SPIDEY CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

[MattBrady]

As then old sea charts used to say: THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD

While the majority of Spider-Man controversy was going on due to JMS’ “sins past” storyline in Amazing Spider-Man involving the children of Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacy returning to bedevil Peter Parker, a major change in Spider-Man has occurred over in Spectacular Spider-Man. Due to the changes Peter Parker underwent through the four-part “Changes” arc (#17-#20, part of “Avengers Disassembled”), he now has organic webshooters in his wrists – just like his film counterpart.

Yeah, let’s let that sink in.

Back before the first Spider-Man film was made, word of Peter Parker’s possible organic webshooters caused a furor among fans who felt that Spider-Man should have mechanical webshooters, just like in the comic. So strong was the opposition to the idea of Spider-Man having organic webshooters that several fans pooled their resources to create the (now defunct) website, www.no-organic-webshooter.com. The film came out, Peter had the organics, the comic version kept his mechanical ones (even though there were rumors of him getting organics), and the earth kept spinning.

More rumors of Spider-Man exchanging his mechanical shooters for organics continued to pop up now and then, only to not happen again and again. This time, the rumors were right.

“We came up with the story to give Peter the organic shooters shortly before the ‘Avengers Disassembled’ storyline was conceived, as a story we wanted to do sometime within the next year,” Spectacular Spider-Man editor Tom Brevoort told Newsarama. “Then, as Disassembled began to take shape, with the overarching idea being to put the individual characters through something life-changing, the timing seemed to be right--especially since the point of involving Spidey in Disassembled was to prime the pump for him to appear in New Avengers.”

As for why the change, Brevoort points to the fact that’s going to be tough for many comic book and long-time Spider-Man fans to swallow: at this point in time, a larger audience is more familiar with a Spider-Man with organic webshooters than without.

“Thanks to the two Spider-Man movies, that's how most of the world thinks of him at this point to begin with,” Brevoort explained. “Beyond that, it's been so long since anybody really made an issue of Spidey's web-shooters in the books - when was the last time you saw Spidey run out of webbing? Need to fill up the cartridges? - that it's relatively inconsequential to how the character operates on a day-to-day basis. Of greater consequence in the short term is what effect his newly-enhanced spider-sense has on him, and how his experiences dealing with Captain America during the course of this storyline impact on his upcoming role in New Avengers.”

Oh yeah – did we forget to mention the enhanced Spider-Sense?

“First off, it isn't really talking to insects per se so much as it is a heightening of certain attributes of Spidey's spider-sense--you'll see some of this in play as the months go by.

“We could probably have been a little more clear about this, but the ‘insect hum’ is more a function of Pete's spider-sense than anything else--it's operating at a higher, more attuned level than ever before. So beyond just being a passive danger sense, Spidey's now a bit more in tune with his environment, picking up not so much words as primal signals from the spiders and insect life in the general vicinity. It's like trading up to HDTV.”

As Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has said, he knows that an idea is a good one if half his editorial staff cheers, and the other half recoils in horror. So which side of the line was Brevoort on?

“I was pretty much nonplussed. As I said earlier, nobody's done all that much with Spidey's web-shooters since Roger Stern had him install the warning light that'd tell him when they were about to run dry. It certainly didn't seem like as big a deal to me as it is to that segment of the audience that's aghast that we'd do such a thing.”

Of course, as for those who’d be aghast, Brevoort had a plan: “I waited until they were all worked up and distracted over Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn, and then tried to sneak it through the back door...”

In terms of getting into the specifics of the shooters, say, for example, in this post-CSI world, is Peter’s DNA in the webbing? , Brevoort said that more will become clear in the coming months.

“He's certainly creating the webbing from the stuff of his body, though the precise mechanics of that process haven't as yet been revealed,” Brevoort said. “And I see no reason why he couldn't run out, if he were undernourished or exhausted, or had used up a considerable amount in a short period of time. As for the rest of the answers--stay tuned!”

And yes, despite the somewhat ‘disconnected’ feel of the Spider-titles, the changes to Spider-Man are not a Spectacular-only change. “These changes will be acknowledged in Amazing Spider-Man and Marvel Knights Spider-Man, but they will not be plot-points,” said Spider-Man group editor Axel Alonso. “They will not drive the story. Any major developments in that arena will be revealed in the remaining issues of Spectacular.”

The exploration of the changes will be somewhat light in November’s issue #21, as Brevoort went into a little detail about what’s coming up in the final issues of the title, which will be ending with issue #27.

“#21 is much more about Spidey's relationship with the super hero community than the particulars of his new evolution. It's in #22 that we start to get a sense as to how these mutations affect him and his interactions with the world around him.

“Issues #21 and #22 aren't an arc per se, but a return to the single issue stories that had been a hallmark of Paul's Spider-Man work in the past. So in #21, Spidey is invited for the first time to the Thing's annual charity poker game, but somebody crashes the party and raises the stakes in a significant way. But it's a lighter, more upbeat Spidey story than we've seen of late, one that really showcases Spider-Man's interactions with the other heroes in the Marvel U.

“Then, in #22, we move more to tragedy as Spidey comes face-to-face with his old foe the Mindworm, who's sunken to a new low and is living on the streets--and broadcasting his misery telepathically for a square city block. And Spidey has to grapple with the question of how much of this is his fault, how much is he responsible for the Mindworm's sorry state, and what he can do to solve a problem that can't be dealt with by punching somebody in the jaw. Beyond that is our four-part follow-up to the events of ‘Sins Past’ over in Amazing, guest-written by Samm Barnes.”

As for how long the organic shooters will stick around? “It's as permanent as anything is in the wonderful world of comics--which is to say that this wasn't done as a throwaway or as a temporary thing, but was meant as a permanent change,” Brevoort said. “But you never know what may happen down the road. That said, I think the fact that these characters can still grow and evolve and change is one of the highlights of their appeal--especially when we can sucker punch people with a change that they didn't see coming or read about months in advance. Keeps things interesting, y'know?”

Newsarama Note: Yes, this is going to be a hot topic. Please keep your comments civil and level-headed. Do not insult another poster because they don't share your opinion, and keep a cool head. If you're going to have a terrible fanboy moment that you may regret (or will keep you from running for public office) later - take a moment, step back from the keyboard, compose yourself, take a deep breath, and then post.

[Aaron]

Organic webshooters! OOOOOH! So THAT explains those Avengers Disassembled tie-ins!

Not.

Aaron

[ZakK]

“I waited until they were all worked up and distracted over Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn, and then tried to sneak it through the back door...”

ha

[JonHook]

--groooaan--

[Citizenvain]

Ya know, when the first film came out I didn't like the idea of organic webshooters. However, when I saw the film I realized it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film (Green Goblin's mask with the mouth that doesn't move is another matter altogether). But to change the comics because the general public is more familiar with organic webshooters is a travesty. The films should be an adaptation of the comic, not the other way around.

[Ryan Twombly]

Well, at least Norman Osborn's still dead.

Wha? What do you mean? They couldn't! Aw, never mind.

[Starpilot]

Honestly, I don't really care. I'd prefer the mechanical webshooters, but I won't be up in arms no matter what. If Marvel feels the need to do this to match up the film property with the comics (though why they would need to do so is beyond me since there is so little cross pollenation), then so be it.

No biggie.

[DanteHicks1972]

"...And yes, despite the somewhat ‘disconnected’ feel of the Spider-titles..."

Somewhat?!?! how about they might as well be in alternate realities...The Marvel guys need to get it together like the core writers at DC...Batman with all his titles & spinoffs seem to be able to hold it together....I do like the organic web shooters it seems like it's a natural progression that should have been there a long time ago....

[KyleThoreau]

took them long enough.....

not jumping in the aisles, but not pissed either. Like they said, the webshooters really haven't been major in awhile.

[swol]

I had not heard the rumors of these changes so this is news to me.

Not quite sure how I feel about this.

On one hand, I've been reading the wall-crawler since the late sixties and this smacks of pandering to the movie crowd. Change for changes sake. That annoys me.

On the other hand, organic web-shooters would probably have been the way to go back in the day when Spidey first saw light. Making them mechanical probably made him seem more human than if he had this physiological change. Times have changed. Today, we have advanced prosthetics, we are on the verge of synthetic organs, Nano-technology, computer chip implants, etc. Suddenly, organic web-shooters are not that outlandish.

I would rather that this would have been written as a more, ... organic change. (Sorry, but thats the only word that comes to mind) Perhaps as part of his continuing maturing of the Spider & Man synthesis and not of something that happens to him in a story arc. It's not unheard of that an insect or animal gains specific capabilities when it hits full maturity. Perhaps Peter was now hitting maturity for the hybrid being that he has become.

Interaction with the other heroes...(Shades of Stan Lee!)
This is moving back to the old shared universe model that made Marvel fun back in the day. I greatly approve.


Joining the Avengers: We'll see how long that lasts. Peter was never that big a team player. Still, this could springboard any number of Marvel Team Up stories, (at least those which will feature Peter), in a more logical sense than the old series ever did.

[Jason Arendt]

Originally posted by Citizenvain
Ya know, when the first film came out I didn't like the idea of organic webshooters. However, when I saw the film I realized it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the film...

Ultimately that's how I felt too.

And now that it's coming to the comic... I think it'll be the same way: at first it sounds like it might be kind of stupid, but ultimately it'll work out fine.

And plus I can already imagine all of the comedic moments they can get out of this. (And I always felt that if you can't laugh at Spider-Man sometimes then you're kind of missing what it's all about... )

[I am MODOK]

not jumping in the aisles, but not pissed either. Like they said, the webshooters really haven't been major in awhile. [/b][/quote]

Yeah, I don't really see that big an impact on the normal books. It seems like a silly thing not worth the effort. How many people picked up Spidey and said "Wait one darn second, he he has bracelets that shoot webs? Spiders don't wear bracelets!" I guess all the folks who feel that way can come give the books another try.

Honestly, while it seems silly, it is not that big a deal. I mean, putting the scar on Bullseye's head didn't bother me that much either.

[Tinnitus Tim]

I don't really mind. It might change the character but it might bring something new. Altough, now it will have less money problems because he won't have to produce his web fluid?

I guess I will take a wait and read approach

[Jack Burton]

Look I know most people now think Spidey has organic shooters because of the movies and I could understand the change if Spidey comics were selling by the boatload due to new fans but they aren't. So why change it if you know a lot of the core comics fans will get angry? Makes no sense to me.

[CaptainAmerica]

I don't think it is that big of a deal. In fact, it was one of the things that I really liked about the movie. It makes more sense that he has organic spinners being that he has all the other powers of a spider. It could be worse...the spinners could come out of his butt

[Jesusfish]

Gee, article writer, thanks for the Amazing Spider-man spoilers. You may have put up a warning in the article, but in the little abstract on the front page, there's no warning.

[TVerBeek]

Newsarama Note: Yes, this is going to be a hot topic.

It's both amazing and sad that it would be.

[swol]

Originally posted by CaptainAmerica
I don't think it is that big of a deal. In fact, it was one of the things that I really liked about the movie. It makes more sense that he has organic spinners being that he has all the other powers of a spider. It could be worse...the spinners could come out of his butt

Thinking about that comment, why just the arms?

The spider spins its webs, basically, out of it's butt.
Not exactly kid friendly there.
But how about his legs? Does his transformation differentiate between limbs?

Just wondering where this might lead...

[funjoe]

Originally posted by Jack Burton
Look I know most people now think Spidey has organic shooters because of the movies and I could understand the change if Spidey comics were selling by the boatload due to new fans but they aren't. So why change it if you know a lot of the core comics fans will get angry? Makes no sense to me.

I agree. I understood why they did it for the film, it kind of made sense and I didn't have a problem with it. But the reason behind this change seems inane. It's not like many people are leaving the film and picking up Spider-books, but even if they were by the boatload, would anyone really be bothered by the fact that Spider-Man's webs aren't organic in the comics?
I was about to say why not make MJ a Broadway actress like in the movies, then realized they did that. Oy.
I guess overall it's not a big deal, and Tom is right in that the mechanical web shooters haven't been a focal point in the comics for what seems like forever, but the change still irks, more because of the reaosns behind it than anything else.

[swol]

Originally posted by MattBrady
Newsarama Note: Yes, this is going to be a hot topic.

Could be worse....They could make peter go nuts kill the other heroes and then have his powers given to some guy in an alley.

Naw....on second thought, who would ever try to pull that?

[Bklyn Artist]

I for once think this is a nifty idea! As he grows and matures Peter parkers body should grow and mature. Just as humans change and evolve as we age. This change makes total sense. Of this could lead to some disgusting results in bed with the old ball and chain. But lets not eworry about that untill Spidey gets a MAX title.

Anyway. good for MARVEL. I guess him and ANTMAN are now technicaly brothers. Maybe a wife swap with the WASP....hot!

Seriously, kool.

Bklynartist
NeilFeigeles.com

[RobGrayson]

I don't mind thins change, but I do kind of dislike the reason for it. Spidey has been around for more than 40 years, and plenty of people KNEW he had web shooters because of the many cartoons, and lots of people read Spidey as they were kids.

Now, Amazing Spiderman ... now that is a very piss poor change.

[President Kang]

While it its kinda lame that Marvel decided to toe-the-line with the films (you realize this whole organic web shooters thing is entirely James Cameron's fault? He started it with his original spidey scriptment back in '95) still...

I really didn't care that much before the movie came out, when the movie came out -- and I really don't care that much right now. Its freakin web shooters. It doesn't alter the character to any sort of significant degree. Just chill everyone.

[fredeur]

Now Peter has organic webshooters in his wrists ?

Oh yes!!!

Even Stan Lee thinks it's a good idea; organic webshooters were too gross in the sixties, so he gave mechanic webshooters to Peter.

[gwangung]

A couple things...

A) Don't forget to include bookstore trade sales in any argument about non-comic book readers. That has grown to be a sizable (though not overwhelming) part of the market.

B) Organic webshooters can easily be ignored. Spidey doesn't trust 'em, so he goes back to what he DOES trust--the mechanical ones he built himself.