OMD, 10 Years Later--Was It Worth It?

[TheCape]

Althougt i don't consider Maximun Carnage a good story, is kind of a guilty pleasure for me

[comicscollector]

Not one of these stories required the marriage to be disposed of, and it actually would have enhanced them more if it were included. Also, I disagree with the notion the books have been consistent. With the exception of a few events here and there, all we're getting are stories that are thoroughly against the core themes of the character.

That argument that not one of these stories required the marriage to be disposed of is irrelevant and does not makes that much sense.
Its like saying which stories before the marriage could have been told with Peter and Mary Jane married.
I dont see the point of that,the fact is that all stories after OMD,were written with a single Spider-Man,to digress in irrelevant intelectual what if is a poor argument.
And i have not read yet,those stories you mention that goes against the core themes of the character.
Last stories i read of Spidey,he was still a super hero that used his powers with responsibility to save people.
Spider-Man being single does not make the stories "wrong"(in fact to me the best Spider-Man stories were from the 60s,70s and part of the 80s), it is just stories with a diferent status quo.

Funny, or perhaps telling, that you won't even bother elaborating on why it's an improvement.

That status quo has prevailed for thirty years in other mediums, and what's been done with in those mediums have shown it still has legs and has in some cases led to more entertaining stories that have enhanced the Peter and MJ partnership.

Fair enough.
But opinions vary.
I read most of the stories while Peter and MJ were married and after twenty years with that SQ,i can say that a change in the stories were one of the things that improved the stories,because it made possible to the stories being written in a completely diferent way they had been written before.

A good thing you don't speak for me or others then is'nt it?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

As Renew Your Vows has proven, there are ways to keep one status quo and use it to springboard you directly into a fresh one without compromising characters.

What i said was a rhetorical question.

[comicscollector]

The writing since JMS has been more consistent, it seems, with a more controlled environment and less craziness. I'll say that much about it.

To many writers, it seems that the marriage was too much of a wild card for them to get behind like they needed to in order to create good stories. Also, it seems like the establishment at Marvel was continually fighting that status quo. Both of those factors lead to, at best, a more inconsistent product than when everyone is on the same page.

Good points.
I think the best stories with the marriage in Amazing Spider-Man was actually just the first years by David Michelinie or stories in Spectacular Spider Man by Gerry Conway.
And i agree that the writing have been more consistent.
JMS stories in ASM,were well writen,but there were many changes in the stories as the totem mystical origin,organic webs,the lack of use of classic or older Spidey villains that made the stories more boring to me.
It seems to me that ever since the begining of Brand New Day,the stories of Spider-Man seems more to be what i expect to be cool stories.

[comicscollector]

So you do not mind bringing back an older status quo?

Nope.
Because to me the best Spidey stories generally speaking were from the 60s,70s and 80s,so as i have already read those stories from that time i can say that SQ is way better.
And to see that SQ,being written in a modern way by writers as Dan Slott is quite a improvement that reading stories with Peter and Mary Jane married.

[UnknownEntity]

I read most of the stories while Peter and MJ were married and after twenty years with that SQ,i can say that a change in the stories were one of the things that improved the stories,because it made possible to the stories being written in a completely diferent way they had been written before.

The way stories are written now against how they were written before has only to do with the change of writers. Because Marvel was always against Peter being married they made attempts and editorial mandates to effectively sabotage the marriage and get rid of it which in turn resulted in some terrible stories, just because they wanted Peter's status to be a bachelor. The presence of the marriage only prohibited ONE major thing for writers to tackle that isn't so big of a deal which is Peter could not have another love interest and seeing how Mary Jane is the best of the best for Peter, it was good.

The method by which the current status quo was achieved (OMD, Devil Deal, Demon Divorce, Demon Abortion) was atrocious and the means should always justify the ends. The path taken to reach a destination does matter. Because of how OMD was structured and told, and even the plot devices used in the story (devil deal, ultimately unnecessary breakup), the end result was achieved the wrong way and till this day its a topic for relentless discussion and ranting.

If Marvel had stopped making an issue of the spider marriage and accepted it as a positive development, we would've seen more positive and memorable and generally good stories overall without Spider Man and Mary Jane having been deconstructed and character assassinated by just one storyline.

[UnknownEntity]

Nope.
Because to me the best Spidey stories generally speaking were from the 60s,70s and 80s,so as i have already read those stories from that time i can say that SQ is way better.
And to see that SQ,being written in a modern way by writers as Dan Slott is quite a improvement that reading stories with Peter and Mary Jane married.

Best era of Spider Man was hands down the 80's. And once again the marriage is not an obstacle for creativity or a block of any kind other than there will not be any other love interests.

http://www.cbr.com/1980s-greatest-spider-man-decade/

[Metamorphosis]

Best era of Spider Man was hands down the 80's. And once again the marriage is not an obstacle for creativity or a block of any kind other than there will not be any other love interests.

http://www.cbr.com/1980s-greatest-spider-man-decade/

I think without question, well at least for me, the 1980's is the golden sweet spot for the modern representation of the character.

[Miles To Go]

I think without question, well at least for me, the 1980's is the golden sweet spot for the modern representation of the character.

Hard to argue. I still think the nineties are under-looked just because it was a tumultuous time for comics in general, but the eighties had a clear direction and it also had success.

As Jim Shooter once said in an interview ''We had a good audience, I wish we could get it back''

[Carabas]

Nope.
Because to me the best Spidey stories generally speaking were from the 60s,70s and 80s,so as i have already read those stories from that time i can say that SQ is way better.
And to see that SQ,being written in a modern way by writers as Dan Slott is quite a improvement that reading stories with Peter and Mary Jane married.

It's been ten years though. Getting stale again. Maybe they could shake things up by bringing in an older stats quo and have them be married again...

[suemorphplus209]

The way stories are written now against how they were written before has only to do with the change of writers. Because Marvel was always against Peter being married they made attempts and editorial mandates to effectively sabotage the marriage and get rid of it which in turn resulted in some terrible stories, just because they wanted Peter's status to be a bachelor. The presence of the marriage only prohibited ONE major thing for writers to tackle that isn't so big of a deal which is Peter could not have another love interest and seeing how Mary Jane is the best of the best for Peter, it was good.

The method by which the current status quo was achieved (OMD, Devil Deal, Demon Divorce, Demon Abortion) was atrocious and the means should always justify the ends. The path taken to reach a destination does matter. Because of how OMD was structured and told, and even the plot devices used in the story (devil deal, ultimately unnecessary breakup), the end result was achieved the wrong way and till this day its a topic for relentless discussion and ranting.

If Marvel had stopped making an issue of the spider marriage and accepted it as a positive development, we would've seen more positive and memorable and generally good stories overall without Spider Man and Mary Jane having been deconstructed and character assassinated by just one storyline.

Only against him being married forever, until they marry him and break him up again, or he married and #$%& an alien skrull that he thought was Mary Jane.

[UnknownEntity]

Only against him being married forever, until they marry him and break him up again, or he married and #$%& an alien skrull that he thought was Mary Jane.

Oh how I wish Peter had been a Skrull when OMD happened AND during Civil War too and it turned out the real Peter and MJ were absent from the devil deal all along. Seeing him alone forever is also a really bad thing, kinda like he has been these past ten years.

[Pav]

The worst part of OMD is that people still want to talk about it - a lot.

I guess controversy is inherently interesting.

-Pav, who thinks we should talk about Flowers for Rhino...

[Miles To Go]

it turned out the real Peter and MJ were absent from the devil deal all along.

My headcanon's always been this. I have an elaborate outline of what's been happening since OMD, but it'd probably make for a great original novel that I shouldn't waste on a character that became creatively unsustainable ten years ago.

[UnknownEntity]

The worst part of OMD is that people still want to talk about it - a lot.

I guess controversy is inherently interesting.

-Pav, who thinks we should talk about Flowers for Rhino...

Flowers for Rhino. Maybe a genuinely kind gesture like that would convince him to stop his criminal ways LOL

Yeah, talking about OMD is a viral thing. That's the menacing and lasting impact it imprinted against everyone who read it. It was so bad that it might never die down.

[Pav]

Flowers for Rhino. Maybe a genuinely kind gesture like that would convince him to stop his criminal ways LOL

Yeah, talking about OMD is a viral thing. That's the menacing and lasting impact it imprinted against everyone who read it. It was so bad that it might never die down.

I started reading Spidey with the Clone Saga, and the stories that came after the death of Ben and the abduction of Baby May really cemented my appreciation for the marriage.

I think OMD was a really horrible choice for a Spidey story with such lasting ramifications.

But I have really enjoyed the Spidey comics from Brand New Day up to the present on a remarkably consistent basis. They're fun stories. So I didn't vote because I just don't care about OMD. I don't let one horrible story ruin my enjoyment of others. I miss the marriage, but I enjoy seeing Peter and MJ trying to figure out their relationship and whatnot, too.

-Pav, who loves what he gets if he can't get what he loves...