Amazing Spider-Man 700 NPR Report

15 Comments

1. According to Bleeding Cool, Superior Spider-Man #2 is topping the reorder chart.

   Looks like Marvel wins again. Or rather, readers are rewarding them in the short term.

2. #13 you’re absolutely right and that is exactly what I plan to do. I realize there were people who got excited at the prospect of a new darker Peter Parker only to get the guy who killed him in his body, but I have faith that after the first few issues people will see the terrible direction slott is heading in

3. #10 and #12:

   Just remember that the first couple of issues of Superior Spider-Man are bound to be huge. A lot of people bought the first issue or subscribed without knowing who the “new” Spidey was (there were a lot of assumptions that it would be a darker Peter Parker who was forced to kill Doc Ock). For those who do like Doctor Octopus as Spider-Man, that’s totally cool. But I just hope we don’t see people continuing to buy the title if they really dislike Mr. Slott’s new direction for the story. And I guess this leads to a more general comment. At some point, readers have to find the inner strength to stop buying. You’re the master of your own bank accounts and disposable entertainment. There are always going to be entreaties to just “give it a chance,” or “have faith in Dan Slott,” but if you don’t like the premise to start with — don’t reward the creators for it. Do not give them that “chance” if you can’t stand the changes they’ve made. There are plenty of other comic book companies, editors, and writers who would love your business. If you want Peter Parker and not a replacement created on the whim of a writer, ignore these Spider-Man titles and wait it out until he comes back.

   Marvel is working under the assumption that you, as a reader, will accept anything. They count on that. So no amount of complaining to Steve Wacker, Dan Slott, or Marvel will do any good. They just don’t care what you think, or how upset you are, or whether you believe they’ve made the wrong choice or not. You don’t matter.

   But your money is another story. And that’s where your true power comes from.

4. I sincerely pray that the people this atrocity has upset which seems like everyone will do just as #6 suggests as make sue this trash bombs and bombs right out the gate just so wackier and worlds biggest spidey fan slott can look at each other and wonder and realize theyre not the geniuses they think they are

5. @6 I kinda get that sense too. I mean every once in a while I’ll see something makes me hold onto hope. Most the time it’s only a single issue out of many. 2 years ago it was the Marvel Adventures Spiderman. But lately it seems more like a constant string of bad decisions with very few good ones to balance them out. And while Dan did give an excellent explanation of why he did what he did, I still believe his writing and plot contrivances were terrible in that issue to the extent that it was actually one of the lower points in his run.

6. @5 sorry my bad

   @6 you’re absolutely right and that ls what I’m planning to do. Hopefully everyone will vote with their wallets

   @7 obviously you’re a Slott sycophant. But I’ll bite. Elucidate my dysfunction

7. i don’t think slott is a ass. i just hate the story. doc ock? really? so if he and mj have relations.. will he be thinking of aunt may? smdh.

8. And a very Happy New Year to you, too, Mr. Wacker!

9. @ 4 Xonathon: Whatever “issues” Slott has, they pale in comparison to the obvious dysfuntion that has a hold on you. pal.

10. #4

    I just get the sense that the people at Marvel don’t understand what makes Spider-Man work anymore, or that the concept basically doesn’t quite work without Peter Parker. It’s like for the past couple of years, they decided to take a Corvette and keep sticking a different engine into it from one title to the next. Yeah, it’ll still chug along, but without the right engine and parts, it’s not going to run as it should.

    The good news is that the people who dislike this change can always vote with their wallets. We’ve already got enough “dark and weird” versions of the character with Kaine, a former monster trying to be a hero in Scarlet Spider, to Flash Thompson, a young hero trying not to become a monster. As flip sides to the same coin, they both work rather well. Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker, and it functions with a different set of ingredients. If you’re trying to make him into a version of Batman, as Mr. Slott and Mr. Wacker have indicated they’d like to do, then that strikes me as being another case of “the wrong engine,” if you get my meaning.

    Anyway, the whole point is if you think it’s silly to have Doc Ock as your hero, send them a message. Avoid Superior. This is a consumer market and the power lies with all of us. We can call the creator a lot of names, or get mad at the company (which I think Marvel actually likes). But at the end of the day, the only thing they hear is money, you know?

11. @2 Xonathan – You can’t personally insult people by calling them an “ass” on this site. This is a warning.

12. The interview itself was OK, it’s not like the listeners of NPR know the whole story of the last 5 years worth of Spidey and the things Slot and company has said in other forums.

    First Slott gave the illusion of hope to Pete and MJ fans during his latest run only to pull this crap and then pleasure himself by taunting us and dismissing us (Pete/MJ fans) on his twitter feed. Honestly the story screams “I have unresolved issues for being pudgy and bald and rejected when I was a kid.” He even admits that he and Doc Ock look alike in the USA Today article. Do fans really want to read these Doc Ock stories? Only time will tell. But Dan does NOT care about what we have to say. The same goes for the whole editorial group at Marvel handling Spidey.

    And no, I don’t have faith in Slott and company. Sure they’ve come out with good stuff like Big Time and Spider-Island, but it’s been more misses that hits. Let’s take a look at how they’ve handled the status quo change: marriage dissolved through deal with the devil, regressed Peter, MJ slut-ing around with that actor, implications of non-consent relationship with the roommate, masked one night stands, the most undesired girlfriend ever (Carlie Cooper). Yeah, I see great things coming from this horrid story.

    Which bring me to the story. Spidey was completely and utterly humiliated by a murderer, who got away with the murder whist all of Spidey’s love ones cheered said murderer. And we’re supposed to go ahead and support this guy? Really? The concept would work in a limited fashion, but not a status quo. I just can’t stand by it. I don’t want to be reading a story that the sole purpose of reading it is to see how will the mess be fixed. I want to read GOOD stories. Maybe Superior will be decent, (unless Doc Ock and MJ do the nasty) but the execution of 700 was atrocious. I was heart broken. Spidey deserved better.

13. @2 I thought he gave a pretty reasoned explanation of the thinking behind the storyline, actually. Decent interview. What didn’t you like about it?

14. Slott is an ass

15. Heh. Dan’s impression of Stan the Man is impeccable.