Amazing Spider-Man #546 - 558 "Brand New Day" Talkback (Spoilers) [Archive]

James Harvey

01-09-2008, 06:45 AM

It's a Brand New Day . . .

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #546

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/1207/asm546_sm.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/1207/asm546.jpg) http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.317664001199725670image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.056720001199725640image_big.jpg)

WRITER: Dan Slott
PENCILS: Steve McNiven

THE STORY: This is it, Arachnophiles!!!! Prepare for what promises to be the most pulse-pounding piece of four color fiction to be delivered unto the Mighty Marvel Minions in decades! You asked for more Spidey! You demanded it! And, by Buckley, you're gonna get it! After the devastatingly heartwarming events of ONE MORE DAY, Peter Parker puts the past behind him and sets forth on a BRAND NEW DAY! Starting with Amazing Spider-Man #546, you now have THREE times the action! THREE times the villains! THREE times the danger! Amazing Spider-Man – Now 3 times every month! Bank on it, buck-o! And if that weren't enough: Amazing Spider-Man #546 goes double-sized to bring you back-up features that introduce you to the new players in the lives of Peter and his family!

Comments?

kid rabbit

01-09-2008, 05:29 PM

from what I read on other web sites the status quo looks like spider man 2 where Harry Osborn is obess with killing spider man and still being Peter's best friend ,living in a rathole apartment and pining over Mary Jane. They could've done worst so I'll give it a chance

Miyamoto Musashi

01-09-2008, 05:36 PM

It's a Brand New Day . . .
After the devastatingly heartwarming events of ONE MORE DAY Comments?
Heart breaking is more like it
The artists you mentioned isn't John Romita jr, what happened to him?

Joe Wagner

01-09-2008, 10:15 PM

Wolf Boy2

01-10-2008, 05:46 AM

Or if they bring back Ben Reilly as the one, true Spider-Man - that I would buy....
I NEVER thought I would see that statement in print. EVER.:anime:

I got it - it was a SKRULL that made the deal. Hell, MJ was a Skrull too. Neither Peter nor MJ were actually involved and when Jack Kirby **cough**, I mean, God, finds out he will set eveything right.

There. Now we know a way for Joey Q to undo this story. No, wait. Skrulls actually make sense (too much sense for a Joey Q story). Dang, it'll never happen.

Miyamoto Musashi

01-10-2008, 07:09 AM

I must have missed the heartwarming momment in Brand New Day....unless they're talking about the part where they attempted to rip out the core essence of Spider-Man and promptly throw it into hellfire.....

Some of the artwork that I've seen previewed is intriguing but it's a shame to see Peter reduced to 1970's Peter Parker. I'm not entirely convinced that I like the artwork as a whole though but it seems to work. Then again, I have no intention of picking up this issue after the recent series of events. That is, unless they reveal that Peter was secretly replaced by Blackheart and the real Spider-Man never made the stupid deal in the first place. Or if they bring back Ben Reilly as the one, true Spider-Man - that I would buy....

-Joe!
Pfffft
Heartbreaking and not warming.
They'll make Spidey wake up to find he's still married and the whole civil war was just a nightmare, he is an avenger but not known by other members his true identity and he lives with his aubt in her home.
Toomes comitted suicide because he feels guilty after years of remorse for the death of the one he knew as his only friend; Nathan Lubensky

This is what I'll do if I was in Marvel

rggkjg1

01-10-2008, 04:16 PM

well, i liked this issue and i'm gonna stick with this "new" spider-man until it gets revamped/rebooted back to the way things were.

Russkafin

01-11-2008, 09:07 AM

I went to the comic book store yesterday with my buddy Mike. He picked up the last part of "One More Day" and the first part of "Brand New Day." He doesn't read internet spoilers at all so he did not know what to expect.

An hour or so later I got this picture sent to my cell phone.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v409/Russkafin/brandnew.jpg

.....There was a caption as well, but, it's not suitable for print here.

WrenchNinja

01-11-2008, 09:51 AM

I thought it was awful. Horrendous. It's like Peter reverted all the way back to huge levels of jackassery. I don't see how anyone was able to enjoy the issue. I mean seriously, if you wanted to have younger Peter, why not just read USM? At least he's likable there. All of that character development went down the drain. Just like that.

Thanks Quesada, you're a stand up guy.:shrug:

Spider-Man

01-11-2008, 01:51 PM

Against all my instincts, I picked up the first issue of Brand New Day. I did it solely on the fact that I loved Dan Slott's now invalid Spider-Man/Human Torch: I'm With Stupid mini-series and I really like McNiven's art. And overall the issue was incredibly mediocre. I was expecting something with more power behind it but it just ended up coming across as just a rather average affair. This issue really needed to be something that blew every away in order to at least justify One More Day. This doesn't. The art is beautiful but the story itself is average at best. In fact it's probably some of the weakest I've read of Slott's work. The back up stories aren't all that great either, with the one focused on Aunt May being the worst. I'm not sure if I'll be reading the next issue next week since it took alot more me to just get pick up this issue with the new status quo.

Also, on Newsarama they have an article (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=142819) where they talk to retailers about the sales of this issue and it's looks like it is not going to be a huge hit.

Shantosh9500

01-14-2008, 09:56 AM

Well so far i tried to enjoyed this the best way i can which is forgetting everything about Spidey's long history but the sad truth is for me its impossible and i find it very hard to enjoy this. McNiven's art is probably the best thing about this book but Slott's writing isn't exactly what i hoped for. The story is just average for me not the kind that i would expect from Dan Slott.

James Harvey

01-16-2008, 07:00 AM

Brand New Day continues!

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #547

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/1207/asm547_sm.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/1207/asm547.jpg)

WRITER: Dan Slott
PENCILS: Steve McNiven

THE STORY: AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! In this premiere month, Spidey's new status quo gets a swift punch in the gut as Dan Slott and super-star artist Steve McNiven hit the ground running with new villains, new friends, and some familiar faces that promise to make Peter's life messier than ever before. This is where it's all happening. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: Same Old Power. Same Old Responsibility. Brand New Day.

Comments?

Xurk

01-16-2008, 03:17 PM

This is a response to #546, which I just read yesterday - that's the trouble with this book coming out almost every week now, I'm going to be continually behind in the talkbacks ;)

The Good:

The best thing about this issue is definitely the art. Steve McNiven is utterly amazing with the work he turned in here! Though I suppose the inkers and colourists well deserve some of the credit for that. But still, from the headshots to the splash pages to the scenery to the look for Mister Negative, this issue was a treat to look at!

The supporting cast. Seeing all those familiar faces, with some new ones thrown in, this feels more classic than Spider-Man has been in years. But they manage to not make it feel too much "been there, done that" by trying out some other things, such as Peter finally confronting JJJ on the issue of how much he has to thank to Peter, followed by JJJ getting so angry he has a heart-attack very strange teaser picture from the next issue featuring Peter and JJJ now].

The Harry Osborn back-up; it wasn't anything stellar, but it set an interesting tone for the character and I'm curious to see where this goes.

Oh yeah, there was a spider tracer! And thought balloons!

The Bad:

The obviousness of some of the newly-introduced story elements:
- Carlie is going to be the main love interest for Peter;
- Peter not being Spider-Man anymore, which is going to last two issues if lucky - and it's the exact same thing done with the "last" reboot, but granted, this time it's because he's an unregistered superhero;
- Jackpot is so going to end up being MJ.
- Peter saying: "Please, I'm too young to get married" ... I think they meanto to draw JQ here, but accidentally drew Peter instead :p

Although I am interested in the Jackpot character, the back-up was annoying, as it's being laid on way too thick that they want this character to become really popular, being thrown in our face in a back-up instead of letting us get to know her in the main story. I liked the art by Greg Land though.
Don't get me started on the Aunt May back-up... I get the idea, but it is executed in a far too "squeaky clean" '80s anti-drugs comic book manner [not that I have anything against those books in particular, but nowadays it just seems like a cheesy concept]. At least it doesn't appear to be a throw-away story, as the Freak character is supposed to be used in the main story at some point, IIRC.

One thing I think I'm onto, which I'll address in a spoiler tag:
Harry Osborn = Mephisto? It would make sense as Harry is supposed to be dead and all, and in this issue alone I picked up a few hints, like: "Harry Osborn, speak of the devil."

Then again, it would seem rather strange for Mephisto to be masquerading around as Harry Osborn almost all the time, surely he would have better more evil things to do?
In conclusion, this issue was hit and miss, and although I think Dan Slott is doing the best he can with the concept he was given, I agree that it seems a bit under his regular Spidey par. I'm still on board though [wonder what could ever push me to stray ;)], here's hoping #547 has enough good things to cancel out the negative things I've listed so far!

Miyamoto Musashi

01-18-2008, 10:24 AM

Who are the three stooges on the cover fighting with spiderman?

What? Harry Osbourne? Can't be

Spiderman should've stayed in his retirement as a super hero, or at least renew his retirement before the twins insanity breaks loose

kid rabbit

01-18-2008, 09:24 PM

I've been saying this on other post the status quos the same as he movies and I still stand by my thoiry that spider man and MJ's daughter is destined to kill mephiso

rggkjg1

01-19-2008, 01:41 AM

i'm really digging the weekly format. i don't know if i'd be onboard for this whole thing if it wasn't. when all this is done and over with, it will at least have been a real quick ride. i'm keeping my fingers crossed for no delays (another reason why i'm reading, just to see if they can keep it on time).

wonderfly

01-19-2008, 11:26 AM

Paul O'Brien of the X-Axis website has some interesting observations on "Brand New Day", (http://www.thexaxis.com/misc/amazing546.htm) (many of which I actually agree with). Still, I don't think I enjoyed the first issue as much as he did, (going by his review). I'm going to give this a few issues for the new status quo to sink in, it may just take some getting used to...

Fanboy Dave

01-21-2008, 01:47 AM

So far the story is nothing great,but I will admit that I enjoy the return of the wisecracking Spidey. After who knows how many issues of cliche angst and dark "i'm gonna kill you this time" attitude it's nice to get a quip once in a while.

I will never love the fact of how we got here,but I'm willing to give it a shot if they make strides in the overall story.

Miyamoto Musashi

01-21-2008, 02:21 AM

Dark side of the spider? It only started after he became publicly known as Peter parker, right?

Shantosh9500

01-21-2008, 06:25 AM

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=143482

First look of the Marc Guggenheim/Salvador Larroca BND issues. Larroca's artwork looks pretty good here. Let's hope that the writing is just as good. Plus a first look at the David Finch Variant which looks terrible by the way (Jackpot looks like a giant compared to Spidey)

spidl

01-22-2008, 10:20 AM

Since I did not read OMD it really didn't taint my perception of BND. I read the two issues in back to back sessions. I enjoyed Slott's take on the character. You did not need OMD or a divorce to tell this kind of story, but this story does go back to an old school fun of Spider-man. I only ordered the first three issues, but I am tempted to pick up this book in the trades.

James Harvey

01-23-2008, 06:55 AM

The first month of "Brand New Day" wraps up!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #548

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.153047001200930013image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.205512001200929947image_big.jpg)

WRITER: Dan Slott
PENCILS: Steve McNiven

THE STORY: Dan Slott and Steve McNiven wrap up the first amazing month of Brand New Day with a deadly conflict and surprise revelation that promises to make Spider-Man's life much more difficult in the coming months. Listen up Spider-philes, three times a month won't be nearly enough for you!

Comments?

Miyamoto Musashi

01-23-2008, 11:06 AM

I hope this makes out for the gigantic error made in one more day, I finally laid my hands on the whole story of "One More Day" and I marked it as trash in every way I can.

wonderfly

01-28-2008, 10:59 PM

After having finished up the first 3 issues of "Brand New Day", I must say I find myself reevaluating my earlier comments on the story. (http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=2758261&postcount=7)
This turned out to be a great, fun story after all! The initial start of the story was what left me shaking my head in uncertainty:

Issue #546 starts out with Spider-Man living a slacker lifestyle, seemingly mooching off of his Aunt May and going out partying with Harry. I feared that they were turning "Loveable Loser" Parker into "Pathetic Loser" Parker. But the whole "living with Aunt May" is a temporary measure, it appears.

Beyond that Issues #547 and 548 were just plain fun!!! Spider-Man making quips and talking more than should be realistically possible inbetween punches!!! Supervillians that ramble on about evil plans, and utter such phrases as "You've interfered with me for the last time, wall-crawler!!!" Spider-Man going out of his way to save innocents, (and saving villians while he's at it)! Good Lord, this was refreshing!!!

Unfortunately, we have yet to see how well the other writers mirror the style of storyline that Dan Slott is writing...I enjoy Guggenheim's stories, but the other two writers are unknowns to me. So yeah, I'm onboard. It may be a good time to be a Spider-Man fan after all...

Shantosh9500

02-03-2008, 10:32 AM

Phil Jimenez's 2nd Spidey Cover - Was it meant to look like that?

Now i know that some of us have mixed feelings about Phil Jimenez's 2nd Spidey cover that looks like Spidey just ran into a wall but is it supposed to look like that because i stretch that picture abit and it dosen't look as bad as before.

Before:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/Shantosh9500/asmpos.jpg[/URL]

After:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/Shantosh9500/JimenezSpider-Man.jpg[URL="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/Shantosh9500/JimenezSpider-Man.jpg"] (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/Shantosh9500/asmpos.jpg)

James Harvey

02-06-2008, 06:35 AM

Brand New Day Continues!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #549

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0108/asm54_SM.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0108/asm54.jpg) http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.146806001202139822image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.145572001202139785image_big.jpg)

WRITER: Marc Guggenheim
PENCILS: Salvador Larroca

THE STORY: Saddle-up Spider–fans as the thrillingly thrice-monthly adventures continue! In this issue, meet the villain from the fifth Spider-Man movie today! Marc Guggenheim and Salvador Larroca bring you the next great Spidey Villain... MENACE! But that's not all! The mysterious JACKPOT makes her "Brand New Day-Debut!” Plus the mystery of the Spider-Tracer Killer deepens. Not nearly 'Nuff said!

Comments?

Miyamoto Musashi

02-06-2008, 06:40 AM

Is this story line really going to be a twelve parter?

MajorTom

02-08-2008, 05:01 AM

Is this story line really going to be a twelve parter?
Not really. Each of the four new creative teams will have a three issue storyarc. After the fourth month, it should just be "The Amazing Spider-Man" without the "Brand New Day" banner over it.
Anyway, despite how horrible OMD was, I've been digging BND so far. Dan Slott's arc was very entertaining, and this issue gives me hope that Guggenheim will do the same. On a side note, it's way too obvious that Jackpot is MJ.

W.C.Reaf

02-09-2008, 10:55 AM

On a side note, it's way too obvious that Jackpot is MJ.

Which is the reason why I think this is just a red herring. It's way to obvious that it's MJ but all we no about her is that she's called Jackpot, has red hair, and is a model. They're teasing us with something that seems blatantly obvious, which seems suspicious to me.

Ed Liu

02-09-2008, 11:20 AM

Which is the reason why I think this is just a red herring. It's way to obvious that it's MJ but all we no about her is that she's called Jackpot, has red hair, and is a model. They're teasing us with something that seems blatantly obvious, which seems suspicious to me.

I like to call that "fauxshadowing," which is when a good writer spends so much time making sure that you think something that you become sure that's NOT what's going to happen. Happened a few times in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, JLU, and the new Battlestar Galactica.

Jackpot does seem like a character we are clearly meant to think is MJ, but Dan Slott is usually a lot less sledgehammer-obvious than that, which is why I didn't think it was really MJ either.

-- Ed

Miyamoto Musashi

02-09-2008, 12:51 PM

Jackpot?
It seems like they gave her that name because of her famous first line after giving her a face:
Face it tiger, you just hit the "Jackpot"

James Harvey

02-13-2008, 06:40 AM

Miyamoto Musashi

02-13-2008, 09:28 AM

Brand New Day Continues!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #550

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0108/ASM550_SM.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0108/asm550.jpg)

WRITER: Marc Guggenheim
PENCILS: Salvador Larroca

THE STORY: Jackpot! Spidey vs. the Police! Menace! Triumphs, twists, turns and tragedy pack these two issues by Marc Guggenheim and Salvador Larrocca. And would you believe...Spider-Man sued? (Hey, that's what we get for having a former lawyer write these things...)

Comments?
It's weird to see Mary Jane catches her husband after years of trust and supporting. Their separation was and still is a major shock for Spidery fans, so what will people especially fans whoe loved them married and MJ a normal human not with super powers will react to this story? To this event to be precise?
The one in the circle looks like a mix between Green Goblin and the Penguin.

W.C.Reaf

02-15-2008, 09:38 AM

The issue was good. I could've used more Menace because he (or as I've seen suggested on other boards she??) didn't come off that well.

I liked the Jackpot and Spidey interaction and the revealing of their faux names. The whole "Jackpot trying to catch Spidey" thing was probably just an act on her part so she looks like she's doing her job, because later on she's on to bothered.

It's weird to see Mary Jane catches her husband after years of trust and supporting. Their separation was and still is a major shock for Spidery fans, so what will people especially fans whoe loved them married and MJ a normal human not with super powers will react to this story? To this event to be precise?

Let state again that it hasn't been confirmed that MJ is Jackpot so there's no point in saying stuff like that except to get fans riled up over what could be nothing.

Miyamoto Musashi

02-15-2008, 10:36 AM

A red head, a model:
http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/images/spiderman_amazing/546-c.jpg
When will we get to see her origin anyway?

W.C.Reaf

02-15-2008, 12:29 PM

Next issue I think.

A red head, a model

As mentioned in a previous post: "fauxshadowing"

Spider-Man

02-20-2008, 01:36 PM

Don't forget! A new issue of Amazing Spider-Man hits this week!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #551

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0208/ASM551_SM.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0208/ASM551.jpg)

WRITER: Marc Guggenheim
PENCILS: Salvador Larroca

THE STORY: Jackpot! Spidey vs. the Police! Menace! Triumphs, twists, turns and tragedy pack these two issues by Marc Guggenheim and Salvador Larrocca. And would you believe...Spider-Man sued? (Hey, that's what we get for having a former lawyer write these things...)

Thoughts or comments?

W.C.Reaf

02-20-2008, 04:58 PM

(That would be #551 not #550 BTW)

I really liked it. Sure there were a few dud bits here and there, but otherwise pretty damn good.
The bad:

How many times has he run out of webbing now since he got his webshooters back? I know they want to show that it wasn't for nothing but it didn't happen that regularly and didn't he used have a belt with extra web cartages?

When could Spidey's Spider Sense detect lies? I don't remember him ever doing that at all.

Menace was terribly underused as a villain and unless he (or she?) is fleshed out more in his next story arc then it's a waste of a villain.

The Good:

Jackpot worked out pretty well. We still don't know it she's MJ or not (I'm still leaning towards not) and for now that's for the best. She seems to have a good moral centre as she knows hunting Spidey instead of going after Menace is wrong. I also think this "Sara" person knows who Jackpot really is. At least they implied that.

The tragedy, oh the tragedy. Great characterisation for Jackpot with the death being partially her fault. Although it didn't look like Spidey considered it his entire fault like he normally would. It was good; it was shocking, and pretty well written.

I do have to say that Menace seemed as shocked by her death as Spidey. So maybe he's up to something but isn't a killer.

Overall I think this runs going good. Not perfect, but still good.

Miyamoto Musashi

02-21-2008, 12:10 AM

Are you serious? He didn't repeat his boring old record? Way to go Marc Guggenheim for this point

Shantosh9500

02-23-2008, 09:11 AM

Pretty much enjoyed Guggenheim's run though i find Menace a pretty lousy villain. Next Up: Bob Gale and Phil Jimenez!!!

W.C.Reaf

02-23-2008, 04:39 PM

Well these arcs are only three issues long and there's only so much that can fit into three issues before moving on. I get the feeling that any development with Menace will be in his next appearance. Like all the other Goblins.

Any guesses as to who this Menace is? It's got to be someone close to the election.

Spider-Man

02-25-2008, 09:49 AM

So far this storyline isn't as good as Dan Slott's run but it's okay. The book is definately fun again but I'm not sure how long I'll be staying on. With the rotating creative team and the arcs that seem mostly self-contained (and if you miss an issue you can get caught up easily) it is really easy to just drop the series except for the issues you want and that is what it seems like I might do. I'm giving the next creative team a shot and maybe the one after before I hang up my hat on this comic as a regular on my pull list. It's a good comic but it's just not blowing me away.

wonderfly

02-25-2008, 04:32 PM

Just finished the latest issue, and yeah, Guggenheim's arc wasn't as good as Slott's. I think the blame partially goes to Larroca, who is a fantastic artist, but I'm not sure the Spidey corner of the Marvel universe is the best place for him. He needs to stick to the X-Men books, I believe.

Menace is still a mystery, and it's also not a very good name for a villain - but the press named him, so maybe he'll name himself later on...but it's no fun if a creature racing around on a glider isn't calling himself the "Something" Goblin.

The best part of this story arc was the relationship development between Jackpot and Spider-Man. Spidey was pretty dense for believing that Jackpot had given him her real name, but other than that, it was interesting seeing the two of them in action together!

It's a shame that Jackpot probably won't be held accountable for her role, (however accidental) in that lady's death.This is exactly what the registration act was supposed to prevent, and yet Spider-Man, (an unregistered hero) saw the death coming, and tried to prevent it, not Jackpot.

I'm also unclear about Jackpot's part in the Initiative: Supposedly every state has it's own superhero police force now, so is Jackpot a New York State superhero? Because I kinda thought that's what the "Mighty Avengers" were all about. But now I suspect the Mighty Avengers are a tier above the regular "50 state initiative" heroes. If Jackpot's not a "New York State" Initiative hero, maybe she's a hero specifically sanctioned for patrolling New York City, (which does have greater superpowered activity than any other spot on Earth)?

And what's up with that "Blue Shield" fellow? They said something about him being responsible for apprehending unregistered heroes, but I thought that was the "Thunderbolts" department? Maybe he's like Jackpot, a hero specifically sanctioned by the Initiative for activity in New York City?!?

Miyamoto Musashi

02-27-2008, 02:21 AM

Sarah Ehret is the name of JackPot alter ego.

Hauxshadowing huh? They really got us cornered this time.

W.C.Reaf

02-27-2008, 02:37 AM

Sarah Ehret is the name of JackPot alter ego.

Hauxshadowing huh? They really got us cornered this time.

Nope. It's a bit more complicated than that. It's addressed in #551 a little bit.

Miyamoto Musashi

02-27-2008, 12:30 PM

Nope. It's a bit more complicated than that. It's addressed in #551 a little bit.
I don't know what you mean.
I meant by my words they got us cornered when they made us thing MJ became a female superhero

W.C.Reaf

02-27-2008, 07:37 PM

It's not proven either way if she is or she isn't. In #551 we see she gave a false name to Spidey.

James Harvey

03-05-2008, 06:55 AM

A new month of "Brand New Day" begins!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #552

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.907145001197921773image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0308/ASM552.jpg)

WRITER: Bob Gale
PENCILS: Phil Jimenez

THE STORY: Brand New Day continues with two new web-slingin’ creators: Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bob Gale and artist extraordinaire Phil Jimenez! What starts as a petty theft from a local Soup Kitchen turns into a chase that results in the birth of a brand-freaking-new Spidey villain – and we mean “Freak” literally! Plus: more JJJ! More Daily Bugle – oops, we mean DB! Repercussions from the actions of new villain, Menace! Curt Connors! And – what you’ve really been waiting for, true believer – Peter Parker does his own laundry! Will those stains come out? And what ARE those stains anyway? Find out!

Comments?

Miyamoto Musashi

03-05-2008, 10:29 AM

Marvel now cares so much to get big league writers working in their stories, not just people who are originally devoted to comics.

W.C.Reaf

03-05-2008, 01:23 PM

Marvel now cares so much to get big league writers working in their stories, not just people who are originally devoted to comics.

?

What do you mean by "originally devoted to comics"?

Are you talking about Marvel as a whole or just the Spidey titles?

Peter Paltridge

03-05-2008, 01:50 PM

Marvel now cares so much to get big league writers working in their stories, not just people who are originally devoted to comics.
And I just gotta wonder. Did Joe care about pumping good writers into this title BEFORE he messed it up, or is he just now making efforts he never did before so he can point at the book and yell at the fans "SEE?? IT'S BETTER WITHOUT HER!! I TOLD YOU SO!!"

I don't think my cartoon caricature is that far off. It really does feel like it's part of a scheme.

W.C.Reaf

03-05-2008, 07:36 PM

Umm this title is Amazing Spider-Man which J. Michele Straczynski on for seven years. Despite his later work he made a new and interesting Spidey, got MJ and Pete back together, had Aunt May find out about Pete, and had Pete become a school teacher at his old high school. All those were good stories and well written.

Ok before than was a little rough but that was backlog from the bad era of the '90s.

OMD was a bad story, the fault lies with more than Joe Q BTW, and I don't agree with the retcons, but can we stop with the Joe hate already? It's not like the title is still bad or hampered anymore.

Also Joe said he didn't like the marriage but likes Pete/Mj as a couple, just not a married one.

Geez! The way you fanboys go on about it you'd think Joe'd split-up your best friends or something.

I was mad too at OMD, then I got over it and started reading BND.

Quit it already!

Miyamoto Musashi

03-06-2008, 12:48 AM

I was mad too at OMD, then I got over it and started reading BND.

Quit it already!
I only hated OMD & nothing further.
By the way; It's Michael not Michele.

I don't know about other Marvel characters, but seeing how they get big names to work on spidey they really might have had big names for the other characters as well.

StanLee, Gerry Conway & John Marc Dematteis were all devoted to comics, not screenplay writers or novelists(you think a comic company might get J.K.Rowling writing for them?).

Reed Richards

03-06-2008, 04:37 PM

Shantosh9500

03-07-2008, 05:58 AM

StanLee, Gerry Conway & John Marc Dematteis were all devoted to comics, not screenplay writers or novelists(you think a comic company might get J.K.Rowling writing for them?).

If she is interested. Alot of Novelists and screenplay writers who are interested have worked on comics for many years and they did gave us some great stories so it isn't something new. Examples being Neil Gaiman, JMS, Kevin Smith, Orson Scott Card, ect.

Though the story is kinda like a reharsh i think Bob Gale's Peter was spot on especially the hilarious scene with that neighbour and it feels like i was reading Pre-Sins Past JMS stuff. I don't care what other people say i love the art. I think Phil Jimenez did great job as with Andy Lanning and Jeromy Cox. Though i think he need to improve on the Spidey mask because in some scenes it looked awkward

Obelix

03-07-2008, 06:10 AM

i've read until #550 so far and i really like it.
At least i like the stories more than the stuff JMS wrote for years (Sins Past, the Others etc.). One more Day was really bad, but Brand new Day looks really good so far.

Miyamoto Musashi

03-07-2008, 07:10 AM

Where are the two other Spider-Man titles? Where did they go? How come they have no involvement in Brand New day

Spider-Man

03-07-2008, 10:25 AM

As reported several times either here or on other comic news sites, the two other Spider-Man comics have been cancelled and now Amazing Spider-Man is sold three times a month to replace them. It's not really new news as they were both ended in November last year. It was all over the forum.

The new issue was alright but not great and it's really making it easy for me to give up this title. I thought the art was good and even a bit reminiscent of McFarlane's version of Spider-Man. The story didn't really grab me though and the new bad guy "Freak" doesn't seem that impressive yet. The new status quo is sinking in but I think it is going to take a lot of readers a long time to get used to the new status quo for Spider-Man.

Miyamoto Musashi

03-07-2008, 11:02 AM

Do you think JackPot will appear in New Avengers? Will she be with or against registration of Super Humans?

dmxx116

03-09-2008, 06:57 PM

Umm this title is Amazing Spider-Man which J. Michele Straczynski on for seven years. Despite his later work he made a new and interesting Spidey, got MJ and Pete back together, had Aunt May find out about Pete, and had Pete become a school teacher at his old high school. All those were good stories and well written.

OK before than was a little rough but that was backlog from the bad era of the '90s.

OMD was a bad story, the fault lies with more than Joe Q BTW, and I don't agree with the retcons, but can we stop with the Joe hate already? It's not like the title is still bad or hampered anymore.

Also Joe said he didn't like the marriage but likes Pete/Mj as a couple, just not a married one.

Geez! The way you fanboys go on about it you'd think Joe'd split-up your best friends or something.

I was mad too at OMD, then I got over it and started reading BND.

Quit it already! No we will not stop bashing Joe Q. If keep puting out crap for marvel we will continue to bash him.

Wolf Boy2

03-10-2008, 02:14 PM

Also Joe said he didn't like the marriage but likes Pete/Mj as a couple, just not a married one.

Geez! The way you fanboys go on about it you'd think Joe'd split-up your best friends or something.

It's not so much about marriage (for me) as it is about continuity and character. One of the hallmarks of ASM is that the main character develops realistically and matures over time. He was a highschooler in the 60s, college student in the 70s, grad in the 80s and married man in the 90s/2000s. But Joey Q undid the very realism that makes Spidey one of the less-sucking characters in comics. Retcons and reboots are stupid.

Also the character changes were for the worst. A man of almost 30 living with his Aunt? This is not a character I would like, regardless of whether it was Spider-Man. I would feel the same way if I had been reading the preview of a brand new character when I read the BND preview. It's not just "hate" directed towards the new take on Spider-Man, it's hate directed towards a bad story and a lame character. Though the fact that it used to be an extremely awesome character from an extrememly awesome story does add insult to injury.

Giving Pete a secret identity again made me just as angry as undoing the marriage, because as I said before, retcons and reboots are stupid. If they wanted Pete to have a secret identity, they should never have outed him in the first place.

OMD was a bad story, the fault lies with more than Joe Q BTW, and I don't agree with the retcons, but can we stop with the Joe hate already? It's not like the title is still bad or hampered anymore.

If it's following in the continuity of the single worst story mistake in comic history (yes, I truly think it is), than it is still very much hampered. Could a "good" Batman movie have followed in the continuity of "Batman and Robin"? Doubtful. A complete overhaul was needed and the previous franchise was dead.

I was just checking to boards to see feedback on the BND storyline, as I havent read a Spider-title since OMD. Seems like BND has been what I expected it to be, and I hope more people stop reading it.

This is why I like non-DC/Marvel comics like GI Joe or manga. GI Joe continuity goes back to 1982 without retcons or reboots. Dead characters like Doc, Breaker, Flash, Quick Kick and Lady Jaye have all stayed dead. The only "ressurection" has been Serpentor and he was a science-lab clone anyway. Crossovers have also been kept out of GI Joe for the most part, even back when Marvel held the title (except for a couple Transformers crossovers).

W.C.Reaf

03-10-2008, 06:13 PM

If it's following in the continuity of the single worst story mistake in comic history (yes, I truly think it is)

Wow. lol

You haven't been reading comics long have you? Or not many at least.

There have been worse comics and bigger mistakes than OMD. You included the entirety of comic’s history as well, not just Marvel. lol

Seriously though I know you think you're right and all but that doesn't make it true.

Wolf Boy2

03-10-2008, 11:44 PM

Wow. lol

You haven't been reading comics long have you? Or not many at least.

There have been worse comics and bigger mistakes than OMD. You included the entirety of comic’s history as well, not just Marvel. lol

Seriously though I know you think you're right and all but that doesn't make it true.
Well, the Crisis on Infinite Earths is a possible contender for 2nd worst. But over all, this one sticks in my craw the most. Maybe it's not the worst, but it is still tainting an otherwise pure franchise (Clone Saga not withstanding).

But worse than the continuity overhaul is the character overhaul. He's not the same. I finally read some BND this evening and I hated it. Again, not soley because its changes to Spider-Man (though that's a factor) but because the new Peter Parker is a genuinely different character and not in a good way. He is more "interesting", I'll give Joey Q that, but he's no longer the admirable character he once was.

Jacob T. Paschal

03-11-2008, 10:43 AM

It's Peter's experiences that define him, if you keep erasing his past then his future is uncertain, no?

I honestly do not see what's wrong with having a character grow older espicially because younger characters are growing ever so much more tiresom. For once I'd like to see a content Peter Parker who is an adult and a family man.

Captain Highwind

03-11-2008, 01:01 PM

I honestly do not see what's wrong with having a character grow older espicially because younger characters are growing ever so much more tiresom.

But Marvel wants to perpetually beat into everyone's head that they did it first. :p

Jacob T. Paschal

03-11-2008, 08:44 PM

At my age I'm finding myself liking my heroes older, not young and depressing.

Miyamoto Musashi

03-12-2008, 03:13 AM

I still don't get what Mephisto did, It's like he sent Peter to a whole new universe; new villains, new people, new everything in a very odd way

Peter Paltridge

03-12-2008, 04:28 AM

At my age I'm finding myself liking my heroes older, not young and depressing.
Yet, this is the weird thing: he's still the same age.

They've got him doing bumbling, embarrassing rite-of-passage things again like missing appointments and failing to do his own laundry, yet despite this they still have him down officially at the fogey-fossil age of thirtysomething. Why on Earth would they keep that if they want him to appear younger? Why not just MAKE the dude younger--invent some kind of anomaly that sends the entire title back in time? As it stands, it doesn't make sense....I'm assuming they don't want you to think about it.

So why, really? Because sending this title back in time while keeping all other interconnected Marvel Universe titles in the same frame would create a huge mess and continuity-wise, it would make no sense anymore.

BUT didn't erasing his marriage create some continuity errors too? Exactly. They appear to only care about continuity when it doesn't apply to Mary Jane. And there's your further proof right there.

James Harvey

03-12-2008, 06:55 AM

Trouble is brewing for Spidey!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #553

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.739792001197921895image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0308/ASM553.jpg)

WRITER: Bob Gale
PENCILS: Phil Jimenez

THE STORY: Brand New Day continues as Spidey battles the threat of Freak and his personal life falls apart around him.

Comments?

Jacob T. Paschal

03-12-2008, 09:58 AM

Yet, this is the weird thing: he's still the same age.

They've got him doing bumbling, embarrassing rite-of-passage things again like missing appointments and failing to do his own laundry, yet despite this they still have him down officially at the fogey-fossil age of thirtysomething. Why on Earth would they keep that if they want him to appear younger? Why not just MAKE the dude younger--invent some kind of anomaly that sends the entire title back in time? As it stands, it doesn't make sense....I'm assuming they don't want you to think about it.

So why, really? Because sending this title back in time while keeping all other interconnected Marvel Universe titles in the same frame would create a huge mess and continuity-wise, it would make no sense anymore.

BUT didn't erasing his marriage create some continuity errors too? Exactly. They appear to only care about continuity when it doesn't apply to Mary Jane. And there's your further proof right there.

Talk about irresponsible. Nobody is going to drop Spider-Man because he's finally gotten older. If this 616 is the same continuity from the first days then let it stay or move whatever stories you want to do to the Ultimate universe.

W.C.Reaf

03-12-2008, 11:38 AM

I don't know why I bother with you fanboys anymore. *sigh*

Wolf Boy2

03-12-2008, 01:13 PM

As it stands, it doesn't make sense....I'm assuming they don't want you to think about it.
That's exactly right. As Joey Q said, "It's magic, we don't have to explain it."

So why, really? Because sending this title back in time while keeping all other interconnected Marvel Universe titles in the same frame would create a huge mess and continuity-wise, it would make no sense anymore.
Strangely enough, the Ultimate universe managed to pull off having different characters in didn't time frames with Iron Man and the Ultimates. It could've been done here if they had tried hard enough. Since they couldn't undo the unmasking, they could've done another "Untold Tales" series and literally gona back to the 1970s continuity.

BUT didn't erasing his marriage create some continuity errors too? Exactly. They appear to only care about continuity when it doesn't apply to Mary Jane. And there's your further proof right there.
Joey Q really has a grude against MJ. He kept saying over and over in the interviews that he didn't, but it still showed through. Joey Q was against the marriage from the start, complaining that in the 80s Pete and MJ were rushed from not even being a couple to marriage in only 3 issues. It's clear that Joey Q never found a married superhero interesting and has wanted to undo the marriage from the very beginning.

Reg

03-12-2008, 07:36 PM

I've read the first six issues of BND. I didn't think it was terrible. But I was not impressed. Not at all.

I liked the marriage and to see it undone sucked. But I had no idea a ton of other crap was gonna come with the axing of the marriage. Arguably the biggest offender is Peter's regression as a character. As someone that has watched him grow, seeing Peter revert back to what he was in the 60s-70s is downright horrific. He lives with his aunt and he's a loser. That's not relatable that's freaking pathetic.

The stories also feel like rehashes of previously done stories. Bugle being taken over? Check. Harry hates Spidey? Check. Aunt May in the company of super villains and being oblivious to the fact? Check. If you're gonna call your title "Brand New" put something in it that's actually new.

dmxx116

03-13-2008, 05:28 PM

If i was the owner of marvel Joe Q would of been fired years ago.

Jacob T. Paschal

03-13-2008, 05:30 PM

It just occured to me that--while Parker's life was in the pits for a while--the who OMD-BND reboot was a horrible way of trying to get him out, in fact it's more of a cop-out then anything I have ever heard.

Joe Wagner

03-15-2008, 12:12 AM

[/color]
It's not so much about marriage (for me) as it is about continuity and character. One of the hallmarks of ASM is that the main character develops realistically and matures over time. He was a highschooler in the 60s, college student in the 70s, grad in the 80s and married man in the 90s/2000s. But Joey Q undid the very realism that makes Spidey one of the less-sucking characters in comics. Retcons and reboots are stupid.

For me, the scars of OMD are still present and every time a new cover is posted I look at it with disgust and sadness. The Peter Parker currently featured in the mainstream Marvel Universe is not the Peter Parker that I spent my hard earned cash following. As a fan, I know that Peter would never, ever make a deal with the devil - it just doesn't fit, no matter how you try to spin the story. As a result, everything following that single action is now tainted and Marvel has not received a single penny from me for Amazing Spider-Man as a result.

It should be interesting to see what happens with the title when the next Spider-Man movie is ready to be released or Marvel decides it's time for Peter to get married again. I also question the logic of how Marvel pushes a character that holds a central theme of RESPONSIBILITY but glosses over a deal with the Frickin' Devil! At that moment, Spider-Man's credibility died and I can only hope it was a stinking skrull that made the deal.

On a side note, what is up with Jimenez's art? It seems off from his previous work...

-Joe!

wonderfly

03-15-2008, 11:58 PM

And I just gotta wonder. Did Joe care about pumping good writers into this title BEFORE he messed it up, or is he just now making efforts he never did before so he can point at the book and yell at the fans "SEE?? IT'S BETTER WITHOUT HER!! I TOLD YOU SO!!"

I don't think my cartoon caricature is that far off. It really does feel like it's part of a scheme.

Just for the record, all four of the current Amazing Spider-Man writers (Dan Slott, Marc Guggenheim, Bob Gale, and Zeb Wells) were brought on board several months ago (http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Marvel/spider-man.html), before the "One More Day" storyline was finished. Bob Gale isn't on board to "fix" the mistakes of One More Day, he's around to continue the revamp as set forth by Joe Quesada's edict.

So, does anyone have any comments about the actual latest couple of issues? Any comments on Gale's actual issues, or just more random scornful comments about Quesada/Marvel/Spider-Man?

Shantosh9500

03-18-2008, 11:24 AM

Funny thing is that judging from the way Lily is determined to get her father to become Mayor and the fact that she is Harry's girlfriend almost makes me think she is possibly Menace!

Anyways the writing from this issue is alot worse from the previous and its sad that Spidey is afraid about getting shot. HE'S SPIDER-MAN!! He is more agile than Daredevil and not to mention he got Spider-sense to to warn of of Danger and i'm pretty much sick of the whole web shooters not working thing. Ther art is pretty good here and Jimenez's Spidey has somehow improved a little from the previous issue.

James Harvey

03-19-2008, 07:00 AM

Things go from bad to worse . . .

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #554

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.649873001197921958image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0308/ASM554.jpg)

WRITER: Bob Gale
PENCILS: Phil Jimenez

THE STORY: Brand New Day continues as Spidey battles the threat of Freak and his personal life falls apart around him.

Comments?

Doop

03-20-2008, 09:34 AM

I've read up to #553.

It's not god-awful horrible, but most of it could have been told without all of OMD's retconning. At the most, all you had to get rid of was Spidey unmasking (which begs the question, why do it in the first place?).

One More Day would have probably been a lot more popular if JoeQ put all these high-profile artists into a weekly Spidey title without doing something so controversial right before.

Xurk

03-25-2008, 01:00 PM

At the most, all you had to get rid of was Spidey unmasking (which begs the question, why do it in the first place?).
What I've gathered from the OMD interviews with Joe Quesada at CBR (http://www.comicbookresources.com) just after it finished, the only reason they let Peter unmask was because they knew in advance that they would be able to sweep that back under the carpet using the OMD story. That's how far back they were planning this.

I've read from #547 to #544 in the past two days, so I'm finally up-to-date on this title. I've actually enjoyed all three arcs so far, but it's still hard to proclaim that I'm 100% behind what they're doing with Brand New Day.
It's clear to me that the main thing that has changed in this book is that it's become fun and more true to the character. The situations, the jokes, the wacky Wacker editor boxes, in-jokes [like all of those Marvel names being used in the newspapers] and letters page - it's all a breath of fresh air really. If it was possible to just view it as the way it is, it would be fine, but that's not the case, as you always remember what it took to get here. And that is the destruction of so many stories and the separation of MJ and Peter due to magic. Sometimes I'm tempted to say that it's worth it, as at times, I'm having a blast reading the book, but I try to keep in mind what was sacrificed for these stories.

With that said and done, some bits about the characters so far:
- I like Jackpot. They've been working her into the story in a good way and it's funny how Spider-Man keeps thinking she's MJ. I wasn't counting on that, as ALL of fandom shares the same assumption and you'd think they'd try NOT to bring up the MJ-Jackpot connection as hard as possible... so they've got me second-guessing myself now :p Ultimately, I still think it's MJ though!
- Bennett is a nice [temporary!] refreshment from JJJ, especially as he seems to treat his staff far better. Although his trouble remembering names can get quite tedious sometimes, I don't hate him for it yet.
- Mr. Negative, "Menace" / Gray Goblin [wasn't that name already taken by Gworman's son?] and Freak all have potential and I'm glad that they weren't treated as one-shot villains, being locked up or killed at the end of the arc, leaving room for them to return. Freak may be the least interesting in the end, as his arc felt very '90s at times.

The best part of this book IMO is the return of a pretty big supporting cast and the use of all these subplots :)
The worst part is that they didn't think it was possible to do so with the marriage kept intact. Especially seeing as some of the current subplots are rehashed plots from a period that had Peter and MJ married and worked with that premise as well...

Shantosh9500

03-26-2008, 12:42 PM

Ok let's see. Compared to the two previous issue this is probably Gale's best. Alot of supporting characters used. Loved the Spidey/JJJ scenes and Freak's powers are now fully explained. As for the art, Jimenez's work really improved and i love the actions scenes he drawn and i think his Spider-Man is really starting to improve though still need abit work on the eyes.

James Harvey

04-02-2008, 06:40 AM

The final month of Brand New Day is here . . .

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #555

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0408/ASM555_COV_SM.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0408/ASM555.jpg) http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0408/ASM555_POSTER_SM.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0408/ASM555_POSTER.jpg)

WRITER: Zeb Wells
PENCILS: Chris Bachalo

THE STORY: Month Four of Brand New Day is upon us and so is the worst blizzard in the history of New York City! It’s colder than an outdoor hockey game in January out there and your favorite Wall-Crawler (aided by his Avengers buddy, Wolverine) must find his way through the cold to rescue a doctor who may know the real secret behind the deadly storm.

Comments?

Reg

04-03-2008, 11:25 PM

ASM# 555 was the first time in three months where I'd actually felt ASM was worth buying. Peter isn't written like a loser and the story actually seems new instead of desperately trying to recall the good old days. Good writing and superb artwork. 4.5/5

Sonic_Eclipse

04-08-2008, 10:04 AM

I'm a little late for this, really late, but I don't come to this section of the Forums at all, just now cause of boredom.

But what they've done here is ridiculous, Peter and MJ aren't married anymore because Spidey made a deal with the Devil to save Aunt May's life? That is complete and utter bullcrap! What happened to "With great power comes great responsibility"? Spider-Man would never make a deal with the devil, its against everything he stands for no matter the circumstances because in the end he knew it was wrong. Seriously what is this crap?

I've never really liked MJ and Peter being married myself, but how could you just destroy an iconic couple like that? It makes no sense, what were they smoking when they came up with this at Marvel? They could've went about this a better way, of all things a deal with the devil? Even though he didn't sell his soul, Peter is bound to hell when he dies because he made a deal with Satan himself. I hope this Brand New Day crap is just some weird story they have going on, and something will happen and things will go back to the way they were,this probably won't happen though. This is trash, and I hope sales for the book really drop so Marvel is forced to undo what they've done, cause this is disgusting. I think some where they forgot what "With great power comes great responsibility" means.

Thats just my 2 cents on this whole matter.

Does anyone know if Stan Lee has ever said anything about this?

Ed Liu

04-08-2008, 10:20 AM

Does anyone know if Stan Lee has ever said anything about this?

Yes (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/01/17/spider.man.single.ap/index.html), and his response is unsurprising, considering that continued interest in Spider-Man is (at least indirectly) in his financial interest (scroll down to the bottom of that article).

I thought I also saw an afterword he wrote somewhere, perhaps for the premiere HC that reprinted the arc?

-- Ed

Sonic_Eclipse

04-08-2008, 11:15 AM

Peter Paltridge

04-08-2008, 02:35 PM

Yes (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/01/17/spider.man.single.ap/index.html), and his response is unsurprising, considering that continued interest in Spider-Man is (at least indirectly) in his financial interest (scroll down to the bottom of that article).

I thought I also saw an afterword he wrote somewhere, perhaps for the premiere HC that reprinted the arc?

-- Ed
It was really hard to work Stan's opinion into his appearance in "True Believers" without making him look like a jerk.

Anyone remember this?
http://www.platypuscomix.net/history/badcostume.jpg
I bet whoever was responsible for this was thinking, "Wow! I've revitalized a classic character for a new generation! I'm going to have so much more fun writing for him now!"

And I bet it WAS fun. For him. But does that look even remotely like Superman to you? The reality is, the shock value was good for a few issues' revenue, but if they'd kept that version around to this present day, sales would be horrible. People would be looking for the man in the red-and-blue suit and completely skip over whatever this is. There are some things you just can't alter; they're fundamental.

The modern comic industry really does seem to be a tug of war between what the creators want to write and what the audience wants to read.

Marvel and DC can talk up an idea all they want, but they can't force people to accept it. And it's something they never seem to learn no matter how many times they're taken to the School of Hard Knocks. If an idea works, the audience will glom onto it. They'll let you know. And if it doesn't work, they'll also let you know.

It's been months now, and this thread can't go one page without the debate firing up again. Throughout the entire Internet I have never heard one good word about OMD and that really says something. Even with unpopular ideas there is usually that one guy who says "Hey, I kinda like it." But there was even a reporter for IGN who was writing an objective news report on the new Spidey cartoon and managed to insert "OMD really sucked" into it. They kept Venom because the audience response was good. They got rid of Ben Reilly because the response was less than what they were hoping for. If this keeps up they can't be deaf forever.

James Harvey

04-09-2008, 06:50 AM

The final month of Brand New Day continues . . .

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #556

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0408/ASM556COV_SM.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0408/ASM556.jpg)

WRITER: Zeb Wells
PENCILS: Chris Bachalo

THE STORY: Month Four of Brand New Day continues! Spidey is caught in the middle of two ancient threats that are conspiring to take him and the city itself down. Plus, Carlie is trapped at the Police Station with someone after her blood!

Comments?

Ed Liu

04-09-2008, 02:27 PM

I bet whoever was responsible for this was thinking, "Wow! I've revitalized a classic character for a new generation! I'm going to have so much more fun writing for him now!"

I'm pretty sure that everyone involved knew that Blue Superman was a temporary thing, and that they'd be changing him back fairly soon, just like they all knew that "Death of Superman" wasn't going to be permanent either. From all I remember, it was mostly a short-term sales stunt. It's not like anybody was reading the books at that point, anyway.

OMD was a sales stunt, too, but it's different in that everyone involved seems to be under the impression that it's not going to be undone in the foreseeable future. I think OMD is also different in that it's pretty obviously the work of one guy (Joe Q) who went as far as to fabricate an imaginary fan belief ("Everyone likes Spider-Man better unmarried") to justify forcing a creative decision.

In any case, I think you're making a fundamental mistake in assuming that the writer has any real clout to determine long-term direction of a superhero franchise character. Any writer (or reader, for that matter) who walks into an assignment to write Spider-Man believing his or her plot elements are sacrosanct deserves whatever they get. The franchise holders (meaning the editors) will ALWAYS trump what the writer wants, whether it's to make a change you don't really want to ("Unmarry Spider-Man") or to undo a change that you're having fun with ("Un-blue Superman").

Right now, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar seem to be getting carte blanche to do whatever they like, but that can change. JMS seemed to have the same privilege up until OMD, and I think even he was surprised to find out how little influence he really had.

But hey -- that's the biz.

-- Ed

James Harvey

04-16-2008, 06:55 AM

Brand New Day comes to a close . . .

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #557

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.324852001208181612image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.345810001208181590image_big.jpg)

WRITER: Zeb Wells
PENCILS: Chris Bachalo

THE STORY: Month Four of Brand New Day comes to an end as Spidey is caught in the middle of two ancient threats that are conspiring to take him and the city itself down. Plus, Carlie trapped at the Police Station with someone after her blood!

Comments?

Spider-Man

04-17-2008, 01:59 PM

So this is the last issue to fall under the "Brand New Day" banner?

I have to admit that I'm surprised with how competent Bachalo was on the artwork. Usually I have a rough time deciphering some of his work but he seems to do an alright Spider-Man. While I doubt we'll ever see the threats here again I thought it was still a fun comic. I'm not entirely blown away by this new approach to the Spider-Man mythos and it upsets me a bit but it has made some enjoyable reading.

If this is the last "Brand New Day" then overall the past 12 issues get a solid 3.5/5.

Stu

04-18-2008, 03:48 PM

To say that they went out of thier way to undo the past 20 odd years of marriage instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to make MJ and Peter an interesting married couple (which no one has really done since the early 90's Amazing Spider-Man in the David Michelline days), I'd have thought this would've been something that would've completly knocked it out the park.

It hasn't. This has been average from start to finish, with the exception of McNiven's art (especially that splash page with the numerous old school Spidey villains) but that was month's ago. It's especially sickening to see Quesada constantly downplay OMD's slap in the face by boasting about the quality of BND, because it simply isn't holding up. The potential is there, but the stories are all ho-hum.

It's been better than most of the titles were before OMD, but that was because they've been pretty much at an all time low as Amazing was simply used to whore whatever mini-series/event Marvel was using at the time and Friendly Neighbourhood was crap from start to finish. Credit to Sensational though - some good stuff was produced there.

In closing? Throughly unimpressed.

Miyamoto Musashi

04-19-2008, 02:51 PM

First three months are cool, last arc for the BND series is bad but:
Chris Bachalo sure draws a very lovely looking Betty

James Harvey

05-07-2008, 06:40 AM

Wrapping up the kick-off to Spider-Man's new "Brand New Day" status quo!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #558

http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.722349001208358045image_small.jpg (http://marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/uploaded/0.920564001208358143image_big.jpg)

WRITER: BOB GALE
PENCILS: BARRY KITSON

THE STORY: The frighteningly funky and fearsome Freak returns, more powerful than ever! And this action-packed issue features the
gorgeous art of Barry Kitson – fresh from Marvel’s THE ORDER! Plus: Menace! Curt Connors! Aunt May! Lots of innocent bystanders! Gale wrote it, Wacker edited it, and Marvel actually thought it was a good idea to publish it!

Comments?

wonderfly

05-17-2008, 01:37 PM

Overall, I've enjoyed the stories the last 4 months, but it wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Here's my summary:

The first month written by Dan Slott was the best by far: Dan Slott's strength is in creating new supervillains, and Mr. Negative, (a new mob boss) doesn't disappoint. The revelation that Mr. Negative is Aunt May's boss down at the soup kitchen fulfills the role of having a villain that's tied into the lives of the supporting cast, (leaving potential for future mayhem).

The fights are action-packed, the plot is fun, with a good use of continuity, (which is Dan Slott's strength), and Steve McNiven's artwork is great!

The second month written by Marc Guggenheim was pretty enjoyable as well. Guggenheim tends to write a little bit darker of a story, from what I've seen, and so what we get here is a story focusing a bit more on the politics of the Superhero Registration Act, along with the advancement of the "Mayor's Race" subplot.

It also features the introduction of Menace, who is a bit too much of an enigma to find interesting at this point: He's meant to be in the same vein as the other Goblin villains, with his true identity a mystery and all, (for now)...but more of an effort should be made at giving him a personality. I mean, what are the guy's motives? Get some people to stop running for Mayor? THAT's his motivation?!? Okay, fine, but at least give us some hints WHY he doesn't want certain people to run for Mayor!!

This storyline also featured the introduction of Jackpot, and the chemistry between her and Spider-Man is great. Like Menace, we don't know her real identity. Unlike Menace, she has a personality! Her naiveness at being a superhero, yet sanctioned by the law, (while Spider-Man is a professional superhero, yet a wanted fugitive) made for some great moments!

The third month was by far the worst, but still had it's enjoyable moments, (specifically, the scene between Spider-Man and JJJ in the hospital: Spidey causes him to have another heart attack)!

But the bad was stronger than the good in this arc, with the introduction of Freak: revenge is a good motivation for a Spidey villain, and we've had villains in the past who blame Spider-Man for their condition, but this guy is beyond being sympathetic: He's a drug addict! He got superpowers because he was trying to get high!!

He's also pretty dumb. If you're looking for a way to defeat him, just get him to chase after some meth, (like a dog chasing after a chew toy on a string). His blaming Spider-Man is stupid as well: not that supervillains need to be rationale in their hate of Spider-Man, but the best of the "I hate Spider-Man!" villains are characters we can feel some sympathy for, (like Harry Osborn and Venom). It's hard to feel any sympathy for a character that's addicted to drugs and doesn't see anything wrong with his addiction.

Worst of all, Bob Gale's dialogue is painful to read at times! It's like Bob Gale's trying to write Spider-Man exactly as he was written during the Stan Lee years. Now I know that Dan Slott writes dialogue that has an "old school" feel to it, but he manages to write it in a contemporary way which makes it feel like he's evoking the classic Spidey era, without all the cheesiness...Bob Gale's dialogue and plotlines make me wince, at times.

All that, and Phil Jiminez still doesn't draw a good Spider-Man, in my opinion, (and his depiction of Freak was a bit too unsettling: that panel showing Freak smoking a crack pipe in the meth house was hilarious and disturbing all at once).

The fourth month was an okay storyline, but the supernatural villain didn't match up with the theme of the other writers, (in fact, it reminded me a bit too much of JMS's "Spider-Totem" mythology which became too much a part of the last few years worth of stories).

Chris Bachelo draws a fun Spider-Man though, and his rendition of the "Diety" was fantastic! I kinda doubt we'll ever hear from the mad scientist/priest and the "Diety" again though, (how many times can "the stars align" to allow the Diety to come back to Earth?!?)

It was about halfway through this storyline when I realized that they've introduced all of this supporting cast, and yet I still can't remember any of their names! We've got "supermodel who dates Harry Osborn" character, her father the wannabe mayor, the girl who works at the police station and who may be interested in Peter, we've got the two cops, one who hates Spidey, the other who likes Spidey, and I can't remember any of their names! Doesn't that hint at them all being stereotypes not worth remembering?!?

The epilogue in Issue #558 was written by Bob Gale, so it's a return to the Freak storyline. The dialogue is again horrendous, Menace stops by, but still doesn't have a personality, and Freak still can't get enough "CHINA WHITE!!!" :sad:

But ah well. Overall, the last few months have been enjoyable, if a bit too "cheesy/retro" in some parts, (I blame Bob Gale). I'm looking forward to more Dan Slott on the book though! :)

Xurk

05-18-2008, 07:14 PM

The first month written by Dan Slott was the best by far: Dan Slott's strength is in creating new supervillains, and Mr. Negative, (a new mob boss) doesn't disappoint. The revelation that Mr. Negative is Aunt May's boss down at the soup kitchen fulfills the role of having a villain that's tied into the lives of the supporting cast, (leaving potential for future mayhem).

The fights are action-packed, the plot is fun, with a good use of continuity, (which is Dan Slott's strength), and Steve McNiven's artwork is great!
I agree, with the art bringing the story to a higher level in the first month, accompanied by the introduction to Mr. Negative, I also rank it as one of the best BND stories so far. And I'd rather see Mr. Negative return for another story than Freak and Menace!

This storyline also featured the introduction of Jackpot, and the chemistry between her and Spider-Man is great. Like Menace, we don't know her real identity. Unlike Menace, she has a personality! Her naiveness at being a superhero, yet sanctioned by the law, (while Spider-Man is a professional superhero, yet a wanted fugitive) made for some great moments!
Jackpot is also one of my favourite BND characters so far; not only is the mystery aspect of her character ["is she MJ or is she not MJ??"] fun, I also like her character overall, with her being under the SHRA making her relationship with Spider-Man that much more interesting and the two just having good chemistry. So more of Jackpot wouldn't be a bad thing either :)

Worst of all, Bob Gale's dialogue is painful to read at times! It's like Bob Gale's trying to write Spider-Man exactly as he was written during the Stan Lee years. Now I know that Dan Slott writes dialogue that has an "old school" feel to it, but he manages to write it in a contemporary way which makes it feel like he's evoking the classic Spidey era, without all the cheesiness...Bob Gale's dialogue and plotlines make me wince, at times.
Upon reading issue #558, I found myself annoyed by the third page [breakfast scene between Peter and Aunt May] at the dialogue written by Bob Gale, so it's funny to see I'm not the only one! It's hard to pinpoint exactly, but the way he has everyone talking is just... cringe-worthy :sweat: The only exception to this was Jonah's bit in the issue. I also am not too fond of Barry Kitson's pencils; they're not bad per se, but he seems to be trying to mimic Steve McNiven too much, except his version comes out looking a bit too kiddy for my taste at times, like something you would expect from a "Marvel Adventures" or "Marvel Family" book. Although that's kind of a prejudice on my account, as I love the artwork in "Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man" :p