Sunday, August 15, 2010

In which I learn how to say "NO"



Now, I'm sorry to dissappoint, but that's not going to happen. However, in the interest of fairness, I feel I should explain why.

First, if you comb through the archives of posters here, you'll find very few that use any of the images since the reboot. Primarily this is because there's nothing I've seen in the material to date that's any better that what I already have from older, more well-regarded stories. However, it's also because I feel that using that materials for posters gives the material a degree of legitimacy I don't think it warrants.

Second, I'm also going to point out that I really haven't read any of the Spider-books in some time, although I do follow the commentary so I know the general gist of it. The trouble is, I mostly don't care. I've stated that I don't think this is going to get reversed as long as the current editorial group is there, or unless the next film serves as some kind of catalyst.
Third, end of the day, I don't want to read these things. I really don't care about the ineffective, ineffectual, bland Peter they're serving. I've got better things to do with my time.

But thank you for the request anyway.

4 comments:

Phil Watts, Jr. said...

Yeah...I remember asking you to do some posters on OMD/BND Spidey before and you said 'no' then, for the same reasons. I'm not mad. We'll just let the low sales numbers do all the talking and leave it at that.

And thanks for the McFarlane image, by the way. The McFarlane/Larson/Micheline period was when I first became a regular Spidey reader and in my opinion, that era pummels the crap out of EVERYTHING that came afterward. The Clone Saga, Chapter One, The Byrne/Mackie fiasco, even the JMS run is weak compared to it!

Tom said...

I agree with Phil that that era of Spider Man seemed very strong. I liked some of JMS' stuff, like his making Peter a high school teacher and Aunt May (finally!) discovered Pete's secret identity, but Spider Man has not been fun for a long, long, lonnnnnnng time. :/

Phil Watts, Jr. said...

I liked a FEW of the things JMS did, like having Aunt May find out Pete was Spidey, and bringing Pete & MJ back together. But those few good things have been buried under massive amounts of 100% Grade A STUPID...like the 9-11 issue (Doom had DUST in his eye!), the constant supernatural elements, and that Gwen & Norman image that has been permanently scarred into our forebrains. Plus, the overall feel of those issue are far too dreary for me...and I don't want to read a dreary Spiderman.

Tom said...

Well, I agree with you about a lot of that. I am willing to forgive the 9/11 issue because of the cause (although yeah, having Doom grieve over the deaths of Americans when the guy is a mass murderer of his own people) but you are right in that there is a whole lot of crap that went on.

Which does make me wonder how much of what we saw during JMS' run was his fault and how much the fault of management? OMD was not his idea, for example. And he was dancing to Bendis' and Millar's tune when Spidey joined The Avengers and Civil War happened.

I am not saying everything that was bad was someone else' fault, because Osborn/Gwen? Yeah, that was all JMS.

Still, none of that changes the fact that we both agree that as a whole that era of Spider Man is a huge downer, and BND Spidey is not much better for different reasons.