history79 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
history79) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
scans_daily2016-02-19 12:40 am
history79) wrote in scans_daily2016-02-19 12:40 am
"Spice Importer Wilson Fisk" is pretty good. Maybe better than the Kingpin.
I did find it funny that in almost every What If the Kingpin appeared in, he died.
Hell, Spider-Man dies a lot too, now that I think about it.
Hell, Spider-Man dies a lot too, now that I think about it.
Edited 2016-02-19 00:56 (UTC)
I remember this one. Pretty decent story on the whole.
But the way I figure it, if the super-heroes of New York ever really wanted to take down the Punisher, he wouldn't last a week. It's just kind of one of those comic things you have to accept; that certain things that should happen just don't.
But the way I figure it, if the super-heroes of New York ever really wanted to take down the Punisher, he wouldn't last a week. It's just kind of one of those comic things you have to accept; that certain things that should happen just don't.
Yep. The government actually begged him to return at one point because NY had devolved into an utter catastrophe with everyone vying for power.
Edited 2016-02-19 01:35 (UTC)
A few stories in the 1980s gave the Kingpin a kind of Joker Immunity from the Punisher. If someone killed Fisk, a super-massive gang war would break out and lots of innocent people would die. That was the only thing stopping the Punisher.
Edited 2016-02-19 20:29 (UTC)
What If... I loved that series in its prime, but man, it was usually so bleak. Writers always seemed to take out their frustrations by killing characters they'd never be allowed to kill in the real M.U. With Spidey at the top. :)
I've always disliked that explanation, it's patronizing to the reader and the whole necessary evil angle is just off-putting.
Personally, i like to think of it as further proof that the Marvel Universe is a really, REALLY awful place to live in even if you count the Magic and Super-Science out. I mean, how crappy does your city have to be that the ONLY thing keeping it from falling into complete anarchy and chaos is the mob boss who rules it through fear?
Yeah, the What If series apparently existed to demonstrate that the Marvel Universe was the best of all possible worlds. Without exception, any change proposed, always ALWAYS resulted in some horrible outcome. Even if the character in question came out better (Ben Grimm wasn't a rocky monster, Bruce Banner wasn't the Hulk, etc) even their happiness was generally shortlived as the world went to hell on a rocket sled around them.
In the full book, he waits for Spider-Man to commit to a full, headlong leap at him from across the rooftop, then fires. He can dodge a lot of things, but that's one of the only ways in which you could hope to hit him: when he's suspended in mid-air and there's nowhere for him to go.
Yeah, thats fair. I know you can't change directions in mid air, but we're talking about a character in Spidey who was clocked covering 2 miles in 10 seconds on foot. How in the deepest of hells is Castle getting a clear shot on something that moves that fast and also has a precognative sense for danger? Like i said before, he dodges automatic gunfire at point blank range regularly due to these abilities,there is no reason why other than bad writing for him getting shot.
Historically, one of Peter's major weaknesses has always been his restraint. He isn't always running at his utmost potential, especially against somebody like Castle, who at the end of the day is an ordinary guy twice his age with a pistol. He's almost always holding back, especially against somebody who really doesn't stand a chance on paper.
When Peter shows back up towards the end of the issue, berserk with grief, he comes within an inch of killing Castle and only loses because Peter's gone insane. Castle gets his attention by name-dropping Aunt May, and in that moment of hesitation, Castle puts a few rounds into him.
It's a Kurt Busiek comic. On the page, he does everything short of flow charts to justify the situation, and there's exposition that these panels don't show. It's not really worth trying to nit-pick it based on power levels.
When Peter shows back up towards the end of the issue, berserk with grief, he comes within an inch of killing Castle and only loses because Peter's gone insane. Castle gets his attention by name-dropping Aunt May, and in that moment of hesitation, Castle puts a few rounds into him.
It's a Kurt Busiek comic. On the page, he does everything short of flow charts to justify the situation, and there's exposition that these panels don't show. It's not really worth trying to nit-pick it based on power levels.
This was surprisingly not-bad! I mean, Busiek's name makes it less of a surprise, but still. The problems with most "What If" stories are similar to the more severe problems with "Garth Ennis vs. superheroes" stories: rushed storytelling and characters who suddenly, jarringly seem a lot easier to defeat and/or kill than hundreds of other stories have led us to believe.
This story can't escape that effect entirely and still be told in one issue, but it comes pretty damn close. The scene with the mayor is excellent.
This story can't escape that effect entirely and still be told in one issue, but it comes pretty damn close. The scene with the mayor is excellent.
Edited 2016-02-19 10:10 (UTC)
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