him at the center of her changes they are pushing along a path that my impression is that fans abhor. I just hope that people treat her with respect and if they feel strongly about it they speak with their wallets.

I just get the impression that this is editorial. This is Nick Lowe or whoever sits above him that keeps on pushign for this.

From every storytelling view I can think of Paul is a roadblock. He's insterted to make readers dislike him. So doubling down on him is pure upset readers=buying readers. I don't for a second buy that Nick or Zeb doesn't understand why people dislike the character. It's his role, it's blatantly clear.

Yeah, I really feel like Bronfman got set up to fail here by Lowe or one of his own higher ups in the office.

I'm still baffled by how Lowe and Wells have tried to argue that Paul is really supposed to be a good guy who just made a mistake once, not unlike Peter, when said-mistake is that he helped cause a global genocide. We're told that he "feels sorry about it," but we never once really see it. Dude's just living his day to day life without a care in the world whenever we see him... which just makes readers look at him and think he's either lying through his teeth about being an unwitting accomplice wrecked with guilt or he's just an absolute sociopath.

Neither option works to help sell the idea that MJ could ever actually love the man either and that in turn just leads to other potential and very uncomfortable questions about the nature of their dynamic together that the office wouldn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. Paul's not just a roadblock narratively. He's basically a poison trying to choke the life out of a fan favorite character.

[MisterTorgo]

Yeah, I really feel like Bronfman got set up to fail here by Lowe or one of his own higher ups in the office.

I'm still baffled by how Lowe and Wells have tried to argue that Paul is really supposed to be a good guy who just made a mistake once, not unlike Peter, when said-mistake is that he helped cause a global genocide. We're told that he "feels sorry about it," but we never once really see it. Dude's just living his day to day life without a care in the world whenever we see him... which just makes readers look at him and think he's either lying through his teeth about being an unwitting accomplice wrecked with guilt or he's just an absolute sociopath.

Agreed. What kind of person supposedly feels "guilt" about being an accomplice to, and it must be italicized again, genocide, unwittingly or not, doesn't initially want to take in 2 little kids left alone in that world after said genocide and doesn't seem to show any remorse or guilt or anything on-panel as a result? No panic attacks, anxiety, no definable anything? He really is either a sociopath or a liar or both.

Or just a badly conceived and written character.

Neither option works to help sell the idea that MJ could ever actually love the man either and that in turn just leads to other potential and very uncomfortable questions about the nature of their dynamic together that the office wouldn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. Paul's not just a roadblock narratively. He's basically a poison trying to choke the life out of a fan favorite character.

Yeah, him breaking it off and leaving her upset about it would be uncomfortable. Her breaking it off without the problematic nature of their relationship itself would be even more uncomfortable. Feels like a self-digging hole right now.

[Hypestyle]

there has to be a rogues' gallery created for Mary Jane. Some villains can be drawn from her previous life of modeling and TV acting. She can be an investigator for arts/entertainment-industry corruption and exploitation. She can have her own independent blog talking about the adventures of Jackpot as an "outside observer with inside connections". Expose the casting-couch creeps and more.

[Spider-Tiger]

This is not going to age well. 20 years from now this is going to be on one of those lists of cringeworthy things done to comic characters. Like that time they tried to turn Diana Prince into Diana Rigg.

[MisterTorgo]

This is not going to age well. 20 years from now this is going to be on one of those lists of cringeworthy things done to comic characters. Like that time they tried to turn Diana Prince into Diana Rigg.

Right up there Angelic Frank Castle or teenage Tony Stark. The classics!

[Hurricane Billy]

This is not going to age well. 20 years from now this is going to be on one of those lists of cringeworthy things done to comic characters. Like that time they tried to turn Diana Prince into Diana Rigg.

Age? My friend, this carton of milk showed up to the store already expired.

Agreed. What kind of person supposedly feels "guilt" about being an accomplice to, and it must be italicized again, genocide, unwittingly or not, doesn't initially want to take in 2 little kids left alone in that world after said genocide and doesn't seem to show any remorse or guilt or anything on-panel as a result? No panic attacks, anxiety, no definable anything? He really is either a sociopath or a liar or both.

Or just a badly conceived and written character.

I mean, realistically, it's obvious that Paul is just a woefully written and conceived character on a meta level. There's no effort being put into him at all- the result is that he winds up either being a sociopath or a liar in the fine print to readers, despite it obviously not being what the writers intended.

Hell, the fact that Wells and Lowe haven't pivoted to that direction already and keep trying to defend Paul reinforces that this is bad writing. If it were deliberate, or if they at least saw the obvious and decided to work with it, that'd give readers something genuinely tangible to latch onto with Paul as a character in following his part of the broader story of this run.

Yeah, him breaking it off and leaving her upset about it would be uncomfortable. Her breaking it off without the problematic nature of their relationship itself would be even more uncomfortable. Feels like a self-digging hole right now.

Neither option is particularly great, but I would argue that Paul breaking it off instead of MJ is actually worse, regardless if they refuse to acknowledge and factor in the problematic elements of their relationship. At least MJ breaking it off with Paul gives her some level of personal agency in the narrative for once in this godforsaken run.

[Malachi]

Yeah, I really feel like Bronfman got set up to fail here by Lowe or one of his own higher ups in the office.

I'm still baffled by how Lowe and Wells have tried to argue that Paul is really supposed to be a good guy who just made a mistake once, not unlike Peter, when said-mistake is that he helped cause a global genocide. We're told that he "feels sorry about it," but we never once really see it. Dude's just living his day to day life without a care in the world whenever we see him... which just makes readers look at him and think he's either lying through his teeth about being an unwitting accomplice wrecked with guilt or he's just an absolute sociopath.

Neither option works to help sell the idea that MJ could ever actually love the man either and that in turn just leads to other potential and very uncomfortable questions about the nature of their dynamic together that the office wouldn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. Paul's not just a roadblock narratively. He's basically a poison trying to choke the life out of a fan favorite character.

I would never accept such a job that she has without being given some sort of garauntee. It's not worth it just to get your foot in Marvel. Sure it's the management that gives you your assignments but it's the readers who make your career. By accepting this she is giving herself a massive hurdle in that second column. If you think about it there are many writers who just by being associated with a bad run got their whole career ruined.

Marvel editorial doesn't face the same risk, they can always just bring in some other writer and Bronfman is left to her own devices. So I really hope she gets an easy win assignment from them as part of the deal. Something that fans can point to and say "But she wrote that too".

Paul reminds me of Paolo in Friends. Paolo was thrown in to delay Ross and Rachel. He was a roadblock that they soon discarded when he outlived his role. Paul on the other hand is still here, for whatever reason. Spider-man editorial just seems preferental to hanging on to ideas and concepts for to long. Letting them outlive their appeal. If you want MJ and Peter to be seperated you no longer need Paul. He has served that role. Keeping him on like this is just becasue they for some reason want to use the character. Even turning him into a nemesis for Jackpot is risky. I sure hope they are goign that route. If not only becasue having a comic with Peter fighitng Paul on the cover would sell. Still this is suppose to be MJ's story...

[Konnik92]

It's almost as if the Editorial are hellbent on trying to salt the earth with MJ as payback for the negative response to Paul from fans.

spoilers:

Nope, it can't possibly be MJ dumping Paul for any particular reason ranging from him not supporting her becoming a superhero or the gaslighting he did to convince her into dating him in the first place to the global genocide he helped cause in another timeline. It's just gotta be Paul who goes, "This ain't working out, I'm done with ya," huh?

end of spoilers

That's because they are determent to make Paul innocent/victim in the end. After all the failed attempts that blew up in their faces to make Paul "MJ's husband and father to her children" in order to damage her relationship with Peter for good, they cannot accept their mistakes and simply get rid of him along with the fake children. Not really suprised if it turns out like that. Not only Wells assassinates her character in the worst way possible, but now (and that's IF what the spoilers say it's true) spoilers:

they are using "that" logic from Slott's run (which he used on MJ as reason not to date Peter only later the exact opposite to happen, dating Pedro and working for Tony) to make her look even more guily.

end of spoilers

But nooooooo, their precious "Golden Boy" did nothing wrong, depsite the fact that he "helped his own father GENOCIDE THE ENTIRE PLANETARY POPULATION". Never once he felt remorse for what he did or anything. All of this is 10 pound s**t inside a 5 pound bag.