BND
I think Mister Brevoort that you are missing one huge point. Spider-Man wasn't broken before BND. In fact, he was at a high of his existance, you know, up to the point where mister Quesada decided to set the wheels for BND in motion.

It wasn't until BND started that Spider-Man got broken and the guy currently in Amazing is NOT the Spider-Man I've been reading for 20 years. And once again, it's not about him being married or not, it's about attitude.

Peter Parker has always been about responsibility, about growing up, about being a hero and all three of those are gone. BND Spider-Man on the other hand is an incompetent joke of a character. He's no longer the underdog, he's the total utter loser that you only remember because he's such a total jerk.

He's not likeable, he's definitely not loveable and he's not one bit relatable. Because before Peter was someone who was just that little bit better than you, close enough that you could imagine being him, but high enough up, that you'd strive to be him. Since BND started the character calling himself Peter Parker is beneath me. And beneath everyone I'd want to know in real life.

He's too smug, too arrogant and unlike before, he has nothing to show for his attitude. He's too much of an utter failure at anything he does to be in any way a role model or relatable. Cause I sure as hell wouldn't want any kids in my environment to look up to a slacker like the Spider-Man shown in BND.

I mean the guy doesn't even remember how to make his own webbing. Instead he's using some new formula that cost about 200 times as much as the formula he used to use. Seeing as how he used to be able to afford his webbing easily both on minimum wage and as a highschool kid, and now all of a sudden he can't even arford it in a full time job. Just the idea of it, the way Spidey has been lobotomized of his intelligence, competence and anything that made him stand out, it makes me vomit.

So once again when will the Skrull be killed of and will the real Peter return? Because when the only even remotely likable character in your book is J. Jonah Jameson, then you're definitely heading the wrong way.

Posted by liliaeth on 2008-08-01 16:31:26
Thanks for the response
Hey Tom I wanted to thank you for answering my question (about the role of editors and late books). I'd really like to be able to have an exchange face to face as that would allow us both to make counterpoints but your lengthy answer was definitely appreciated.

There were a couple of points that I had to counter. You compared comic books to television saying that they are both talent driven. That's true but TV programs are nearly never late. If a new program is scheduled to be on Monday at nine o'clock it's nearly always on. I don't ever remember tuning in expecting a new scheduled episode and being disappointed by a rerun. So I think that comparison hurt your argument a bit. The thing about late comics that really bugs me is that I can't think of another form of entertainment where such a degree of lateness is acceptable.

You also metioned that sometimes creators overestimate/are thrown a curveball/other projects come up. It's not sometimes. It's every single month. Marvel (and, to be fair, DC) have multiple late books every single month. Typically books are only a week or two late but some books are months behind. I thought you were guilty of downplaying the amount of late books and thought I should correct you.

Anyway, thanks again for the response.

I'm not sure if this will make you happy or not but I was never a Spider-Man reader. I bought the odd issue but I've probably got less than 20 issues of any Spider title in my collection. I bought and read One More Day and was kind of disappointed and had no intention of reading Brand New Day. A few months into it I bought the Chris Bachalo pencilled arc (#555-557) and I liked it. So I bought all the backissues and now Amazing Spider-Man is a part of my pull list. Why do I like it? Mainly because it's very new reader friendly and it's telling solid, easy to understand stories.

Also, I gotta say that I feel bad for you guys for having to put up with all the Brand New Day malcontents. Now, if you guys did something like that to the X-Men I'm sure I would be furious so I do feel some sympathy for them but it must be lousy for you to hear the same arguments over and over.

Posted by rialb on 2008-08-01 17:57:15
Endorsements
Tom: "doing a story in which Spider-Man gets a divorce is tantamount to Marvel endorsing divorce."
--
By that logic, OMD/BND is an endorsement of Satanism.

Posted by JKCarrier on 2008-08-01 20:12:51
Hmm..
Doctor Strange also consorted with demonic forces for aid, and had it not been for Wong, the New Avenger team would have been brain dead from the demonic verses Strange shouted after Hood shot him.

Couldn't have Spider-Man turned to Galactus or even the Beyonder? In all honesty, Brevoort, Marvel did NOT even need to put Mephisto into the fray; there were a number of methods the marriage could have been destroyed without divorce (MJ's death, May being restored at the expense of MJ's memories). Anything but Spidey's deal with the Marvel Satan (Mephisto).

I apologize if I sound condescending, but that is THE main reason many former fans hate OMD/BND. The WAY the marriage was eliminated; through Diablo Ex machina plot device.

Posted by Aziroth on 2008-08-01 20:25:22
Spider-Man WASN'T broken but he IS NOW
Is Marvel really this stupid? Spider-Man has been plagued with BAD WRITING, not that he was broken. Having him make a deal with the deal and continue the bad writing IS JUST LOSING FANS!

WE HATE BND! WE WILL SPEND OUR MONEY ELSEWHERE!

FIX THIS NOW!

Posted by HiddenVorlon on 2008-08-01 20:25:33
I concur
Spider-Man was decidedly unbroken before OMD happened. He was going places, the stories were fresh and anything but status quo.
I agree with the above posters, this Spyder-Man, this pale shadow of our former hero, is very much a broken character. A cheap imitation of the real thing.
Peter wasn't broken until you broke him.

What started as a boycott, is slowy becoming a permanent deal. I am not buying, and I haven't been buying Marvel comics since OMD. As I've said in earlier posts, Spider-Man is a pivotal character in the MU. If you break him, the rest follows, like a house of cards.

Me not buying carries no clout of course, as I'm only one guy. Just my little way of showing my dissatisfaction.

Unbreak Peter Parker please, and do it soon.
We miss him.

Posted by Nøhr on 2008-08-01 20:58:54
Sorry, HiddenVorlon and Nøhr I don't think Spider-Man is broken at all. I'm enjoying just about every issue coming out. I LOVE BND! I AM SPENDING MY MONEY HERE! HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE FIXED! :P

I especially agree with Brevoort about late vs. quality. I'd rather have a great book than a shoddy book that came out on time.

Posted by doncorswhazie on 2008-08-01 22:11:36
Thanks for these columns Mr. Brevoort.

I know not everyone follows comic news like I do, but I wish the person who asked about divorce read a bit more before asking. This has been answered so many times by different people, at comics news sites, conventions, etc. Just kind of a waste of space to repeat the thing again.

As for the point of Marvel Apes... I would assume it is the same as ANY comic book. To entertain.

"You know what I don't understand? Why didn't Marvel just sink all of this creative talent (i.e., Bendis, Wells, Wacker, McNiven, Bachalo, Jiminez, etc.) into making Ultimate Spider-man come out three times a month?"

Well if Ultimate Spidey is the comic you think Spider-Man should be, I hope you are reading it.

Was Spider-Man broke before BND? No, not really. I was reading, but only because of the tie into Civil War. I stopped reading Spidey regularly 10 years ago. Not because he was broke, but just wasn't as interested. For now, I am reading BND and think it is fine (no offense I like other titles better)... Nothing wrong here.

Posted by beta-ray on 2008-08-01 23:21:57
Doctor Strange and Next Wave

Thanks for answered my last question, I appreciated. Now I have two more.

I loved Doctor Strange: The oath and I think Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin did an amazing job, Is ther any plains for another mini-series with or other creative team?

Next Wave will be back one day ?

Posted by claudio pahl on 2008-08-01 23:50:18
a clarification and questions
Tom,

You say that a divorced Spidey would have been bad because it was a hot button issue for the general public. If this is the case, how is a Marvel Icon, marketed to kids, able to make a deal with the devil and not show a worse example? I also don't quite understand why the marriage wasn't fixed with Mary Jane being killed(again). That could have potentially reintroduced even more turmoil. No need to answer this, it's been beaten to death, retconned alive, and killed again. I just wondered if anyone had considered that.

QUestions:
With the cancelation of Cable and Deadpool, there is famine of comedy books out by Marvel. Are there any plans (or do you wish for) genre deviations away from Marvel's current strong points (those being the action Super Hero genre and crime/noir super hero)?

Is there ever any worry about giving a writer too much control over the direction and continuity in the Marvel Universe? (For instance, Old Man Logan tying in with FF and 1985 as cannon and yet purportedly containing characters such as "Spider-Bitch" and the incestuous Hulk Family. I say purportedly because I'm not reading it.)

I've notice that many comic stories have good set ups and rising action, but very few manage to pull off the ending very well. (The last mainstream comic series I read that left me with the stunned silence that can also follow the end of a good book, movie, or concert was a weekly series not done by Marvel). Do you think this is a pervasive problem in the business and results from the serialized nature of comics not lending themselves to resolutions, not being able to pull together every set up, or the relative short nature of most comic stories or is it something else?

Would marvel ever consider a "magazine" type publication (similar to Shonen Jump) with that month's comics out of a certain editorial department (or even just 5 or so titles) in black and white low quality paper with myriad adds and exclusive interviews and news/previews? It would offer something to those who don't have access/time to hunt around online or in other publications for news, and allow those with limited budgets to keep up with the universe's goings ons.

Pick and choose any questions you like (if any). It's really cool for you to do this for everyone.

Thanks so Much!

Peter Kempson

Posted by pkempson on 2008-08-02 00:31:00
Well I appreciate that you took time out...(B
To respond to some of the BND questions. However I find this quote funny:'he’s Marvel’s corporate icon, so doing a story in which Spider-Man gets a divorce is tantamount to Marvel endorsing divorce. And while you might not think so, that’s still a real hot-button issue in certain circles (as I’m sure will become apparent at some point during this year’s Presidential campaign.)'
And yet nobody is supposed to get upset with making a deal with a very devil like character? Too many at Marvel think that erasing one's mistake is called responsibility. But May dieing would have reunited her with her long lost love, Ben. Peter having to live with his mistake (unmasking) and dealing with losing Aunt May his how you hold responsibility for your action. Not selling your soul (or marriage) to fix you problem. May and Uncle Ben would have struck Peter Parker for not only dealing with the devil but throwing away a loving marriage.

In all honesty I have yet to see a Spider-Man story that could not be done with him married. So many things I could have liked about BND, a cast of characters: yes! Trying to get new villains into the fray: Yes! And yet why couldn't these stories be told with a married Peter Parker? I just don't understand. I think if a writer can't thinks it's too hard to write a character that's married then fire him or her. Why do Marvel writers keep blaming Mary Jane? It's not her fault at all, it's poor writers that cannot accept responsibility for their lack of skills.

Posted by HarveyEll on 2008-08-02 00:49:50
I have to agree with pkempson; how can Spider-Man getting a divorce be considered worse than Spider-Man making a deal with the devil?

As a father, I would have much preferred explaining to my son that Spider-Man got a divorce than explaining that Spider-Man made a deal with a devil.

In San Diego, Dan Buckley said Mephisto wasn't the devil, just a super-villain. With all due respect to Mr. Buckley, Mephisto is not a mere supervillain. Going back to his first appearance, it's obvious Mephisto was a stand-in for Satan, and has even masqueraded as Satan throughout the years. So while Mephisto may not be *the* Devil, he is still a devil.

Joe Quesada said that it wasn't Peter who made the deal. I had a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #545, and I read the scenes with Mephisto very closely. Yes, Mary Jane made the deal first, and if it had been left at that, I would not have this big a problem with OMD. But Mephisto replies that both Mary Jane and Peter have to agree to the deal, and Peter ultimately agrees.

Spider-Man made a deal with a devil.

The kicker of this is, Spider-Man wasn't like Johnny Blaze who made the wrong decision for the right reason. Spider-Man made the wrong decision for a selfish reason. He didn't do it to save Aunt May's life, he did it so he wouldn't feel guilty over her being shot and dying because of him. He totally abandoned his credo of "with great power comes great responsibility."

Posted by gruedragon on 2008-08-02 02:09:50
Well, Spider-man made a deal with a devil, and Ghost Rider is a super-hero (or Spirits of Vengeance), who got his power from a devil, But the way I see it there are still many fans of Ghost Rider and I rarely see an argument about Ghost Rider whose powers are from a devil.

Anyway, for Reader Question:

We know that all of the member of the Illuminati get big role in the Illuminati, Black Bolt got replaced, Iron Man and Reed Richards seem to be the backbone to repel the Invasion from a success. And Mr. Bendis has hinted that Namor will make a big role in Secret Invasion as well. But what i don't understand is why Dr. Strange, while all of these things are happening, is currently in limbo? Although Mr. Joe always said "Wait and see". Is there any plan for him?

And I always wonder why if there's a Marvel Team Ups title, why can't there be a Marvel Vs title? Thanks in advance.

Posted by dnieltjhin on 2008-08-02 03:13:43
The Spider-Man questions are boring and amazingly repetitive. Other message boards have shown that people will whine about this until the end of time. so please, please change the subject already

Posted by Maestro on 2008-08-02 03:34:06
Repetitive?
I'm sorry, but ASM was the biggest selling comic book before OMD, and so it deserves a little attention. In the form of the undoing of OMD.

Posted by doody_duty on 2008-08-02 03:40:05
I think what he mean by repetitive is the fact that the argument pretty much the same with one point.

Posted by dnieltjhin on 2008-08-02 06:26:16
I can't believe it !!!!!
you replied to me, Tom... I mean... wow....thank you, really,
I didn't hope anything...( about my Omega Flight question )
...but what ?
'not in the immediate future'...
c'mon ...it's so unfair....
there's so much things to do with these characters...plus I don't have to told you how to make things, but I'm sure that some spin-off in other Marvel books will be appreciated, not especially an X-Men book because with Pointer, US Agent and Arachne,'Omega Flight' is half an Initiative book now. That said I already posted what I thinked about the current crew, and the other possibilities with the inner mythologia of the title , and did I not fear that a real post would be lost into the moutains of others submissions, you'll know what I really mean by a ' different book'.
I'll have to agree with pkempson, there is a lack of comedy-books that make me pray for a GLI book because I like very much all the characters and the approach of them, but I hope they won't stay in this register too long (like 'She-Hulk' by Byrne who stopped at time happily ), like 'Omega Flight' there are very interesting characters and interesting stories to do with , as I'll also be perfectly glad to see a mini with another Initiative team -wich contain Vox, Bella Donna and Frog Man -because they intrigued me.

Two more things :
One is about OMBND, and I think the readers are too shocked for the moment to realize what wonderful gift the authors will provide to the fans. I think they 're working on something instead REALLY REALLY BIG,I mean, the possibilities with ' a deal with the devil' just fits to the character PERFECTLY because of the thematic of choices that always has been a main point, it's a wonderful dramatic ressort...I really don't understand them.
What they really want..the most I'm waiting for about a comic is being surprised and driven in to new directions ( that's not my will any way, life is like it too after all ) and it just ok if I don't recognize my favourite character, he's changing, that's all... which happen in every atomic family also, so... And if the married SpiderMan disappointed, permitt me to think that they are working hard to fix that and show us what a REAL love story is.
The second is to thank you to have sign Dan Miki as an exclusive, because I was kinda thinking there was kinda a lack of inking in Marvel books. As a fan of Larry Stroman (No one are doing 'CIoak and Dagger' better than him, except if you're ready to engage Kelley Jones or Rick Leonardi ) had been a little disappointed by his comme-back, but that's okay that's transition and it goes with the X-Factor'books 'charm; to me the inking was too close from a sketch and it doesn't worked with the colours- which are great...
yeah, I hoped some kind of density,
a visual density that is missing also in a book like 'Moonknight'.There's something I like definetively about this character, and I had nothing against Mark Texeira, especially not about his colouring and sequencing ( I'm a huge nostalgic of the 80's ) but I think it deserves density, weight. I've seen the Marc Silvestri web-site and had been very surprised by his SpiderWoman ( close to Chaykin have to say -due to the colours ),Ghost Rider and T-Bolts , I know he's a busy man and he could be great on Moonknight if his characters were not pausers (self-repeated attitudes coming from his work on X-Men ) and main and minor characters who look the same, in regards of artists like Quitely and Leinil-Yu who sets backgrounds, characters who are not ALL models but every-day man, and who are not pausing but set in contexts, doing something.

Posted by notapotatoe on 2008-08-02 10:24:23
Am I the only one really sick of OMD complaints?

There is huge potential for future stories involving Mephisto and Spiderman now and I'm looking forward to when this eventually surfaces.

Tom, you must be really sick of having to near constantly defend the direction spiderman has taken and i really feel for you guys.

On a separate note Tom, I'd really like to know what you'd consider your ideal team up in terms for Writer, Artist and Character and why.

Anyway, thanks for donating some of your time to dealing with us halfwits.



Posted by dugdale24 on 2008-08-02 12:03:00
divorce
"doing a story in which Spider-Man gets a divorce is tantamount to Marvel endorsing divorce."

You did not just say that. I don't care how you spin it Mephisto = Marvel U's Satan. You'd rather promote a deal with the "devil" (a cowardly, spineless and frankly stupid one) than show any sense of maturity or realness? Unbelievable.

What made Peter/Spidey and other Marvel characters great is that they grow. They don't stay the same as when theya re first created. They mature, change, grow-up. The FF, the X-Men, Thor, Daredevil, Hulk etc have all changed since their inceptions and not just in superficial appearance/dialogue ways. They've grown. You've completely REGRESSED Spidey to your own fantasized version of him. The stories that re being done now are the kind we've already seen in the 70s and 80s.

BND is a joke and the continued justification by the higher ups is an almost bigger joke. Who is this book supposed to be for? The fans or your own egos?

Spider-Man wans't broken. Spyder-Man of BND is.

Posted by coconutphone on 2008-08-02 12:42:21
Not a fan of BND.
I just know I put up a response earlier.

I dislike BND because we just don't need it. Why did we have to have Spidey suddenly become a rookie again? Why did he suddenly lose all sense of responbility and respectability? Why until now to have a large cast of supporting characters? Why now to try bringing in new villains? Why couldn't all of this have been done with MJ still his wife? So far all of these BND stories could have been told with a married Spider-Man.

I should mention that I'm a new fan. I began reading those Essential Spider-Man books and picking up stuff during JMS run. I had only been a reader for about two years or so but the entire OMD/BND scenario has pushed me away and now I'm not buying any Spider-Man.

I can't blame any readers, especially the long time ones, for feeling we've been slapped in the face in an attempt to bring in an armada of BRAND NEW YOUNG READERS! From the numbers it sure looks like you've only brought in a few new ones and lost a ton of old ones.

Well if you really wish to continue on this course then I just won't buy any more Spider-Man. Peter Parker died at the end of the OMD.

Posted by HarveyEll on 2008-08-02 12:43:10
increase SPIDER-GIRL promotional material?
Tom,
Are there any plans currently to increase Spider-Girl advertising? I'd like to see more advertisements in print, TV, and on the web as well as maybe some additional promotional material. Perhaps you could run a four-page Spider-Girl preview across several Marvel titles?

Posted by Mardochaeus LXX on 2008-08-02 12:49:09
Spider-Man Broken?
I think Matt Fraction proved a married Spider-Man wasn't broken.
Unmasking Spider-Man was the thing that was fixed, as you couldn't have a moment that huge and not fix it.

Posted by doeswhateveraspidercan666 on 2008-08-02 20:10:29
Repetition
Maybe the OMD/BND questions and complaints are repeated again and again because there hasn't been a plausible answer yet?
All we get is a run-around and belittlement.
We get odd excuses such as "It was MJ's deal really, she did it" to soften the blow. Which is merely the voice of the editors speaking through her mouth. MJ would never condone a deal with a devil. In short, she's been badly written.
Or; "Spider-Man was broken, so we unbroke him". Despite the long time fans loving the direction ASM had taken in JMS' hands. (the unmasking, the criminal conduct done out of desperation, Peter being hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the law, the unfinished business with Kingpin, the interaction between the team members in New Avengers) in general, the blissful absence of the usual status quo.
All this has been erased.
And all we know for certain is it all happened because the boss didn't like married Spidey.
So, good narrative has been sacrifices to appease said boss, and reinstate teen angst Spyder-Man.

But I'm flogging a dead horse, and I'm on the brink of giving up addressing this issue,so rejoice pro OMD readers, soon mine will be voice no longer heard (not that anyone has listened during these past 7 months).

Posted by Nøhr on 2008-08-03 03:57:56
I read Spider-man before BND and I'm STILL reading him. I like the new stories and I'm curious where it's going. I enjoy the fact that the comic has become less depressing overall in tone. If I want depressing, I'll read Batman.

What I am TIRED of is listening to the same bunch of whiners state their case OVER and OVER. You control freak fanboys just make me sick. It's a comic book, just relax and enjoy it.

If you need something to complain about, complain about the fact that you still live with your parents.

Posted by jszilla on 2008-08-03 09:45:49
response to jszilla
But what if the chararcter has become such a slimy retarded piece of scum that he makes the title utterly untollerable? What if the Spider-Man shown in BND is so disgustingly horrible that he ruins any enjoyment we might have out of any story in BND. What if his characterisation is so off that he might as well be an entirely different character.

Cause that's the problem.

I enjoy the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon which is awesome and most Ultimate Spider-Man issues (though not the last two), and Spider-Man Adventures, all three of which have a teenaged Spidey. But none of those three turn Peter Parker into a worthless @@%#*$& loser. None of those three take the best character Marvel had and turned him into the worst.

By now, I'd rather get a return to the clone saga than to bring even one issue of BND into my house. Or allow any child under my care to read even a single issue of BND. (I wouldn't want them to start thinking that all Spidey stories suck as much as BND does)

Posted by liliaeth on 2008-08-03 10:37:07
My questions....
I hope you are answering more questions. I like these Q&A sessions.

2). Any plans for Canada at all? More specifically, Western Canada? It would be nice to see a Canadian hero other than Wolverine or a Canadian team other than Omega Flight. And there's more Canada west of Ontario, a fact that alot of people tend to ignore (save Chris Claremont and John Bryne). Lets see more of that!

2). Silver Surfer series. He's a strong enough character to hold his own title. Are we going to see an ongoing with him again?

3). What do you think will be the projected timeline to shift from the paper medium to an exclusively digital format?

Love reading your blogs. Hope to hear from you.

Posted by DRock1 on 2008-08-03 13:26:08
And about the Spidey/MJ divorce thing...
I'd rather Marvel be for divorce (because I truly believe it's better to divorce than to make each other's lives rotten for the rest of their lives) than to have Marvel support ending a marriage that wasn't broken to begin with. If you can say that Marvel doesn't support divorce, then from what's been shown in BND one can argue that Marvel doesn't recommend marriage either, showing it as a huge inconvenience for those involved.

It's difficult finding some good solid marriages to look up to, and Spidey and MJ, despite their problems, was a good example. It should not have gone.

And now I shut up about BND for awhile.

Posted by DRock1 on 2008-08-03 13:52:46
I'm pro spider-marriage, not anti-bnd
Hi Mr. Brevoort,

I've been reading your blog for a number of months now and have a great appreciation for the insider insight you share with us fans. As a fan of Spider-Man and a regular reader of your blog, I've found some of the answers you gave in your latest entry quite perplexing.

In your most recent entry, you wrote:

"The goal wasn’t to have “an” unmarried Spider-Man—the goal was to fix the fact that Spider-Man was broken."

In your May eighth entry on the core four titles, you wrote:

"IRON MAN. THOR. HULK. CAPTAIN AMERICA. These core Marvel Universe titles have had a reputation of being a bit difficult to market, especially over the last fifteen years or so. As opposed to properties like X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN that have continued to have strong youth-appeal and cool-factor as the years have rolled on, the "Core Four" all have elements to their basic make-up that have given them the reputation of being out-of-step with the desires of a wider audience in the world of the 21st Century. Now, I don't really buy into this rap--and the fact that all of these books and all of these characters are selling very well at the moment would tend to put the lie to it. Nevertheless, it's worth examing these myths, if for no other reason than to understand the impressions various editorial regimes have had towards these characters over the years.
"
Is the belief that Spider-Man was broken a minority opinion? If not, how could a title that "continued to have strong youth appeal and cool-factor as the years have rolled on" be viewed as broken?


(By your logic, if fans want a married Spider-Man, they should just start reading AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL and leave AMAZING SPIDER-MAN to the new readers.) But as I told CAmBn a few questions ago, that’s not really what those readers want.)

I've never read an issue of Amazing Spider-Girl, but isn't Peter Parker only a supporting character in the title? I'd assume that and the fact that the title branches off from Amazing Spider-Man's time line shortly after the clone saga are the main reasons why fans of the pre One More Day version of the character aren't flocking to ASG, not simply because it isn't title ASM. I'm sure you are aware that there have been times when USM nearly outsold ASM. It is my opinion that not only does the greater Spider-man fan base accept multiple versions of the character being published simultaneously; it enjoys being able to read different versions of the Peter Parker story.



Posted by nester on 2008-08-03 21:44:25
how sad...
if Peter divorces in AMAZING SPIDER GIRL...

c'mon you Marvel guys !!!!
You don't have the guts to do that !!

Posted by notapotatoe on 2008-08-04 01:16:42
jszilla
If you'd read the various arguments, you'd understand why the anti OMD/BND keeps going at it. We're treated like we're nothing and we never get an actual dialogue or a decent explaination about this "magic, we don't have to explain it" jazz.
It's the narrative equivalent of "And then he woke up, and it had all been a dream". It's simply bad story telling. And it left a lot of lose ends that'll never be tied up.
And your "If you need something to complain about, complain about the fact that you still live with your parents." comment shows the grace with which you enter a discussion. It also shows your preconceptions about comicbook readers. In short, you're narrowminded and biased. And so, you're not helping anything, neither pro or con.

Posted by Nøhr on 2008-08-04 06:14:24
Question
Tom, do you think there is anyway people who are still complaining about One More Day will EVER get over it?

As a reader, I'M sick of hearing about. I can't imagine how frustratingly boring it must seem for you guys.

Posted by NewChad on 2008-08-04 08:04:27
I'm sure they saw this coming. Spider-Man and MJ would have split years ago but the creators didn't do it simply because they didn't want to listen to all of this yelling by a handful of people.

As for the "he made a deal with the devil" argument; Guys, the devil isn't any more real than Mephisto. The Christian red devil (from depictions that are far from Canonical) is an archetype. IT helped in the story telling of showing a being of ultimate power. Saying it would have been if it was different pretend guy like the Beyonder shows the weakness of your argument.
Take issue with Peter being selfish (which was kind of the poing and something you apparently have never done) but not with the fact that it was the "devil".

Posted by IanZL on 2008-08-04 11:24:45
Couple questions: Any further plans for Counter Force after this New Wariors story?

More importantly, can you talk a little bit about the genesis of the current New Warriors? It came out of Civil War and was supposedly going to deal with that. However, at least to this reader, it feels like an Xbook (which the original New Warriors certainly didn't) more concerned with dealing with House of M fallout? Why make the book populated with ex-mutants, only to have Avengers Initiative give us a team that seemed far more similar and connected to the New Warriors yet unable to use that name because of the ongoing title. Counter Force seems like it would be a far better vessel to tell post-CW stories in since its genesis was directly tied to CW, whereas most of the current New Warriors is tied far more closely to House of M.

Posted by motteditor on 2008-08-04 16:41:29
BND
Although I don't really agree with re-writing reality to get out of a story, BND has given a lot of really talented guys the chance to tell some excellent,classic-yet-original stories.I loved JMS's run but this has opened up the opportunity to tell many different stories and made it much easier for writers in years to come.

Posted by asm6 on 2008-08-05 09:10:54
@ rialB
" That's true but TV programs are nearly never late. If a new program is scheduled to be on Monday at nine o'clock it's nearly always on. I don't ever remember tuning in expecting a new scheduled episode and being disappointed by a rerun."

I actually do, but not often and less so now-a-days: but the thing is, they know farther in advance relative to when YOU know, and can pre-empt a normal timeslot with a re-run of another show, a movie or what have you. Comic solicitations are done by the companies 4 MONTHS in advance. you can't know if your inker is gonna get pneumonia and knocked out for 2 weeks 2 months later. You can run three/four new episodes of a show and then announce your doing 2 reruns (FOX does that all the time, when they preview a new ep at the end they'll say "in 2/3 weeks") you don't know that until it's announced, so it's less of a disappointment.

Also, TV shows are worked on by HUNDREDS of people. a team of writers. multiple directors. Union lighting and technicians and you can just about ALWAYS bring in a back-up if someone calls in sick. if one of the many actors gets sick you can always film scense with other actors. Comics on average are created by 5 people (writer/penciler/inker/colorist/letterer) + an editor and assistant editor. if even one of those goes off the rails a little bit (say the colorist's kid gets sick and he misses a day or two or even a computer dile gets corrupted between editorial and the printer) you can miss your slot on the Press, and most of the time Press schedules are done 2-3 weeks in advance (i think most comics are printed at the same printer).

Also, Civil War and Ultimates debacles aside, hasn't Marvel been about 100x better on late books in the last 2 years then they were 3-4 years ago, especially on anything not involving Millar or Whedon?

Posted by artiepants on 2008-08-07 13:52:25
Mr. Brevoort: It is clear the spiderman is the most recognized and beloved character from Marvel, but which Marvel character would you say is as iconic as Superman, by that I mean that represents as much as Superman does?

Posted by freyes2000 on 2008-08-08 14:13:09
@artiepants
That might be cap. Superman is what we should strive to be, and he thinks that were total idiot wimps. Cap stands for the freedom of an individual, no matter who you are. Thats why the death of Cap was done so well.

Posted by doeswhateveraspidercan666 on 2008-08-09 01:37:40
question about patriotic heroes?
when are you going to put U.S.Agent in the cap storyline? Also what about Jack flagg and the other patriotic heroes? maybe have a mini about them going a performing covert ops for the government.

Posted by redlitez76 on 2008-08-19 00:12:22