Words by Lyle Pollard
All right, I've been waiting until I had something to really rant about that WAS NOT the Spider-Man and Mary Jane marriage-Retcon. Really I have. It took awhile, and I came up with some real ways of totally avoiding the topic. Then, after I thought about it, I figured, I may as well talk about the proverbial "elephant in the room". There's no point tap-dancing around it. It's been on the news. It's been in the papers. It's all over the internet. I thought it wise to get this off of my chest, and move on.
So here we go!
First off, you should know that I'm a huge fan of the Spider-Marriage. When I first really got into comics, it was in 1991, and Spidey had been married for 3 years. It was how I came into it, and I had no problem with it. I accepted this as Spider-man, and it never once aged him in my eyes to have him married. I was 11, and it seemed fine.
I watched Peter and Mary Jane go through their trials and tribulations, and they had a child who was stillborn, and they worked through a lot. They split up, they worked it out, and, with JMS at the helm, the marriage was even INTERESTING to read about again. It had been a long and wonderful trip. Then came an interview with Joe Quesada.
"I don't think the Spider-Marriage works. We need to get rid of it." (I'm paraphrasing, of course)
The thought astounded me. He said it aged him? He said that it made Peter Parker a character that no one could relate to? What was wrong with it? It was one of the longest standing marriages in comics aside from Reed Richards and Sue Storm! Why end it? Were the writers that incompetent? Were they THAT hindered by not having a Peter that could play the field? I couldn't do anything but lash out in disbelief that they would even consider it. Killing her would age the character more, so would divorce, so the marriage was safe, right?
Then came "One More Day".
The fans knew something was amiss when the solicitation read about the "controversial" Spider-Marriage and "resolving" the status of it "forever". Message board after message board was filled with the angry, the level-headed, and the indifferent. Some saying that it would be horrible no matter what, some saying that it would be worth a chance, and some saying that they didn't care, so long as it was well-written. Then there were the few who were just thrilled to have the marriage gone.
It was discussed, it was argued, and it was formulated how such a thing as a marriage would be undone without killing off Mary Jane or without them divorcing. Everything from mind-wipes to acts of God were discussed, and it all boiled down to (what most people feel, anyways) to be the most ridiculous explanation possible: A deal with Mephisto, Marvels embodiment of the devil.SO, a million angry posts, a dissolved marriage, and resurrected best friend later, and how is everyone feeling? Betrayed? Bitter? Hopeful? Tired?
All have been felt by the fanbase, and there's no need to reiterate all of those arguments here. We've heard them all, and I've said a good portion of them. So, what happens now?
Now we have a "Brand New Day", literally and figuratively. We have a look at a new status for our wall-crawler, new supporting cast, and some of the best creative teams out there, including the man that ALL Spider--fans have been wanting for years: Dan Slott! So, how are things, now?
Well, after having read the first part and being as unbiased as I can, All I can say is that the story isn't bad. It's actually pretty good. It's hard, almost impossible to read it without thinking of the context in which this new status quo originated, but if you can, you're likely to enjoy it. Multitudes of people seem to be buying it, and a lot of people seem to care less.
Which one you are depends entirely on who you are I suppose. Go to your local comic shop, pick up a copy, and read it right there in the store. Ask your clerk at the desk what he thinks, discuss, then decide whether or not to buy it. If you read it, and it grabs you, then hand over your money. If it seems like something you don't want to be a part of, then just put the book down, and walk away. The world will not end if you miss that one issue of Amazing Spider-Man. I promise you. Still, if you are any kind of Spider-Man fan, you should at least read it.
I will guarantee you one thing, and it's one thing that everyone can agree upon: Spidey will still be there, whether you agree with the changes or not. It may change back, it may change again in a different way. Who knows? Either way, he'll still be there.
I hope that takes care of the big creature in the living room....and hopefully, we'll be able to discuss something else that hasn't been brought up everywhere on the planet next time!
(Hash’s note: While Lyle hit all the points correctly, I think that there’s a couple of things I should mention. 1st off, while all of fandom has always loved the marriage by about 95% myself included, within the comic industry, it’s always been a huge argument between writers whether it works or not. But Marvel EIC Joe Quesada’s actions ended up being far more than just erasing the marriage. Pete and MJ make a deal with the devil to save May’s life, and the devil asks for their marriage because of it’s ‘purity,’ Sorry, but this is a Spider-Man comic, this is so far out there, it’s too weird.
Also, Pete and MJ making a deal with the devil!? What kind of people are they? Not the ones I’ve read about for my whole life. But Quesada had another mission, he felt that Pete and MJ were way to old now, claiming they were now in their early 30’s. Which I think is BS, but whatever. So now, he’s erased their marriage, but all the past stories supposedly stay the same. But also now, he’s de-aged Peter to the point where he’s just finished his science degree @ uni, which places him somewhere in his mid 20’s. Which doesn’t seem like the worst idea, but it doesn’t make any sense. On top of that, he brought his best friend/worst enemy Harry Osborn back from the dead. Harry died nearly 20 years ago in our time, and had one of the most touching deaths in comic history. Not only does it piss on the story, but how does it make sense again with all the past stories? Apparently he’s back from rehab, and doesn’t remember his Dad is the Green Goblin… But does he remember he was the Green Goblin since 1972!???
Also, Flash Thompson doesn’t remember anything, hasn’t got the brain damage he’s suffered from the last 7 years. There’s new girls, (who have apparently been around for a while!?) and Pete and MJ have had a break for some reason… And Pete has moved back in with Aunt May, and is looking for a job. Aunt May remembers NOTHING AT ALL. Which is a huge mistake… May had become FAR more interesting than she had ever been in history, after JMS handled the ‘reveal,’ between them SO well. For the 1st time ever, I really didn’t wish for May to be gone! Oh yea, and it looks like they’ve turned MJ into a super hero, ughh.
BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, JQ seems to have something ready for the GIGANTIC backlash that is on now. They’ve got a back door at the end of One More Day, so it can all turn back to normal. On top of that, the creative teams for a ‘thrice monthly,’ Amazing Spider-Man comic are insane! Writers-wise they’ve got the immensely talented Dan Slott, co-creator/script writer of Back to the Future! : Bob Gale, as well as the shit hot Marc Guggenheim and Zeb Wells. Art-wise, fresh from Civil War; Steve McNiven, industry giant Phil Jiminez, graffiti influenced graphic designer Chris Bachalo, and the fantastic Salvador Larroca.
As insulted as I am from the ‘change,’ pissing history, and the overall lack of respect for Spider-Man Mytho’s-which until now was the strongest of ANY long running super hero-the offering on the table right now seems to good to pass up. So I’m telling myself that ‘it’s only a comic book, go pick it up!.’ Although, it better be something truly amazing, otherwise I’ll join the huge worldwide tribe of people that will quit their fave hero. Seriously, go to youtube and type in One More Day Spider-Man, you’ll find TONS of people showing distaste and even BURNING the comics! Given it’s a bit far… But it goes to show the dangerous water Marvel are treading with Spidey right now! Hash rant over, sorry Lyle!)
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next crime!
Highburn Studios
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