SPIDER-MAN is ALWAYS AMAZING

Dan Slott and his cohorts at Marvel with a somewhat superior plan had their fair share of detractors but the time has come to take a moment and recognize the odyssey that got Peter Parker out of the attic and back into a brand new day.

I was one of many that finished Amazing Spider-Man #700 with a good deal of disenchantment. It ripped to the core of the franchise as we all saw what we never wanted to see: our hero failed and the bad guy won. But what came from that plot twist in Dying Wish was something more than I think anyone ever expected. The House of Ideas launched several titles, pushed out revitalized material and even managed to achieve the holy grail of comic nerdom: a triumphant return for a staple icon.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN

We had the primary monthly where Otto Octavious took on the life of our once familiar wall-crawling menace. Through out his run he attempted to revolutionize crime fighting and prove his superiority to Peter Parker. We saw the man with eight limbs in a different light when he took down the new Sinister Six , lead an assault against Shadowland, managed to earn a doctorate and launched his own company in the name of his nemesis. There’s no doubt he accomplished quite a lot in his relatively short time, most of it in questionable ways. But when the Goblins came and shoved hard it was his own choice to step aside and face deletion in one potentially final act.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP

Beyond the main comic we got to see the depths that this villain-turned-hero was willing to sink in order to accomplish his own goals. He faced the dilemma of “with great power comes great responsibility” but failed to learn the burdened limitations of the iconic status he enjoyed. And in the end, he attempted to build his own team from a bunch of villains under the guise of the aptly named Superior Six. The long and short of it is: they proved to be more trouble than they were worth!

SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN

This may have been the single most shocking thing to come out of this era plagued by a cutthroat arachnid. The failed Sinister Six came back together for more plots involving their own goals that happened to be downright entertaining. Solid twists and turns kept a lively atmosphere, as the stories got more involved and the series itself became so popular that it’s still running even though all the other Superior books have long since come to an end.

SUPERIOR CARNAGE

We saw a rather interesting return for this murderous symbiote. In a vain attempt to recruit this monster into a new Frightful Four we were all treated to a large amount of destruction. Even so it would be wrong to blame Doc Ock for this one. Because this was after all an aftershock rippling froth from Minimum Carnage, that crossover involving Scarlet Spider and Agent Venom. But still, because of the timing this fit perfectly with the ongoing world of crazy plaguing our take no prisoners web-slinger.

SPIDER-MAN 2099

Miguel O’Hara is now, thanks to events in Superior Spider-Man, trapped in modern New York. Just take a moment and let than sink in. Now that you’ve done that embrace the fact that the narrative which caused that magic also happened to reveal the present day birth of Alchemax. So it’s an exciting time but let’s face it: the most important thing that came out of this is the triumphant return of that wonderful 2099 iteration! Who’s not excited to see what trouble he gets into via Marvel NOW? I know I’m absolutely giddy about the possibilities.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

He’s back! I know we all went through a lot just waiting for his inevitable return but it finally happened. Peter Parker, our one true Spider-Man swings again and as awesome as that feels to say or type there was no way that Marvel would bench him forever. And so once again we get a piece of fiction that’s in keeping with the comical cycle that is the never ending lack of progress known as the superhero death.

WHY HE MATTERS

There are many costumed characters out there but for me personally the reason our arachnid turned into a pop culture sensation is because of what he represents. Spider-Man is all that I wanted to be as a kid and as a man I yearn to live up to his example. He’s had problems from deaths in and out of his family to an awkward trajectory with jobs and education but that’s never stopped him from trying. He never gives up even in the face of certain failure.

See: ASM #700 one more time if you don’t believe me.

Now as we prepare for the next round of shenanigans i.e. the mystery surrounding Silk, the fractured relationships left in the wake of the Superior era and the Spider-Verse event it’s important to remember that we’re on a road crafted by fans for fans.

Even if we doubt it there’s serious care here in an exciting new day full of tales that are bound to astonish. So by all means take notice of Dan Slott, the fanboy that’s living his dream as we all come to accept the fact that even in his darkest moments and most questionable times SPIDER-MAN is ALWAYS AMAZING.