Well, the New York Post blew the reveal of the end of Civil War #2 before the book was on the stands. Then again, I suppose anyone who actually reads that rag deserves what they get so, y’know, that’ll teach ya.
We, however, will allow those who don’t know what’s going down with Spider-Man to frequent the board without having it ruined for them. For those who do want to discuss it–and you know you do–I provide the space below. Have at it.
PAD
• 
I think Civil War will end with everyone’s identity becoming secret again, thus restoring the public distrust of super-heroes as nobody knows who these people are.
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I thought that two-one of the 3 genies to be put back in the bottle. But seems the opposite.
***
But MJ and Aunt May said that he should. The two most important(living) people in his life told him to do it
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Yeah, but they said what JMS wanted them to say. i thought AUnt May sounded out of character and her arguments simply weren’t logical.
And Doc Ock
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He doesn’t know. Not since he died and came back
Only Venom (Scorpion version, I believe Brock doesn’t know anymore if he is alive and when the scorpion found out, he kidnapped aunt may), Green Goblin (who did kill Gwen that didn’t work out so well. “But peter you made a silly promise when yuou were 16 that you didn’t think out.” “Yeah May, but you know, when Gobbie threw Gwen off a bridge, i realized I was right”), and a bunch of clone related people who will never be brought up again (like the jackal, judas traveller, etc). Lots of heroes know, but that i thought shgould be changed. Virtually nobody should know.
Now everyone knows. All his villains, everybodu elses villains, every petty thug, every person he ever had a cross word with, every mafia guy, terrorist, person looking to sue Spider-man for assault, wrongful imprisonment, property damage and all the other “realistic” things they ignore, various criminal charges for assault, vandalism, reckless endangerment, manslaughter.
I mean, he chooses this? He makes this kind of decision in one night? I mean, at least have it forced out.
“Peter, did you know about Spidey’s id becoming public when you started the Flash Thompson storyline in FSM? I’m curious to see how it will play out now…thanks!”
No, I didn’t. So the dynamic has now been completely changed. And there’s a few interesting ways to go with it. One way is that Flash is the only person in NY who flat out doesn’t believe it. He’s figuring it’s a scam while things are “hot” because of the new law. But that once things die down, Peter and Spidey will be seen in public together and that’ll settle that. Another is that Flash starts being Peter’s best pal, which would annoy the hëll out of Peter because Flash really WAS his best pal at one point, and now he’d figure it’s only because Flash knows he’s Spider-Man, so it’s not like Flash appreciates him for himself. That’s just two possibilities.
“But I’d like to hear the other side of the argument: PAD, were you one of the people who made the decision that Spider-Man should reveal his identity? And if you were, what convinced you it was a good idea?”
I wasn’t involved in the decision, no. But I think any idea that gets people talking, that stirs interest in a character who’s been around for more than four decades, and that doesn’t denigrate him (turning him into a serial rapist would accomplish the first two, but would hardly be a quality direction to take him) is inherently a good idea.
And the great thing about this sort of thing is that we can really be guided by fan reaction–both vocal and sales. I mean, hëll, truth to tell, when we introduced the original b&w Spidey costume, we figured it would be around for a few months, tops. But the costume being astoundingly popular. People loved it. So not only did Spidey wind up wearing it for far longer than usual, but part of the reason Venom was created was so the alien costume could stay around in the Marvel universe. And if a move is astoundingly unpopular, well, it’s comics. I’ve seen fans all over the place coming up with ways that the reveal could be undone within the parameters of the existing Marvel U.
PAD
Ideas for the eventually retcon:
1.Cosmic Cube anyone?
2.Charles Xavier world-wide mind wipe
3.Infinity Gems anyone?
4.Scarlet Witch hex causes everyone to have short term amnesia
5.Crisis on Marvel Earths resulting in the erasure of the silver age Spiderman leaving only the Ultimate Spiderman.
6. Superman teleports to the marvel universe and posions the water supply with that stuff he used in Superman II that made Lois forget his identity.
7.The Beyonder returns and grants Peter a wish (Secret Wars III anyone?)
-just throwing some ideas out there.
“I don’t like the idea of Spider-Man letting the public know this identity. I liked Peter Parker as the down-on-his luck, outsider. Also, as a teenager, who kept this identity as Spider-Man a secret.”
Which is pretty much the status quo in both “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man Adventures,” which I’m going to writing for a bit, by the way. So…
PAD
The above should read, “The costume BECAME astoundingly popular.”
And by the way, just in case I haven’t made it clear, I’m perfectly happy with the reveal. It means that I’m working at a time when Spidey’s status quo is completely different from anything that’s gone before. How cool is that? It’s an exciting time to be writing his adventures. Plus, hey, I’m writing him for Spidey Adventures, so it’s the best of both worlds.
PAD
I’m more “meh” on the whole reveal. It’s a story element in a fictional world. A world where things change from issue to issue, or even within issues, continuity is not a very strong point. So this will either take or it won’t, meaning either books will sell or they won’t. It’ll be good or bad depending on who’s writing it. A public ID Spidey can be just as interesting and entertaining as a secret ID Spidey.
I think, without the knowledge of Peter’s conversations with May and MJ, this move seems to be totally out of character for him. Knowing that the people he would mostly be concerned with are behind the move, it makes more sense.
But this brings up a bigger reason why I didn’t like #2…it was a poorly presented story. Yes, I know it’s #2 of a seven issue series, and it’s a story that spill over and onto many other books, and that it incorporates elements from other books. But I also know that a good writer finds ways to incorporate essential story elements from those other sources into the main book. I found it very poor writing to leave the fate of Speedball and the New Warriors to Front Line. Ditto for a major scene behind Peter’s motivations. And then there’s Captain America…I think he was driving the SHIELD van with the New Avengers, but I don’t think I saw one Cap or Steve reference. I don’t know who else a blond buff guy could be that opposed to the Registration Act…but the story/writer didn’t help me out any. Maybe I missed it…I’ve yet to go back for a second or third reading. But I’ve been reading comics for over 20 years, and I’ve rarely put down a book feeling more disappointed than this one. As well done as #1 was, #2 was done poorly.
“Superman teleports to the marvel universe and posions the water supply with that stuff he used in Superman II that made Lois forget his identity.”
As I recall, he kissed her. So you want him to contaminate the water supply in the Marvel U with his super spit? I mean, I can see some folks at DC being all in favor of that, but…ewwww.
PAD
If the Marvel universe is supposed to be so “realistic” now, Mary Jane and Aunt May will need to be dead within the next 6 months (by the end of Civil War).
With all the nut case villains who have a real hate for Spider-Man, they are going to try to kill his loved ones for revenge. If either of them survive the end of the mini-series, this will be the biggest farce Marvel has done in a long time. There really is no other possible outcome short of undoing the reveal.
I’d be really happy if some cosmic event occured and the Marvel universe rebooted back to like it was around 1972. Pick up right before the death of Gwen Stacy and this time Spider-Man saves her leading to a Gwen/Peter/MJ triangle.
Then slowly re-introduce the characters who have appeared since then. Maybe some time-shifting could occur so that the All-New All-Different X-Men appeared around that same time so Wolverine, Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler would already be around.
Retcon theory:
Dr. Strange does a big spell that erases Peter Parker’s existance from the map of reality. instead of mindwiping everyone it’s as though Peter didn’t exist. This dissolves the marriage (which Joe Q seems intent on) without killing MJ or ending in divorce. She doesn’t remember ever being married in the first place. Nobody remembers her ever being married. Except Spiderman.
Peter gets to agonize over whether he should pursue MJ knowing the danger he could be putting her in while introducing a new supporting cast.
I hate this idea… but I could see it.
I really can’t believe they did this. After Daredevil, why would they repeat such a thing. Look how that story is turning out….just one of the best books Marvel is putting out. I trust PAD and JMS to produce great stories in the aftermath. Marvel was built on changes like this…don’t buy it if you don’t like. Go re-read back issues or start reading Ultimate or Adventures.
“If the Marvel universe is supposed to be so “realistic” now, Mary Jane and Aunt May will need to be dead within the next 6 months (by the end of Civil War).”
Why? Lot’s of heroes in the Marvel U have their identity public, and their enemies haven’t wiped out their families. In addition, what about the policement, the judges, the prison wardens. You think Osborn wouldn’t go after the judge who sent him to jail? Hëll, that would be alot easier of a target then Spider-Man. Yet those people operate and live.
That being said, I have expect Speedball, by the end of Civil War, to somehow go back in time (maybe with new powers given to him by the explosion) kill Nuke before the incident, keeping any of this form happening.
But I’d rather see the next few years worth of stories dealing with Peter’s ID being public.
“Dr. Strange does a big spell that erases Peter Parker’s existance from the map of reality. instead of mindwiping everyone it’s as though Peter didn’t exist. This dissolves the marriage (which Joe Q seems intent on) without killing MJ or ending in divorce. She doesn’t remember ever being married in the first place. Nobody remembers her ever being married. Except Spiderman.
Peter gets to agonize over whether he should pursue MJ knowing the danger he could be putting her in while introducing a new supporting cast.”
Oh hëll, because the last season of Smallville didn’t suck enough, we should read it in the comics?
Well, I might be in the minority, but I like the idea. I really didn’t think Marvel would go there, I was sure they wouldn’t dare, but they did. And I’m waiting to see how long they keep daring to do stuff like this.
I started buying Civil War because I was worried that they would really kill Speedball, but #1 hooked me, and Frontline put my worries to ease, and #2 was, if a bit slow, a good hook. Just JJJ’s reaction was worth the price.
I don’t think May and MJ should be dead within 6 months because they do live in the Avengers Tower. They should be more careful, sure, but how many times MJ ended up in danger without villians knowing Peter’s id?
In short, I can’t wait to see were this is going. And I had stopped reading Spiderman completely since the Clone Wars. This makes me want to buy more than just FNSM.
“If the Marvel universe is supposed to be so “realistic” now, Mary Jane and Aunt May will need to be dead within the next 6 months (by the end of Civil War).”
Superhero federal protection program?
If it is decided to break Spidey’s wedding, It would probably be interesting to persue a MJ the Ex-wife storyline. Ex-wives are an accustomed way nowadays to maintain romantic tension and conflict while keping other options open.
“I don’t like the idea of Spider-Man letting the public know this identity. I liked Peter Parker as the down-on-his luck, outsider. Also, as a teenager, who kept this identity as Spider-Man a secret.”
PAD Said: “Which is pretty much the status quo in both “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man Adventures,” which I’m going to writing for a bit, by the way. So…”
I briefly purchased and read Ultimate Spider-Man for a time,but due to my budget and buying various other titles I stopped. I’m planning to pick up your run on Spider-Man Adventures though.
Honestly, I have not picked up a copy of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Which months ago, I had planned to pick up, only to find out that it would cross-over with MK:Spider-Man & Amazing. Along with being part of “The Other” storyline. I really wished FNSM would had been set outside continuity.
But am I missing something here? MJ and Aunt May convince Peter to “come out” and the result is MJ leaving him?
Huh?
Mike, thanks for signing on to the Dr. Strange theory; frankly I can’t see Marvel changing the status quo on a permanent basis.
As a lifelong comic fan, I’ve really found the above discussion fascinating in the same way as I used to hang out with my friends when I was a kid and toss around the implications of the latest handful of books we just bought and passed around.
Although some of the above posts make some very good points, (Sasha, your Bugle exclusive idea is a stroke of genius), but I still can’t buy into Spider-Man giving up his secret identity. This is just my own personal opinion, but there doesn’t seem to have been enough narrative laying of track to contradict four decades of continuity. Aside from that, as others have pointed out, the events of Identity Crisis very skillfully demonstrated what can happen if even a D-list super-villain with a screw loose manages to get a hero’s home address and show up at the door when his wife is putting a pot roast in the oven. In just one issue, Brad Meltzer managed to raise more intriguing moral and ethical considerations about being a masked hero than all of the Civil War books combined thus far. And yes I know, we’re talking apples and oranges here, or Marvel and DC, but good storytelling is good storytelling.
I think the thing that bothers me most about Civil War so far is there just doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of internal logic to it. As somebody pointed out earlier, why is Captain America refusing to register when everybody knows who he is? What happens now that Spider-Man has disclosed his secret identity? Doesn’t that mean the notion of wearing an uncomfortable face mask is no longer necessary, other than to maybe keep the bugs off your teeth? Why is Mr. Fantastic buying into all of this nonsense when as one of the most intelligent characters in the Marvel Universe he should be able to see the implications of what he’s doing? To me, these things just don’t make sense.
Anyway, good discussion, and Peter, thanks for chiming in with your own thoughts. It’s nice to have a bit of insight from somebody who’s currently involved int he creative process.
PAD,
How long have you been in on the secret? Who else on staff were in on it (was a Marvel-wide thing or only a Spider family/Civil War staff thing)?
Was your family in on the secret or were they completely in the dark as the rest of the public?
If they weren’t privy to the Spider-Reveal, did any of them declare you of illegitimate birth when they found out? 🙂
Thanx.
Ironman was a good choice to announce his secret identity. Although do you really want a drunk behind the wheel of nearly indestructable power suit?
I have to disagree with the spidey thing. He’s a natural rebel. I thought he would be hanging with Capt. America’s group.
The only way out is to do a superman/clark kent thingy where J.J. has Parker in the same room as some other bloke in a Spidey suit climbs the walls and says, “Parker just posed as me. It was a ruse to bring out my enemies. Thanks Parker!”
1″Superman teleports to the marvel universe and posions the water supply with that stuff he used in Superman II that made Lois forget his identity.”
As I recall, he kissed her. So you want him to contaminate the water supply in the Marvel U with his super spit? I mean, I can see some folks at DC being all in favor of that, but…ewwww.
PAD
*****
This is when I wish PAD wasn’t ignoring me
My whole life, I saw a super kiss that erased his identity from her knowledge. and everyone discussed that, whether cool, or dumb
But then one day on the byrneboard, JB says “That’s not what happened he slipped her a mickey.” and then him and others say he slipped something into her drink to make her forget.
I’ve never read the script and haven’t seen the movie since then, but I am curious if there is anything to validate that. I’ve always seen a super kiss.
By the way, has anyone seen The Antichri….uhmm, I mean Bill Gates, quote old Peter Parker recently? ^_^
” As somebody pointed out earlier, why is Captain America refusing to register when everybody knows who he is? “
Oh god. I guess it shouldn’t suprise me, but I’m guessing you haven’t read Civil War #1? If that’s the case, can you read it before griping about it? I know that would be a new trend, but you know… it would be nice…
And if you have read it, and that’s what you came away with, then reread it. They clearly state why Cap is on the other side, and it has NOTHING to do with him registering.
The same thing with the Mister Fantastic thing. They’ve clearly, and repeatedly spelled out why he feels the way he does, in multiple books, not the least of which is the Illuminate Special, as well as Civil War #1.
“How long have you been in on the secret?”
I don’t remember exactly when I found out. Four, maybe five months ago. “
“Who else on staff were in on it (was a Marvel-wide thing or only a Spider family/Civil War staff thing)?”
I’d think, realistically, all the creative teams, but honestly I haven’t the faintest idea. When you’re sworn to secrecy on something, it’s not like you can start going around to other people and saying, “Hey, did you know about this?” I couldn’t take a poll.
“Was your family in on the secret or were they completely in the dark as the rest of the public?”
I told Kathleen. She tends to read my scripts as I write them, so she was going to find out anyway. But if you can’t trust your wife…
PAD
If they weren’t privy to the Spider-Reveal, did any of them declare you of illegitimate birth when they found out? 🙂
I don’t know…so far I am okay with it. It opens some interesting doors. And I never cared for keeping a character in the same place. I didn’t when I was a kid, and I don’t know…I know some people wish they were still reading Peter Parker high school everyman (though I, to this day, argue that science nerd who can design high tech web shooters and dates an endless series of hot girls is about as everyman as a millionaire who dresses like a bat)…but I am glad he’s not the exact same character from when I was a kid.
I look forward to seeing what Peter (the writer) does with the opportunity presented.
I told Kathleen. She tends to read my scripts as I write them, so she was going to find out anyway. But if you can’t trust your wife…
Considering your most recent blog entry, Paul McCartney might have something to say about that.
Jerry, you’re right in the sense that Civil War #1 clearly demonstrates Cap’s reason for being on the other side of the war, and yes, it doesn’t have anything to do with registration, so apologies to everyone for getting the two issues mixed up.
That said, I did go back and look at CV#1 as well as the Illuminati Special (not Illuminate as you said in your wonderfully sarcastic response) and I still don’t see anything that spells out why Mr. Fantastic is falling on this particular side of the war. I’m prepared to be challenged on this, but I think it’s a matter of interpretation. In fact, Reed only has a couple of lines in CV#1, and I certainly don’t see how Johnny Storm’s beating in that issue would support a pro-government stance.
Again, I’m prepared to be wrong if there’s an event taking place in one of the myriad CV tie-ins that I don’t pick up. I may read Civil War in addition to the regular books I buy on a monthly basis, but frankly I don’t give a crap about characters like She-Hulk or Ms. Marvel or the Thunderbolts, so if that puts me in a position of ignorance here, so be it.
At three or four bucks a pop, I’ve got more important things to spend my money on.
I am going to say this. Spider-man’s reveal was a good thing. I agree with Peter on this… it’s something that gets the world talking about comic books again (and not just the superhero, movie, video games, etc…) is a good thing. Hopefully it results in sales a little, but maybe I’m being a little too hopeful.
Buuuuuuttttt…. the fact that the reveal is in issue 2, (and side note… JMS really blew the whole story by the ASM story the previous week.) This just reinforced my views that alot of people are going to die. Storm and Black Panather getting married, Spider-man reveal, Hulk becoming Galdiator, it all feels like one big misdirection. I almost think that MJ will die in the end. Not necessarly Aunt May, but my money is on MJ dieing.
Personally, it’s starting to feel a lot like Crisis back in the eighties. I’m starting to like it, even though I really dissapprove of Tony Stark’s protrayl lately. That’s what everyone should be up in arms about. Nothing makes sense with that character.
Side-side-note: Peter is writing Spider-man adventures? Finally can give my kids a marvel comic to read now! Horray! But where’s my Hulk Adventures? My kids really like the Hulk.
Turning Superman into an electric smurf got people talking about comics. Anyone still think that was a good thing?
I’m most interested in seeing how supporting characters handle the news.
Bring Back Deb Whitman!
Well, I was wondering how long it would take before Civil War would drag PAD’s F’N Spider-Man into the mess, and now I’ve got my answer.
Your writing on this book, PAD, is great as usual, but it’s frustrating when the events of the rest of the MU dictate some of the stories you have to write (The Other leading to the new suit, now this). Blah.
Firstly, I don’t like it. Part of being a super-hero is having the secret identity. Just look at the first ten minutes of “The Incredibles” That explains it all….
This may have already been said… but it seems the mainstream Marvel Universe is catching up with the Ultimate Universe. In there, everyone and their uncle knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man…
Oh, I missed PAD’s comment saying he’s happy with the decision, which is cool by me. I’d just rather see PAD write Spidey rather than PAD write Spidey in response to how everybody else is changing Spidey. 🙂
What about Speedball? You know they found him alive and well, right?
Yes, that’s the point.
That said, I think this can go several ways. And I frankly don’t care if they undo it or not, as long as good stories are told along the way.
That’s what it comes down to…the story. Trust the story, not the hype.
Honestly, the changes in Spidey’s powers, manifestations, the recent “death”, and the shniy new armor bugged me as a reader a lot more than the reveal.
> … his big reason for having a secret identity has been to protect his family. Now what?
Now they are living in the specially-designed HQ of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. If the Avengers, including the Sentry and let’s not forget Jarvis, can’t keep them safe, then the Gods had it in for them and they were dead anyway.
Kinda rough not being able to go down the street for a pizza, though.
First, a disclaimer: Haven’t read CW yet; actually several weeks behind in my comic reading. If my questions are already answered in the printed media, feel free to ignore.
Ok.
(1) Isn’t the whole “superhero registration act” meant to register heroes with the government? Plenty of people work for the government without going public. Is revealing their identities truly part of this law??
(2) I seem to recall the Avengers having a government liason (but perhaps not in the latest run; which I’m skipping due to $$-reasons), so don’t Avengers members already have ties to the government?
(3) Heroes who don’t register are being…what? Arrested? Imprisoned?? Yeah, that’s gonna work well on Ghost Rider (for instance).
(4) The Reveal – – so, is Spidey going maskless from now on? I mean, that was the whole reason for the mask, right?? (Yeah, sure, you could make arguments that the mask acts as a filter against gas attacks and smoke and what have you – – and I suppose the lens could protect against instense light/strobe effects…)
Finally, I’ll refrain from mentioning the “marriage breakup” because this sounds more like rumor (to me). I mean, splitting Peter and MJ so he can, what, hang around with other girls?? I guess they want Spider-Playboy, not Spider-MAN…
Joe Quesada has made enough noise about breaking up the marriage that such was the very first thing I thought of as the fallout of this revelation, that Joe was foreshadowing a big upheaval in Peter’s life.
Let’s see: two kidnappings and one near-death by being thrown off a bridge. That’s what I predict for MJ in the next year, and then she’ll file for divorce for her own protection.
No, wait: she’s going to file for anullment. That way, the marriage never actually existed and Joe Q. doesn’t have to worry about stories about “divorced Peter”, he can have just stories about “unmarried Peter”.
You just watch…
1Hey everyone,
This may have been said in a previous post here but I normally post on the Hulk board, so if I step on anyones toes please forgive me.
Over the last several months, I’ve been reading about how Civil War was coming to the Marvel Universe. At first, it seemed like the story had some serious potential however now that we are 2 issues into the story with numerous crossovers, all I can say is what the hëll were they thinking? I know, I might be in the minority here, but I think this could go down as a massive blunder by Marvel. Granted it will be a huge success and sell millions of comics but the overall premise of the story is weak. Let’s take the concept from the movie “The Incredibles” and change it just a tad and bang we have Civil War.
How many Marvel characters are already known by the public and by Shield already? Another annoying little tid-bit is the treatment of Captain America! This is a hero that could get any Marvel character to push stronger and fight harder no matter what the odds. A character that represents the American public, an icon of good for all heroes and civilians to look up too. Fast forward, he’s a criminal on the run and Iron Man is the poster boy for Superhero Registration.
Iron Man (Tony Stark) may been the funding machine that kept the Avengers going all of those years but Captain America was the one responible for holding the spirt of the team together. To think that anyone hero would side with Stark over Captain America is completely absurd.
I’ll wrap this up because I could go on and on. Last point, Reed Richards, arguably the worlds smartest scientist, is overcome with excitement over the Superhero Registration Act, on par with finding his first black hole, please! This whole dialoge should have found the black hole of a garbage can. Wasn’t it just a couple issues back that the governemnt was trying to take away their son and Reed and Sue had to stand on a soapbox to prove that their son was safer with them and not in foster care? Now all of the sudden, having everyone hero reveal their identity to the government is the safest way to protect the people.
PAD I’d love to hear what you all think. If you agree or disagree? Please point out any flaws that you might see with Civil War as well?
Thanks
Harold Kayser
OK, I thought it would be fun to try and come up with story opportunities that this change might allow for. The detriments are obvious, but they always are at first. The fans originally hated it when Gwen Stacy died, too. It was the stories that came after that made fans love that story.
1) Celebrity Status. Peter’s life becomes more like Brad Pitt. Well, it’s Peter, so more like Sean Penn. Tabloid rumors are quite the same as the nice, direct libel the Daily Bugle has provided over the yeras.
2) More trust from the citizens of the Marvel Universe. If Spidey is talking someone out of suicide, he can take his mask off and be more personal. If the police know something, he doesn’t have to hope that one cop is reasonable, he can just walk in the station and chat.
3) Family members lives change. Does Mary Jane get jealous because people keep asking her about her famous husband? Does Aunt May get mobbed at the grocery store?
4) Old characters become new again. Peter dated a *lot* of women before MJ. Not just the ones everyone knows like Betty Brant, but minor characters like Deborah Whitman. Is Deborah going to have a nervous breakdown when she finds out? What about his old neighbors Bambi, Candi, and Randi? Is one of them going to show up with an alleged Spider-Baby? That was years ago and memories get hazy, if one of them says “you got drunk at that party,” will even Peter be sure that nothing happened?
If any of these people make headlines, will villains go after them, too?
5) Job impact. I liked the teaching career, but would something like that ever be possible again? Maybe it would, just not at a place with security as bad as the high school. On the other hand, maybe Mr. Parker can make more changes at a school with a little extra respect.
That’s all I can think of at the moment.
“Tabloid rumors are quite the same”
That should read “Tabloid rumors are *not* quite the same”
I hate not being able to edit old posts.
“(1) Isn’t the whole “superhero registration act” meant to register heroes with the government? Plenty of people work for the government without going public. Is revealing their identities truly part of this law??”
Yes, they are required to register with the government, but they are not required to go public. Spidey did that as a sign of good faith thing after encouragement from Iron-Man.
Some of the heroes are concerned that if the gov has the info, some super villain will get a hold on it sooner or later.
“(2) I seem to recall the Avengers having a government liason (but perhaps not in the latest run; which I’m skipping due to $$-reasons), so don’t Avengers members already have ties to the government?”
They had a government liaison, but he didn’t know their secret identities. So the government liaison had ties to the Avengers organisation, but not significant ties to the individual members.
“(3) Heroes who don’t register are being…what? Arrested? Imprisoned?? Yeah, that’s gonna work well on Ghost Rider (for instance).”
Arrested, yes. I don’t think Ghost Rider was a terribly legal guy to begin with.
“(4) The Reveal – – so, is Spidey going maskless from now on? I mean, that was the whole reason for the mask, right?? (Yeah, sure, you could make arguments that the mask acts as a filter against gas attacks and smoke and what have you – – and I suppose the lens could protect against instense light/strobe effects…)”
Spidey’s new costume will be a t-shirt and jeans. 🙂
The mask is just part of the costume. There might be some issues where a villain jumps out and Peter doesn’t bother changing clothes before defending himself, but in general the mask is just part of his uniform.
“Finally, I’ll refrain from mentioning the “marriage breakup” because this sounds more like rumor (to me).”
Good call, it is just rumor at this point. J.Q. said that there was something in the 40 year history of Spidey that he didn’t like, and people went nuts. J.Q then said that divorce and erasing the last 20 years would be even worse, and people have ignored that. Go figure.
You all realize this is just one big setup for the return of Ben Riley as the real Spider-Man, and not the clone impostor, Peter Parker, right?
F N A.
I’m not a big Spider-Man fan (reading FN Spidey because of you and liked JMS’ on “The Other” to keep reading Amazing), but I absolutely HATE the fact that he revealed. Personally, I was looking forward to a “Screw you all and the horses in upon which you rode!” from Spidey.
They are going to have a Guantanomo Bay type thing for those who disagree I think
The same thing with the Mister Fantastic thing. They’ve clearly, and repeatedly spelled out why he feels the way he does, in multiple books, not the least of which is the Illuminate Special, as well as Civil War #1.
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I am not sure the issue is whether they spell out why so and so supports or doesn’t support the law. These characters are written-they can say anything anyone wants them too. The real question is is it in character? I thought few of the heroes were written well in illiminati (including Doc Strange and Mr. Fantastic) and few now. I think Cap is being written right, but many are not, including Spider-man. The whole thing is just a mess.
“But then one day on the byrneboard, JB says “That’s not what happened he slipped her a mickey.” and then him and others say he slipped something into her drink to make her forget.”
He did give her a “super kiss” (he also did it in Superman IV). I think the whole “slipped her a mickey” (what, a super Kryptonian mickey that erases memories?) is Byrne’s fanboyish way of denying that the Superman in the movies has (gasp!) superpowers that he doesn’t have in the comic book (like the finger tractor beam thing). Because, you know, movies have to be EXACTLY THE SAME as the comics.
This brings me to my other point, which is that a common argument among people who are against Spider-Man revealing his identity is that it’s “not how it’s been for the last 40 years.” My question is this: do you really want comics to stay exactly the same, forever? If so, why on earth do you read them?
People even complain that he’s married to a model and has no money problems anymore, simply because they can’t “relate” to him anymore. But why would people want to read about Peter worrying about paying the rent for the rest of their lives? Sounds like some sort of Dante-esque hëll to me. I prefer my characters to actually, you know, grow up. If you can only relate to Peter Parker when he was a pathetic loser, um… that’s really not a good thing, so you might want to reevaluate your own life, rather than his.
My point is that change is good. It keeps things interesting. And since I consider Spider-Man to be one of the least interesting Marvel characters, any change to his status quo has to be a good thing.
‘The mask is just part of the costume. There might be some issues where a villain jumps out and Peter doesn’t bother changing clothes before defending himself, but in general the mask is just part of his uniform.’
I’m sorry Jason, but I have to take major exception here. If you go all the way back to Amazing Fantasy #15, the final page has a feature on Spidey’s costume and mask. In The Secret of Spider-Man’s Mask, one of the notes indicated, ‘The white areas in Spidey’s eye cut-outs on his mask are really clever plastic lenses of the two-way mirror type! He can see out very clearly, but one can see in! Therefore he can never be recognized by the color of his eyes!’
And in the section on Spidey’s Costume, it notes that ‘Spider-Man’s colorful head-mask conceals his features and also effectively muffles his voice, making it unrecognizable!’
The above suggests to me that as far back as Spider-Man’s very first appearance, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko had already taken into account how important his secret identity was.
Hmm, further research reveals that the “slipped her a mickey” thing was mentioned on the DVD audio commentary.
It’s gotta be a joke.
Could super heroes afford to live the celebrity life style?
“I’m sorry Jason, but I have to take major exception here”
When I said that the mask was “just” a part of the costume, I misspoke (mistyped?). I didn’t mean to say that it was a frill and nothing more. I meant to say that it was an integral part of his costume. Removing the mask would be like a police officer wearing a blue jeans instead of the black slacks. It’s part of the uniform, and it won’t go away.