Is Dan Slott hogging Peter Parker / Spider-Man?

[Dan Slott]

Regarding the question in the thread title: "Is Dan Slott hogging Spider-Man?"

Slott's decision to include Spider-Ham in the Spider-Hearst Event clearly demonstrates that the answer is: Yes. Dan Slott is Hogging Spider-Man.

Okay. THAT was funny.

Yes, I am enjoying his work and looking forward to the new volume of Amazing Spider-Man.

Web-A-Roos Spidey is one of the funniest things I've read in years. The character reactions(Especially MJ's) are priceless.

Attachment 24264

True story:
The original line from the lady w/ the camera phone in Panel One:
"Hashtag: SpareWebShooter"

The office made me change it.
And... that was a good call. ;-)

[Yvonmukluk]

I was listening to an episode of 'Amazing Spider-Talk' and one of the hosts mentioned that apparently James Robinson stated at Wondercon that Slott has a 'stranglehold' on ASM - I suppose that's the other side of things, that there are other writers who want to work on the book but can't. I guess that might make things awkward at the office. The idea that Slott seems to kind of be suggesting that they're not willing to replace him seems to suggest that it's Marvel who determine whether he stays or goes, because otherwise the books are going to plummet into the abyss without him on them. I think he's rather forgetting the biggest name on the book is Amazing Spider-Man, not Dan Slott. Besides, I think a lot of other Spider-Man writers had great sales on their titles when they left the book-and some even left by choice. If Slott left, Marvel would probably have a new creative team by the end of the day, and the world would keep right on turning. I don't doubt any new writer would nonetheless sell well-obviously there might be people who stop reading the book, but a new creative team usually gets new interest in the book at the same time, and considering the talent Marvel has in their bullpen, finding someone who draws a crowd in their own right would be a fairly simple endeavour. So yes, I'm sure Marvel is happy with him right where he is, Slott is not by any means essentially to Spider-Man's continued success.

But I can see why Slott wants to stick around. It is his dream job, and he doesn't really have any creator-owned stories (or stories with other characters outside of the silver surfer) he wants to tell, so why wouldn't stay on the book? Man's gotta pay the bills somehow. I respect a guy who's living his dream, even if I'm not necessarily happy with the end product. I respect his willingness to take risks with Spider-Man, even if I don't agree with the direction or execution. But it does seem to me that he's running out of steam to the point. Hell, Stan Lee stepped back from Amazing when he felt he had nothing more to say. There's no shame in stepping away from the book and letting someone else take a crack at it.

Of course, the fact there's only one core Peter-Parker-as-Spider-Man book might also explain Slott's reluctance to leave-once he's stepped off the ride, he might not get another chance at writing Spidey for years. There's no shortage of other writers who'd step up to the plate, and who knows? Maybe one of them won't want to let anyone else in the sandbox either.

Of course, Slott's 'summer home' analogy kind of falls apart with the new status quo. I mean mean while Peter owning Parker industries was kind of a major departure from the core of the character, Peter was still a street-level hero who lived in new York.That's what most writers want to work with when they're writing Spider-Man. I mean, aside from one scene interacting with Anna Maria, Parker Industries doesn't even feature into the story at all-with some tinkering, you could probably slot Spiral into most eras of Spider-Man. Whereas the new status quo (as long as it lasts, anyway) is quite clearly removed from the stories that came before. Now maybe other writers might be willing to play second banana and write a miniseries in the new status quo, but I suspect that most of those people's Peter Parker stories are based around the idea of Peter being a street-level hero who lives in New York. It's not like the marriage, where it was relatively easy to play that part in favour of the main story - it's not like you had to show Peter at home every single issue. He was still a street level hero who lived in New York, the marriage was still kind of an incidental detail. Whereas this status quo, while yes, opening up new stories, closes off more of the 'classic' Spidey plotlines than the marriage ever did. So if you want to read new stories with the Peter Parker most people know and recognise, you're pretty out of luck until this diversion ends. I mean, yes, Miles is being advertised as the new old school Spider-Man, but it's not the same, is it? (cue statements of well, duh).

[Dan Slott]

Imagine a world where the writer on Hulk, got its numbers to go up, and eventually got it to the point where it was Marvel's best selling title.

Imagine if he worked a crazy schedule putting out the book multiple times a month, working with multiple artists, and in a system where he had to write issues and arcs out of sequence-- but through careful planning, they all linked up together right.

Imagine if he had to work under stringent deadlines, because during his tenure the book had grown into such a reliable chart-topper that Marvel wanted the revenue it brought in each-and-every-month without fail. Now imagine that the book didn't miss shipping, because that writer pulled off frequent all-nighters-- or brought in his friend to occasionally co-write a script. Then imagine it all paying off and the book regularly placed in the industry Top Ten multiple times a month-- more than any title in the entire American comic book industry.

Imagine how, in the past, other writers had said they'd do the book, but not under those constraints or that schedule. Imagine some of them saying they WOULD do it, but only for brief stints of time-- which would give the stable, growing, and reliable readership of the book the risk of frequent jumping-on and jumping-off points.

Imagine if-- without any prodding from Marvel-- that writer started using the title to create new status quos for existing characters, and queuing them up for spin-offs for other creative teams. Sure, every now and then one wouldn't latch on, but over time you reached a point where those books had grown into an entire line-- with She-Hulk, and Hulk woman, and Betty-Hulk, The Cross-Time Agents of SMASH, Abomination in Space, Hulk of the Future, and more on the way. Imagine if that line-- which was once only a couple of books-- became one the strongest lines at Marvel.

And imagine if that writer ran even more of his stories by Marvel, explaining further reaching ideas and plot lines-- and Marvel loved them.

Imagine if ideas and concepts that writer and his creative team had done SO FAR into the run had found their way into video games, cartoons, and merch.

Imagine if that writer and his creative team were enthusiastic about their work, good team players, and did all of that-- and held the course-- all while other companies head hunted them-- and while other writers were pulling back on Marvel work to do more creator owned projects. Hell, imagine if that writer kept at it-- even in the face of actual (not figurative) death threats.

Why on Earth would Marvel reward that loyalty and that success by removing that head writer from their best selling super hero line. At Marvel NO title is the guaranteed flagship-- for 8 years it was Avengers, for many more it was X-Men, sometimes it's even been Thor or The Hulk. Why would they mess with whatever was working AND thriving AND branching out AND dominating?

Oh, wait, there are some people complaining in an online message board? And one of the regular complainers from the HulkSmashSpace site has written another long block of text over on CBR? Well, that does it. Fire every last person off those books and bring in a new team. :-D

Or... as someone here so elegantly put it: "(cue statements of well, duh)"

[Kuwagaton]

I'm really not trying to be insulting, but you're not doing the Hulk. Spider-Man is totally flagship. I don't care how accurate comichron isn't, everyone knows that Amazing is an evergreen top seller. You can compile a list of the most poorly regarded stories of the last two decades, or the worst Spider-Man stories specifically, and there's a strong chance the Amazing issues would beat the brakes off of any DD, Hulk, Cap, or Iron man issue. It's kinda your success to lose.

But I don't think it's possible to hog the title, as obviously Marvel gave it to you and trusts you very much. Power to you for wanting, getting, and keeping it. It's also very smart that they have a unified direction for the character. I just miss the old variety, personally.

[Pav]

My personal tastes are the only ones I know.

Have you not been reading my posts? I have personal tastes and I write about them often! Don't you care about my feelings?!

-Pav, who is a sad panda...

[Zeitgeist]

Technically the answer to OP's question is "no" since Parker shows up in team books like Avengers and Spider-Man & The X-Men and isn't written by Dan Slott
you're welcome~

[cyberhubbs]

Have you not been reading my posts? I have personal tastes and I write about them often! Don't you care about my feelings?!

-Pav, who is a sad panda...

To be fair, that's one of the few times I ever see anyone not invoke the hypothetical personal tastes of the larger fanbase.

And oh my god, who let a wild animal in here? A sad panda can be very dangerous!

[Metamorphosis]

Technically the answer to OP's question is "no" since Parker shows up in team books like Avengers and Spider-Man & The X-Men and isn't written by Dan Slott
you're welcome~

And Peter Parker shows up in those books exactly how much again?....

[Metamorphosis]

Have you not been reading my posts? I have personal tastes and I write about them often! Don't you care about my feelings?!

-Pav, who is a sad panda...

You're right--I remember something from way back...some little book called Slingers?

[Zeitgeist]

And Peter Parker shows up in those books exactly how much again?....

Well quite a bit in Spider-Man & The X-Men, seeing that he's one of the main characters and in the title and errthing.
Also there's currently that Amazing Spider-Man "Spiral" sidestory being written by Gerry Conway.
And there was the Avenging Spider-Man series.

[Metamorphosis]

Well quite a bit in Spider-Man & The X-Men, seeing that he's one of the main characters and in the title and errthing.
Also there's currently that Amazing Spider-Man "Spiral" sidestory being written by Gerry Conway.
And there was the Avenging Spider-Man series.

Spiral is great and I've been reading that.

Avenging was a team up title for the first year of its run, and then was taken over by Otto (not Peter), and was cancelled before the end of Superior.

So our choices otherwise are books where he shares the page count with X-Men and Avengers?

[Metamorphosis]

Yes. It was an excellent issue written by Mark Waid, centring on Peter's friendship with Betty Brant.

Kinda knew someone would go here. Which is why I specifically said "that particular story" in my post--the one featuring Obama teaming up with Spidey.

While good, we all know it wasn't the best-selling comic of 2009 for the Mark Waid story.

[Dan Slott]

Kinda knew someone would go here. Which is why I specifically said "that particular story" in my post--the one featuring Obama teaming up with Spidey.

While good, we all know it wasn't the best-selling comic of 2009 for the Mark Waid story.

Hmm. Was Obama in the best selling comic in 2012, 2013, or 2014?

[Dan Slott]

Spider-Man is totally flagship. I don't care how accurate comichron isn't, everyone knows that Amazing is an evergreen top seller.

Yes. It's A flagship title. There are many flagship titles. Avengers was the defacto flagship of ALL of Marvel for 8 years. X-Men for even longer. But even books like Loeb's Hulk, Straczynski's Thor, Hickman's FF, and Brubaker's Cap have all had their turn at the wheel.

Spider-Man IS an evergreen. It's never going away. But it is NOT a guaranteed "top seller" by any stretch. Its sales can dive. Marvel has taken breaks from doing Thor-- and even X-Men for crying out loud. But that will never happen to Spidey. What will happen: A new creative team. Currently sitting in the writer's chair of Spidey is NOT a guaranteed safety spot-- and you are NOT allowed to coast.

I get from the outside it LOOKS like an "evergreen top seller", but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

[RobinFan4880]

Dan is the man. I hope he never leaves ASM!

We have tons of other spider heroes to read about now, each with a different creative team and perspective. This is a great time to be a Spiderman fan.