CBR: Cup O' Joe - Sep 29, 2010

[CBR News]

In part three of CBR's week-long look at the controversial "One Moment In Time," Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada explores the untold side of Mary Jane "Former Mrs. Spider-Man" Watson's story from baby queries to personal trauma.


Full article here.

[alexforever]

Do they really need to keep going back to this. It was terrible. It was the worst stuff I saw in a comic. Everything from the bizarre 'Other' to Civil War #2 to all that stuff afterward. Why would you keep talking about Amazing Spider-man #545? The issue so many refer to as the 'worst comic of all time'. It was a terrible idea to begin with and as a result the book is over for some of us. It's a bad book starring a horrible guy in place of man we thought was the best comic character of all time.

[stewart48]

I had been complaining about the lack of supporting cast during the marriage and thats what I've liked about BND, but there is no reason they had to destroy the marriage for that. This still seems more of a problem with the writers making excuses and having a severe case of group think.

[stillanerd]

Kiel Phegley: As we get into Mary Jane's view of Spider-Man in this story, there's a little detail that I'm not sure you or Paolo threw in where she sees Spider-Man saving the day one night while she's estranged from Peter, and the next day it's on the front page of the Bugle as "Spider-Man Terrorizes." So even within the story, were you playing with the idea that the character is always in the eye of the beholder?

Joe Quesada: That was in the script, and it was there for two reasons. First, as much as she wanted nothing more than to get away from it, she couldn’t escape Peter and Spider-Man. He's everywhere! But that scene was really there to drive home the point that Peter cannot not be Spider-Man. MJ obviously knows that even though he stood her up at the altar, like her – he’s in terrible emotional pain. Like her, he's just gone through this heart-wrenching moment that is the breakup of their life. Yet, there’s something inside of him that compels him like a force of nature to put on that costume and do the right thing, no matter how miserable his life may be or how emotionally traumatized. And that's what ultimately makes her come back and knock on his door; it’s at that point that she totally understands being Spider-Man is out of Peter’s hands. He is the scorpion in the frog and scorpion story and the scorpion does what a scorpion does – only in this story, the scorpion does heroic deeds. Understanding that, she realizes that asking him to give up being Spider-Man was in essence, asking him to do the impossible. That causes her to reconsider and come back but on her own terms which meant Peter needed to agree that marriage was no longer in the cards as long as he was Spider-Man.

There you have it folks! Quesada, once and for all, put an end to the notion that Mary Jane isn't strong enough to deal with Peter being Spider-Man. Oh wait....

Kiel Phegley: That brings up an interesting aspect of this. MJ had a very firm stance on what marriage means to her

Joe Quesada: Yeah, to her, living with someone for the rest of her life is perfectly fine, she isn’t so old fashion that she considers it inappropriate. However, when it comes to the idea of kids, MJ in this story is a firm believer in the fact that she wants to be married when that time comes.

So, does this mean MJ is a firm-believer in the "shotgun-approach" to marriage, then?

[CMBMOOL]

Does anyone feel sorry for Wacker and Slott during these moments?

I ask this because it seems that Joe Q has taken the wheel of these interviews and calling out everybody that was involved and we don't know where they'll end up next.

[Lee H]

I'm surprised the interviewer didn't ask what implications this issue had for Mary Jane's pregnancy during the Clone Saga. It would have been interesting to hear Quesada's thoughts on it.

[stewart48]

I'm surprised the interviewer didn't ask what implications this issue had for Mary Jane's pregnancy during the Clone Saga. It would have been interesting to hear Quesada's thoughts on it.

He's commented in the past that he thought it was obvious an unmarried Pete and MJ wouldn't have a pregnancy. Guess he saved the not so obvious answer for OMIT

[Farmernudie]

I'm surprised the interviewer didn't ask what implications this issue had for Mary Jane's pregnancy during the Clone Saga. It would have been interesting to hear Quesada's thoughts on it.

yeh, i'd like to see the interviewer ask some tough questions and not just play softball with Quesada.

[CMBMOOL]

He's commented in the past that he thought it was obvious an unmarried Pete and MJ wouldn't have a pregnancy. Guess he saved the not so obvious answer for OMIT

Yet, if that's true, then what did Ben Reilly replaced Peter for anyway ?

What did Ben Reilly died by the Green Goblin's glider for anyway ?

[laughraven]

Watching JoeQ handle Spidey is like seeing a virgin fumble with his first girlfriend's bra. It's just sad. It's been years since OMD and JQ is still holding interviews trying to justify his agenda. Trying to explain how much better the title is now.

OMD was supposed to return Spidey to his greatness- back before MJ made good stories impossible for those poor writers. JoeQ was bringing back the pinnacle Spidey! Returning his powers, his costume, his job, his cast of supporting characters! AWESOME!

Well good thing MJ is gone! Because now we have solicits... for... new... powers, costume, a career. Oh. Come to think of it, all those idiotic changes to Spidey happened under JoeQ's watchful eye before. I guess he fell asleep when the Spider-man can now talk to ants idea came up at Marvel Camp.

Spider-man is one of the most recognizable characters around the world. And yet with all the movies, games, toys and other merchandizing, Spider-man isn't even in the top 5 books a month. It rarely breaks the top 10. Which, of course, is clearly due to that small, small, small vocal minority of bithcing fan boys nearly hidden on the internet Joe.

Keep dancing Joe. Keep fighting. You are totally winning us over.

[Maestro]

these are great interviews. I think they should be included for preservation in the back of the Spider-Man: One Moment in Time collections!

[stewart48]

these are great interviews. I think they should be included for preservation in the back of the Spider-Man: One Moment in Time collections!

Keep em comin' I'll enjoy the reaction.

[Anxy]

You know, Quesada did bring up a point that resonated with me just a little...when he mentioned people using the Clone Saga as the prime example of bad storytelling, then later on wishing they could have that same storyline collected in a TP...there are times I'd like to read through the whole Clone Saga again as well, but not so much because I'm "coming around" and finally realizing its subtle shades of genius, but more as a result of asking myself "did that crap REALLY happen?!"

And thanks to my local library, should I ever experience those pangs, I can satisfy my Clone Saga curiosity for free.

I do think a lot of the most notoriously bad writing of the 80s and 90s will come back full circle (or already is), not so much because readers are finally accepting it as great, but because of sheer "what the...?!?" value.

That's my take, anyway. :shrug:

[Farmernudie]

Watching JoeQ handle Spidey is like seeing a virgin fumble with his first girlfriend's bra. It's just sad. It's been years since OMD and JQ is still holding interviews trying to justify his agenda. Trying to explain how much better the title is now.

OMD was supposed to return Spidey to his greatness- back before MJ made good stories impossible for those poor writers. JoeQ was bringing back the pinnacle Spidey! Returning his powers, his costume, his job, his cast of supporting characters! AWESOME!

Well good thing MJ is gone! Because now we have solicits... for... new... powers, costume, a career. Oh. Come to think of it, all those idiotic changes to Spidey happened under JoeQ's watchful eye before. I guess he fell asleep when the Spider-man can now talk to ants idea came up at Marvel Camp.

Spider-man is one of the most recognizable characters around the world. And yet with all the movies, games, toys and other merchandizing, Spider-man isn't even in the top 5 books a month. It rarely breaks the top 10. Which, of course, is clearly due to that small, small, small vocal minority of bithcing fan boys nearly hidden on the internet Joe.

Keep dancing Joe. Keep fighting. You are totally winning us over.

yeh.....joe has won me over!!...the more he talks about his "classics" OMD and OMIT....the more tempted i am to start buying this title again...things have become clear to me....at last....

[Mikey Brown]

I didn't really like OMIT but he makes sense here. Don't see the big deal, but why would I? I don't blindly hate stuff.