I love Spider-man. This isn't a secret. Of all my super hero crushes, Spider-man has stood the test of time. He was the first, and he'll be my last. Spider-man is my one true love.
I can forgive issue #700, even if I don't ever pick up an issue of 'The Superior Spider-man'. Comic books just run dry sometimes. They pass their own expiration date, no matter how hard the writers and fans try to deny it. Does anyone else remember the meltdown that occurred with DC fandoms when they first announced the reboot of many of their most popular titles? AN UPROAR, I TELL YOU. I still read all my old favourites, and I even used it as an opportunity to pick up some titles I hadn't read before. When you want to get into a new series, starting on an issue like #537 can be daunting. There is so much that was missed. You're jumping into something that already has so much history, so much back story. It is discouraging. Everything that comes together must inevitably come apart and The Amazing Spider-man is no different. Peter Parker's time has passed and he bowed out as gracefully as possible.
I will not read 'The Superior Spider-man". What is Spider-man without Peter Parker? The fact of the matter is I am not in love with Spider-man, but the boy behind the mask. Peter was just a scared kid when he first put on his spandex suit. An awkward, nerdy boy who went unnoticed by the world. Tony Stark is a billionaire playboy, Reed Richards is a world-renowned scientist, Thor is literally a GOD! Peter was just a boy trying to get through school and keep his girlfriend happy. He was a genius that rarely got the credit he deserved. Someone who would later work in a think tank with the world's greatest minds spent most of his time behind a camera lens, working freelance for a newspaper that was edited by a man who hated him in and out of the mask. Sure, Peter wore plenty of hats in his life. He was briefly a science teacher at his old high school, assistant high school coach, et cetera. Just think about that for a moment. This man had a masters degree in biophysics, and he was a freelance photographer barely making enough money to make web fluids. That hardly seems fair.
Peter had more than his share of bad luck and short straws. He was constantly under attack, constantly worrying about those he loved, constantly disappearing for the sake of the city. And for what? What did Peter the man have that he didn't have to give up for Spiderman? Peter is the most selfless, sacrificing person in comic book history, and I don't care to hear any arguments on the matter. He has faced loss after loss, hurt after hurt, heartache after heartache and he kept going. The city he is sworn to protect considers him a menace, and he fought on for them. With his last breath, he still fought for them.
Peter was an outcast with an unfaltering sense of humor. Loyal to a fault and kind to anyone. He could have, at any point, killed the King Pin, Lizard, Morbius (especially Morbius) but that isn't Peter. He would only use the necessary amount of force to subdue his foes, petty criminals and super villains alike. Beneath Spider-man's thirst for justice beats Peter Parker's heart. A heart that beats for his family, his city, his country, his planet.
Without Peter, who would Spider-man be? You can read about it in 'The Superior Spider-man' if you'd like. Otto Octavius has swapped minds with Peter, and when his old, crippled body died, Peter died with it. Spider-man's legacy lives on, with Otto living the life he stole from Peter, but it isn't the same. Not to me. I hear in this new series Peter is still in there somewhere, as a ghost or a subconscious or some such. It may be a great success, it may be a flop. Who can tell so early? As far as I'm concerned, there is only one Spider-man and there will only be one scared, lonely boy behind that mask I'll care about.
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