Just turned in the manuscript for the novelization of “Spider-Man 2: In Arm’s Way.” Which isn’t actually the title, but it kind of amuses me. Got delayed by last minute script changes. However, unlike previous occasions on other novelizations where 11th Hour alterations came in, these were all improvements. Several lengthy and frankly painful speeches went away, and the climactic Spidey/Doc Ock face-off plays far more smoothly. So although they took time to do, it’s the sort of changes I really don’t mind making.
By the way, for those of you who have seen the Spidey II teaser posters and either couldn’t tell or didn’t notice it, that’s Doc Ock reflected in the eyepiece of Spidey’s mask.
PAD
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I was kinda disappointed when they said the villain was Doc Ock. I always thought he was a lame villain. Until JMS did his whole bit with him, of course.
But A. Molina and crew really gave him a look that I like, and now I’m fairly interested in it.
Of course, though, Marvel has gone overboard to make the comic version look like this version. Better than the O.R. Scrubs (OR they?) and white lab coat…
Travis
Very impressed that you have completed the manuscript already – I find it hard to imagine finishing such a job this quickly without other writing projects, a newborn, and family, several hundred internet questions from fans … – let alone with all of that; also pleased that the movie script has improved as work progresses; and very amused by your “title” for the book! Dang – can’t they call it that? 😉
Congratulations. Doc Ock was my favorite Spidey villain as a kid. Let’s hope they don’t scrimp on the cg. How do you feel about novelizations in general, do you find it harder to adapt someone else’s story than to create your own?
Enough with the puns. I honestly think you create stories to work around your puns.
I just picked up the first four issues of FAllen Angel. I really like it so far.
You’re sure that’s the real Doc Ock and not an actor portraying him?
Looking forward to the novelization.
Hi ya, PAD!
It’s good to hear about the new book, great to hear the villain’s Doc Octopus, and the GREATEST to know you’re writing it!
I don’t know if you or my fellow PADawans remember the novella you did with Stan Lee a few years back, but it’s one of my personal favorites. The way you and Stan tied this particular Spidey origin with Ock’s was very enjoyable.
And let’s not forget the best exchange between the Multi-Limbed Lithuanian and the Arachnid Kid,
“You’re MAD,” said Octavius, refusing to believe that anyone other than an insane person would take this amount of physical pain.
“I’m not mad,” shot back Spider-Man. “I’m just really p—ed off!”
The point I’m dancing around here is, you definitely know the characters of Parker and Octavius as well as their creator—as is obvious, or the Powers that Be wouldn’t have partnered you with him— and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic!
That said–even though I don’t agree with Travis (the lab coat is Octavius’s affectation to emphasize to onlookers that he is the Doctor)–I’ve gotta love his Rushmore-esque joke!
I have great trust in Alfred Molina, especially after seeing his thespian talents in CHOCOLAT. What I found so endearing about Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of the Green Goblin was how the actor managed to fuse such contradictory elements into one seamless performance; human conflict and emotion clashing with melodramatic, ‘supervillian-y’ flourishes; a character who was a monster and a man all at once. I hope Alfred Molina pulls off the same miracle with Doc Ock.
I’m so glad Doctor Octopus is the villain in this new movie. He has to be my favorite major Spider-Man villain (all my other favorites are lesser known guys like Beetle and Hydro-Man, and I have a feeling that they’ll never appear in a movie).
Good job on finishing the novelization, PAD.
Molina is awesome. I can’t wait to hear him say “No time to argue! You throw me the web…I throw you the arms!”
I’ve actually only seen Alfred Molina in one role…
“Throw me the idol, I throw you the whip.”
I just wanted to turn off the italics.
Go back to making comments now.
First saw the character of Doctor Octopus in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #157 by Len Wein, Ross Andru, and Mike Esposito.
Next saw Doc Ock in the classic Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man book.
The green body suit was a good look and the natty goggle-glasses were far-out.
Favorite Spider-Man villain for me would be either The Scorpion (first saw him in Amazing #145) or The Shocker (Amazing #72).
Steve Chung
Speaking of comic book movies, over at Newsarama they had a report stating that there will be a Hulk sequel coming out in 2006 (the initation primarily went on how 3.5 million DVDs sold in the first few days they were available, I hear).
That’s good news, especially since I know PAD was doubtful that they’d do a sequel.
I’m sceptical about the sequel as I really didn’t enjoy the first no matter how much I really wanted to, especially Willem Dafoe’s hamming it up as The Green Goblin, not quite in Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carey league but it still didn’t work for me.
I’m one of those people who believes THE HULK deserves a sequel. Sure, it was DEEPLY flawed on many occasions, but I still admire Ang Lee for trying to pull off something so dark and cerebral in what the elitists of the world dismiss as ‘yet another superhero movie’. Besides, if Ang is on board a second time, perhaps he’ll be able to perfect whatever he was attempting to do in the first film.
A more solid villain next time around would be nice too, instead of ‘Absorbing Dad’. (And just for the record, Ang Lee stated David Banner wasn’t so much ‘absorbing’ the elements he touched as ‘partaking’ in them, hence all the confusion connected to the climax.)
I was kinda disappointed when they said the villain was Doc Ock. I always thought he was a lame villain. Until JMS did his whole bit with him, of course.
You should have been around back in about 1970, when ASM #89 & 90 came out. What a powerful story that was. Ock is definitely a heavy hitter, when done right.
PAD’s “Five Minutes” story in the Stan Lee-edited Spider-Man anthology is one of my favorite Spider-Man stories. And the best one out of the book.