How would you explain the OMD deal to a child ?

[CMBMOOL]

I mean, how could you explain to a kid that their most favorite Superhero, made a deal with the devil to save a life ?

Especially if that kid's Christian.

[rick]

I mean, how could you explain to a kid that their most favorite Superhero, made a deal with the devil to save a life ?

Especially if that kid's Christian.

Why would you need to in the first place?

[oldschool]

No offence, but this is sort of a silly topic for a thread.

First off, why would you need to?

What I mean is, we are talking about a character whose long history has already involved such "un-Christian" and questionable (for children) topics such as: pre-marital sex, his best friend's drug overdoses, indirectly causing his lover's death, thousands of violent fights, being killed after having eyeball eaten by Morlun, etc.

I mean.....why pick on this one story when there is a long history of other like I just listed??

[Karl O'Neill]

Just say the kid asked?

"Hey Dad, isn't that red guy with the horns the bad guys?".

[oldschool]

Just say the kid asked?

"Hey Dad, isn't that red guy with the horns the bad guys?".

To paraphrase the great Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day": "He is a devil, not the devil"!!

[Farmernudie]

I would only allow my kid to read spidey comics up until OMD/BND stuff, honestly, so i would not have to explain anything.

[The_Ronin]

No offence, but this is sort of a silly topic for a thread.

First off, why would you need to?

What I mean is, we are talking about a character whose long history has already involved such "un-Christian" and questionable (for children) topics such as: pre-marital sex, his best friend's drug overdoses, indirectly causing his lover's death, thousands of violent fights, being killed after having eyeball eaten by Morlun, etc.

I mean.....why pick on this one story when there is a long history of other like I just listed??

Wait its unchristian to portray drug use in a negative light?

....

Help a poor confused Atheist out and explain this!

[charlesthehammer]

Wait its unchristian to portray drug use in a negative light?

....

Help a poor confused Atheist out and explain this!

Not really, in fact that is how you get things like Reefer Maddness.

[Mister Mets]

I'm wondering what the odds are that it's going to matter.

If a kid picks up a story in which Peter and MJ were married, and then reads a more recent story, will any explanation other than "They broke up?" really be necessary to explain what happened between those two stories?

[Blade X]

No offence, but this is sort of a silly topic for a thread.

First off, why would you need to?

What I mean is, we are talking about a character whose long history has already involved such "un-Christian" and questionable (for children) topics such as: pre-marital sex, his best friend's drug overdoses, indirectly causing his lover's death, thousands of violent fights, being killed after having eyeball eaten by Morlun, etc.

I mean.....why pick on this one story when there is a long history of other like I just listed??

So does that mean Spidey (and ASM comics from the last 12 years) is not a character suitable for young kids or a "youth friendly character?

[The Batman]

So does that mean Spidey (and current ASM comics) is not a character suitable for young kids or a "youth friendly character?

The point seems to be that if dealing with Mephisto to save Aunt May is enough to make Spidey a character unsuitable for kids then he never was one for very long.

[Jake V]

Why would someone be talking about OMD with a child?

I mean jeez, make some friends your own age.

[CyberHubbs]

So does that mean Spidey (and ASM comics from the last 12 years) is not a character suitable for young kids or a "youth friendly character?

Some of that seems to be from before 12 years ago.

In either case -- and this goes for oldschool, also -- kids can handle it.

[charlesthehammer]

I'm not talking about American foreign policy but rather the individuals caught up in it. If Spidey's and MJ are wrong for working with Mephisto to save Aunt May then how many people involved in the American space program are wrong for working with a Nazi like von Braun to get somebody on the Moon? I'm looking for an analogy separate the emotional concerns about continuity people grew up with.

If they are truly repentant, then I take no issue. Though if that is not the case I don't particularly like it. I mean remember just following orders doesn't get you off the hook.

He might not believe it, but he's clearly been willing to work with people who are, at best, morally dubious, to accomplish a greater good. As you said, it's hypocritical maybe, but it's the case.

That is just a side effect of different writers. Though I will say if you have no issue with him working with outright murders then you have no real right to be upset about OMD.

Edit: The whole notion that Spidey would sooner let an innocent die than kill someone to save them (presumably that means the attacker) strikes me as more problematic than being willing to deal with Mephisto to save a life.

That is kind of the problem with superhero comics in general, they are more about idealism. They are more than willing to let people die as long as they don't have to "sink to their level". Though this is a different argument for a different time.

Why would someone be talking about OMD with a child?

I mean jeez, make some friends your own age.

Yeah this is one of the more out there topics.

Some of that seems to be from before 12 years ago.

In either case -- and this goes for oldschool, also -- kids can handle it.

Maybe, but I still like the idea of using sock puppets to soften the blow.

[TheAltarOfMyEgo]

So does that mean Spidey (and ASM comics from the last 12 years) is not a character suitable for young kids or a "youth friendly character?

Honestly, if we're talking his "suitability for kids," I'd argue that the mainstream continuity Spider-Man was never written for young kids, but for teens and up. I can't even imagine young children reading the Stan Lee era of Spidey and fully understanding it, so I'm going to have to agree with this last string of posts and ask why you would ever need to explain it to a young kid. Give them Marvel Adventures (or whatever the kid line is now, if it still exists) and tell them to go read that, if you really have nothing better to do than talk about Spider-Man with children.