Message from Steve

[MattBrady]

Steve's having some techincal issues, but wanted me to pass this along...

To answer a couple of the questions that I've been asked thus far: first the book is out now, and in it I approached the clone saga with about the same respect and enthusiasm as I did the spider-mobile. I think most fans will appreciate the way with which they've been dealt. But I'll be eager to hear from those who disagree, too. That's what this forum is all about.

I didn't spend too much on the Green Goblin--Hobgoblin relationship, or the John Byrne reboot, though I did include both in the book. The central idea for SPIDER-MAN: THE ICON is to show the ways in which the web-spinner was seen by the public at large, thus showing how he became, well, an icon. It makes perfect sense that I'd focus a lot of energy on the comics, since that was where he came from, and where I discovered him. In every decade there were events in each medium that propelled Spider-Man to increased fame. And each one added another layer to the legend.

And there are some REALLY cool collectibles in there, too. A couple of them have me drooling.

There's no way I'd be able to cover everything--that would take many, many books. But I tried to note the things that had the greatest impact, and the events that continued to invigorate the character, decade after decade. Along the way, I tried to include some genuinely surprising facts, like the connection between Spider-Man and "All the President's Men," and the secret behind Jewel Flanagan, the lost Spider-Girl. I also tried to reveal some cool behind-the-scenes facts about popular culture, along the way.

I can't imagine that I got every detail right, and rather than duck and dodge, I asked Newsarama if they would set up a place where the record could be set straight. If you folks spot something you consider to be wrong, please let me know! If you see something with which you disagree, then present your argument. And if you just have a really cool Spider-Man story, then bring it on. Let's have some fun with this!

Best,
Steve

[Thunderstorm]

It looks nice from what I've seen. When I recover from all the spending we did this week, I'll see if I can track down a copy.

[jayvee]

To answer a couple of the questions that I've been asked thus far: first the book is out now, and in it I approached the clone saga with about the same respect and enthusiasm as I did the spider-mobile. I think most fans will appreciate the way with which they've been dealt. But I'll be eager to hear from those who disagree, too. That's what this forum is all about.
There's a lot of good stuff that gets glossed over in the Clone Saga -- the majority of Bagley's work in the 90's, for instance -- and it's sad when people write the whole thing off because of what essentially boils down to a terrible ending. Fans can handle changes in the status quo, we're taking a lot of the recent ones really well, but fans now are certainly not indicative of fans ten years ago. Sad, sad, sad -- especially when the vocal majority is the opinionated minority.

[Steve Saffel]

There's a lot of good stuff that gets glossed over in the Clone Saga -- the majority of Bagley's work in the 90's, for instance -- and it's sad when people write the whole thing off because of what essentially boils down to a terrible ending. Fans can handle changes in the status quo, we're taking a lot of the recent ones really well, but fans now are certainly not indicative of fans ten years ago. Sad, sad, sad -- especially when the vocal majority is the opinionated minority.

Good point. I'm also very fond of Tom Lyle's work during that time--I thought Tom gave his work the detail inherent to guys like McFarlane, but I liked his storytelling better than most.

I dealt with the Clone Saga in part through humor. The basic idea was fascinating, and while writer J.M. DeMatteis was originally opposed to it, he also said, "I thought the idea of totally pulling the rug out from under Peter, as we knew him, was brilliant." Yet over time, the storyline seemed to lose its way, and rather than be angrily critical, I thought it might be better simply to have a chuckle. After all, comics are supposed to be--dare I say it? Ah, what the heck--they should be fun.

But regardless of how we deal with it now, the writers and artists certainly set out to do the best job they could at the time. And we can't accuse them of being afraid to take a chance.

[jayvee]

Good point. I'm also very fond of Tom Lyle's work during that time--I thought Tom gave his work the detail inherent to guys like McFarlane, but I liked his storytelling better than most.

I dealt with the Clone Saga in part through humor. The basic idea was fascinating, and while writer J.M. DeMatteis was originally opposed to it, he also said, "I thought the idea of totally pulling the rug out from under Peter, as we knew him, was brilliant." Yet over time, the storyline seemed to lose its way, and rather than be angrily critical, I thought it might be better simply to have a chuckle. After all, comics are supposed to be--dare I say it? Ah, what the heck--they should be fun.

But regardless of how we deal with it now, the writers and artists certainly set out to do the best job they could at the time. And we can't accuse them of being afraid to take a chance.
Lyle drew a mean Scarlet Spider, and his Venom wasn't anything to shake a stick at, either.

I don't know if you've seen it or not, but the Life of Reilly (http://www.newcomicreviews.com/GHM/specials/LifeOfReilly/) is a pretty in-depth look at everything Clone Saga, and might be of interest to a Spider-Scholar such as yourself. :)