So who is he reaching out for? Stan only knows. If they are even reading the comic, young kids have Amazing Adventures: Spider-Man, Teens have Ultimate Spider-Man, girls (if there are any) have Spider-Girl. Which should leave “classic” Spidey for old-timers like me (I’ve been here since ‘62).

Besides, it isn’t like there aren’t a shelf-full of limited series, alternate versions, and retcons already out there (Spider-man Blue, With Great Power, et. ad. nausium), why screw with the original? This is all about a bill of goods that Quesada has sold us. He has long stated that he hates Pete’s Marriage to MJ, and now he has finally eradicated it.

However, Tom Brevoort is wrong, the ire among fans isn’t so much about the ending of the marriage, but the WAY it was ended. Seriously, a deal with Satan? Up until this action Peter was right up there with Captain America as one of the most morally-centered characters in all of the Marvel Universe (if not all of comics themselves). Having him cut a deal with Satan was just stupid. Plus, the way he is being written now is simply sloppy. Tripping over himself, unable to catch simple buglers, novice-style mistakes. Quesada’s actions have done more damage to the character than all the “Bronze Age” years of misdirection and bad story lines.

Plus, all the false hype in the letters page is simply adding insult to injury, especially when all of the blog sites are decrying the entire mess. Yes, this is worse than the Clone Saga debacle.

Anyways, I don’t think this kind of thing ruins his popularity, but it does wear on the long-term fans of the comic books when they are played around like this. Like a very astute reader recently stated on the Pulp Secret site:

http://www.pulpsecret.com/the-stack/episode/STK_20080111

You think it’s nuts people are fuming during the last few days because Peter and MJ are no longer married?

Joe Quesada has been fuming for 20 years that they were.

Haven’t you heard? It’s been ruining Spidey’s appeal. It’s all Joe’s been talking about for a lot longer than a few days. Spidey sales have been suffering badly since he married the super model. No one can relate. They don’t read his comics, they don’t buy his toys, his bedsheets, see his movies…

What a world.

New Spider-Man is this decade’s New Coke. Marvel has shit the bed on this one and no matter how many clean crisp new sheets they put on it it still stinks. Are you really surprised that one week after the most popular character in North American comics makes a deal with Satan readers are still annnoyed? Then the next few years are going to be a real piece of popcorn caught in your back teeth.

Here’s how links work: you click them by putting the “icon” on top of the words and pushing down on left button on your “computer mouse.” The “computer mouse” tells your computer you’ve clicked on the words! Then, as if by the blackest of magics, your internet “web-browser” will take you through the tubes on the Internet to a completely different “webpage” which will provide context for quotations. Context can help you to form opinions that will be fully-informed! Imagine the possibilities!

Except that Harry Osborn never died now, which completely changes everything about Norman Osborn’s motivations ever since.

Oh, and Peter never had organic webshooters, either, which kind of implies that almost everything J. Michael Straczynski wrote is significantly altered.

But please, continue telling us how nothing was different, except for the characters’ memories.

Yes, death is one of the leading causes of people dying.

My understanding of the story is that nothing in the past has changed, the only thing that has changed is character’s current memory of that past. So nothing was undone, nothing in the past was changed. The Green Goblin killed Gwen because he knew Peter was Spiderman, he just doesn’t remember that is why he did it. The Avengers did know that Peter was Spiderman, but now they don’t remember that they knew. And what happened to all of the physical evidence that people had that Peter was Spiderman (like photos, etc.), my guess is that it was altered or when people look at it they don’t see Peter.

I think it is time that people move on from OMD. If you don’t like BND, then read something else. It’s just a comic book. Just my 2 cents.

My misplaced snark aside, I do have a question. Have the Spiderman legos and movies and video games translated into significant sales in the comic? Or have they created a sort of separate Spiderman, one for the masses of non-comics people. One that people can go to when editorial goofiness like clones or Mephisto make the comic itself unpalatable. A parallel mythos. I mean, millions of people bought the Spiderman 3 movie on DVD, but did even 10% of those people then pick up a Spiderman comic? Did 5%? I don’t know! I’m just not sure if Spiderman (or any hero) being a popular cultural icon will serve (or save) the comic itself anymore. It seems totally possible that the comic could be screwed while the character remains a huge money maker outside the industry. But I’d like to know the numbers to make sure I’m not just full of it.

It’s sad that this has killed the popularity of Spider-man for all times, what with the publicity in national magazines and newspapers.

A suggestion for everyone here complaining about bad storytelling: Go buy Laika or The Arrival or something by Rick Veitch or Tezuka. You may be more satisfied.

Did anyone not learn the lesson of Marvel screwing over fans with the Spider-clone story??

Secondly, he apparently seems to be alright with this terrible batch of storytelling, and to me that’s the part that’s concerning.

Shame.