#it feels good to draw USM again

[x-gon-give-it]

A redraw of some of my fav scenes from Ultimate Spider-Man. There’s a lot of good ones to choose from ^.^

[maydaymemer]

Ultimate Spider-Man (2005) - Short Review

Just replayed Ultimate Spider-Man for PS2. And ive got some thoughts on it

Overall it’s still really fun to me, I think it’s way ahead of its time graphically, it looks amazing with the only problem being terrible draw distance. the city design is super underrated, theres lots of landmarks and little areas you’ll find swinging around that are detailed. The city doesnt feel copy paste like spider-man 2. the combat is kinda button mashy but i like that alternating between attacks causes more damage, but when the combat asks you to go up against groups of tough enemies like the combat tours do it kind of falls apart. It feels more luck based because you do more damage alternating between enemies and that can be used to break thru blocks. But if you are constantly hitting kick and punch and moving the stick you dont always switch to another enemy and just button mash at one guy. Luckily the combat doesnt ask you much in the main campaign so no worries there

Swinging is momentum based which i prefer over the more automated feeling of the new games. Not that the new games are bad, theyre an improvement on for example the TASM games but what i like about these old games is you handle spider-man sort of realistically it you had his powers. You’d fumble about and get caught on things at the start and then slowly get used to it and as you got a handle on your powers and became familiar with the city youd get really good at it. tho its not as good as how sim-like the swinging felt in spider-man 2 but i feel what usm does better is great missions and a great campaign. Especially the bosses I found really enjoyable for their variety, uniqueness and how they used good picks from classic and some more obscure villains. Also you get to play as venom. Hes not got much depth but the novelty is excellent

The story is really good, it’s penned by an actual spider-man writer and it has a good sense of universe thats intriguing as someone whos never read ultimate comics and heard bad things about how edgy the non spidey books could be. I actually did laugh at one of his quips too, about the parking attendant during the rhino mission. spidey humor is the only superhero humor that i get a kick out of

Where the game falters is in its structure. The game is short, i beat it in two hours and 22 minutes but ive beaten it loads of times already mind, and i dont falter the length at all as i dont think you could stretch this story and gameplay over eight hours, but the way they lengthen the time is by forcing you to do some of the side stuff like races and beating up muggers and stuff in order to unlock more missions. Now i like that the game makes me feel like a superhero, of course im going to help people it makes sense. I especially like that they do it within missions in certain scripted moments which is very spidey as hes always getting inconvenienced. But I dont think the way they encouraged it by making it necessary was a good choice. I think the way spider-man2 did it by having it so helping people gave you points to use for upgrades was better. I also think it was just there to prolong the game’s length because i was able to beat it in two hours with experience and i bet half an hour was just waiting for crimes to appear and doing those and then having to swing from Manhattan to Queens or vice versa to get the next mission. I also have a bone to pick with that. Most of the time you swing over to manhattan, do a mission, then if youve reached the requirements the next mission is in queens and thatll happen for the next mission but the opposite too. Seems padded

Theres also two moments i want to point out where i got the requirements to unlock the next “story mission” in the games own words but as soon as i went to the marker i had to do a combat tour, which is one of the game’s many side activities. Then after finishing it i get told to do more side content to unlock the next mission. So i unlocked a tutorial that i had to do before i could do another mission. This same thing also happened again but this is funny and a better example of the game’s padding. I met the requirements and went to a mission marker. A cutscene played and then i was told to do more things to unlock the next mission. So i unlocked a cutscene

Id still recommend it to anyone. It’s fun to play and the short length and its loads of side distractions does make it replayable

[mustangshelby04]

Boston Boy - Safari

A little smut, a little fluff.... Might lead to something else along the way.

Kate looked up as her husband walked in the door.  She was on the floor in the baby’s room playing with Madison and Dodger.  Gally was sleeping in the living room on the back of the couch.  Kate’s stomach did a little flip at the sight of him.  Chris was looking incredibly sexy these days.  He had grown his hair out and let his beard get kind of shaggy for a new role he was filming soon and was also buffing up again to play Steve Rogers.  Kate found herself extremely attracted to the new look he was rocking.

“My girls!” Chris hopped down onto his belly on the floor, kissing Kate quickly before scooping Madison up as he rolled onto his back.  Madison squealed in delight, clapping her hands as he lifted her above him.

“You’re home early.” Kate said, laughing at Madison.

“Meeting ended early.  Thank god!” Chris brought his daughter’s belly to his face and blew a couple of raspberries, making her squeal again. “I have a surprise for you..”

“Me?  Really?”

“I know you’re not exactly huge on surprises….”

“I changed my mind a little bit on that.” Kate’s eyes drifted to Madison and Chris laughed.

“I guess so.” 

Kate stood up. “Ok, Jelly Bean, it’s time for your nap.”

“No.” Madison said.

“Your favorite word is going to get you in trouble one day very soon.”

“No.”

Chris laughed. “Come on, kiddo.” He got to his feet easily with their daughter and deposited her in the crib.  Madison started to tear up, but Chris shook his head. “Nope.  No water works.  It’s naptime.” He leaned down. “Mommy and I will be here when you wake up.” He kissed her and she threw herself back angrily.  Chris chuckled at his pouting daughter as Kate ran her finger down Madison’s nose lovingly. 

“Night-night, Maddie.” Kate flipped on the baby monitor and turned on the little speaker that played soft lullabies and she and Chris walked out with Dodger, closing the door until it was only open just a crack.

Dodger took off downstairs and Kate and Chris headed into their bedroom.  Kate shut the door, setting the monitor on her nightstand.  He grinned when she suddenly pulled him to her by the back of his neck, running her hands through his hair and giving it a little tug. “Can you please keep this look forever?”

“It’s really doing it for you, huh?” Chris asked, lips pressed against her neck. 

“Fuck yes, it is.” She took his hand and helped lead it up her shorts between her thighs.  Chris groaned at how wet she was and bit down on her neck. “Every time I see you, this happens.”

“Fuck, baby….” He bounced on the bed when she pushed him back.  Kate leaned over and began unbuckling Chris’ jeans.  He let out a groan as she pulled his jeans off and freed his erection, wrapping her hand and lips around him.  His hips jerked when she added some suction and his fingers dug into the comforter. “Shit….” Chris watched her bob up and down on him as he felt himself getting closer to the edge.  Just when he thought he was going to burst, she removed her lips from him with a quiet pop.

Without missing a beat, Kate stood up and removed her clothes as quickly as possible.  Chris yanked his shirt off and reached back to grab a condom from his nightstand.  He had barely rolled the thing on before Kate speared herself on him.  They both moaned at the feeling and he sat up, pulling her against him.  Her fingers raked through his hair again as his hands gripped her hips.  Soft curses fell from their lips as she ground down on him over and over.

Chris knew his wife’s body fairly well by now.  He knew she wasn’t going to get off with this position.  His arms wrapped around her waist and he stood up.  She let out a little squeal of surprise and held onto him as he knelt on the bed.  When he released her, they were in the center of the bed near the headboard.  Chris turned her around so she was facing the wall and took her hands in his, guiding them to the top of the headboard.

Kate gripped the wood tightly as he slid into her from behind.  His teeth sank into her shoulder and his hands held her hips tightly.  He set a bruising pace, needing her to find her end with him.  She growled his name among the string of f-bombs and he moved one of his hands around to cup her sex.  Two fingers slipped past her folds and began to rub the bundle of nerves there in a punishing rhythm.  Kate cried out pitching backward and shoving herself even further on him.  He sucked in a breath as he felt the tip of his dick hit her cervix.

“Right there.  Please.” Kate begged.

Chris kept up his pace until her walls suddenly clenched around him.  She shook through her orgasm, gripping the headboard so tightly it began to creak in protest.  A moment later, he lost his rhythm and shoved deep inside of her, filling the condom as she milked him through her long climax.  They stayed still for a moment.  The only movement was Chris’ left hand massaging her hip where he had held it tightly.

Finally, he pulled out of her and discarded the condom in the small trash can under his nightstand.  Kate stretched out on top of the comforter, looking like a sated sex goddess.  Her hair was splayed around her and her skin had the post-sex glow.  Chris stretched out beside her, running his fingers over her ribs and breasts.  She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair again. “God, I love this look on you.”

“Clearly.” Chris chuckled.

“I also prefer you with the chest hair.  Have I ever told you that?”

“I don’t think you have.”

“Steve Rogers is gorgeous and all, but he lacks your chest hair.” She ran her nails down his chest.  “I appreciate Ari Levinson so much right now.”

“The man playing him appreciates the view he’s getting right now.”

“You’re welcome.” Chris laughed. “So, you mentioned something about a surprise earlier?”

“I did.”

“Will you be telling me the surprise?”

“I will.” He kissed her. “You have to come downstairs, though.” Kate put on an oversized t-shirt and grabbed the baby monitor as Chris put on some sweatpants.  She followed him downstairs where a group of wrapped boxes were sitting on the coffee table in the living room.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Do I need one to give my wife a gift?”

“I guess not, but that’s not a gift.” 

“It all goes together, so technically it’s one gift.”

“Ok.” She sat down on the floor and began ripping into the paper on the first box closest to her.  It held an extremely expensive Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM long lens. “Holy shit!  What’s this for?”

“Keep opening the boxes.”

Kate eagerly opened the next box and found a sturdy backpack for her cameras, lenses, and accessories.  The next box held a new Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera body. “Are you trying to turn me into a paparazzi?”

Chris laughed. “Fuck no.  Keep opening.”

She smiled and opened the next box.  It contained a stuffed elephant, a stuffed lion that roared when you squeezed it, and a large manilla envelope.  Carefully opening the envelope, she pulled out a large brochure with an itinerary and plane tickets.  The brochure and itinerary were for a twelve-day safari in South Africa and Namibia.  There were pictures of a luxurious tent that could be considered “glamping” instead of camping, various African wildlife, fancy picnics, massage tables on the African savannah, and a luxury resort.

“Chris….”

“I have a two-week break between pre-production and the start of filming.  My mom has offered to babysit Maddie for the twelve days and then fly her out to the set to be with us.” Chris walked over and sat down on the couch in front of her. “Let’s mark something off both of our bucket lists together.”

“You want to go on a safari, too?” “Since I was a kid.”

“I can’t believe you!”

“Are you mad?”

Kate suddenly launched herself up off the floor and into his arms. “You’re amazing!” She kissed him all over his face and lips as he laughed and held her tightly.

“I thought you could use a new camera for the experience and the man at the store said that lens would be the best for a safari.  You can get amazing pictures without putting yourself in harm’s way.”

“You are literally the best husband in the entire world.”

“I did good?”

“You did great!  This is probably the best present I’ve ever gotten.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Kate laid on her stomach, head resting lightly on her arms.  Chris was beside her on his side with his head propped up on his arm drawing light circles all over her bare back.  They were on the final night of their safari and had spent the day luxuriating in the spa of their resort.  They had seen so many amazing animals on their trip, Kate had taken over 2,000 pictures with her new camera and lenses, and they had even gotten to love on a baby elephant.  This was the perfect honeymoon they hadn’t taken after they had gotten married.

“I have a surprise for you.” Kate said, turning her eyes up to her very sexy husband.

“Yeah?” Chris leaned over to kiss her bare shoulder.

“Unfortunately, I have to get out of bed to get it.”

“That is very unfortunate.” His large hand roamed down her back and over the globes of her backside to slide one of his fingers between her legs.

“Mmm, but I really want to give you this present.”

“Give it to me after round two?”

“You’re ready for it now?”

“What can I say?  Being around all of these wild animals has brought the animal out in me.” He growled against her shoulder, biting down lightly as his finger began a slow in and out movement on her tender flesh.

Kate hummed happily, wriggling against Chris as he allowed more of his weight on top of her. “But it’s a really good gift.”

“Better than this?”

“Not better.  Different.”

He nipped at her shoulder again. “How far do you have to go?”

“The bathroom.”

Chris glanced at the door across the room and sighed. “That’s so far.”

“I’ll make it quick.” Kate wriggled out from under him and rushed to the bathroom.  He heard her digging in her bags for a minute and then she reappeared with one hand behind her back.  She slipped easily back into bed, taking up the same position she had left.  In her hand was a little black box that looked like a ring box and a navy blue folder with no markings on the outside.

“What are you plotting?”

Kate giggled. “Something major, of course.”

“Of course.” Chris sat up, crossing his legs in front of him.  She presented the folder to him first and he took it, dramatically taking a breath before opening it.  Inside was a realtor’s packet for a six bedroom house in Concord, Massachusetts.  There were also packets from an interior decorator and a contractor. “What….”

“Well, we’ve got to pick out color schemes and I really want an open floor plan for the kitchen, dining room, and living room.  The kitchen needs a massive overhaul to get it up to what I want.  I’m going to absorb one of the smaller bedrooms into the master bedroom as a walk-in closet and update the master bathroom.”

“Hold on…. You bought a house?”

Kate grinned. “I had your mom and Carly go on house tours and this one just spoke to all three of us.  The outside is perfect.  There’s a big yard in the back and it’s in a very quiet, nicely spaced out neighborhood….”

“You’ve seen it?”

“Yes.  I drove up two weekends ago when you were in LA.” She sat up, wrapping the sheet around her torso. “Are you mad?”

“No!  I’m impressed!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

“It won’t be ready for another two and a half months, but you’ll be done filming by then and we can move in when you get back.”

“This is amazing, Kat.”

“I really hope that you’ll like it.  Your mom was so helpful with this.”

“I already love it!” He leaned over and kissed her. “So, I’m assuming the keys are in that little box.”

“Actually, no.  You’re mom has the keys.” Kate held the box out to Chris. “This is actually bigger than the house.”

“Are we getting shrunk down to fit in our house?” He teased.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Just open it, dork.”

Chris took the box and opened it.  Inside was a tiny T-bone shaped device.  It took him a second to realize what he was looking at. “Is this….”

“My IUD.  Yeah.”

“Should I be grossed out?”

Kate sighed. “No!  This is supposed to be a romantic gesture.  It’s supposed to be me telling you that I’m ready to start trying when you are.  I’ve got birth control pills as a backup in case you’re not ready yet, but….”

“Throw them in the trash.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh god, baby,” He set the box down and gently held her face in his hands. “The thought of expanding our family is just…. It’s the most wonderful thing I can think of.”

Kate smiled happily. “I was so worried that you would be angry.”

“Why?”

“Well, I mean…. I didn’t consult you before I bought the house and took my IUD out.”

Chris laughed. “Kat, I would never in a million years be mad at you for this.  Please don’t ever feel like you need to consult me on every little thing.”

“I mean, this wasn’t exactly a little thing.  I should’ve at least consulted you on spending that much money.”

“Maybe, but we had already talked about doing this.  And I’m happy that you took the initiative.  Sometimes I’m not the best at making big decisions.”

“Case meet point,” Kate let the sheet slip away as she straddled Chris’ lap. “You buying our penthouse without telling me.” He chuckled as his lips found her collarbone.. “Yeah.  Like that.”

“You still up for round two?”

“Are you kidding me?” Chris glanced at his lap where his manhood was standing at attention.

“Good.  Me too.”

“Quick question.  Why did you wait until the end of the trip to tell me?”

“I didn’t want to spend our vacation planning the future.  I wanted to be present with you every moment.”

“Just when I think I can’t love you anymore than I already do, you go and prove me wrong.”

Kate grinned at her husband. “Shut up and kiss me.”

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[ominousflare]

It’s Been A While

So I haven’t been using tumblr for a long time (or used it that much to begin with), but since I’ve found myself some fellow Spider-Man fans here converse with, I feel I might as well become more active, or whatever.

Anyway, I might post my future Superior Spider-Man review here in the future once I get my lazy ass to finish it. I know, I know, it’s a five year old story. I’m incredibly late. Anyway, it’s also an incredibly long review, so I don’t know whether if I should post it here or just the link of it.

For now, I guess I’ll just post a past review of mine. Here’s a review of

ASM #698-700: Dying Wish

Well, it's finally happened. Peter Parker is dead. The bad guy wins. Happy 50th anniversary, Spider-fans! Hope you enjoyed watching your favorite hero kick the bucket on his special day! 

I'll be honest with you. I've been preparing for the worst. I was really uncomfortable with the idea of this arc just from reading about its details, that Doc Ock was going to swap brains with Spidey and assume his mantle. It sounded very gimmicky and contrived. Ever since "One More Day" happened, the Amazing Spider-Man comic seemed less like a character study of Peter Parker, with each story becoming a product the writers pitched as the next big thing to draw the readers of tomorrow and keep the book afloat for the next 10-20 years. Even Straczynski's run spent more time exploring the kind of person Peter was as a husband, adding new layers and depths to the hero, instead of turning each book into the blockbuster of the month. That being said... it's a good story. Not a great one, but certainly not the horrible nightmare some of us had hyperbolically generalized in a fit of panic. Somewhat disappointing, but not worth writing death threats about. And honestly, after reading an insightful article written by Cody Wilson of the ever-reliable Spiderfan.org, I realized that we were partially to blame for this "new direction" anyway. It's partly on us, the death of Spider-Man. We can gripe and complain about the writers, editors and Marvel's entire company all day long, but when it comes down to it, we have to face the facts: Spider-Man is a product, and business was booming in spite of all the supposedly "terrible" creative decisions they've made. And like any product, we the customers are a key source of how the business will be run. Over the years prior to ASM #700, Marvel had been selling us different ideas by introducing story elements that would later be used again in "Dying Wish," and our feedback to those elements in earlier stories was what ultimately led to the "Superior Spider-Man," the book that would replace "The Amazing Spider-Man" title for better or worse - at least for a year and 33 issues. Through this review, I hope to address these "elements" and analyze which of them worked for me and which merely raised my anxiety levels.

ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER

This wasn't the first time a supervillain stole Peter Parker's identity. Back in ASM #602, Chameleon seemingly "killed" Peter in an acid pool and subsequently went about the rest of the day being him; even interacting with Peter's acquaintances and friends. Having the eccentric behavior of improving the lives of whomever he had disguised as, Chameleon did a few selfish things, including punching Mary-Jane's stalker (with the butt of a gun), calling Flash Thompson "Puny Flash" the way he called Peter years ago, and moving Harry's homeless butt into Peter's home. These "improvements" Chameleon made in Peter's life were well-received by readers, myself included, thereby providing Marvel the first piece of the puzzle they needed. I have to admit, Peter calling the ex-bully "Puny Flash" was a guilty pleasure on its own, giving payback to the football star after so long. On the other hand, he's a crippled war hero, so it was still a scummy thing to say. And while it could be fun to see someone carry out these naughty deeds in Peter's favor - doing and saying things some of us wish Peter would just have the guts to do - it could also lead to some really creepy scenes. Let's not forget, these were bad people taking over Peter's life, Octavius the sociopathic egomaniac included. In ASM #602, Chameleon made out with Peter's roommate, who wasn't aware who she was really kissing under that mask; this lack of consent was tantamount to an act of rape.

And then in #700, Otto (in Peter's body) was clearly thinking of having sex with MJ, a woman who would be unaware of the real person she's really sleeping with. This would eventually lead to some even more sleazy storyline in the "Superior Spider-Man," which I'll touch on in the future. Playing devil's advocate for a bit, one could argue that crippling a woman and stripping her naked to show how evil a villain is was in poor taste too, yet Killing Joke was held by millions as some gold standard of storytelling. What Dan Slott wrote seemed trivial by comparison.

KILL HIM TWICE, SHAME ON YOU

There's a reason why "Death of Spider-Man" worked in the Ultimate universe: Peter Parker died being known to his world as a hero, giving us a fitting finality. In the 616 universe, on the other hand? He died leaving a villain perving on his ex-girlfriend! What kind of finality was that?! What a way to shit all over our favorite hero! Of all the feedback Marvel took into consideration, this had to be the dumbest. It's like simple math to them: "People loved Ultimate Death of Spider-Man, therefore they must be okay with killing off 616 Peter Parker and replacing him with a murdering sociopath on his 50th birthday." Unfortunately, the best storytelling is anything but simple math. And unlike USM, the moments right before Peter's death here felt rushed. Ultimate Spider-Man had the benefit of "Ultimate Fallout", a mini series dedicated to addressing how everyone reacted to the death of such a great hero. Amazing Spider-Man didn't have that advantage and had to slap together several "closures" to end the book, including MJ finally confessing to Otto-Peter her love for him, Jonah Jameson finally approving of Spidey as a legit hero, and Peter experiencing a dream sequence where everyone he cared about who died came back to greet and thank him - all within a single issue. These "closures" should have been, in my opinion, focused on in an entirely separate issue of their own, not crammed together with the already crowded plot of #700. It ended up reading like a last minute homework assignment written hastily to beat the deadline.

There's also another thing that bothered me about Peter's final moments. Using the last remnant of his energy in Octavius' dying body, Peter was somehow able to channel the memories in his own body and forced Otto to experience all the guilt and pain he ever felt being Spider-Man. Afterwards, he almost seemed content to pass on the mantle to Doc Ock. Why was he so content with letting this potential killer take over his role as Spidey, and why would his dying wish be for Otto to take care of MJ and his loved ones? He's a selfish and self-centered jerk who only ever cared about himself! Why would he trust him?! No matter how sympathetic Otto came across, and no matter how desperate Peter was, it just didn't make sense. I wish there would have been at least a last desperate struggle on Peter's part to resist letting this psycho do whatever he wanted with his powers, not quietly accept his takeover. In fact, it would have made more sense if Peter had gone to the Avengers or the Fantastic Four instead, where he could have made it his last request to have them stop Doc Ock. Not to mention, they would have bought this "mind-swap" story a lot more than Carlie - who shot him multiple times when he tried to tell her the truth - did.

DRACO IN LEATHER PANTS

The third feedback Marvel collected was the sympathetic side of Octavius. There were a number of stories detailing this, depicting him as a frail young boy in the past who had aspired to be scientist (just like Peter Parker). And there's grounds for such sympathy too, for Otto never received the proper grooming Peter had, thereby being an ideal mirror of Spidey (much like the Joker and Batman). This ambiguous side of Octavius' morality was well-received, along with, of course, Spider-Man 2, where he was made into an even more sympathetic antagonist than his comic counterpart. Yet, the decision to place a murderer behind the mask of the webbed hero for a long period of time is strange and definitely inappropriate. Octavius is tied to at least three deaths, two of which were intentional: Bradley Miles in "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" Vol. 2 #40, James Warden in "Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure" #4, and the accidental death of George Stacy in ASM #90. Would that be appropriate for the kids reading this? Spidey's been a huge recognizable icon all over the world, and now kids are going to follow in the footsteps of this scum who thinks it's okay to break the other criminals' jaws or just straight up kill them (the latter of which we'll see in "Superior" later on)? With the recent "racial/sexual diversity" movement a more political Marvel was trying to gun for, I'm surprised they would risk such an idea in our SJW climate, not to mention the aforementioned sexual aggression towards MJ.

Again, there is potential for a good story here... if it's a tale of redemption, which would only work if Octavius turns himself in. Unfortunately, a move like that could possibly end the Spider-Man books for good (unless Peter returns), which is the exact opposite of why Marvel shook things up with this brain-swap in the first place (to keep the sales of Spider-Man books from dying). And even if the books continue with Otto being some kind of anti-hero vigilante hunted by the law, there's no way Spider-Man fans (and probably many parents) could approve of a murderer remaining as the new face of the inspiring hero for long. I think Marvel knew that. Marvel's not stupid. And we knew that Marvel's not stupid, so I'm sure lots of people have speculated Peter Parker's return long before he did. What I don't know is why Marvel even bothered to hide it. It's kinda an obvious eventuality. But when all is said and done, I admit that the idea of a Spider-Man who's not so morally clean does intrigue me, somewhat. Over the years, Spidey cutting loose and unleashing all the strength and powers in him can be cathartic. While it was his integrity that made him an amazing character we could look up to, there was also an underlying pleasure in seeing him punish those who deserve it; in seeing him get a little dirty to get things done. So to have "SpOck" (god that's an awful nickname) stay for a while before Peter eventually come back? I'm actually okay with that. I wouldn't mind seeing a "dark and gritty" chapter for Spider-Man. However, a key reason I would like this approach lies in a factor that applies to me: I haven't read the other darker Spider-Man spin-offs, which brings us to our final feedback and problem.

DARKNESS WITHOUT LIGHT BREEDS APATHY

There were two other Spider-Man spin-offs around the time this story arc was released. "Scarlet Spider" (Vol. 2) and Venom (Vol. 2), both of which received very favorable reviews (Venom, in particular), and were darker takes on the Spider-Man theme of power and responsibility (Scarlet Spider, in particular, since he's literally a clone of Peter Parker). If I want a darker story, I would read either of those. The only reason I didn't was because I only have enough time for Spidey alone. No time for the myriad amount of spin-offs out there. And now a third dark Spider-story is introduced, filled with murders and bloodshed - and believe me, there will be blood. I've mentioned before that I love dark stories. I live for them. They can touch on our basest emotions and provide us a form of catharsis the lighter and warmer tales couldn't. But this is another case of businessmen blindly relying on the numbers without considering the context. Too much darkness can ultimately lead to indifference in your audience, not to mention the fact that the "lighter" stories have their place in storytelling too, offering something dark stories couldn't either: hope, and moral inspiration.

Batman is an amazing character. His stories (often through his rogues' gallery) delve into a complex analysis of the human mind; of our darkest and most frightening emotions and personalities. But not everyone likes reading Batman, and even Batman fans probably don't want every superhero to be like Batman either! That would just dilute his unique quality. Besides, would you want all your heroes to be brooding or morally complex? Did you enjoy the dark and morose Superman in Batman v. Superman or even Man of Steel? Sometimes, we just want heroes to be heroes! Not straight up kill criminals without offering redemption like The Punisher and Wolverine! We already have those in the Marvel universe! Sigh. I'm merely playing devil's advocate here. As I've mentioned, 'Spotto Octavius' wasn't going to stay for the long-term, so it's fine. A temporary period of dark Spider-Man stories is fine. For me. But I do have to put my foot down and lay out what a darker Spider-Man means for the world, and why both writers and business executors alike must be careful not to push the scale too far. Balance. There must always be balance in all things. Take it from Thanos. 

WAS THIS STORY ANY GOOD?

I talked a lot about the aspects that came to piece together this Frankenstein monster. But was the story entertaining in its own right? The short answer is yes, especially #698. That first part of the story was truly like Doc Ock said, a magic trick. It began with an ordinary day in the life of Spidey. Nothing seemed unusual. But by the end of it, I was left slack-jawed and so utterly impressed by Slott that I had to read the ending twice to see if I had misread something. The second and third issues went a step further. Essentially, the entire story arc could be summed up with "Peter trying to get back into his own body." But after we knew Peter was running out of time, the pacing of the story started to pick up really, really quickly. The readers would be as concerned as Peter, and at that time, nobody knew what was really going to happen because there was an announcement around that time that "The Amazing Spider-Man" book would come to an end. It's a real page-turning thriller in spite of its simple premise. Most gut-wrenching of all, they made Peter plead for his life. On his birthday.

Talk about a punch to the gut. Brings back tearful memories ("I don't want to go, Mr. Octavius"). Humberto Ramos' art really didn't help things. His depiction of Peter trapped in a dying body was a horrifying sight to endure for me. You could see all the horrid details; his skin decaying, his eye-socket popping out, and blood spilling out everywhere. I could only imagine how painful Peter's final moments were. No wonder many fans were outraged. This wasn't an honorable death in the arms of his loved ones like Ultimate Spider-Man; it was pure torture. Does Dan Slott actually hate Peter Parker? Still, I have to give credit where it's due. It's an emotional story (albeit for the wrong reasons at times), and it's a really ballsy one too where the bad guy actually won. And it wasn't just any bad guy either - it was one of Spidey's biggest bads of all. Since Norman Osborn had already became an Avenger villain, it made sense for the next biggest Spider-Man villain in line, Doc Ock, to be the one who would finally do him in. Now onto the other question: do I like the overall story? No. I don't hate it as much as certain stories in the past (marriage and The Devil come to mind), but on principle, I can't accept this story. I know why they made this story. It's almost the same thing as One More Day. I'm guessing the sales for ASM must have been dropping. And even if it wasn't, even if I'm completely wrong about the comparisons to OMD, I still don't like how shoddily his death was treated. I don't mind a Spider-Man death - I LOVED "Death of Ultimate Spider-Man." It respected and really reminded us why Spidey was the hero we loved. This story felt like just another rushed effort by Dan Slott to clean up the book and move onto the thing he seemingly loved more, Spotto Octavius "The Superior Spider-Man," a book that he's written far better than his entire run in ASM. Are we sure Dan is a Spider-Man fan? Or did he just like Otto?

To clarify, I don't begrudge Dan. It's more of the corporate decisions of Marvel executives that I'm so infuriated about. It's always the executives at one point or another whenever we are talking about a creatively-skewed story. And while his work might have been sloppy throughout most of his run, I was reminded recently that it might be due to Marvel pushing him with agendas and deadlines, so again, not his fault. What's done is done. And I've already began reading "Superior", even as I'm writing this. It's not bad, and it's everything I expected: an extremist Spidey willing to cross the line to get things done. I like it, just not how we got there. I mean, give me a break, Peter was my hero. Is it too much that I wanted a death that wasn't as insulting? At the least, I wish that "dream sequence" I mentioned was more than just a dream, and everyone Peter cared about actually came to pat him on the back for doing a good job, that it was time for him to rest. The fact that it was only a dream felt like the final slap to his face. "Good job, hero. Now get the f*** out of here."

Final Rating: Two webs out of five

I was going to give this story three webs initially. I really did. But looking back now at how Peter's death was treated, I feel more infuriated than satisfied, and also annoyed that it was just another corporate decision that never stuck, since he would come back later anyway. It cheapened the already cheapened idea of the comic book death. Now, even one of the most iconic heroes of all time suffered from the tired cliche of meaningless death.

Next time, I shall finally witness the birth of this supposedly "Superior Spider-Man" and see if Otto could truly surpass our lovable Pete as the hero we deserve:

[joshuajmadrid]

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[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

When the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon’s designs were initially released many people alternately dismissed or mocked them as bad. This was profoundly unfair. Putting aside how different aesthetics of designs appeal to different people, the designs were intended to be animation friendly and to really move. Which they did.

 However at the same time those criticising people who shallowly insulted the Spec designs shouldn’t then be criticizing the 1994 cartoon designs. Again aesphetic appeal of designs are subjective.

 Even if some of the choices were bad let’s remember that...it was the mid-1990s. It wasn’t like fashion was in a wonderful place back then. But even so I feel some people get way to hung up on the designs to bash the show.

 Like Peter Parker was maybe too muscular and broadshouldered in season 1. Is it that big of a deal honestly?

 He spent most of the show as Spider-Man in which his body shape was perfectly correct for the character, especially if you look at Romita Senior and Bagley renditions of the character at the time. In fact McFarlane, Larsen and even Bagley renditions of Peter Parker in the 1990s draw him as fairly musclebound when in his civilian guise.

 Is that yellow cardigan ugly on Mary Jane. In my opinion yes it is but it really is the one and only thing wrong with her design. Everything else she wears including the boots is fine, the boots in fact are things that Mary jane has on and off worn throughout her history, including in her first appearance.

 It’s just...a pretty shallow thing to say the show rides or dies on. Especially when you consider most of the other character’s looks are mostly just replicating the comics.

 Really the show if you bother to put it in the context of it’s time is very strong where it really counts, that is to say the story and the characters.

 For all the loud criticisms about ‘But the Moussy?’ or ‘Hobgoblin came first!’ or ‘Mary Jane wasn’t like she was in the comics!’ or ‘It wasn’t as good as Batman the Animated Series’ the show did sooooooooooooooo much right and many of those criticisms don’t hold up to scrutiny.

 Let’s do some analysis.

 Was the show as good as Batman the Animated Series?

 No but apart from the Simpsons and Gargoyles what American Animated series from around most of Spider-Man TAS’ airing actually was?

 Not even the New Batman adventures or Superman the Animated Series hit anywhere close to BTAS’ quality.

 Those shows were a perfect storm of quality and caught lightning in a bottle.

 Saying a show is terrible for not reaching those heights is utterly unfair, it’s like saying a movie or a gangster movie is terrible because it’s dared not be as good as the Godfather. Or a fantasy movie is terrible for not being as good as Lord of the Rings.

 It’s stupid and ignorant.

 You grade things based upon the NORMS of the time.

 In the mid 1990s there were quite a few cartoons attempting to be more serious, trying to rise above cliché simplistic Saturday morning adventures and since that’s what virtually every cartoon for the previous three decades had been doing each show attempting to do that in context thus deserves major, major kudos.

 And that’s what Spider-Man the Animated Series did too.

 Does the censoring hurt it? Does it’s restricted budget (due to the pricier ventures of other shows, including BTAS) hurt it?

 Sure, but it’s like classic Doctor Who. You judge it based upon the limitations placed upon it not merely on the surface level of the final product. I know that is not the common wisdom for tv/flm criticism...but frankly that just means that common wisdom for TV/film criticism is really, really narrow minded and should instead be reformed. Doing otherwise is like grading a kid with dyslexia harshly when he literally has factors beyond his control holding him back despite him doing his best.

 So bearing that in mind no Spider-Man the Animated Series really isn’t a bad show at all, nor a bad Spider-Man show. Especially when you put it into context of the previous Spider-Man shows or even the ones since.

 In terms of it’s characters and handling of supporting cast and subplots it’s absolutely not just clear cut obvious that Spec Spidey is superior.

 Consider that the show was so well plotted that the grand finale in season 5was being seeded as early as seeded in season 3. That the show managed to hit the emotional truth of the Death of Gwen Stacy DESPITE not being able to kill anybody and then looped that back around into motivating the character for the grand finale and his ultimate emotional fulfilment. Consider the show is arguably the most soap opera-esque American animated series for children ever, with some episodes haveing love polygons let alone triangles. The latter being in fact something all too appropriate for Spider-Man.

 Consider that whilst the show might have altered some characters in a detrimental way, others they made more interesting. Yet others they changed but the altered characters were not uninteresting characters unto themselves despite being different. The Felicia Hardy of this show is a very different beast to the Felicia of the comics, but she is also more reltable and has a more significant arc. She is also not an uninteresting love interest.

 Look I do think it’s a shame that the alterations made to some characters were drastic and detrimental. But taking them in isolation, unlike the crappy USM show, again they weren’t unlikable characters unto themselves. Plus as the first legitimate attempt to properly adapt Spider-Man teething problems were bound to occur. USM being made so long after Spider-Man was a pop cultural icon doesn’t have that same excuse.

 Hell for all people’s griping about Mary Jane in this show, honestly there isn’t much wrong with her as a character unto herself. She just isn’t Mary Jane from the comics, but still has elements of her nevertheless. Her backstory with her father is tweaked but not uninteresting. She can still be resourceful when needed. She could still be supportive and brave and all that. Just watch the Hydro Man episode to see her character in action.

 And for all the griping about character changes...Spider-Man himself is basically perfect.

 Whilst not as whining or neurotic as the comic books (and thereby less aggravating) frankly this version of Peter Parker is how Peter should be written. That is to say not word for word like an exaggerated 1960s Stan Lee comic book character nor as later renditions of the character were which flanderized some of those traits.

 This Spider-Man could feel guilt but wasn’t at times seeming like he was mentally ill.

 He was funny, confident, sometimes selfish, sometimes angry, but ultimately altruistic and heroic.

 Yeah every so often like in the Dr Strange episode the writers goofed up, but on the whole Spider-Man in this show was the first time in any adaptation you got to see the character properly represented which is...well kind of the most important thing.

 More poignantly this show did the spirit of Spider-Man correctly. Despite changes to the characters and lore, the sequence of events and so on this was the first time we got the ‘feel’ of the original Spider-Man comic books.

 Spider-Man was a down to Earth regular guy albeit a smarter and more altruistic one, who dealt with regular life events alongside fantastical superhero stuff. His fortunes vacillated often in relation to his activates as Spider-Man.

 He had a friends and family and acquaintances of people who could exist in real life, a ost of colourful adversaries with their own plot lines weaving in and out of Peter’s own.

 There was a continuity to the show wherein the events of one episode could have an impact down the line, characters had arcs.

 And the series ended with an adoring love letter to the character by highlighting what makes the character who he is. The last few episodes of the show Spider-Man meets a version of himself who’s lost everything and gone to the darkside and contrasts that to another version of himself where he had everything and appreciates the fact that he isn’t either of these people but rather himself. He then saves all of reality  and proceeds to tell his God, his creator, Stan Lee himself that he is his own man beyond what Stan intended for him and goes off into the sunset to be happy.

 But I guess all of that is worthless because of Mary Jane’s cardigan...