Marc Guggenheim talks about his Amazing Spider-Man gig:
The great part of us coming in at this stage of [“Amazing Spider-Man”] is because we get to reap all the benefits of what “One More Day” did to the character and his status quo without having to deal with how they got there. I recognize that de-marrying Peter and how they did it were both controversial things, but we are just running with the ball and not looking back… We knew that there would be resistance, but we also knew what we are doing is good and exciting and quality wins out. For whatever reason, and despite the movie and video games, it seems that it’s been hard recently to get people excited about Spidey as a regular comic book. What “One More Day” did for us is give us the opportunity to tell stories people get jazzed about.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I think the jury is still out on the “good and exciting and quality” that Guugenheim talks about. I’ve flipped through it at the shop and I’m not seeing it. Yeah, “Back in Black” and all that was a drag, but there was serious potential in what could’ve been with an unmasked, renegade Spidey. After all weren’t there “years of unmasked Spidey” stories out there? No, this was all done to appease the whims of the EiC. That’s why the post-CW Spidey sucked. Pure and simple.
Maybe it’s been hard to get people into buying Spidey books, in spite of the movies, etc., because the main Spidey books just haven’t been very good in a long time? “Sins Past” and “The Other,” I’m looking at you.
While the initial numbers for BND Spidey look good for Marvel, it’s important to remember that those numbers will fall with time. People’s curiousity with the “new” Spider-Man will wane, and the number of people dropping ASM will eventually be reflected as shops start ordering fewer copies to due to disenfranchised readers. Will the number of new readers offset the number of lost readers? Only time will tell. I haven’t heard about anyone really “jazzed” for ASM, nor do I magically see more kids in my local comic shop.
BTW, “Eli Stone” is lousy. No reason to stay tuned after Lost is over, unless they want to do more promotional stunts for Lost viewers. Like revealing what exactly the smoke monster is during an Eli Stone commerical break? That might work.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I love the Goog and fervently support his work, but even that isn’t enough to overcome my distaste for how crappy “One More Day” was and how lame Peter’s new status quo is. Sorry, Marc.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I’m wondering if anyone has taken a look at other instances of the “magic” storytelling trick, sort of related to the dues ex machina, when the author gets lazy at coming up with plot points or explanations so something magical just takes care of things. Like in LOTR, how do we deal with the problem of food and water while Frodo and Samwise are trekin through the wasteland, let’s give them magical elf bread! Problem solved.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I just can’t get over how many times they want to paint the “new and exciting” as only being possible because of One More Day.
The Daily Bugle could have become the DB with a married Spider-Man.
Harry could have re-appeared with a married Spider-Man.
Mr. Negative could have been created…
A web shooter could have been lost…
There could be a Spider Tracer Murderer…
Jackpot is about the only thing that really could have existed only with a single Peter…and, so far, no one has established that losing her would be a bad thing.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
“One More Day” silliness aside…
Quality? Excitement? Really? The comic has been absolute garbage since then. It’s been like reading a comic from the 70s in terms all that stuff that made Spider-Man good – a certain subtext and depth, is absolutely mising now. It’s like reading a stereotype of what comics are.
Used to be my favorite title. Now I can’t even get myself to open it up.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Kevin: You nailed with your comments. Nothing in the BND era was impossible to do with a married Spidey. It really doesn’t matter how many times Joephisto and his apologists try to claim the opposite.
Tim: I think there’s a real difference between LOTR and ASM. In LOTR, we’re talking a finite story with a beginning, middle and end. yeah, there’s the other JRR tales and appendices and whatnot, but that trilogy is pretty well self-contained and the rules didn’t suddenly get thrown out the window for a new agenda midway through.
I can understand the need to reboot an ongoing saga like Spider-Man now and then. It keeps things fresh and in the current day. That’s fine. But to throw out two decades (and perhaps more) of established continuity by a company that used to pride itself on that stuff — and to do it in such an insulting and offensive way — is the problem.
Also, I think the use of “magical elf bread” was a minor aspect that at least fits into LOTR storyline. It’s not “lazy.” It’s believable in the world JRR created. Mephisto and his “deal” for Peter and MJ was completely out of left field and a total deus ex machina that changed the rules completely. One is consistent and reasonable, the other is not.