I read last week’s freebie Spider-Man Saga over the weekend and I think I now understand not only why I myself have rejected the post “Brand New Day” cycle of stories, but also why so many readers a decade ago rejected the so-called “Clone Saga.” In both cases, it all boils down to the choice Marvel asked Spider-Man readers to make. In the case of the Clone Saga, the choice was between the Spider-Man of issues #1-150 vs. the Spider-Man of issues #151-400 or so. For me the choice was clear: “Ben Reilly” represented a return to the one, true Spider-Man of Amazing Fantasy #15 and issues #1-150.
“Brand New Day,” however, asks us to make a different choice, the choice between the Peter Parker of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (the wedding issue, 1987) through “One More Day” and the Peter Parker of “Brand New Day” forward. My Spider-Man is the one who grew up, got married and became a father. The Peter Parker of today’s Spider-Man represents to me a huge step backwards.
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WAIT, WAIT ONE MINUTE! I recall that Ben Reilly was thought to the original Spider-Man at one point! But wasn't it proven later that that he was the clone? Am I wrong or has things changed again? Is the Spider-Man right now the real one or the clone created in #149?
Ben Reilly was originally intended to be the original Spider-Man, but that decision proved so unpopular (with everyone other than me) it was eventually reversed.
Jeff, I don't know if your LCS carries the Classic Marvel Figurines or not, but #139 is going to be the Scarlet Spider. It should ship sometime in the next 3 months.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx
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Ben Reilly was originally intended to be the original Spider-Man, but that decision proved so unpopular (with everyone other than me) it was eventually reversed.
I know it was all very complicated, but was Ben Reilly going to assume Peter Parker's name once Pete and MJ rode into the sunset?
It was a brave move, I'll say that, but thinking about it now, I'd have to wonder why 'WWTT'* isn't a commonly used internet acronym.
The only time I know of that Ben used the name "Peter Parker" was during the Marvel/DC crossover. I presume that decision was made behind the scenes because it would've been too darned complicated to explain in an already very full limited series why Spider-Man wasn't Peter Parker.
Of course it was unpopular. It would have been an insult saying for the last twenty years that Spider-Man wasn't really Spider-Man. It would have negated so many stories in many older readers' minds. Also imagine all those creators who would have had their works ret-conned into starring the Spider-Clone without their consent or intention, including Stan Lee who was still a prescence in the Spider-Titles during the 70s.
It would have as devastating as Hal Jordan becoming Parallex, for whatever reasons. The long term dissatisfication and anger would have rendered any short term gain meaningless!
The part that bothers me is that there have been some excellent stories since BND that with very few changes could still have been told in the old continuity. I'm not just guessing. While I've only bought one new (Spidey & the FF by Slott--I couldn't resist) I picked up a big stack for next to nothing. And they were good. In many cases, really good. But most of it could have been told with Peter & M.J.'s marriage intact.
The downside is that the post-BND stories wouldn't be possible with the world still knowing his secret ID. That still would have had to be "fixed" in some way. Some way OTHER than a deal with the devil would have been better, though.
It was a brave move, I'll say that, but thinking about it now, I'd have to wonder why 'WWTT'* isn't a commonly used internet acronym.
*What Were They Thinking?
I think the thinking behind the Clone Saga was very similar to the thinking behind Brand New Day: namely, that the Parker marriage had driven the series into a dead end, because it made Peter a person without real problems. (By saying this I don't mean to diss your different takes on the two, Jeff.) Partly also, it was a period when using sensational developments to renew interest in long-running features was common (Superman died, and got married; Batman's back was broken, and he was replaced by a new Batman; Hal Jordan became a villain).
I've argued in the past that the publishers' best source of information about what readers want is what sells. This information was likely distorted in the bubble. Possibly comics-buyers were mislead by hype as to what would be worth money someday, and the resulting sales figures misled the publishers as to what contemporary readers wanted. On the other hand, it may be that more sensational stories were what many readers actually wanted from Spidey's feature in the period. After following a feature for a long time, readers can lose interest in what the feature "normally" has to offer.
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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx
Check out the Secret Headquarters (my store) website! Comics and Games for Everyone!
I used to listen to WOXY.com; It was the future of rock-n-roll! RIP WOXY
Jeff of Earth-J said:
I know it was all very complicated, but was Ben Reilly going to assume Peter Parker's name once Pete and MJ rode into the sunset?
It was a brave move, I'll say that, but thinking about it now, I'd have to wonder why 'WWTT'* isn't a commonly used internet acronym.
*What Were They Thinking?
It would have as devastating as Hal Jordan becoming Parallex, for whatever reasons. The long term dissatisfication and anger would have rendered any short term gain meaningless!
The downside is that the post-BND stories wouldn't be possible with the world still knowing his secret ID. That still would have had to be "fixed" in some way. Some way OTHER than a deal with the devil would have been better, though.
I think the thinking behind the Clone Saga was very similar to the thinking behind Brand New Day: namely, that the Parker marriage had driven the series into a dead end, because it made Peter a person without real problems. (By saying this I don't mean to diss your different takes on the two, Jeff.) Partly also, it was a period when using sensational developments to renew interest in long-running features was common (Superman died, and got married; Batman's back was broken, and he was replaced by a new Batman; Hal Jordan became a villain).
I've argued in the past that the publishers' best source of information about what readers want is what sells. This information was likely distorted in the bubble. Possibly comics-buyers were mislead by hype as to what would be worth money someday, and the resulting sales figures misled the publishers as to what contemporary readers wanted. On the other hand, it may be that more sensational stories were what many readers actually wanted from Spidey's feature in the period. After following a feature for a long time, readers can lose interest in what the feature "normally" has to offer.