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I’m going to miss the Superior Spider-Man when Amazing Spider-Man returns

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Hey Spider-Man fans who haven’t been in the loop, I’m about to get my geek on so if you still want to read some quality arachnid-themed comics without them being spoiled, close this tab right now.

Are they gone? Good, excellent. If you’ve been keeping up with Spider-Man for the last year, you might have noticed a different Peter Parker under the mask. A Peter Parker who is darker, more sinister and possibly on the dark side of justice.

And that’s because it hasn’t been Peter Parker who has been spinning webs for the last year. It’s been one of his greatest foes of all time, Doc Ock, inside his body that has been fighting crime. And as controversial as a decision that that was to replace Peter, it also resulted in the best Spider-Man seen in recent years. Pity that this particular version is coming to an end.

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You’ve got a wall-crawler that is less friendly in your neighbourhood, and more of an efficient kicker of asses that swung into the storyline that Dan Slott wrote. Pulling the greatest switcheroo of all time, Parker had his mind placed in the failing body of Octavius and in a final battle, died a villain.

The twist here though, is that Parker managed to leave his sense of responsibility firmly in place in his original body, creating a Spider-Man that was more driven and ambitious than ever.

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From there, you had Ock-Spidey forging his own path, upping his game and no longer pulling any punches. Ock-Spidey wasn’t just a smarter Spider-Man, he was a far more capable person as well, easily juggling relationships, world-ending threats and attending college.

And hot damn, I loved it. From taking down the Hobgoblin in a manner that left the villain nowhere to hide, taking down the Kingpin and his entire army of ninjas through to proving himself to be a real hero and solving problems with his mind instead of his fists has resulted in one of my all time favourite runs on comics.

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Combined with great art from the likes of Humberto Ramos, Ryan Stegman and Giuseppe Camuncoli making the book stand out, something that wasn’t easy on a biweekly schedule. Of course, all good things must come to an end and with a new Spider-Man film due in May, Marvel obviously wanted Peter Parker back in control.

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No one knows how that will play out, as Slott is keeping the plot a tight secret. “Watching Doc Ock in Peter’s life, doing all these crazy things — whether it’s alienating this person, or setting up a new relationship with that person, or starting his own company, or getting his doctorate — Peter Parker’s going to wake up, and he’s going to be “Dr. Peter Parker,” Slott said to CBR, who explained that the new stories will carry on evolving the character.

If we woke up in a world where J. Jonah Jameson was in the Bugle, and Peter Parker was taking pictures for a living, and Aunt May was in the hospital, I would shoot myself. It’s the ongoing story of Peter Parker, Spider-Man. His life moves forward.

When I got to start the “Big Time” run, we took the giant leap of, “What if Peter Parker got his dream job?” What if he wasn’t running around hand-to-mouth, or taking photos — which is something he wasn’t even earning. It was him just webbing a camera to a wall. How does that make you feel when you wake up in the morning? This is the sum and total of who you are, Peter Parker; you’re the guy who webs a camera to the wall. All this other stuff you’re doing is because you got bit by a radioactive spider. You’re worthless.

Suddenly with “Big Time,” he gets to use all of Peter Parker’s gifts and talents, and he gets this great new job. And during “Superior,” we literally blew it up. Horizon Labs exploded! Everybody who works with him thinks, “You’re responsible, and Spider-Man’s a jerk.” He had such a good job! It was there for like 50 issues of comics.

The new volume of Spider-Man kicks off in April. Here’s to another great run of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Last Updated: January 14, 2014

10 Comments

  1. I haven’t been a SpOck fan, to be honest, and found the run to be cool until issue 10, then meh until the 2099 arc, and now decent with the symbiote. I’m only reading because I’m curious about Goblin Nation…

    Also, not only Slott, but RAMOS again? I’m sick of his style on this book. Others books, I’m fine with, but with Spidey… Just look at what Stegman did on the 2099 arc. Or even better, LOOK AT PETER’S FACE in that cover? It’s awful. I only hope he sticks for one arc only.

    And Slott… I’m not a fan, he’s as dumb as his haters on twitter, but he made a bold move, and I can respect that. Hell, out of this came the best Superior comic there is (Superior Foes), so that’s something else to be grateful for. But this comic book is dragging.

    Let’s see what they come up with.

    Reply

    • Major Commodore 64 Darryn B

      January 14, 2014 at 18:28

      Fair enough criticism. I’ve got to give Slott some credit though, as I did not see the plot twist coming that started the whole Superior Spider-Man arc. Very nicely handled and delivered.

      Reply

      • LAblak22

        January 17, 2014 at 11:16

        Guys, let’s all fly to Marvel and protest outside the offices until Ock returns as Superior Venom and gets his own title.

        Venock 2014!

        Reply

  2. Lardus-Resident Perve

    January 14, 2014 at 18:57

    SpOck sounds cool! Wish I had these to read!

    Reply

    • SheHulkNigri

      January 15, 2014 at 10:29

      If you got a tablet or even a PC, download the Comixology app. Got all the DC and Marvel (and more) comics you can shake a stick at, and they are not that expensive.
      They got the Superior Spider-Man arch as well.

      Reply

      • Lardus-Resident Perve

        January 15, 2014 at 10:37

        Comixology? Thanks!!!!! Will give it a whirl tonight!

        Reply

  3. SpOck MUST die!!!!

    January 16, 2014 at 00:47

    That makes no sense, if Peter is moving forward why is he going back to the original costume? I can understand Peter not wanting to be “Dr. Peter Parker” anymore or not wanting “Spider-Island” or his bots all over the city or his “minions”, but going as far as abandoning the new costume that gives him extra arms to fight with and somewhere to put his clothes…Why abandon the technology too? I will absolutely love it when he’s trying to put his life back together though and personally, I’ve become so bored with SpOck and can’t wait for ASM to return!

    Reply

  4. LAblak22

    January 17, 2014 at 11:15

    Whenever I see fellow Superior Spidery fans, I’m all:

    Reply

  5. Joseph McDevitt

    January 30, 2014 at 19:15

    I have been loving this series. It is no secret that Slott knows what he is doing when it comes to the spider. SpOck has been an awesome twist in the world, and one that I have really enjoyed over the past year. If I had to make one criticism it would be that the story has been like bullet points. Every issue seems to stress me out with conflict after conflict. I am excited for the return of Peter but I am also sad to say goodbye to the cruel darker Parker. Slott has handled this arc masterfully and with the close of Goblin Nation and the return of Peter, I’m sure he will continue the phenominal work!

    Reply

  6. suckitSlott

    February 7, 2014 at 02:08

    This book was a stain on the character. I am happy to see it end.

    Reply

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