How would you destroy Spider-Man?

[Mister Mets]

This is an odd thought experiment. If you were in charge of the Spider-Man books, and wanted to get sales on Amazing Spider-Man as low as possible, what would you do?

Amazing Spider-Man is currently Marvel's best-selling non-Star Wars title, so continuing what they're doing now isn't the way to sink the book.

Here are some of my thoughts on how to destroy the Peter Parker Spider-Man...

1. Fire Dan Slott. Make it as messy as possible so that many of the people who like his work drop the book.
2. Start overexposing the character. Launch new monthlies, or make Amazing Spider-Man a weekly title to make it more expensive to follow Peter's adventures.
3. Hire writers who aren't very good and very punctual. If their pitch includes heavy focus on the supporting cast, or on a new character to give audience perspective, let them do that kind of stuff.
4. Insist on a lot of references and flashbacks to obscure periods in the character's history.
5. Make Sarah and Gabriel Stacy supporting characters.
6. Pick artists who aren't very good and very punctual. Don't be afraid to have multiple artists contributing to a single storyline, if not a single issue.

[ERON]

Have Spider-Man throw Prowler out of a plane and shout "Hail Hydra!"

[cyberhubbs]

I'd write and draw it myself. I don't wanna take other artists and writers down with me on this one. Maybe bust out a box of crayons. Maybe experiment with some watercolors or foodstuff. Have Peter start building tech for criminals on the side because he needs the money. Maybe license his Spider-Man identity out to a porn studio.

Murder MJ for the internet cred.

[Aruran.]

$10.99 for 22 pages of blank pages a week.

[TickTock]

Clone Saga part 3.

[Cloudman]

1. Have each page drawn by a different artist, preferably with drastically varying styles.
2. Raise the price to $4.99, standard sized, shipping thrice monthly.
3. Mandatory flashback to Norman Osborn banging Gwen Stacy in every issue. Each time drawn in increasingly graphic detail.
4. Bring Uncle Ben back, only to have him die in a skiing accident the next page.
5. Turn Spidey Inhuman. That should scare off a few of the X-fans.

[Scarlet Spider-Man]

A little something I call "One More Day."

Oh, wait...

[Highland Chicken]

I'd let Quesada and Slott do whatever they want.

$10.99 for 22 pages of blank pages a week.

I'm sure Bendis would do that if given the chance.

[MJS]

This is an odd thought experiment. If you were in charge of the Spider-Man books, and wanted to get sales on Amazing Spider-Man as low as possible, what would you do?

Amazing Spider-Man is currently Marvel's best-selling non-Star Wars title, so continuing what they're doing now isn't the way to sink the book.

Here are some of my thoughts on how to destroy the Peter Parker Spider-Man...

1. Fire Dan Slott. Make it as messy as possible so that many of the people who like his work drop the book.

Firing Dan Slott would bring just as many if not more former readers back to the book.

2. Start overexposing the character. Launch new monthlies, or make Amazing Spider-Man a weekly title to make it more expensive to follow Peter's adventures.

Done in the '90s with four monthly titles. Today we have bimonthly ASM/ASM .1, Spider-Man/Deadpool and Spidey, plus Miles Morales Spider-Man which could confuse new readers thinking it is a Peter Parker book. Did not sink sales.

3. Hire writers who aren't very good and very punctual. If their pitch includes heavy focus on the supporting cast, or on a new character to give audience perspective, let them do that kind of stuff.

Slott isn't a good writer. He's admitted to being late on Twitter.

Supporting character stories can be compelling and a change of pace. Superior Spider-Man focused on a supporting character to give audience perspective and caused a rebound in sales.

A good writer and a retcon of their origin could make the Stacy twins compelling.

Of your suggestions, bad artwork would probably hurt the title the most.

A long drawn out confusing story that switches protagonists midstream would do the most harm. Like the Clone Saga.

[Tuck]

I'm sure Bendis would do that if given the chance.

Bendis has said in several interviews that the high price of books guilts him into trying harder.

I can't imagine that anyone who is actually involved in producing the books would want to see the price go up any more.


If you want to destroy the book, just implement a bunch of the half-baked fan ideas.

[Aruran.]

If you want to destroy the book, just implement a bunch of the half-baked fan ideas.

I thought that too, but I think you can do more damage by simply doing nothing over anything else.

[cyberhubbs]

I thought that too, but I think you can do more damage by simply doing nothing over anything else.

Yeah, but where's the fun in that?

[oldschool]

Have Spidey defeated by The Hypno Hustler.

[Den]

It is revealed that Peter Parker has always been a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, as was Uncle Ben

[cyberhubbs]

Peter spends all his time anonymously trolling Iron Man fan-sites.