Category Archives: Spider-Man
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #1
Replacing Spider-Man with a half-black, half-latino kid is the worst kind of liberal garbage in the history of all comics! It’s a vicious, bile-forming, rage-inducing, anti-America affront to all that is good and decent in this world! Glen Beck was right in claiming this was just the liberal media’s way of sucking up to President Obama and the First Lady. We should all get pitchforks and torches and march down to the Marvel officers and burn them asunder!
Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #1
No, I’m kidding. It’s actually a pretty cool comic, starting off the new Ultimate Spider-Man with a slow burn introduction. It’s written by the master of the slow burn, Brian Michael Bendis, so I’m more than willing to give him time to work his magic. That’s how the original Ultimate Spider-Man started, after all, and it was a fantastic story back in 2000.
Glen Beck really did say that, or something similar. And his anger made Bendis smile. A lot of people were freaking out when it was announced that ethnically-diverse 13-year-old Miles Morales would be taking over for white bread Peter Parker. They’re fools. I’m behind Miles 100%, even if I think they killed off Peter while his story was still very good and entertaining. Still, change is good and I trust Bendis to tell us a good and entertaining story. I wrote a blog post about Miles back when he was first announced, and I said it might be cool to see the themes and style of Spider-Man told through the eyes and world of a new character. It’s not like this is the first time that any superhero, Spider-Man included, has ever been replaced by someone new under the mask.
Spider-Man on Project Rooftop!
If you’ve never been to the website Project: Rooftop, it’s an artist site that features amateur drawings of alternate costumes of famous superheroes. It’s one of my favorite sites to visit. The pictures are all great and very creative, and it’s all for fun! They occasionally have contests where dozens of artists submit their variations on specific superheroes.
The first half of their Spider-Man contest was posted today!
Here are some of my favorites:
Reminds me of Ben Reilly, and that's always a good thing
Love the color scheme
My 6 Favorite Video Games of All Time
When I was a wee little boy, video games were forbidden in my house. To this day, I still don’t know what my father had against them (though I suppose I could always ask). He didn’t rant and rave about the ‘horrors’ of video games or anything like that. He just wouldn’t let my brother and I have a console in our house, even if all our friends loved their Nintendos and Sega Genesi.
But that didn’t stop me from falling head over heels for video games.
Every time we went to the store, I would immediately run to the electronics department to play their display consoles. That’s where my parents could pick me up once they were done shopping. I played them every chance I could get. I was hooked. I was in love. And it’s a love that’s still with me all these adult years later. That’s right world, this comic book geek also loves playing video games in his free time. It helps that I have a wickedly awesome geek girlfriend who also loves video games, and a squadron of gaming friends!
Eventually my father relented, sort of. When my grandparents got cousin Tyson a Game Boy for Christmas, my father allowed them to get Game Boys for my brother and I the following Christmas. I loved that little, green pixelated thing. Then one summer in high school, my father volunteered my brother and I to work for a week in a hay loft. The farmer, a friend of the family, agreed to pay us. It was hot, sweaty, horrible work, but I convinced my father to allow us to use the money to buy a Playstation, since he’d been the one to volunteer us, after all.
And so my father’s ban on video games was finally defeated. We used the money for games, since once the ban was gone, my aunt got us a Playstation that following Christmas. I haven’t been without a home console since. I upgraded to a Playstation 2 in college with my own money, likewise to an X-Box 360 after I’d graduated. Nowadays I play a mix of X-Box, PC and Nintendo DS games, the DS being the upgraded Game Boy. I love adventure games and RPGs, as well as large, sprawling sandbox games. And I absolutely love creating my own playable characters.
But mostly, I just love video games. So here are My 6 Favorite Video Games of All Time!
There’s a New Spider-Man…and He Might Be Kinda Cool, Maybe
The new face behind the Ultimate Spidey mask has been revealed: Miles Morales, a half-black, half-Hispanic superhero. He’ll be taking over for Peter Parker, who was killed by the Green Goblin and the Sinister Six in the recent ‘Death of Spider-Man’ story arc. I’m willing to give Miles a chance, even though I think this entire ‘Death of Spider-Man’ idea is just stupid and should never have been done. Killing Peter Parker at this point in his Ultimate Spider-Man career reeks of a marketing stunt. Especially since the reveal that Peter would die, how he died and the identity of Miles were all spoiled in news stories in USA Today before the actual comics comes out on Wednesday.
But I suppose there is potential in injecting some new blood into the Spider-Man legacy and seeing what can be done.
Miles Morales, our new Ultimate Spider-Man
First of all, let me explain that this isn’t the ‘real’ Spider-Man. The character that debuted in the 1960s is still going strong in Amazing Spider-Man as part of the normal Marvel Universe. We’re talking about the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Back in 2000, Marvel decided to create a new line of books told with a contemporary style. They retold the origins of all their popular characters, putting them in a more modern world and focusing on character. Most of these early books were amazing, especially Ultimate Spider-Man and the Ultimates (new name for the Avengers).
The Ultimate Marvel Universe focused on characters first, superheroes second. The likes of Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and more were treated as real people dealing with the realistic problems that come with being a superhero. Peter Parker has to juggle high school along with getting a job and a girlfriend. They were fun, adventurous stories with a strong heart. Readers cared just as much about Peter’s social life, if not more, than they did about Spider-Man fighting super-villains.
One of my all-time favorite Ultimate Spidey scenes involves Peter and his friends sitting around a campfire, when one of them suddenly discovers that she is a mutant and she freaks out and runs away. Some of the friends know that Peter is Spidey, and some don’t, and those that know want to protect his secret identity. But one of those who doesn’t know (or at least they think he doesn’t know) just stands up and says something like, ‘boy, wouldn’t it be great if there was a superhero around who could go comfort our mutant friend, wink wink’. It’s a really powerful and fun moment for all involved, and shows depths and care in crafting these characters.
Credit series creator and author for 160 issues Brian Michael Bendis. He writes very fun dialogue.
The new Spider-Man costume
Most recently, Ultimate Spider-Man has been a good a read as ever under Bendis’ pen. Peter’s social life was still the primary focus, and things were looking up since most New Yorkers supported him as a hero. Even notorious skinflint newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson had come around to support Spidey after finding out he was really Peter Parker, and having his life saved by Peter. There was even a fun subplot in which the Human Torch and Iceman, two other teenage heroes, had moved into Aunt May’s home because they had nowhere else to go. Peter had pals to hang out with!
There was even this cute new girl at school who just happened to be one of Spidey’s super-villains – but Peter was going to be nice to her at school. I really wanted to see where that story would go!
But then the people at Marvel decided that Peter Parker had to die.
When the Human Torch (of the normal Marvel Universe) was killed in a storyline earlier this year, that too was covered in USA Today and Marvel got a big bump in comic sales. I don’t have the direct quote, but some marketing guy at Marvel afterwards said they were going to kill a character every quarter because it clearly led to more publicity and sales. Such a statement is insanely stupid. But here we are and Ultimate Peter Parker is dead, and it got covered in USA Today.
Somewhere on the web, Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort explained the following:
Everybody takes a blow to the gut at some point where a story they thought was going left suddenly is going right because someone had a better take on it. But those turns don’t happen against the will of the creators involved. If Brian was absolutely dead set on not killing Ultimate Spider-Man, it wouldn’t have happened, or he wouldn’t have written it. If we were convinced that Ultimate Spider-Man must die and he didn’t want to do it, it would have been Jeph Loeb or Jonathan Hickman or Nick Spencer. But the fact that Brian wrote it should tell you that he got on board with the idea. He came to embrace it. The first moment it came up I’m sure it sent a chill down his spine, but it’s a story. He’s a storyteller sitting there, thinking about it, tossing the ideas around and seeing if it works. And he found a way it worked for him.
Basically, it wasn’t Bendis’ idea to kill Peter Parker, and if Bendis didn’t want to kill him, they’d find somebody else to write it. That’s sort of a punch to the gut for a long-standing creator. Marketing trumps creativity!
So yeah, I think killing Peter Parker was a dumb move. His stories were still very fun to read, he had a lot going on in his life and there were no signs that his end was near when the Secret Six suddenly comes around to kill him.
But this doesn’t mean I won’t give Miles Morales a try. First of all, it will still be written by Bendis. That guy is great. One thing I’ve read about this new Spider-Man is that they’re going to keep a lot of the main themes, especially ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’, they’re just going to try it out in someone else’s world. I think I can get behind that idea. Peter Parker has almost always been Spider-Man, and his supporting cast has always been the same: Aunt May, Mary Jane, Jameson, etc. The world of Spider-Man is a comfortable and familiar world.
Where is the harm in visiting another world? It sounds like they’ll be keeping a lot of the same themes of Spider-Man, but put them in a different environment with new characters and challenges. What does Miles Morales’ family think of him becoming the new Spider-Man? How did he make his costume? How did he get his powers? What does he do with them? How will Jameson and the Daily Bugle react?
I think it could be a very fun series. I’m just upset that it had to happen over Peter Parker’s dead body.
My Sinister 6
Spider-Man has one of the wildest Rogues Galleries in all of comics, literally. Nearly all of them are based off some kind of wild animal. That makes for a nice consistency. And one key component of Spidey’s baddies over the years has been the Sinister Six. Back in 1964, six of Spidey’s greatest villains teamed up to take him on as a group, because none of them could beat him on their own. Essentially they all sat down and someone said, “Gentlemen, we’re going to kill Spider-Man!”
It didn’t work. They lost.
The first Sinister Six was composed of Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, Electro, Sandman, Vulture and Kraven the Hunter. That team stayed pretty consistent throughout the years, with a few additions and subtractions here and there. They basically always teamed up to kill Spider-Man, though sometimes also to commit crimes.
Well today I’m going to debut my vision of an even better Sinister Six! The idea of some of the big bad guys teaming up just to kill Spider-Man is passe. Nowadays the Sinister Six should be more working-class, more street-level guys banding together to accomplish something. Kill Spider-Man, sure; but being super criminals should come first.
It should be no surprise that DC Comics’ Secret Six is a big influence on what a villain team should be.
1. Lady Octopus: Villainous mastermind and brains of the operation!
She's all hands
It’s true! There’s a Lady Octopus! She is an obscure character (my favorite kind!) who hasn’t been seen much since she debuted in the mid-90s as a part of the Clone Saga. That makes her perfect for revamping into something new and spectacular! Just cut away all the crappy baggage she had back in the day and make her sleek, new and exciting. Get rid of the armored costume and give her something more subtle and a little bit sexy. Keep the Doc Ock arms, but make them more stream-lined and less mechanical. And pink hair is always cool. When she debuted, she was all about Cyberspace, back when the Internet was called the Information Superhighway and nobody really knew what it would become. They can keep the interest in the Internet, just don’t get insane about it. She’d be the new mastermind of the team, the one who brings everyone together for her nefarious schemes!
2. The Spot: Transport and some comic relief.
Make it rain!
My faithful readers first met the Spot on my list of 6 Favorite Comic Book Characters, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that I’d want him for my team. Should I ever get to try my hand at writing a Marvel comic, I have big plans for the Spot. He has the super power of creating portals out of thin air and then using them to transport himself and anything else over great distances. So clearly he’d be great as a teleport-for-hire sort of guy. Saves the team from having to rent a truck, or something. So he’d be great for that. He’s also an amazing visual. The Spot is just fun to look at. A recent appearance made him something of an arrogant comic relief, and I’d keep that while also giving him some of the recent back bone he’s developed.
3. The Rhino: Strong silent type, the muscle.
Run for your life!!
Just look at that picture, read those captions. The Rhino is no longer the big, blundering fool he used to be. There was a story in Amazing Spider-Man not too long ago that had the Rhino retiring from crime because he’d fallen in love. He went to prison, served his time and then got out and married the woman. Then some Rhino wannabe came on the scene with a new mechanical suit and challenged the old Rhino to a fight. Spider-Man stepped in and had a cool scene where he told the old Rhino to go home to his wife, Spidey would handle this new guy because that’s what Spider-Man does. And Rhino listened! It was a brilliant story, really humanizing this long-standing joke character.
Then a few issues later, the bad guys came back into the picture and killed the Rhino’s new wife. He went off the deep end then, becoming the monster you see in the picture above. So now he’s tough, strong and super angry. I’d keep all those things going with Rhino on the Sinister Six.
4. Hobgoblin: Insane, funny wildcard.
Take that, Spider-Man!
Another character from my list of favorites, the Phil Urich Hobgoblin. This choice is mostly fanboyism. I love the character, I want to see more of him and this would be the perfect opportunity. It would give Phil a higher profile. Hobgoblin has a long-standing history with the Sinister Six, so throw him back on the team. He’s wildly crazy, in a fun way, and would be the perfect wildcard (like Charlie Kelly). Marvel is trying to make this Hobgoblin a legitimate character, and I’m all for it!
5. Scorpion: Tough, angry veteran.
And that!
Mac Gargan, the Scorpion, has been around forever. He was even Venom for a few years. But he’s back now as the Scorpion, with a badass costume and a return to glory as a bitter, angry, henchman-for-hire. He was originally a private eye hired by J. Jonah Jameson to get some dirt on Spider-Man. Then JJJ went the extra mile and paid for some Science to turn Gargan into the Scorpion. Gargen’s been half-insane and bitter at JJJ ever since. Plus as a kid, I loved scorpions (still do), so this guy was always one of my favorites. He was never a member of the comic book Sinister Six, but he was on the cartoon show, when they were called the Insidious Six.
One has to assume that FOX Kids in the 90s just didn’t like the word ‘sinister’. They also wouldn’t let Spider-Man punch anybody.
6. The Shocker: Heart of the team, the put-upon every-man just trying to get by.
Not the 'shocker' you're thinking about
The Shocker, Herman Schultz, is the ultimate working-class super-villain; so he’s a real hero of mine. This is a guy who just wants to make a buck. He’s not in this game to be a super-villain or ‘kill Spider-Man’. He’s just a crook doing his thing. And that’s fantastic. I want to write a Shocker solo series. I want more Shocker. Here is a schlub, a working stiff, a guy that readers can really relate to. He was a safe-cracker who invented a pair of gauntlets that release a vibrational frequency that would destroy the safes. But they vibrate so powerfully he also had to design a protective suit for himself. So that’s why he looks like a costume super-villain. His costume actually serves a function!
So The Shocker would be the star of my Sinister Six series. He’s the sort of guy you can write about taking the subway, or standing in line for coffee or complaining about making rent for the month. He’s perfect.
And special thanks for friend-of-the-site Alyssa for this list suggestion. If you have a suggestion for my Lists of Six, put it in the comments!
Henchman-4-Hire 