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Spidey-Review
Jul. 18th, 2009 12:49 pmBecause I believe in freaking out early and often, I spent Friday reading Spider-Man instead of writing.
Just to review I read the graphic novel collection “Coming Home,” which seems to chronicle the first time Michael J. Straczynski takes the helm of the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN title; random single issues 492/51 “Digger” and 493/52 “Dig This”; and finally the collected issues 515 – 518 “Skin Deep.”
What’s amusing about this experience is that I’ve been reading around these issues scatter-shot for several months now. Thus the big reveal at the end of “Coming Home” where Aunt May finds Peter’s bruised and battered body on the couch next to his shredded Spidey-suit not as big a “ta-dah!” moment as it might have been if I were reading these in order. Still, it was nice to see how he got there.
And, there was the cool bit about totem animals.
Straczynski suggests that maybe, just maybe, Peter *is* SPIDER, as in the archetype that has been causing our collective unconscious skin to crawl since time immortal. This theory is postulated via a mysterious stranger who just happens to have similar powers to Spider-Man, though he may have gotten them thanks to a funky Aztec(?) ritual involving blood and spider symbols (that part is implied in pictures. Mysterious stranger is vague about his origin story.) Anyway, Straczynski builds a case that costumes attract like, so Captain America is PATRIOTISM and so the villains he fights reflect that totemic energy. Which nicely explains why Spider-Man is always fighting guys (and gals) who have animalistic powers ala Dr. Octopus (note to Mr. Straczynski and/or editors at SPIDER-MAN, while “octopi” is correct “octopuses” is the preferred plural), Rhino, Kraven Hunter, Vulture, Lizard Man, Black Cat... etc.
I’m not sure I buy it entirely, but I liked the way Peter fought off the totem-vampire dude. That worked for me.
One of the things I loved about Straczynski’s work on Babylon 5 was the remembering. If something got brought up in an episode – even something seemingly insignificant, Straczynski would pick it up later and make something of it. So I noticed later in “Skin Deep” the single panel in one of the flashback scenes where a spider just happens to be lurking by Peter’s leg. Coincidence? After “Coming Home,” I don’t think so. The spiders _wanted_ to pass on their super powers to Peter, the radiation was just a bonus.
51 and 52, pick up after Peter and MJ are back together after their seperation, and follow a mini-arc about a gamma irradiated mess of dead bodies (long story) that have a grudge against a mafia boss who ends up kind of hiring Spider-Man to be his body guard. My favorite moment in this arc was in 52 when Spidey gets a ticket for car surfing. I loved everything about those two panels, actually. I loved that Peter wouldn’t get in the car with the mafia thug; I loved that he bet the cop there wasn’t an ordinance to cover a situation where someone was riding on the hood of a car (and that there was); and I especially loved the ticket written out to “Spider-Man” and the mafia hood yelling from inside, “For Chrissake get in the goddamned car!”
A great moment, honesty: very Spider-Man, very New York.
Interestingly, “Skin Deep” is more a Peter Parker story than it is Spider-Man’s. It follows the exploits of a fellow nerd, Charlie Weiderman and his descent into super-villainry. It’s told both in the present time, when Peter and Charlie are adults, and in Peter’s pre-irradiated spider bite past (complete with a living, speaking, PUNCHING Uncle Ben!)
My favorite part involves Peter going gah-gah over MJ’s sexy costume for some stage production or other. He gets completely derailed, even though he’s come to warn her about Weiderman’s evil turn. Cute.
“Skin Deep” runs right up to Straczynski’s New Avengers SPIDER-MAN, which is one of my favorites that I’ve read over and over.
I suppose I’d best go get some real work done now.
Just to review I read the graphic novel collection “Coming Home,” which seems to chronicle the first time Michael J. Straczynski takes the helm of the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN title; random single issues 492/51 “Digger” and 493/52 “Dig This”; and finally the collected issues 515 – 518 “Skin Deep.”
What’s amusing about this experience is that I’ve been reading around these issues scatter-shot for several months now. Thus the big reveal at the end of “Coming Home” where Aunt May finds Peter’s bruised and battered body on the couch next to his shredded Spidey-suit not as big a “ta-dah!” moment as it might have been if I were reading these in order. Still, it was nice to see how he got there.
And, there was the cool bit about totem animals.
Straczynski suggests that maybe, just maybe, Peter *is* SPIDER, as in the archetype that has been causing our collective unconscious skin to crawl since time immortal. This theory is postulated via a mysterious stranger who just happens to have similar powers to Spider-Man, though he may have gotten them thanks to a funky Aztec(?) ritual involving blood and spider symbols (that part is implied in pictures. Mysterious stranger is vague about his origin story.) Anyway, Straczynski builds a case that costumes attract like, so Captain America is PATRIOTISM and so the villains he fights reflect that totemic energy. Which nicely explains why Spider-Man is always fighting guys (and gals) who have animalistic powers ala Dr. Octopus (note to Mr. Straczynski and/or editors at SPIDER-MAN, while “octopi” is correct “octopuses” is the preferred plural), Rhino, Kraven Hunter, Vulture, Lizard Man, Black Cat... etc.
I’m not sure I buy it entirely, but I liked the way Peter fought off the totem-vampire dude. That worked for me.
One of the things I loved about Straczynski’s work on Babylon 5 was the remembering. If something got brought up in an episode – even something seemingly insignificant, Straczynski would pick it up later and make something of it. So I noticed later in “Skin Deep” the single panel in one of the flashback scenes where a spider just happens to be lurking by Peter’s leg. Coincidence? After “Coming Home,” I don’t think so. The spiders _wanted_ to pass on their super powers to Peter, the radiation was just a bonus.
51 and 52, pick up after Peter and MJ are back together after their seperation, and follow a mini-arc about a gamma irradiated mess of dead bodies (long story) that have a grudge against a mafia boss who ends up kind of hiring Spider-Man to be his body guard. My favorite moment in this arc was in 52 when Spidey gets a ticket for car surfing. I loved everything about those two panels, actually. I loved that Peter wouldn’t get in the car with the mafia thug; I loved that he bet the cop there wasn’t an ordinance to cover a situation where someone was riding on the hood of a car (and that there was); and I especially loved the ticket written out to “Spider-Man” and the mafia hood yelling from inside, “For Chrissake get in the goddamned car!”
A great moment, honesty: very Spider-Man, very New York.
Interestingly, “Skin Deep” is more a Peter Parker story than it is Spider-Man’s. It follows the exploits of a fellow nerd, Charlie Weiderman and his descent into super-villainry. It’s told both in the present time, when Peter and Charlie are adults, and in Peter’s pre-irradiated spider bite past (complete with a living, speaking, PUNCHING Uncle Ben!)
My favorite part involves Peter going gah-gah over MJ’s sexy costume for some stage production or other. He gets completely derailed, even though he’s come to warn her about Weiderman’s evil turn. Cute.
“Skin Deep” runs right up to Straczynski’s New Avengers SPIDER-MAN, which is one of my favorites that I’ve read over and over.
I suppose I’d best go get some real work done now.