PeterDavid.net

I thought FNSM was good, but not great. I don't think its anything you can help though, Peter. The title just feels like you have your hinds tied with what you can and cannot do. I think it works better than Senesational, nonetheless, mainly due to influx of your unique brand of humor. Btw, any chance of making Deb Whitman a recurring character?

I must confess I'm not familiar with Dark Tower, but I enjoyed the hybrid fantasy/western feel of it and am intrigued to see where it will go.

Three things I loved:
1) Between this and the Vulture's arc, I love the humanizing of Spidey's villains. They've been given realistic motivations and desires to be who they are and do what they're doing.
2) Ramifications from the Spidey/Hobgob 2211 storyline rearing an ugly head.
3) Cool cover.

However... No "what's happened previously" page? Mostly I needed it for knowing the how's and why's of the black costume being back in use. I realize that Marvel would like me to pick up Amazing and Sensational, but my budget will only allow me to pick up FN Spidey.

I did not like it, but that was because there were spoilers in FNSM. I admit these spoilers are no surprise but still, I did not like it when I learned that.

- Spider-man lived at the end of Civil War #7
- Some tragedy occured
- He is wearing a black costume

While none of these should be any surprise or plot point. I kept wondering should I read more in detail and find more spoilers for civil war? Should I hide it in a desk drawer and get back to it in 2 weeks? Or just read it with only one eye to get the story but skip anything that might ruin Civil War.

For me personally, I would have prefered to have read it after Civil War 7 was out. While there were no Major spoilers and everyone could guess Spider-man would live, it was not enjoyable because of the printing order vs Civil War.

Well, I didn't read FNSM (not a big Spidey fan) but I liked Dark Tower. I had reservations about it because it just feels like it's a story that would read better as prose than as a monthly graphic novel, but the art certainly helped cement everything together, and it did 'feel' like the books felt, so it was good. I'll try the next issue, but I suspect I'll drop it to pick it up as a trade instead (I'm finding myself doing that with many books now).

By the way, I was never a big fan of DC's Fallen Angel, but I bought the first collection of IDW's run and am very much hooked. Any word on when the next collection is out? I'm dying to know what happens next, but my local shop ran out of back issues.

Thanks,
Ken

I was very impressed with Dark Tower. While I have not read the book series, I have read a lot of Stephen King, and you did a great job with keeping a tone of writing consistent to his. The art was gorgeousI found myself just staring over and over at the panels.

It was great to see my much beloved black costume back in Spider-Man. While the story was strong, I feel the art is weak. The artist's cartoony style just doesn't mesh well with the serious undertones that creep into your writing. I find this really forgettable art, that doesn't help the story. I would love to see somebody the likes of the current X-Factor artist, do this book. But overall, both stories were well-told.

FNSM #7: I liked it, and I agree with the comment that the focus on some actual motivation for his rogues gallery is a great way to breath some new life into them. I imagine some will try and complain about the meta-issue of the return of the black suit and certain villains as a tie-in to the upcoming movie being somehow thrust upon PAD, but frankly, if it wasn't the movie, it'd be something else, as we're talking about Spidey here, who's always involved in some kind of cross-promotion or another. And that's not a bad thing, when well-done. I hope we can avoid seeing it done less than well in the upcoming issues of Sensational and Amazing, but a medium or medium-rare offering might occur there.

As for the spoilers concerning Civil War, that issue should be lain at someone else's feet, as all PAD's done is, you know, put his work out on time like someone with his obvious thoughtfulness for fans should. And let's be honest, in terms of character death, Spidey's already died and been brought back once in the last couple of years; you don't want him to become the Kenny of the Marvelverse, do you? (Although, seeing Iron Man go "Oh My God, You Killed Spidey!" followed by Cap going "You Bastard!" would be teh hawesome...)

As seen on the newschopper - WTF News? (What The F**k) Your idea or Todd’s? Either way funny gag.

There's a Spider-man movie with the black costume and Sandman coming out this year! Quick! Someone put these things into a comic!

Shameless cash-in.

Oh, and I read Dark Tower and liked it; haven't read the books at all, but my roommate's a fan, so he asked me to pick the issue up for him. Judging from oter things I've read by King, I think his voice and humor are a perfect match for PAD's style. Well paced and an easy learning curve for those unfamiliar with the books. The text "lesson transcript" at the end should be highlighted as required reading for those interested in continuing with the series, though it was a much better choice to put it at the end and let readers come to it, rather than scaring them off by putting it up front.

I've noticed a few people talking about the depth of the Spidey villains lately. (Not just here, at work, too.) That's one of the things about Spidey and the X-books that always appealed to me, these people had actual reasons for the things they did. They weren't just Dick Dastardley twirling his mustache as he tied the leggy blond to the railroad tracks. I mean, even Venom has more than "We're the bad guy, we're gonna kick your butt because you're the GOOD guy."

Turned on a buddy of mine at work to the Dark Towers with the art preview thingy that the comics shops were giving out. Actually don't think I should've done it, though. No, the art was great, he was much appreciative, but that much drool in a TV studio CAN'T be a good thing. Can't possibly.

Someone tried to stump you with Trek trivia once? On air? I'm assuming live? Eeeesh. Were you at least on the show to talk some kind of Trek, or did they just pull this out of the air? No wonder people hate live TV.

I started reading FNSM when it began, but dropped it because it didn't always seem to matter to the "big picture." I've picked up a couple of issues since, mostly because of what I've read here. I'll try anything with your name on it!

WadeTripp must be kidding...they can't be spoilers to anyone who reads comics, or comic magazines...or web sites...

I'm also suprised at how many people seem to not have read the Dark Tower books. I found an edition of The Gunslinger in a book store in the mid 80s, and became hooked...I never thought he would finish it!

That said, I loved The Dark Tower! You and Robin Furth have done an excellent job of capturing the narrative tone of the books, and the art is superb! Robin's story at the end was great as well.

Three questions:
How does the writing break down? How do you and Robin put it together?
Will every issue have more backstory by Robin, and will it mostly serve to flesh out Roland's earlier years?
Chronologically, where will Roland be at the end of the series?

Thanks!

Haven't read Dark Tower yet.....but it's REALLY orange. Is the Orange button stuck on his keyboard?? Looking forward to the read, but not the orange.

I really liked this issue, one of the things I've loved most about FNS these days is that of all three Spidey books, it's the one that deals mostly with the ramifications of Peter unmasking and the consequences of that on his regular life. (something I really feel should have been dealt with better in Amazing and Sensational, honestly, just having a bunch of bad guys attacking Spider-Man is not half as interesting to me as seeing the real changes in Peter's life from him revealing his identity.)
That and the return of Spider-Man's supporting cast. I've been reading Spider-Man since I was nine a ten years old and I'm thirty now and over the years there are a few things that make Spider-Man one of the best comic book heroes out there.

His Supporting cast
His sense of Humor
The fact that he's married
Peter being the most human hero out there.

And yes, I do find his marriage one of the key points to me being able to empathize with him.
I have to admit that I read one thing on the letter page that worried me. Please tell me that there is no way, no how that Betty would ever again become a love interest. Pretty please.

I love Betty, I love her growth as a character and I love the way you've used her so far. But... and this is a big but, one of the reasons why Betty is such a great char, is because there is little or no romantic tension between her and Peter left. So far the only female char that didn't become less interesting when turned into a love interest is MJ, and I don't want Betty to lose everything she's grown to be as Peter's friend and big sister, by having that turned into something else.

Of course, that's just in case Quesada went through with his stupidity of wanting to destroy one of the best parts about Peter Parker, namely that he's married.

I couldn't help like the moments with the guards and the cops, where in both cases, it shows that at least some people seem to realize what a hero Peter is.

The problem with these "tragedy" teasers is that side-book continuity spoils it. You know Spidey lives because you read about the "Back in Black" solicitations months ago. Having said that, I fell for the Ben Reilly image inducer HL & S. I really wanted it to be Ben R- that would have been cool, but I guess we're done with clones. Over all I liked the portrayal of Marko. As for DT. fabulous. Your words along with Lee's/Isanoves art make it stunning. Plus I like the back-story about Gilead. Was a fan of DT since Drawing of the Three. Got a bit lost on Wolves of the Calla tho.

The Gunslinger Born script was amazing work... fits very well for this tower junkie...

Come post and see what everyone else thinks at thedarktower.net if ya wanna... it would make the forum guys there super happy to get a post from ya since the comic's out.

Thanks again.
D

I did not like it, but that was because there were spoilers in FNSM.

As Jason said, this was not PAD's fault.

This is one of those times where a book probably should've been delayed due to what happens in the Big Event book (ie, Civil War).

WadeTripp must be kidding...they can't be spoilers to anyone who reads comics, or comic magazines...or web sites...

Given that Marvel's been putting "Back in Black 2/2007" logos on the covers of their comics lately, I think the return of the black costume wasn't even vaguely meant to be a surprise...

I'm ass't manager at Big Planet Comics in Washington DC and a huge DT junkie (although I have my issues with the final book, issues which might possibly be eased if the comics are going where I think and hope they might be) and I adored it. Your script absolutely nailed it.

My manger is a cynical curmudgeon and has never read the books, and even he liked it! So between us, we're definitely going to do our best to push it and assure skittish non-King-readers that it's perfectly accessible.

I liked most of the latest FNSM very much and am curious how things will develop. I am one of the fans who were completely confused about what happened before with Ben and I am hoping you will make things more clear in future.

On the other hand, this is the first issue with "Spidey is back in black" I have read so far and I am dreading even more what I will find in Amazing Spider-Man. I was hoping this won`t develop into the cliche of killing the family off so that the bitter, enraged lone hero goes after whoever was responsible. I know, it wasn`t mentioned that May and Mary Jane were killed but they were not around either.

I save my rant for later after I had a chance to read what JMS had in mind but I have a very bad feeling about this.

I have read all the Dark Tower and related books and let me say, I could not tell what was King and you. Seemless between the two stories...incredible all around. A book on par with Sandman in it's transcendence of the comic book genre

I think the return of the black costume wasn't even vaguely meant to be a surprise...

I'm guessing it'll last for about... oh... 4 months.

As soon as Marvel said the "Back in Black" was coming, it was unfortunately far too predictable as to WHY they were doing it, and likely very few guesses needed as to HOW they were going to do it.

I know this is completely irrelevant to this thread, but my wife went into labour 9 days early, still at home right now. Got a TV crew here from life network in Canada for Lifestory. Could be fun.

Now, back to regularly scheduled silliness

I'm guessing it'll last for about... oh... 4 months.

Yeah...maybe I should go back to the CBG boards and taunt the people who thought the "Iron Spidey" costume was going to be the new permanent look for the character. (As someone who started reading comics in 1985, the black costume took root deep in my psyche early on, so I'm glad to see it again for however long it lasts.)

I love FNSM. I love seeing classic villains and the return of the supporting class and subplots. FNSM is the best Spider-book since DeFalco was writing it.

Further irrelevance. It's a boy. Charles Horst Panning arrived 10:08 a.m. EST. Mom and baby are fine. I stayed vertical.

Just got the Dark Tower today! I haven't read any of the material in the back of the book yet, but I've read the main story. First of all, I gotta say PAD: the ton of the book fits great with the Dark Tower books. I'm a huge fan of the books and this was just a great adapation of that part of the book! It was great seeing it come to life. And I gotta say this too: Jae Lee & co's artwork was just jaw dropping! Really great. Love it.

I gotta read the stuff in the back of the book soon. Looks interesting. I have seen the map in the back of the book and that looks cool. Gotta take a closer look at it.

Anyway, just want to say: you've made this Dark Tower fan happy, PAD (and co). I definitly have to get the next issues!

DF2506
" Also want that Dark Tower guidebook in April! "

Manny, two things--

1. Congratulations! Glad to hear it!

2. Don't let either the mother or the kid hear that you labeled them "further irrelevance." MIGHT make things difficult for you.

I read most of the The Gunslinger Born in line at the Midtown Comics signing, and it was pretty damn good. Although I've heard great things about Stephen King, and although I've enjoyed some of the movies based on his works (The Shawshank Redemption is one of my all-time favorite films), I had never jumped on the bandwagon book-wise, since the time I have to read is limited, and I already have a huge backlog of books to read, but reading this comic, I was intrigued by the main character, and by the fictional culture that King has weaved out sci-fi, fantasy and westerns. Most of the made-up sci-fi/fantasy jargon was easy to grasp, and Jae's artwork was simply beautiful. Jae is one of the few artists who gained stardom in the 90's whose artwork has either remained solid or gotten even better.

I read FNSM a day or two later, and it was good. Flash Thompson's scumbag actions are believable, and Nauck's art is pretty good. I'm interested to see where this one goes.

Sean, did I really call them "further irrelevance"? D'ohh! I guess sleep deprivation will do that. Thanks.

Since the black costume is my favorite, I loved it. I wish he would stay in black.

I thought the issue was fine. In fact, while I really need to drop some books for financial reasons, PAD made it impossible to jump off the runaway freight train.

I especially loved how Flash was shown to be mildly observant. (Wonder if he would be fooled by Clark's glasses -- oh, never mind.) Nice touch.

I am on record not understanding (or particularly liking) the death of whomever that was in the alley. That said, I want to find out what really happened. PAD has promised it was not as it appeared (which, I admit, I should have guessed).

Bottom line, not every chapter will the grand finale to a fireworks display. That would get old really fast. For an issue that had to be careful not to give anything away, it was masterfully done. It advanced PAD's story without "harming" the stupid Civil War story. (Don't get me started -- Not a big fan of how JMS has written some characters or how the Civil War has gone so far. I am sticking with it to the end, but it would have to be a huge save to keep me on even the few issues he has left at Amazing.)

Till next time, your conservative, Bush supporting comic reader,

Iowa Jim

Manny, belated congratulations (I avoid these threads to avoid spoilers--I get my comics every 2 or 3 months at a time).

Manny, I won't tell if you don't.

Y'know, Iowa Jim made an interesting question pop in my head. (Curse you, Jim! You made me think! Smoke alarm's STILL going off!)

Anyway, just how many costumes DOES Spider-Man have? I'm not talking about styles. I mean, does he have more than one of the red-and-blues, the black, and now the red-and-gold? Or does he have to do laundry every time he comes back from web-slinging? Has that ever been addressed in an issue? And what happens when, as is inevitable, one of these heroes' costumes gets all ripped up? Do they sew it up or just take another off the rack?

Tell ya what, Sean, I can't tell what I can't remember. I can't remember sleep either, but once Battlestar Galactica is over, I'm gonna take a refresher course.

And what happens when, as is inevitable, one of these heroes' costumes gets all ripped up

I remember an old Superman comic where he opened his closet and there were something like 20 blue Clark Kent suit and jackets. Readers wrote in complaining about how you'd have to be the dullest man in the universe to have 20 suits the exact same color but the quick thinking folks at DC claimed that he had treated all of his clothes with a chemical that kept them from burning up when he traveled at superspeed and that chemical turned clothes blue. So there you are.

"Friendly Neighborhood" is fast becoming my favorite Spidey title. I feel the weakest part of PAD's run to date was the "alternate Uncle Ben" story arc and - I should have known better. It was laying the seeds for something that looks interesting.
The book is fun and all the characters are in character. Great job!

Over at The-Trades, the issue got an "A" grade:

Link Here

"Readers wrote in complaining about how you'd have to be the dullest man in the universe to have 20 suits the exact same color but the quick thinking folks at DC claimed that he had treated all of his clothes with a chemical that kept them from burning up when he traveled at superspeed and that chemical turned clothes blue."

I dunno. Supposedly Albert Einstein had a closetful of identical suits so he didn't have to expend brain power deciding what to wear. I wouldn't exactly call him dull.

PAD

"I remember an old Superman comic where he opened his closet and there were something like 20 blue Clark Kent suit and jackets. Readers wrote in complaining about how you'd have to be the dullest man in the universe to have 20 suits the exact same color but the quick thinking folks at DC claimed that he had treated all of his clothes with a chemical that kept them from burning up when he traveled at superspeed and that chemical turned clothes blue. So there you are."

While that's a nice little Golden/Silver age comic response, giving it some thought...isn't part of the Clark Kent disguise intended to make him dull? The point being that someone with Superman's powers would never hide behind, in fact COULD never hide behind the Clark Kent identity.

Posted by: Sean Scullion at February 11, 2007 10:24 PM

Anyway, just how many costumes DOES Spider-Man have?

I've not read anything that has explicitly addressed that issue (which doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't been explicitly addressed -- I haven't read every single Spider-Man comic ever produced). It has been strongly implied, however, that Spider-Man generally has only one costume. On more than one occasion Peter Parker has been depicted sewing up his battle-ravaged costume. Moreover, in the '80s there was a storyline where his costume was lost or destroyed, forcing him to wear a version of his costume that I believe he bought in some store in Germany. It actually had the words "Die Spinne" or something like that on the back.

>The point being that someone with Superman's powers would never hide behind, in fact COULD never hide behind the Clark Kent identity.

That was the whole trick to Byrne's take on Luthor where his staff figure out the Clark-Superman thing, but Lex is simply incapable of accepting the idea of someone as powerful as Superman hiding behind such a wimpy facade.

Posted by: The StarWolf at February 12, 2007 09:55 AM

That was the whole trick to Byrne's take on Luthor where his staff figure out the Clark-Superman thing, but Lex is simply incapable of accepting the idea of someone as powerful as Superman hiding behind such a wimpy facade.

In the '70s, it was revealed that when the rocket carrying Kal-El crashed on Earth, its "window" shattered into round pieces due to its unique Kryptonian properties. Young Clark decided to use the round pieces of glass-like stuff to create eyeglasses so he could pass himself off as a mild-mannered geek. It turned out that those lenses gave Clark the power to hypnotize anyone who looked at him, causing them to see him as the wimpy mild-mannered milquetoast he was trying to portray.

I kid you not.

I'm guessing the Crisis did away with that bit.

I dunno. Supposedly Albert Einstein had a closetful of identical suits so he didn't have to expend brain power deciding what to wear. I wouldn't exactly call him dull.

Einstein accomplished nothing in the last 30 years of his life, most people do not understand the consequences of his work (non-linear time, as E=mc² establishes, confirms the fatalism of Greek tragedy, Slaughterhouse Five, and Watchmen -- not the divergent realities of Back to the Future, which depends on linear time), and when readers of Einstein's early articles tracked him down, they found him working as a clerk in a patent office. I'm guessing Einstein's demand for stimulation was very low and, unless you found the back of his sweater intriguing, was for the most part pretty dull company.

Supposedly Albert Einstein had a closetful of identical suits so he didn't have to expend brain power deciding what to wear.

That's my argument for wearing nothing but black shirts when my students bug me about it. The truth is, they make me look good. Damn good.

In the '70s, it was revealed that when the rocket carrying Kal-El crashed on Earth, its "window" shattered into round pieces due to its unique Kryptonian properties. Young Clark decided to use the round pieces of glass-like stuff to create eyeglasses so he could pass himself off as a mild-mannered geek. It turned out that those lenses gave Clark the power to hypnotize anyone who looked at him, causing them to see him as the wimpy mild-mannered milquetoast he was trying to portray.

Oh God, I remember that story. How did it explain why photos of Clark made him look skinny? Another example of making things worse by trying to make them better. Just accept that these people live in the same Universe as the folks around Sailor Moon, Mightor, He-Man and all the other superheroes who look pretty much like their alter egos.

I mean, if you waste too much time thinking about it, the jig would have been up the first time someone slapped Clark on the back for a job well done and shattered all the bones in their wrist.

But hey, I bought the whole "Capatin America has his shield on his back under his shirt" routine. Yeah, try that sometime.

Hey, remember how Iron Man's costume used to be "metal mesh" that folded up like cloth and fit into a briefcase until it was "polarized" into armor?

Yeah, it's best not to think to much about these things. Takes the fun out of 'em...

That's my argument for wearing nothing but black shirts when my students bug me about it. The truth is, they make me look good. Damn good.

Wow, you're going to school without any pants? I guess some teachers will do anything to keep students from sitting in their chair when they aren't in the room.

I rather liked the Iron Man polarized armor solution to the problem (said problem being how exactly you carry around a suit of armor without anyone knowing it. In reality you would have as much luck as The Amazing Steam Engine Dude in keeping that identity quiet.)

Nova had something like that too, as I recall--when he took off his helmet it turned to cloth. Nice.

If I were doing the Iron Man movie (which is looking pretty darn encouraging at this point--the movie I mean, not my doing it) I'd have a scen I remember from the book where Tony Stark is tossed out of an airplane and is able to open his suitcase and don the armor on the way down.

Hey PAD, any chance you'll be doing the novelization of the Iron Man movie? FF2? Spidey 3? A letter to Penthouse about the Giant Sized Man Thing?

Hey, PAD, any chance you'll actually write the screenplay to some upcoming Marvel movie? Because the first FF movie kinda sucked. I bet if you had written the damn thing it would've kicked ass.

A letter to Penthouse about the Giant Sized Man Thing?

That just gives a whole new meaning to "Things That Know Fear Burn At Its Touch."

Hey, PAD, any chance you'll actually write the screenplay to some upcoming Marvel movie?

Apparently the marketing whizzes in Hollywood would rather do anything rather than look to the folks who are writing great comic book style stories every month. It's such a no-brainer. Granted, not every screenplay would be a hit (I seem to recall an X-Men screenplay by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway that was pretty sub par) but PAD at his worst would have done a better job on Fantastic 4. Hell, even if they had just hired him for a day to go over the dialogue it would have kicked it up a solid notch.

Mind you, I didn't hate FF #1 but it had so much missed potential. Looking at the teaser for FF2 and the preproduction pictures of the new Doc Doom I am again filled with hope and ready to be let down once again.

Apparently the marketing whizzes in Hollywood would rather do anything rather than look to the folks who are writing great comic book style stories every month.

That's puzzling, since it's not like some comic book writers don't have a track record on doing live action stuff or going in between the two (like JMS, Whedon and the aforementioned Gerry Conway).

I have a bad feeling that it's mostly because they have no idea how well written comics are. I'll wager that many still think that the Batman TV show is highly representative of the state of comics writing.

I know that sounds preposterous but when you hear Harlan Ellison or any of a number of actual writers tell a story of their encounters with studio execs it's usually just one anal probe away from being a close encounter of the third kind. They seem curiously out of touch with current reality. Only an alien would think giving Uwe Boll money is a good idea.

"That just gives a whole new meaning to 'Things That Know Fear Burn At Its Touch.'"

Reminds me of an old Mrvel Age comic strip where Man-Thing is poking Darevevil and DD is just going "HAA!"

apparently Whedon's involvement in writing a comic-movie didn't turn out so well since he's no longer writing Wonder Woman. It's a shame, I would have liked to see his take on the character. It's going to be hard wrk to adapt such a campy character to the 21 century.

What's the chance of a Hulk 2? I'd assume if PAD would consider writing a script to any movie, this would be the one.

Bill and Bill, what didn't you like about the Fantastic Four? I thought it was enjoyable, but not great. However, I'm not very familiar with the FF.

It seems that the studios are still cranking up more and more comic movies. Some are OK, some pretty good, few great. Could they do a better job? When these movies came into fashion in the industry, it seemed that there was a good chance to make really good comic movies since the studios were willing to let good writers and directors work on them, instead of treating them as light-weight material + the special effect technology reached a sufficient level to create believable supernatural worlds.

By the way, isn't there an Iron Man movie in the works? I thought I heard something about Robert Downy Junior starring in it.

I wish I read Friendly... but....

http://www.thexaxis.com/capsules/11Feb07.htm

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #17 - Well, this is an odd piece of scheduling. The first "Back in Black" Spider-Man book comes out with the storyline already underway, and dancing politely around the question of what's going on. Meanwhile, Peter David bravely attempts to plough on with his story about the Sandman and the duplicate Ben Parker, and to make some use of Spider-Man's supporting cast. This is a deeply frustrating book, because the overwhelming impression is that it would be 300% better if it wasn't struggling with the Big! Sweeping! Unexpected! Events! thrust on it by other titles in the line. Even as it is, it's not bad at all, but there's a much better comic in here struggling to get out. B

"That's puzzling, since it's not like some comic book writers don't have a track record on doing live action stuff or going in between the two (like JMS, Whedon and the aforementioned Gerry Conway)."

Gerry Conway's "Conan the Destroyer" blew chunks.
Joss Whedon's comic books are fine, but are ultimately inferior products as monthly issue comic books and the first thing I think of when I think "JMS comic" is one villain character secretly boffing and impregnating Spidey's twenty years dead girlfriend.

I wouldn't asser these guys as 'media crossover' titans. The less said about Kevin Smith's Marvel Comics career... the better Marvel's contract enforcers look.

What's the chance of a Hulk 2?

Pretty good and Aintitcoolnews just claimed that Adrian Brody is being mentioned as the new Bruce Banner.

Bill and Bill, what didn't you like about the Fantastic Four?

I don't know about Bill but for me the ruination of Doctor Doom was more than I could bear. Ruined the movie for me. If they had treated Magneto as poorly in the X-men movies I would have hated them as well. (Imagine if the movie version had him as a 2 bit thug who was accidentally exposed to electromagnetic rays while robbing a liqour store and carried around a big red Monster Magnet. And he pronounced it "magnet-oh". That's about as bad as I thought the FFs Doctor Doom was.).

I really wanted to like the FF movie. hell, I've sat through the Corman FF movie! (Which had a pretty lousy Doctor Doom as well. His origin was fine but his acting...well, if you haven't seen it you are really missing one of the all time bad performances in movie history. He gestures with every word; it looks like he's actually signing the script for the hearing impared. He makes Lord Zedd from Power Rangers look like Alain Delon in Le Samourai.

By the way, isn't there an Iron Man movie in the works?

yeah and it looks like it could be very good. Here's hoping.

Gerry Conway's "Conan the Destroyer" blew chunks.

A) It got made. That's a leg up on 95% of the screenwriters in Hollywood.

B) His credit was for story, not scripting, so you're not necessarily criticizing the right people.

C) The movie made money (which is a big plus).

D) He's run several televisions shows over a 20 year career, some of which have gotten pretty good critical response, and he's well respected in Hollywood.

I'd have to say that you may not be in the best position to evaluate production personnel.

A) Event Horizon got made. That doesn't really translate as a defense for me.

B) I'm probably criticizing more people than you know. I hated the story, too.

C) Armageddon made money. The Fifth Element made money. Hulk made money. Fantastic Four made money.

D) I have seen and enjoyed many of those programs. What respect he receives from his fellow professionals means absolutely nothing to me.

I'd have to say that my point about not making the generalization was not communicated in those most obvious way. Regardless, my disappointment in Conan the Destroyer stands true and pure and your defense of that Conan movie also blows chunks. ("It made money." That means a bunch of people paid to see it... perhaps even enjoyed it... not that it's worthy to be in a library of Conans).

"Readers wrote in complaining about how you'd have to be the dullest man in the universe to have 20 suits the exact same color but the quick thinking folks at DC claimed that he had treated all of his clothes with a chemical that kept them from burning up when he traveled at superspeed and that chemical turned clothes blue."

I dunno. Supposedly Albert Einstein had a closetful of identical suits so he didn't have to expend brain power deciding what to wear. I wouldn't exactly call him dull.

PAD

He was charismatic to be a news anchor. Take that as you will.

Clark Kent, not Einstein.

Posted by: Blue Spider at February 13, 2007 03:43 AM

B) I'm probably criticizing more people than you know. I hated the story, too.

Just because Gerry Conway got a "story by" credit doesn't mean it was his story that made it to the big screen. It's not uncommon in Hollywood for producers to like a concept enough to buy the story, but then alter it to suit their tastes (or have the person they hire to write the screenplay do it for them). Because the original concept was the "springboard," they have to pay the original writer and give him or her a "story by" credit, even though in many substantial respects what ends up on the screen doesn't reflect the first draft of the "story."

You may in fact not be aware of who you're criticizing.

Yeah, I'd give Conway a bye on Conan the Destroyer. Had a decent script based on that story been well directed it would have made a fine movie (though certainly less epic than the first).

Look how many crappy movies have been based on The Seven Samurai. Great story does not always translate into great movie.

Bill Myers wrote:

“In the '70s, it was revealed that when the rocket carrying Kal-El crashed on Earth, its "window" shattered into round pieces due to its unique Kryptonian properties. Young Clark decided to use the round pieces of glass-like stuff to create eyeglasses so he could pass himself off as a mild-mannered geek. It turned out that those lenses gave Clark the power to hypnotize anyone who looked at him, causing them to see him as the wimpy mild-mannered milquetoast he was trying to portray.

I kid you not.

I'm guessing the Crisis did away with that bit.”

If it’s the storyline I’m thinking of, then a general consensus among readers and DC editors (since it was never mentioned again) did away with the idea long before _Crisis_. In his CBG column, “Ask Mr. Silver Age”, Craig Shutt occasionally gives such tales what he calls the “Mopee Awards.” The name refers to a character in a Silver-age _Flash_ comic who claimed to have given Barry Allen his powers. That “true origin” story was also universally ignored after the fact.

In the Superman example no doubt DC figured they needed to come up with a “rational” explanation as to how a pair of glasses could work as a disguise. But the thing is, if you do it right, it can work. So, just in case you decide to become a super hero, but also want some time to yourself, here are some free tips as to how to keep people from realizing Captain Heroic is really the bespectacled Bill Myers .

1. Don’t wear a mask.
1-a. Don’t even _hint_ that you have another identity.

If you wear a mask, everyone knows you have another identity. If you don’t wear a mask, and give people every reason to believe you spend your free time at your Fortress of Solitude, rather than occupying an apartment at 344 Clinton, you won’t have people trying to uncover your secret identity.

2. Wear any style of glasses you want. Really, don’t fret over which design would provide the best disguise. As long as Captain Heroic never gives any indication he has another identity, Bill Myers will be just another of the Earth’s teeming millions. Sure, some people may notice a facial resemblance, but lots of people have a vague resemblance to someone else. Anyone who saw such a resemblance would dismiss it. Case in point: Just the other day, I saw someone at Borders who looked a bit like PAD. Of course it wasn’t him (...unless it really was, and me was counting on everyone to assume it was just some lookalike while he fought the fight for truth, justice and so on), and I went about my business.

3. (This is perhaps the most important): DON’T hang out with the same people in both identities. Even if you adhere to tip 1 to the utmost degree, you’re only inviting trouble if you spend most of your time with the same people in both identities, and you’re trying to make them believe the two identities are separate people.

Follow these tips and you should be able to enjoy a relatively stress free secret identity.

Rick

P.S. Speaking of glasses as disguise, in the original 1928 edition of _Hunting for Hidden Gold_, the Hardy Boys successfully slip past the bad guys at a train station by wearing glasses (and they also board the train separately).

The Dark Tower series are actually the only King novels i've ever been able to finish them, and i read them religiously. I guess I felt of his novels they were the most personal and really enjoyed them and respected them for that.
That said, you did a phenominal job holding to another man's personal story. I was really impressed and I had high hopes to begin with.The book is a phenominal peice of art.
As far as FNSM, I'm so freaking glad to see you working with Todd again.I hope Todd sticks with the book for as long as you do.

And a question, The solicits for July were just made and they show you did the world war hulk prelude. If you can tell, how much are you involved in WWH? Is this just a one-shot thing like the story in Giant Size Hulk or are you part of the array of writers involved in WWH?

I read the entire Dark Tower series and was loving it until the last two books which were total letdowns in my opinion. The comic is visually great, yet seems to be predominantly a retelling of a part of the story as opposed to telling a part of the story not covered in the book. I was under the impression that the comic would mostly take off from where WIZARD AND GLASS leaves off and ends where the THE GUNSLINGER begins. I'm still hopeful that this is mostly the case.

I must say bravo for the writing, script, etc. It is typical PAD excellence.

Bill Mulligan,
Just an FYI. An "Incredible Hulk" movie (as opposed to adjectiveless "Hulk") is now a done deal. It has been officially slotted to open on June 13, 2008. Additionally, "The Dark Knight" is scheduled for July 18, 2008; "Wanted" is slated for March 28, 2008 and "Hellboy 2" will be released August 1, 2008.
Which means that 2008 may outdo 2007 in terms of comic book movies, especially if either "Flash" or "Wonder Woman" get made by then and "Witchblade" and "Tomb Raider 3" come together.
Oh, and "Indiana Jones 4" is set in stone for May 22, 2008.

The news on The Flash hasn't been too good though. They seem to be going for a goofy tone, from what I've heard.

What ever happened to the Ant-man project from the geniuses who did Shaun of the Dead and the upcoming Hot Fuzz?

Don’t even _hint_ that you have another identity.

That's a good point--why did Lana and Lois always assume that Superman had one? And they kept up that belief even in the face of being humiliated over and over again when one of Superman/Superboy's robots showed up at the same time Clark did.

One of the all time great suitable for framing covers was a superman book that had him bursting through a door tearing off the Clark disguise in front of Lois and Lana, saying something to the effect of "You know why I won't marry either of you two asshats? It's because I would never marry anyone so figgin STUPID that they can't figure out that Clark Kent is Superman!!!" *

* It is possible I have somewhat misremembered the exact line

"In the Superman example no doubt DC figured they needed to come up with a “rational” explanation as to how a pair of glasses could work as a disguise. But the thing is, if you do it right, it can work. So, just in case you decide to become a super hero, but also want some time to yourself, here are some free tips as to how to keep people from realizing Captain Heroic is really the bespectacled Bill Myers."

Lets not forget the super hairdo. The difference between the dorky Clark Kent hairdo and Superman's is critical. In Lois & Clark Superman seemed to be equiped with a super gel. I always had the image of him fixing his hair at super speed.

""Indiana Jones 4" is set in stone for May 22, 2008."
Let's hope it's better than anything done recently by George Lucas or Harrison Ford.

Gee, Rick, thanks for blowing my secret identity.

Micha: I loathed the Fantastic Four movie because the characters were flat and I didn't care about them. Case in point -- in the comic-book, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm snipe at each other but when it comes down to it, they're like brothers who care about each other. That didn't come through in the movie. Remember the press conference after the disaster on the bridge? Johnny has an opportunity to stick up for Ben but instead simply mocks the Thing for his appearance, apparently oblivious to how hurtful that is. The movie played up all of Johnny's worst traits, but almost none of the things that redeem him.

We're just scratching the surface of why I didn't like the movie. There are too many reasons to mention. Let's just say I don't expect -- or want -- perfect faithfulness to the comic-books, but it would be nice to keep their spirit intact. On that score, the FF movie failed miserably.

I wrote: "Don’t even _hint_ that you have another identity."

Bill Mulligan wrote: "That's a good point--why did Lana and Lois always assume that Superman had one? And they kept up that belief even in the face of being humiliated over and over again when one of Superman/Superboy's robots showed up at the same time Clark did."

I think Lana and Lois assumed Superman (and before that Superboy) had a secret identity because he confirmed it. I can't recall a specific issue, but I'm sure he told both, on more than one occasion, essentially, "look, if you expose my secret identity, I'll no longer be able to have some time to myself and not be at you pesky Earthlings' beck and- er, I mean I won't be able to protect my loved ones from reprisals." In fact in one Superboy story (I don't recall what series it appeared in; I have it in a digest form) Lana sees Superboy go into a phone booth (the indoor kind with the wooden doors) to change, and tells him she's caught him in the act. When he comes out, she'll know his identity.

But at the last moment, her better nature takes over and she turns her back, allowing Clark to emerge unseen. He subsequently rewards her by taking her to a Legion of Superheroes meeting in the 30th century.

It's amusing that Supes was so worried that he'd been caught, when he could simply have emerged from the phone booth still in costume, acted like he'd just been making a phone call, and gone somewhere else.

By the way, _Astro City Local Heroes #2_ had an excellent take on the ongoing Silver-age subplot of Lois Lane trying to uncover Supes' secret identity.

Oh, and that cover you describe? I've never seen the issue, but I'm going to guess that that's the story Bill Myers described where Clark could hypnotize people to see him as "the wimpy mild-mannered milquetoast he was trying to portray."

Bill Myers: Relax. 1) no one believes anything they read on the Internet. Right? Right? 2) Even if a few people have doubts, I'm sure you've got a few Bill Myers robots handy for those times when you have to be in two places at once. But 3) don't _confirm_ it if someone does reveal your identity. That's like the Pie Man referring to himself as Homer Simpson.

On the other hand, look on the bright side. Maybe now Mr. Luthor will let me have Ricksville.

Oh, come on, Mr. Luthor! That's not fair! You finally let Otis have Otisburg. And it's just an itty, bitty place. It's not even on the water.

Rats!

Rick

P.S. More than one of my friends has noticed a vague resemblance between my dad and Gene Hackman (more so in the hairline than in any facial features). My friend Jay was the first to notice when he saw a picture of him back in high school. He pointed to the picture, and in his Otis voice, called him "Mr. Luthor."

Oh, almost forgot the most important thing of all. Today is Feb. 14, which means, of course, that today is Jack Benny's birthday.

Oh yeah, and it's apparently also some other, lesser holiday, too.

Rick

I love how so many people are making the obvious statment about the correlation between the comic and the upcoming movie. I got a good chuckle out of Shameless cash-in's comments, "There's a Spider-man movie with the black costume and Sandman coming out this year! Quick! Someone put these things into a comic!"

Well, yeah!!

It's called marketing and maybe you forgot that Marvel is a business. It's not necessarily a bad thing to have your comic stories mirror those in the movies.

I thought the story was great, I was just a little disappointed that the story is a tad ahead of Civil War and other Spidey books. But that is a minor issue. I'm looking forward to next months book.

On a side note: At one time, I got on Mr. David's bad side and really showed my ass on this site and other sites that he posted on. I would like to take this time to offer my apologies to Mr. David. I've continued to read most of your work and I think X-Factor might be some of your best work in years. I loved the Hulk & Champions story and I am so looking forward to your World War Hulk story...

Mr. David thank you for your efforts, keep the stories coming.

Ole' Greenskin

(I haven't read any other comments so pardon any repeats) I HATE when my favorite titles hav a movie coming out. All of a sudden, all we see is Spidey(in the black costume) VS Sandman. Just like last time when EVERY Spidey book had him fighting Doc Ock. who was supposed to be dead. The stories all seem so forced.

Personally, like another said before, the black costume is ingrained in me, I remember being 7 in 1984 when boom - red and blue spidey is gone, and there's this sleek, black costume. I remember hating it at the time, but soon, I fell in love with it.

And the first black costume story of this little rigamaroll is by PAD. Very fitting. I remember being in the 4th grade, and Spectacular Spider-man 129, Amazing 289, and Incredible Hulk 333 came out roughly around the same time. I remember those issues specifically because they pretty much shaped how I viewed those characters to this day. And, of course, all written by Peter David.

My point? The black costume means quite a bit to me, and hey, black costume Spidey written by PAD? I couldn't ask for more. Shameless nostalgia, sure, but hey, people have worse reasons for liking or hating certain things.

So, with ASM #538 and Civil War #7 out, we finally get the HOW Spidey ends up back in the black costume...

Except, we don't.

We're still left wondering why exactly Spidey is back in the black suit. Is it because the ending of ASM #538? Is it because of Civil War itself?

It makes me want to strangle the editors at Marvel. :)

And speaking of Civil War, it started out so well and I enjoyed so much of it, but like so many other mega-events, the core story ended with a wimper and disappointment. We'll see how Marvel proceeds from here.