The Show Must Go On

[cyberghostface.insanejournal.com]

This was brought up numerous times in the previous Amazing Spider-Man thread, so I decided to post it once and for all. In my opinion, it's one of the better Chameleon stories out there. Not surprisingly, Marvel has all but forgotten it.

On a related note, this was the first Spidey story written by Paul Jenkins. He would later become the writer for Peter Parker Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man.

The story originally appeared in Webspinners - Tales of Spider-Man #10-12. It was an anthology title of sorts that ran alongside the Howard Mackie reboot. At the time, most considered it to be the superior Spider-Man title, but it had little promotion and was cancelled after eighteen issues.













So basically, Chameleon tells Peter he has MJ at the Brooklyn Bridge. There, he orders Spider-Man to take off his mask. The two have a conversation, and Peter realizes that the Chameleon doesn't have MJ after all--it's just a hologram.





Chameleon tells the story of the man who goes to a doctor--he's depressed and wants to kill himself. The doctor tells him to see the famous clown Grimaldi to cheer him up, but the man tells him that he is Grimaldi.











Being that this is the place that Gwen has died, Peter realizes that he's run the scenario through his head a million times now of what he could have done differently, and this is his chance to try again.



The story continued on for another issue, although for the most part, it was just an epilogue. Peter's guilt over the Chameleon's death was explored in the opening scene.









So how was Chameleon's death dealt with after this? Well, in Ron Zimmerman's disastrous "Call Me Al" miniseries, Chameleon's back and believes that he's Kraven. No explanation for his death is given. Later, the Spider-Man Encyclopedia states that his body washed ashore, alive, and taken to Ravencroft.

The only time Jenkins' story was ever addressed to the best of my knowledge was in Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Civil War arc in which Chameleon organizes a group of Spidey villains to go after Spidey. The following scene has a monologue in which Chameleon recaps his previous appearances.



To Roberto's credit, he does a good job at referencing continuity and trying to piece together the mess that others have gone before him. At the same time, while the bridge scene is referenced, all the character development that Chameleon went through in Webspinners is now gone, and Chameleon's back to being yet another "Kill that pestering Spider-Man!" villain. Which is a shame, if you ask me.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I can't even explain why the bit on the bridge between the two of them shakes me so profoundly, but it just seems so transcendent and human and sad and tragic and real. The "you look nice when you smile" line just kills me.

Probably my most favorite moment in comics, and one of my most favorite in literature, ever.

[skalja.insanejournal.com]

It's funny you say that, because -- this has always frustrated me as a Spider-Man diehard, because the character's more than capable of it -- I think this is one of the very few genuinely literary Spider-Man stories; a narrative that supports multiple interpretations and grapples with the human condition because there are questions being asked, not as a side effect of writing superheroic punch-em-ups.

Not that I wouldn't read a superheroic punch-em-up before The New Yorker's fiction section any day; I'm just saying.

[punishermax.insanejournal.com]

God that was such a good comic.

[kingrockwell]

Spider-Man anthology titles always end up being the indisputably best Spidey titles. I do recall liking Peter Parker: Spider-Man, but it's been so long I couldn't tell you anything about it now.

[mullon.insanejournal.com]

I wish they would bring this plot idea back.

[timemonkey.insanejournal.com]

So, am I the only one who got pulled out of the story when they got to the second last scan and went "nice ass, Parker"?

[tanetris.insanejournal.com]

I don't understand. Are you trying to say there's something on the next-to-last scan other than a fine rendering of Peter's backside?

[addude.insanejournal.com]

I'm I the only one who thinks that the clown scene is from a Seinfeld episode

[filthysize.livejournal.com (from insanejournal.com)]

This is ridiculously good. Let me guess, it was never collected anywhere?

[skalja.insanejournal.com]

It was, but it's now out of print. Have fun! (http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Parker-Spider-Man-Vol-Life/dp/0785107770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250221491&sr=8-1)

Doubling back as a mod

[skalja.insanejournal.com]

By the way, this seemed a bit long, so I went back and counted my issues' pages just to be sure -- these are standard length issues and the rule is now 1/3, not 1/2. You're going to have to remove some pages, I think.

Re: Doubling back as a mod

[cyberghostface.insanejournal.com]

How much?

Re: Doubling back as a mod

[skalja.insanejournal.com]

For a standard modern American comic, 1/3rd an issue is 7 pages. So 7 from each is fine.

[(Anonymous)]

you never forget your very first...

[sandoz_iscariot.insanejournal.com]

The "I am Grimaldi/Pagliacci" joke just doesn't have the same punch after Watchmen.

[halloweenjack.insanejournal.com]

Also, the "shares a laugh" scene from The Killing Joke. There is something uniquely creepy about that head-shot of Chammy from before the cut, though.

Also, Chameleon does have a good appearance--sort of--in Modok's Eleven.

[kusonaga.insanejournal.com]

"I'm afraid I ate all the meatloaf."

And that's terrible.

[greenmask.insanejournal.com]

I really like the art, on the original bridge scene. It's pitch-perfect.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

Aw, that's just sad. The story and how they couldn't let it be or at least bring him back as someone not utterly generic.

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

That really is a great story. I read it in TPB format a few years ago, and it really stuck in my mind. Really, you know someone is going to do something more direct with it sometime soon - the Chameleon has had amnesia about what, three times at least now? And he always gets at least some of his memories back - so it's only a matter of time until he remembers WHY he was up there on the bridge in the first place. If we can just get past the current, blank-faced acid-pit executioner version, that is.