Post by droidofages on Apr 13, 2009 13:03:04 GMT -4
The opinions on the One More Day and Brand New Day changes in Amazing Spider-man are as varied and passionate as... well, something really varied and passionate. While a lot of fans are enjoying the fun and somewhat nostalgic take on the spider-book, complete with a great revolving door of talent, the number of supporters for the way we all got there (One More Day) is considerably fewer...
The general consensus (not including the Spidey "brain trust" who have been particularly defensive about the weaker plot points) was that it was all a little ham-fisted at best.
One of the more sore spots (Aunt May's wishes being one of the big ones for me) has been Peter's secret identity and the details behind the Marvel U "forgetting" it. With the latest issues of Spidey and the New Avengers, we see the topic being broached after a year of hair pulling, bemoaning and outright rage on the part of many fanboys & girls.
Personally, I thought something felt off about the reasoning/writing in both stories. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I get the sense that it's like the OMD changes, where it feels more like an editorial decision that writers have to work around, rather than something that develops organically through the story (regardless of whether it actually was or not, that's the impression I get when reading them). Now the afore mentioned, defensive brain trust have been assuring us that the confusion is intentional, and that everything has been planned from the get-go.
Dan Slott has recently suggested that Mephisto didn't actually have anything to do with the memory wipe of the entire Marvel U, which likely comes as a bit of a relief to those of us who felt that Mephisto has never had that level of power. Apparently, there was an arrangement made before OMD between Spidey and... ?
"Dan Slott: But again, we’ve said it many, many times – and the first time I broached it was in “New Ways to Die” at the end of the first issue when Norman Osborn shows up in Peter’s apartment and it ends with Norman saying, “Parker...” And picks up in the next issue with him continuing, “...where can I find Spider-Man?” Aaand then the internet exploded.
But in the comic, we cut to one of Pete’s thought captions, and he’s thinking, “Ah, right. He doesn’t remember anymore. He has no idea I’m Spidey. Nobody does. Everything we did is still up and running.” Some fans assumed that Pete was thinking about Mephisto – but that’s not the case. That character is not part of that “we”. There’s an untold story that’s set before we took over the book—a secret story where Peter and (spoiler) did something which caused the mind-wipe..."
I know there are some big Spidey fans on this forum who would likely have better insight than I (I've only been collecting specific arcs with specific artists) so let's crack this ugly can of worms open now that there's been more than enough time to consider the changes and how they came about.
One last thing, before I turn the mic over: I'd like to offer a theory on the mind wipe thing: Maybe the Sentry has a part in it, since he's the only other who has had his identity (existence) mysteriously obscured to the entire Marvel U before.
Discuss!
The general consensus (not including the Spidey "brain trust" who have been particularly defensive about the weaker plot points) was that it was all a little ham-fisted at best.
One of the more sore spots (Aunt May's wishes being one of the big ones for me) has been Peter's secret identity and the details behind the Marvel U "forgetting" it. With the latest issues of Spidey and the New Avengers, we see the topic being broached after a year of hair pulling, bemoaning and outright rage on the part of many fanboys & girls.
Personally, I thought something felt off about the reasoning/writing in both stories. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I get the sense that it's like the OMD changes, where it feels more like an editorial decision that writers have to work around, rather than something that develops organically through the story (regardless of whether it actually was or not, that's the impression I get when reading them). Now the afore mentioned, defensive brain trust have been assuring us that the confusion is intentional, and that everything has been planned from the get-go.
Dan Slott has recently suggested that Mephisto didn't actually have anything to do with the memory wipe of the entire Marvel U, which likely comes as a bit of a relief to those of us who felt that Mephisto has never had that level of power. Apparently, there was an arrangement made before OMD between Spidey and... ?
"Dan Slott: But again, we’ve said it many, many times – and the first time I broached it was in “New Ways to Die” at the end of the first issue when Norman Osborn shows up in Peter’s apartment and it ends with Norman saying, “Parker...” And picks up in the next issue with him continuing, “...where can I find Spider-Man?” Aaand then the internet exploded.
But in the comic, we cut to one of Pete’s thought captions, and he’s thinking, “Ah, right. He doesn’t remember anymore. He has no idea I’m Spidey. Nobody does. Everything we did is still up and running.” Some fans assumed that Pete was thinking about Mephisto – but that’s not the case. That character is not part of that “we”. There’s an untold story that’s set before we took over the book—a secret story where Peter and (spoiler) did something which caused the mind-wipe..."
I know there are some big Spidey fans on this forum who would likely have better insight than I (I've only been collecting specific arcs with specific artists) so let's crack this ugly can of worms open now that there's been more than enough time to consider the changes and how they came about.
One last thing, before I turn the mic over: I'd like to offer a theory on the mind wipe thing: Maybe the Sentry has a part in it, since he's the only other who has had his identity (existence) mysteriously obscured to the entire Marvel U before.
Discuss!
It just doesn't seem to fit into a bigger picture all that well (the rest of the Marvel U), nor does it deliver on long-term concepts all that well either (secret Identity, Harry's return, MJ, etc.). Its quality seems to lie more in the short term view of the character and his life. 