This thread's for the Spider-Man comics and spin-offs, whether they're decades old or brand new.
- Apart from the main Marvel Universe titles, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man "What If?" stories, crossovers, guest appearances in other books, Alternate Universe tales and things like Marvel's manga adaptations are all on-topic here.
- Spider-Man 'family' books are on-topic (as are their own crossovers, guest appearances etc.) - e.g. Spider-Man 2099, Miles Morales, Spider-Woman, Silk, Spider-Gwen, Venom, Carnage, Black Cat, Red Goblin and Spider-Verse.
- Characters and comics that originated in Spider-Man but are no longer directly connected to the spider-franchise (e.g. Punisher, Silver Sable) are not on-topic, unless you're discussing historical connections and crossovers. If in doubt, check before you write a long post. If this isn't the right place, there's a more general Marvel Comics thread
which covers them.
Technically, Marvel's Infinity Comics (and their predecessors, Infinite Comics) are webcomics, not comic books, but it's fine to talk about their Spider-Man stories here.
Discussions that are only about Spider-Man adaptations in other media (films, video games etc.) are off-topic, but discussing the differences between the adaptations and the original comics is fine - as long as spoilers for the adaptations are tagged.
Please follow the spoiler policy rules
- tag spoilers for the latest issues, for any previews or content leaks, and for off-topic comics. When including spoiler tags, try to write so that tropers can make an informed decision before viewing them (e.g. which series and issue will they spoil?).
Edited by MacronNotes on Jul 10th 2023 at 10:58:13 AM
A key thing about Spider-Man, too, is that even at his worst points he bounces back and finds meaning, hope, and success again.
The Protomen enhanced my life.
So...I guess we're finding out if he really will bounce back on July 22, 2023 via the "MARVEL: Next Big Thing" panel at SDCC 2023.
MARVEL: Next Big Thing 3:00PM- 4:00PM PT | Room: 6A This is the one you've been waiting for - the absolute can't-miss event featuring shocking announcements about the future of the Marvel Universe! Spider-Man's never had it easy, but what's coming for him next will shake the wallcrawler to his core. Plus - things are heating up for Guardians of the Galaxy in the throes of the catastrophic Grootfall. And just what is happening in Jonathan Hickman's all-new Ultimate Universe? On hand to discuss all this and more are C.B. Cebulski (Editor-in-Chief), Nick Lowe (Executive Editor), Zeb Wells (Amazing Spider-Man), Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Guardians of the Galaxy) and more. Also, attendees will receive an exclusive giveaway!
I mean, so much bad has already happened to Spider-Man as it is. What, is everyone going to hit him in the nether-regions with bags of nickels?
Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Jul 3rd 2023 at 7:03:38 AM
If he's being shaken to the core, clearly it must be the return of the Shocker! :P
The Protomen enhanced my life.Eventually the high up are are going to notice and want that reflected in the actual books.
I mean I don't see it impossible for positive change in regard to 616 Peter, but I think there needs to be more a willingness to say drop the main book when they go for the "Controversy sells" bit.
And giving attention to books that do better cause Marvel (and DC) need a reminder they aren't the only game in town.
Nah Marvel is really moving away from MJs original characterization of her dream being a model/actress in favor of more role model career woman occupations.
Reporter (Insomniac Games)
Activist/Scholar (MCU)
I've always attested its another one of Marvel's over corrections to seem more progressive when in reality nobody minded it and it just makes things awkward or in bad taste like that Miles being Thor What If.
It's telling the last time we got a faithful adaptation of MJs original characterization, the unattainable firecracker, was in Spectacular Spider-Man.
In the post OMD era MJs just "been around" jumping from career (Iron Man's assistant) to love interest (that firefighter in Superior Spider-Man to...Paul) because the writers simply have no idea what to do with her.
Like when splitting up a manager and wrestler duo without understanding why those two worked well together in the first place.
Edited by FKJ10 on Jul 3rd 2023 at 8:18:28 AM
I'd argue it possibly is just a concern that Mary Jane is basically a player and the general consensus is that such is more acceptable for guys to be.
Something that was a concern before 2010 considering how Sins Past.
Yeah the story ultimately had her losing her virginity to Norman, but if the intent was to shed the image of her innocence, well the guy she did it with was Peter.
That was Gwen who fucked Norman.
And then they retconned it so Mysterio hypnotized Norman into thinking he fucked Gwen.
Mary Jane didn't fuck Norman, thankfully.
Edited by RedHunter543 on Jul 3rd 2023 at 11:31:53 PM
"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"No I meant in short, Marvel editorial had problems with Peter and MJ even before well the Woke era.(*)
Sins Past was in short about showing that Gwen wasn't so innocent and yeah, as the story originally had her and Peter doing it in the past, yeah the point of it is that Pre-Marital see is why Gwen was no longer a good girl.
And frankly it explains why Gwen tend to look down on Mary Jane. MJ seems like someone who even in the Silver Age would get around, while Gwen would save herself as far as some fans are concerned.
Just that no one will say such cause yeah when a guy gets around, it's treated as awesomeness. So instead we have people claiming MJ was too great and that Gwen was this down to Earth girl that was in no way a wish fulfillment.
(*)Yeah, Sins Past, OMD and "gems" like Marville and Trouble are why the "Go Woke Go Broke" idea seems disingenuous to me. Like with Star Wars, Marvel had plenty of duds regardless of mediums and ignoring them just seems like a regular gloom and doom move.
Edited by Antiyonder on Jul 3rd 2023 at 8:42:31 AM
This might sound rude, but whenever I see writers talking about the marriage not being relatable, or not knowing what to do with MJ aside from having her be a Wet Blanket Wife, I just think they're...well they're not good writers. Or they're lazy writers. You can still have her be an actress and model, and have her be a cool, inspiring role model. The writers just have to actually try for something a bit more nuanced.
Have her be the Cool Big Sis to her younger coworkers, have her stand up to harassment and poor working conditions in the industry, have her be the one to lead a crowd of scared and confused people during crisis like a supervillain attack (because this is Marvel, even if she never met Peter, she was bound to get involved in one of those eventually).
I don't think MJ was made a reporter in the video game to be progressive, I think it was to weave her into the plot.
And Michelle MJ Jones in the MCU only just graduated high school so isn't any kind of career yet.
Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Yep and....
Speaking of stuff that happened before say 2016 or the 2010s:
Yeah and even in older stuff still held in high regard (I.E. Spider-Man TAS or the Raima trilogy), you see MJ as a model downplayed or replaced with her being an actress.
And well sensitivity isn't a new thing. TAS minimized punches from Spider-Man in a time other shows did it freely and while it is more fitting since the group is controlled by the Kingpin, you couldn't call the gathered Spidey villains the Sinister Six, cause the bolded word is too scary.
Heck look at the original Amazing Friends compared to the 80s solo cartoon. Jameson had a cigar in the syndicated show while AF he was without one. Or while Along Came Spidey (Amazing Friends) is great, yeah they had to mince words when acknowledging Ben Parker's death whereas the solo series episode "Arsenic and Aunt May" has a flashback where Spider-Man calls the burglar a murderer.
Or heck, the train that Norman is on during the start of "Revenge of the Green Goblin" ends up in a wreck and he is clearly the only survivor. In contrast it's just a two man helicopter in Amazing Friends where you can actually see the parachute for the pilot.
Heck, I would think anyone more inverse on the comics side would recall say Fredrick Wertham's Seduction of the Innocence and the Comic Code of Authority which yeah didn't approve Stan's anti-drug story.
Nah @Antiyonder it's just that the duds are alot more noticeable in this era like the 90s era. Not enough for marvel to go bankrupt but just enough that even the once popular MCU is having diminishing returns as they're just making movies for the sake of it without asking
"Does this story need to be told and are we doing anything different?"
I disagree on both ends as even Miles was inserted into the plot and he was just a bystander who's dad died because of Mr. Negative.
Michelle Jones from the start is such a different character from MJ it was actually a shock that she was this movies version of the redhead. Plus she goes to advanced tech school in Queens and shown to be a genius in the first movie. Something the original MJ wasn't.
Well before the Crawlspace forum closed down, there was discussion as to why cases like keeping characters single and yeah young and relatable is cause of older views on marriage.
Namely that it was meant more in the early years as more a rite of passage, and so that you could engage in baby making respectfully.
And in some cases a business arrangement between two families. But yeah, so that means people do it as soon as they can for the first two especially and well?
As good as stuff like Married With Children or Cheers can be, there is the sentiment of characters who well for humor sake declare how much of an exciting life was ahead of them, and they threw all that away to get married.😏
And yeah, around the time that Lee/Ditko/Romita stuff came out, that would still be a normal way of approach dating/marriage/etc.
Yeah. Just that Marvel did have that concern in the 90s which is again why that phrase just doesn't feel honest to me.
But I think their (and DC's) problem is the same as 90s and 2000s. People even when tiring of the stuff give too much time to the crap. Venting is good to an extent, but the best way to scare Marvel and DC out of complacency is to give their competition more attention. Heck, you know what was worse than BND or the New 52?
People ranting more about them and not say giving more notice to Mega Man (Archie) or say Thom Zahler's OG stuff like Love & Capes or Long Distance.
Want some stuff that wash the bad taste of TASM #26 out? Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Sonic the Hedgehog and Darkwing Duck are recommended.
Heck, Gargoyles is not only at #7 this week, but next week is the debut of Gargoyles Dark Ages exploring the Manhattan Clan's early Scotland days. Heck aside from that and the hopeful Timedancer (one that Greg Weisman hopes to do), Gargoyles if given more press and attention is another property that moves forward and doesn't stick to say status quos or floating timelines.
I mean it is currently set in 97, but it's to follow right after the show. Heck the first revival (Slave Labor Graphics during 2005-2009) started off in October 1996 and ended in January 1997. And if you have seen Brooklyn's character, yeah a good indicator that characters on Gargoyles continue on rather than being One More Dayed.😛
In fact, I bumped the Darkwing Duck thread to announce a Negaduck comic coming in September and made a Gargoyles thread for the many comics both canonical and apocryphal.
Why the fuck did these losers get married then if they hate it so much?
It's not bad if some people chose to do without it. Just it's not for everyone and it certainly isn't something to do just cause babies need to be made.
Edited by Antiyonder on Jul 3rd 2023 at 9:21:33 AM
Honestly, all the Marriage are bad jokes lol, come off as guys just being bitter they can't flirt with more women and have fears of commitment.
Which factors in greatly with how Spider-Man is written and how Marvel fears he'll become unrelatable if he gets married.
"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"![]()
Its just I hate the inherent misogyny in the mindset some people have about it.
The idea that all women are ball-busting slave-master shrews, that marriage is inherently an evil institution that only entraps you of all freedom and your balls, and the idea that single-life is better because you are "free"
Like this clip from Family Guy who regularly uses the "marriage sucks and single people are always more happy" jokes
I hate everything about this guy in the cutaway and I hate how all the comments are agreeing and repeating that stupid "men go their own way" slogan.
Edited by slimcoder on Jul 3rd 2023 at 9:41:42 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."Ironic in this social media era of low marriage rate; adults (male and female) attest to being lonlier than ever.
Turns out long term companionship is important and not this terrible trap sitcoms made it out to be. You just gotta make it work.
Something Spider-Man writers are unwilling to do with Peter and frankly any girl he dates.
Edited by FKJ10 on Jul 3rd 2023 at 9:40:45 AM

Hopefully that's gets reflected in the cartoon shows.
That's still pretty heavy on teen Peter.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."