What do you call the new Spider-Man?

At this point, everyone knows the big surprise behind the final issue of Amazing Spider-Man that sets up the new series, Superior Spider-Man. If you don't, then get the hell out of my house (that's all the SPOILER ALERT you get). The new identity of our hero leaves one question unanswered for the legions of spider-fans out there; just what do we call this new entity that is Spider-Man?

[spoiler]

NYCC '12: Day 4 Highlights

Well,  as soon as NY Comic Con starts, it ends.  I admit, part of me is glad because I am just so tired.  Still, I love all the time I spend hanging on the floor.  As usual, we all split up at the con, running off into different directions.

Wysefyre fought against the hoards of people to get into the Javits Center in time to catch the Sesame Street show on the Varient Stage featuring Elmo and Gordon (Roscoe Orman). There were more adults at the show than kids, and everyone had fun. Then she met up with a friend, and wandered the floor for a few hours. Wysefyre also spoke with Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza, and the nice people over at the CBDLF. Also, she saw a guy dressed as Zangief from Street Fighter 4 give an exceptionally long hug to another person and ate some Hi-Chew and Nerds.

Today I jumped onto the floor first thing to go swag hunting.  I scored a lot of good items and can't wait to sort through it all.  After that, I got a chance to sit down with animation king Bill Plympton to discuss his new and upcoming projects.

Then I spent the afternoon celebrating Spider-Man's 50th Birthday at the Marvel booth!  Yeah, I know, who would have thunk it that Spidey is 50!  One way that Marvel was celebrating is by trying to set a new world record for the most greetings on a card.  I had a chance to chat with the Guinness World Record representative about the process to make a world record.  I am happy to say that Marvel made it!

Then I went over to Artist's Alley, met up with Wysefyre, listened to Dan Slott talk, then spoke with Peter David, David Marquez and Jamal Igle.  Wysefyre made her 7th or 8th trek across the Javitz, then we finally got some food.

We had a great time this year at NY Comic Con!!!  This was such a great time to see old friends and meet new people.  We are also so thankful for all the people that gave us some of their time.  For now, we will be working hard to share all the great details we gained over the past few days.  Make sure you stay tuned!  Until next year!

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Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Turns 1!

I never thought this would happen but Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is celebrating its anniversary... sort of. It's been one year since STOD opened on Broadway, but that was version 1.0. Version 2.0 premiered June 4th. Either way, congrats on making it this far.


I was fairly vocal about how flawed STOD was in its original incarnation, and I'm yet to see 2.0, but after sitting in on the STOD panel at NYCC, and reading many, MANY reviews from people I trust, I'm happy for the Spidey team. They took what had originally been a disaster and apparently fixed it. This kind of situation is so rare on Broadway, it's kind of amazing.


Thanks to the success of the show, the producers can make plans to recoup the investment and turn a profit. A recent New York Times article spoke with the producers of the show and a few of the ideas thrown around were adding new scenes and a new musical number each year and expanding their radio campaigns in all across the US. There are no plans to take the show overseas, but it is an eventual possibility. I don't know if I like these ideas, but I admire their willingness to be creative, and I think I've finally come on board the STOD train. I'm sincerely rooting for them. 



If you haven't seen it yet, give it shot. One of the people who told me he loved the show was Amazing Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott. I ran into him at the STOD panel, and he couldn't stop talking about how much he loved it. I believe he's seen it 4 times already. If you're going to take anyone's advice on seeing the show, take his.




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Midtown Book Club: Matters of Life & Death with Dan Slott

The last Friday of the month can mean only one thing: payday!  Whoo!  Let's party!  Hmm?  That's not it?  Oh... did you mean the book club thing?  I see.  There's that too.  So, it's also time for Midtown Comics monthly book club.  I was actually very psyched for this one because they were putting the spotlight on one of my current favorites: Dan Slott's Amazing Spider-Man.  The book we were discussing was the trade of Matters of Life & Death.  A very meaningful story that marked a turning point in Peter Parker's career as Spider-Man.

If you've ever been to a book club at this Midtown Comics before (or read one of our posts about them), then you know they have a particular format they usually stick to; however things didn't quite start out as they usually do this month.  To start, the special guest, Dan Slott, was stuck in traffic due to the protests currently happening on Wall St. and in an even more disturbing twist the Dunkin' Donuts they usually have refreshments from Ran Out of Donuts!  Don't ask me how a Dunkin' runs out of donuts, it's beyond me... maybe the protesters bought them out earlier.  Anyway, we started the evening a few minutes late.  Once Dan arrived, he made up for his tardiness in spades and literally jumped right into his presentation.


Dan rushed in and was talking to the crowd before he even put his bag down.  Normally the hosts from Midtown, Zoe & Thor, are the ones who have questions prepared and will run the show for the evening, but in this case their guest was prepared with a special treat for everyone.  Rather than making it a question and answer session, Dan went right into an in-depth, behind the scenes look at his creative process.  In fact, he jumped right in before our two hosts even had a chance to introduce themselves.

He actually swung into the store this way.  It really does beat NYC traffic.

The book we were discussing is the collected trade of Amazing Spider-Man issues number 652 through 657, plus the special issue number 654.1.  The stories herein truly contain some of the most emotionally charged pages from the past year, but our discussion focused on one in particular.  "In Memory of Marla Jameson" was the issue immediately following the conclusion of Revenge of the Spider Slayer, in the climax Mayor J. Jonah Jameson's wife is killed saving his life.



Dan read through his original notes to artist Marcos Martin as we went through each page of the completely silent opening ten pages.  He shared his experiences between his initial impressions and what was actually interpreted by Martin.  Dan also shared with us that he still writes in a style called "The Marvel Way", which involves the writer only writing an overview or storyboard, but not actually scripting the book until the art is completed.  This used to be the way required by Marvel editors and that's how it was drilled into Dan's writing style, but since then this style has been largely abandoned even in Marvel's own offices.  Dan shared very high praise for the many "gifts" that Marcos delivered with his work.  


One page in particular was the one in which Peter is having a nightmare and reliving the fateful night his uncle Ben was killed.  While Dan's notes described the scene taking place in the hallway and being a rather basic re-telling of the scene, what was actually interpreted and delivered was a page truly out of a dream:

Dan went on to discuss his current cross-over event Spider Island and how his creative process started and has continued throughout.  There were lots of really interesting insights shared and we all got a great view into the mind and creative process.  All of this, plus he then went on to take questions from the audience!  I was really impressed with how much thought Dan had clearly put into this, and as a fan I felt that he really appreciated us.  It was a great night overall and a great addition to the Midtown Comics Book Club series.  Can't wait for the next one, see you next month!





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Spider Island Infests NYC!

This Wednesday, the web hits the fan as Spider Island overtakes NYC.  The summer of 2011 will be known as the summer of the Marvel cross-over events.  Marvel’s Fear Itself is kicking into high gear and the hammer-fest still has a ways to go before the grand finale.  There’s also the mutant version of a messy divorce that is Schism, happening on the west coast.  (From what I understand Wolverine & Cyclops go to war with each other over the decorative china).  Meanwhile on the East Coast our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man leaps right into Spider Island, one of the biggest Spidey-centric cross-overs in years.  In preparation for the event the Marvel Marketing Machine (alliteration!) has the web-head’s home town covered.  More on that in a bit.

He looks like Sesame Street's resident meth addict.

The thing that makes any super-hero “super” is that they’re one of a kind.  Someone with skills or abilities beyond normal people, and they use those abilities to be a symbol and a beacon for everyone else.  So... what happens when everyone else gets to have your super powers too?  It’s no secret that the Earth-shattering event that is the crux of Spider Island involves every man, woman, child & apparently some of the animals in New York City mysteriously gaining the powers of the Amazing Spider-Man.  The pieces have been falling into place for a few months now, first with teasers and rumors, then with the prologue “Infested: The Road to Spider Island”.  Manhattanites begin showing displays of spider-proportionate strength, sticking to walls that they shouldn’t, and other high flying acrobatics.  All the while watched by a menacing furry green figure that fans immediately will recognize as the Jackal.  The Jackal may be the most hated and despised villain of the whole spidey-verse; however that’s mostly because he was responsible for the never-ending clone saga.



While the mention of the Jackal may be enough to give fans who remember the clone saga a headache, I personally am psyched to see how Dan Slott treats the character.  The Amazing Spider-Man has been helmed by Slott since last November and in my opinion we’ve seen some of the best new stories in years.  He’s earned my trust and I am ready and raring to go for his latest tale. 


There are tons of rumors and spoilers circling the internet in the wake of San Diego Comiccon, but to be honest I hate spoilers.  I prefer to stay away from the message boards and let the story unfold.  I have however read some interviews and info that came about from the SDCC Spider-man panel and the things implied have me incredibly excited for the future.



The fallout of Spider Island will be truly epic and the possibilities for some amazing storytelling seems boundless.  Millions of normal people swinging around Manhattan?  Crazy.  All the other super-hero denizens of Manhattan also getting spider-powers?  Wild!  What about the villains, them too?  Holy Web-shooters Batman!  Ready for the big one?  J Jonah Jameson, spiderfied.  ::mind ‘splode::

The Amazing Brush-Head

The idea of not only seeing my favorite super-heroes slug it out, but the entire ASM supporting cast fighting alongside them is something that, as a  fan, I honestly would never have even thought of as a possibility.  The other twist will be that Peter Parker will get to swing mask-free without fear of exposure for the first time since Civil War.  In fact, Dan Slott has said this will be a Peter Parker story. 


And who better to save the day?  As a fan I’ve always identified with Peter Parker on a very personal level.  The struggles he’s gone through as Peter, especially in the past few years have really struck home and solidified my connection to the character.

It begs the question: Where did MJ's shirt go?

If your excited as I am, then you wanna celebrate the kicking off of this event.  Maybe even get the down-low from the creators?  Well, Dan Slott and crew are obliging in a big way this week.  First, there’s "Spider Island in the Club" at the People's Improv Theatre tonight 7/26 at 8pm. Tickets are a mere $5 and you'll get to hear it straight from the man himself. Sponsored partly by Midtown Comics you can also count on plenty of great prizes and giveaways. Then Wednesday night to celebrate the release of the aptly numbered issue #666 Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente & Joe Caramanga will be doing a signing from 6 - 7pm at MidTown Comics downtown store. I'm going to do everything I can to get to both, so check it out and keep an eye out for us!

This post was brought to you by the letter "Ooooooooo"

Review: Amazing Spider-Man #654.1

This post is SPOILER-FILLED so if you are allergic to spoilers,

go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

This week, I continue my Marvel Point One journey with Amazing Spider-Man. This is probably the Point One title that I am most familiar with; @Getsuyobi is a huge fan. I was also an avid viewer of the cartoon.

In this issue, we follow Flash Thompson, Peter's high school bully/friend. We find out pretty quickly that Flash is, wait a dramatic beat, the new Venom. He isn't evil though; Venom is being used by the military for covert ops. Flash, as a wheelchair-bound veteran, has the skills and desire to be willing to risk using Venom. 

 As we follow Flash on his first mission, we see that he can communicate with Venom, but he is in control. The mission takes them to a party filled with a lot of powerful people, including a terrorist that he bugs. We learn that Flash is only allowed limited time as Venom to prevent bonding with it. When the mission concludes, we go back to Flash's life. We meet his girlfriend Betty and learn that Marla Jameson, Jonah's wife, has died. Betty tells Flash that Peter is upset about it, so he goes to cheer him up. 

As he heads over, he is thinking about how Peter has got himself together, good job, nice girlfriend, Carlie Cooper... then he sees him talking to MJ, his ex. Flash doesn't know Peter is telling MJ that he is upset that he let Marla die as Spider-Man. Flash is tempted to interrupt but gets a Venom distress call. He has to don the suit to rescue someone he met at the party from the terrorist he tagged. He goes in, without backup, because of the ship's shielding. As he rescues the captive, he gets trapped by a terrorist called Flag Smasher, who looks like Batman. Flag Batman throws a bomb at Flash, and the resulting explosion gives Venom a chance to take control. Venom chews up Flag Batman, literally, and then spits him out. Best part of the book: Its not cannibalism if you don't swallow. So the mission succeeds, but the government guys realize that only 99% of Venom came off Flash. He also has greasy looking hair. They suspect that Venom bonded with Flash. And Flash has plans for Peter.

I enjoyed this issue for a few reasons. One, there was great background given without it feeling forced. We got to learn about Peter through someone else's eyes. There was also good background given about other characters and the universe. Two, I felt like I was starting at a new story. This felt like the beginning, not jumping in during an arc. Granted, this was also a great intro for the new Venom book coming out soon. That's almost a downside. Dan Slott told such a great story that I am more interested in what happens to Flash as Venom than Spider-man.

Based on Marvel's Point One initiative, this is a great read for new and old readers. I don't know if I liked it enough to add it to my pull list but I can see myself raiding @Getsuyobi's stash.

Next week, there is no Point One issue coming out but hopefully there will be more news on new titles added to the Point One lineup. It has already been announced that Daken: Dark Wolverine and Alpha Flight will be added. I'm not sure how I feel about those titles being reader friendly but I'll find out when they are released. This may also be a hint of things to come; many of the current Point One titles have movie franchises - will Daken join his daddy on the big screen?!

My Point One Journey so far:

* Review: Wolverine
* Review: The Invincible Iron Man
* My Point One Plan
* The info about the Point One Initiative


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This Month, Let's Work on Respect

I just had a conversation with my boss about respecting artists. It was in reference to the Spider-Man musical (she loved it and only one delay in the show) and how so many people were bashing it for technical problems. She brought up a great point. You should really respect anyone that can take an idea and create something brand new with it. I know how hard it is to just write these posts, so to take on the challenge of producing an entire musical with high-flying people is just impressive.

From toonpool.com

This made me think about some of the things I have seen and written. Have I really been practicing this respect? I had some pretty strong feelings toward Whit Anderson, and while in the end my comments may not have been too harsh, there are some members of the Buffy fan base that have taken things a step too far. While writing this post, I happened upon a couple bloggers that were writing about the same thing. Sean T. Collins of Robot 6 covered the "incident" between an angry fan and Dan Slott. Dan Slott later tweeted that the fan apologized but not before gaining a lot of internet attention. And over at The Beat, they covered a list of recent bashing and theft. The fact that this is coming up at all makes me sad.

Too many times have I seen bashing and hate in comment sections that is totally undeserved. Don't attack a person's character, especially since you don't even know them. If you don't like the show/movie/album/comic, don't say it in a totally negative way that insults an entire group of people. Try to be constructive so you can help this person grow. And, if you really think you can do it better, do it yourself. Until you give it a shot, you can't understand.

From SonoftheSouth.com

I still believe that the industry needs to learn to respect us fans. While it has been getting better, there is still work to be done. That can start with us respecting each other. There is too much geek hate for us to do it to each other. I hope that in this month of giving, we can all take the time to respect any creative ability.

BIG TIME Events in NYC

After years of job-hunting, disastrous relationships, and aimless meandering, it's finally all coming around!  No, I'm not talking about your loser cousin who lives in your aunt's basement. I'm talking about the Amazing Spider-Man!

The release of The Amazing Spider-Man #648 on November 10th, marks the beginning of Dan Slott's solo run as head writer, and features art by Humberto Ramos. The new ASM team is kicking things off Big Time with a huge story featuring some big name Marvel characters. Among them are the Mighty Avengers and the Fantastic Four. One of the most intriguing things that I'm looking forward to is not only Big Time Spider-Man, but Big Time Peter Parker. At the Spider-Man panel from San Diego Comic Con, Mr. Slott eluded to the fact that it's high time Peter Parker got a proper career. And from his new-found personal security will come a host of new spider-features, from costumes to new weapons!

The Big Time title not only refers to the plot, but to the physical book as well. Starting with ASM #648 the series will go from a thrice monthly release to bi-monthly. The book will also go from 22 pages to 30, with some boasting 30 pages of story and some with the norm of 22 and an 8 page backup.

Dan Slott & crew at the Amazing Spider-man Panel from SDCC

The promotional train is full speed ahead to support the web-heads launch into Big-ness. Lead writer Dan Slott will be making appearances all over Spidey's home city of New York doing interviews and signings.  If you want to hear about the new direction for Spidey from the man himself, you can check out Comic Book Club at the People's Improv Theater on November 9th. The show starts at 8pm and also features Joe Carmagna. At $5 a ticket you cannot go wrong!

You can also get your autograph on at Jim Hanley's Universe on the 10th. Dan will be signing in the store at 6pm to commemorate the first issue of his run as head writer. I know I'll be there, so come by and say hello (bring me coffee).  It's bound to be a packed crowd of Spider-fans.

Personally, I've been a Spider-Man fan since issue 368, when the Spider Slayers were running amok and our hero still couldn't keep his cool around the Black Cat (not that I blame him, the cover of ASM 607 gave me a nosebleed!). I only came back to the series last year and the more mature story line really spoke to me. In the last year, it's been as much about Peter Parker battling his inner-demons as it has been Spidey facing off with his actual ones. I felt more tension watching Peter try to speak with his ex and keep his cool than I had with any super-battle before. We've all had to deal with those pains, so it's really exciting to know that the whipping character of the Marvel-U has a light at the end of the tunnel.

As I mentioned, we'll be at the signing on Wednesday (milk, no sugar in the coffee), and we'll be sure to give constant updates and pictures through twitter, so if you can't make it, be sure to glue yourself to @IGHInsider. If you've got any burning questions you'd like us to ask, hit us up with a comment and we'll see what we can do! Happy swinging and be sure to check back later this week when we recap the events and review the first issue of Big Time!

One last teaser, Marvel's official trailer!