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
X-Factor had Siryn refuse to mourn her uncle, Banshee, because she was certain he'd be back eventually and everyone treated her like she was deeply emotionally unhealthy and eventually causd her to break down and mourn him.
And of course he came back.
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.It's kind of just a throwaway line, but there's also Martian Manhunter's funeral in Final Crisis, where Superman literally ends his eulogy with "We'll pray for a resurrection".
Disney100 Marathon | DreamWorks MarathonIf anything, I've seen more of the aforementioned behavior from MJ fans. Whenever she's written as anything other than an uncomplicated supportive love interest (like in the Raimi films) she's accused of being written terribly even though that specific incarnation of her is much nicer than how she started out. MJ fans also really love bringing up the Sam Bullit story where Gwen gets conned into supporting a white supremacist despite the story making it clear that Bullit is hiding his racist views from both Gwen and Jameson. If anything, Bullit had to put much more effort into swaying Gwen to his side and use less obvious dog whistles than in his conversations with Gwen.
And I say all of this as an MJ fan but her fandom has been annoyingly insecure and prone to taking out their frustrations on other love interests for a long time now. Some are still mad about a joke Emma Stone made at MJ's expense back when she hosted SNL in 2011.
Edited by windleopard on Jun 15th 2024 at 4:46:32 PM
I for one didn't mind Silk's date rape powers. I wasn't sad to see them go, but I think her and Peter had some potential as a couple, if someone had actually tried to develop them into a couple rather insisting Silk be crucial to the next big event because she's so special even though she's also a pretty worthless newb. A potentially great player who can run and jump but can't yet sink a basket.
Gwen Stacy though? There's this weird decade plus trend at this point of pretending she was more likeable and interesting alive than actually was, and why? Those who know the character know she wasn't like that and those who don't, well she's dead! Who is the audience here? If you wanted to break up Peter Parker and MJ, well don't do it with a time altering demon dealt abortion! Gwen Stacy's got little to nothing to do with that. She's just been over shilled for reasons that don't make sense. Say what you will about Ben Reiley, but he actually had better web shooters than Peter, Kaine actually had abilities better than Spider-Man, as do Venom, Carnage, Silk, Miles, etc. What exactly about Gwen Stacy suggests she have three alternates crawling around 616 at once, even if one is a Joke Character making fun of her post humus Wolverine Publicity?
Buldogue's lawyerGiven the original Wedding was a publicity stunt, they tried to get rid of MJ in the 90s in a plane crash, and One More Day and all I can't blame her fanbase for being a little paranoid.
The Protomen enhanced my life.Hah. Now Gwen is known for dying and fucking Norman.
And then she went back to being known for just dying.
I think the only other notable thing about her is that every single adaptation and alternate universe version of her is better, including then one with Spider Powers.
One Strip! One Strip!I don't know if anyone is a fan of OG Gwen. Like, the things most people like about her seem to be how her alternate selves are more interesting.
Plus, they don't seem to put Peter under half as much stress.
I do still think it's a shame that Gwen died without learning Peter's secret. There was a lot of room for development for both of them as she's force to come to grips with learning the person she loves is also the one she blames for the death of her dad, while he'd be force to deal with her becoming a part of his life as a hero.
But that's not how it went down. And MJ surpassed Gwen in every way that mattered.
One Strip! One Strip!
Me.
I don't think OG Gwen is a great character but she's generally fine? I like her more than all of the spin-offs, many of which just feel like Gwen In Name Only.
Ultimate might be my favorite, but I think they made some really weird decisions there.
People who got their copies of Ultimate Spider-Man#6 early are over the moon with it, one saying Transformers has "one month to prepare" because USM is the best book on the market, and the other saying the ending to #6 is so joyous they teared up. So it looks as though there's another incoming Take That! to 616
Edited by Zarius on Jun 18th 2024 at 3:24:57 AM
For the record, other than universe wide events like Infinity Gauntlet, only supers come back from the dead in superhero universes. "Normies", 99% of humanity, remain dead, so for the most part it doesn't make a change. The average person in a superhero universe probably has no idea the superhero or villain who just came back is the original or a successor to the title.
Please remember that, ultimately, fictional works of entertainment are just that.
Even apart from the parade of Goblins, I'm sure that Marvel's civilians have long been Conditioned to Accept Horror from having to live in a superhero universe and experiencing the kinds of hellish things that come with it (periodic Hulk rampages, half of all life suddenly and inexplicably being snuffed out, Galactus coming to Earth to consume it, so many alien invasions, paranoia about a great replacement of humanity by mutants, supervillain-caused mass murders that make mass shootings look tame by comparison, heroes suddenly and inexplicably turning evil, genocide-robots, etc.). I'd be amazed if that wasn't a primary cause for the Marvel Universe being such an infamous World of Jerkass, both within and without Spidey's little corner of it.
Edited by TrashJack on Jun 18th 2024 at 9:41:37 AM
"Cynic, n. — A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be." - The Devil's Dictionary
You mean, apart from Superior Foes?
Edited by TrashJack on Jun 18th 2024 at 10:55:19 AM
"Cynic, n. — A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be." - The Devil's Dictionary

A thought that came to me due to the current conversation: what does the concept of moving on from a loved one's death even mean in a setting where death is very much not the end? Has there ever been a comic that tackled that question?