Wizard's Idea of Fixing Spidey Back in '97

Some 10 years ago, the staff of Wizard magazine thought Spidey was broken and that he needed to be fixed (why, oh why do we keep hearing this?). They brought up everything they thought was wrong, addressed how they thought things should be, how they were, and gave them each a grade. You can read the scanned article in it's entirety here.

Keep in mind that 1997 was only about a year or so after the Clone Saga, and many fans were still staying away in droves after that debacle. I agree with some things the article talks about, like death being permanent, but not much else. One of my favorite forum posters on the net, stillanerd, had this to say in regards to the article.

I've done a good job on keeping my word about not mentioning my distaste for the stories that we have now in Amazing Spider-Man since issue #546 came out. Having said that, it's hard not to read this article and not think about the current status quo of ASM. Everything in ASM is now "fixed" the way it "should" be in ASM but is the book really any better? In my humble opinion, eff no.

As stillanerd pointed out in his post, the elements mentioned in this Wizard article are just that, elements and they are some pretty old ones at that. By their logical (and the brain trust behind ASM), Spidey should never have deviated from any of these elements. On top of that, ASM can still have these elements and still end up sucking. Less focus on the elements, more focus on telling a good story that doesn't feel archaic because the writers are so caught up in maintaing said elements.

Comments

Sol (Frederick) Badguy said…

Sure, forget Deadpool because when it comes to jokes because Spider-Man is the wisecracker NO.1

I still prefer nowdays issues to those published in the 90s.

SIGH; We still need to see Spider-Man as the combatant he should be, it sure doesn't come most issues that he battles & defeats enemies far more powerful than he is, but it's always to good to be seen

December 1, 2008 at 12:53 AM

Reggie White Jr. said…

Spidey is a funny guy but Deadpool could easily rank higher than him, even when he isn't breaking the 4th wall.

December 1, 2008 at 1:12 AM

Tommy said…

I cringed when reading some of that article. Knowing that things from it were attempted, some several times, is also troubling.

And yeah, I'm all for Spidey's potential being utilized as well, Spideyfan.

December 2, 2008 at 7:45 AM

Super Hero Secret IDs & Their Friends

I've always felt Clark Kent has had one of the poorest disguises of all time for a secret Identity. All he does is straight up his "S" curl so it isn't visible and put on some glasses. Well, also depending on the era, Clark is either goes out of his way to be a bumbling idiot so people don't suspect he's an alien from another world, or here's the non-clumsy modern version. Personally, I like both, but if Lois is indeed a star reporter then she'd have to see through that disguise. Let's be realistic here. No one is that clumsy unless they are trying to be. I actually read a post on a message board that Lois finding out that Clark was Superman takes away from the whole dynamic. Seriously? The dynamic of making Lois look like a complete idiot who is unable to see what is right in front of her? I didn't miss that one bit. In fact, one of the few problems I had with Superman The Animated Series is that Warner Brothers didn't allow the creators t

Hooray for Reprints!

The Green Goblin has often been touted as Spider-Man's deadliest foe. He is what the Joker is to Batman. I wonder if Stan knew back when Gobby first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #14 that the Goblin would become the menace that he is to Spidey today. What makes the Goblin such an interesting foe isn't the costume. No. Much like Spider-Man, Gobby is such a great villain because the man underneath the suit is fascinating. Norman Osborn is one effed up dude to say the least. He was so annoyed with Spider Man getting in his way that he the battle between the two of them personal. He discovered Spidey's secret ID, revealed his own identity to the wall-crawler and would later go on to make Spidey's life a living nightmare. Gobby not only screws up Spidey's life, he screws up the lives of those Spidey cares about like Flash Thompson or if your name is Gwen Stacy, thinks ain't lookin' too good for you. I've read every early Spidey/Gobby story except one and it

Marvel Wants to Hear From YOU!

In the letter page of Amazing Spider-Man #565, Spidey editor Steve Wacker filled the page with nothing but negative letters from readers that hate Brand New Day. Who says Marvel doesn't listen to the fans? And what's more, Mr. Wacker has even asked us to write in and tell them how we feel. Can you believe that? It takes class to run nothing but angry letters and a couple of those to the right are pretty nasty. My mother actually suggested I write to the editor and state my feelings on the molestation of Spider-Man in ASM. I'd been meaning to write them, but I just never sat down to do so. With the editor of the Spidey books kindly saying that the letter's page is "the place to vent," I think the time has finally come for me to express myself. I don't know if it will get printed since I've stopped reading ASM, but if they take my letter and many others that are outraged by BND to heart, then that's all that matters. Dear ASM Staff, Do you know what

Reggie Blogged

Search This Blog