Awesome. So now let's talk about Spider-Man.
Despite my bile towards what led up to Brand New Day, I have picked up a few issues of the now almost weekly Amazing Spider-Man to see what was left after that particular editorial nuclear blast. And to my horror, I have to say I've...cough...enjoyed what I've read. As others have pointed out, the fact that half decent writers are now on the book may have a lot to do with this enjoyment. It may also be that Spider-Man's costume design has finally shaken off the slimy excrement/big eyed goofiness of the Todd McFarlane redesign of aeons ago, harkening back to the classic Romita look that I've always preferred.
Of course, there are miles to go (and quality to maintain, deadlines to meet, and editor in chiefs to learn to keep their fucking hands off) before we can sit back and sigh with relief that Spider-Man is once again something we can rely on. But let's take a gander at Amazing Spider-Man #549 and relish what we can.
--So now we have a villain who may be the Grey Goblin, who chops off people's heads just to steal their warehouse. Okay, I'm down with that. Are there so many bad guys in this new continuity that they're killing each other for real estate? And the cops don't notice? Wouldn't realtors have made a killing? Hey! Maybe the new Goblin is a realtor! He's slimy enough...
--I must still be suffering from brain damage from watching Transformers, since I didn't connect the hero Jackpot with being the new Mary Jane. Oooh, now I get it. Jackpot. Hitting the. Classic Spidey line. So, hitting the Jackpot now takes on a whole new....damn. They make the same joke here in the comic. Bastards.
Still, MJ as a superhero? I won't argue with her in spandex, or with the above choice of angle, but...Mary Jane as a superhero?
Nice shout out to Astro City with the Crackerjack reference, BTW. And her costume is the same colour scheme as well! And I've just shown why women won't talk to me at parties! Awesome me!
-Having worked for Sun Media, the new 'DB' angle with the Bugle is oh so true. Except to be more honest, the new DB should have an edict not to use words with more than three syllables, run at least two shots each issue of young women in slightly erotic poses so male readers have something to take with them to the bathroom, and dumb down the comics page with such brain cell killers at Mutts. Oh, did I vent?
So, to sum up: hate the road to get here, but don't mind this new promised land. And what do you think?
5 comments:
Funny, I was dropping ASM from my list at almost exactly the same time the timestamp says you were writing this.
Do you actually think that those of us who spoke out so stridently against the new direction of ASM will now step up and admit that we are in league with these self-same agents of change? Do you?
I like MJ's costume too. Not that I agree with her status as a super, just saying.
Kid Dork: the Mephisto of the real world!
And to think that I used to respect the man...
I used to respect him, too. But he hasn't been the same since Tangiers.
I'm all over the map on this one because I was a fan of the marriage and thought it was retconned out not for any good storytelling reason but to settle the whims of an EiC that wants it to be 1975 again. But...
1) I love the past two months of Spider-Man. Dan Slott wrote some brilliant and funny stuff and just when I didn't get any better, Marc Guggenheim had to suddenly write a brilliant one-liner where Spider-Man declared he wouldn't be killed by a falling "U". It's the most entertaining comics I've read in ages. It's humming with excitement. The subplots are awesome. The ongoing story is humming. The new characters are great. Spider-Man is funny again. And the art is gorgeous. I'm thinking of actually buying this regularly.
2) Nothing in what either Guggenheim or Slott are doing couldn't be done with Peter married to Mary Jane. In fact in some of the instances it could make the complications to Peter's life even funnier.
3) I'm starting to realize though... they probably wouldn't have gotten me to read this without the huge eventness of One More Day. Which sort of depresses me.
4) Christ on a bike, Mark Millar's first issue of Fantastic Four was boring. And talky. And boring. It's as though they think if they have everyone talking earnestly in continuity in-jokes for 22 pages they can create great art. (Hint: No). And this follows up Civil War by demonstrating that Mark Millar does not get Reed Richards at all. And the Thing isn't funny. All of which goes back to the past 6 issues of Amazing Spider-Man which has been funny, fast-paced, characterized perfectly and plotted tighter than a drum. I want more comics like these.
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