Spider-Man #4

[cyberghostface]

 

Since it's been almost year since the last issue... this is an AU where Peter is retired, Mary Jane is dead and their son Ben is now Spider-Man. 

Comments

[silverhammerman]

There's not much to say about this series in general which hasn't already been said, but what the heck, it's been the better part of a year: I can't believe that Marvel is publishing this series farted out by JJ Abrams' and his kid, giving a chance that could have gone to countless other talented writers who actually give a shit and aren't just doing this as a bucket list item. I can't believe that Sara Pichelli, a magnificently talented artist, has been wasting her talents on this of all things. The only good thing about this series is that it's very, very funny to see JJ Abrams and his kid writing a story that's all about having a fucked up relationship with your much more famous and beloved dad.

There we go, just thought I'd get the familiar points out of the way up front.

As to this issue, good lord is Minka's (is that the girl in the costume?) costume is terrible. Also, I really hope that big spider is Mary Jane, because the only thing that could make this Daddy Issues comic funnier, conceptually, would be to dive wholeheartedly into fucked up Mommy Issues.

[cyberghostface]

The giant spider is the mutated wife of the cyborg guy, long story.

[lordultimus]

Comic books, ladies and gentlemen.

[silverhammerman]

Just caught that backstory while reading a review of this issue out of morbid curiosity, and that sure is some... writing.

I've been unkind to this series, but I must admit there's a chance that in a few years this series will look like a weird, fun little artifact, rather than annoying me as it does.

[janegray]

I get being irritated that the writer most likely got the job because of nepotism, and that's horribly unfair to the other writers. But I don't see why that means that he doesn't care. Kid probably grew up reading Spider-Man comics, for all we know it was his life dream to write one.

[silverhammerman]

I suppose that caring is a slippery value, and you can never really know what another person cares about. That said, I don't think it matters if this was JJ's lifelong dream or his kid's; lots of people dream about writing Spider-Man, that doesn't mean they get to do it.

I'm more irritated that these two have parachuted in from Hollywood to do a vanity project that no one asked for. I think it's vaguely disrespectful to the medium.

[beyondthefringe]

The real crime is that it's not good.
I promise you, if they'd -somehow- turned out some sort of magnificent story that actually said something new and interesting about Spider-Man, that didn't feel rehashed and derivative, we'd be nodding and going "That Abrams kid has talent."

But instead, this gets tossed into the same pot as Kevin Smith, Ron Zimmerman, Jon Favreau, and all the other Hollywood "talent"... (Smith at least gave us some good stuff along with the stinkers. Zimmerman... ugh. And Jon Favreau only gave us 2 issues of a 4 issue Iron Man mini.) Oh, and Damon Lindelof with that massive delay between issues of Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine.

Point is, it's always possible this coulda been amazing, even spectacular. We're just not surprised when it wasn't.

[shakalooloo]

Am I the only one seeing those helicopters and spider silhouette in the upper right of the last scan forming a frowny face? For a second I thought I was looking in a mirror.