Why Did The Spider-Man Reboot Fail?

[oldschool]

A couple more updates are now up at my blog. Let me know if people are still reading, and want me to keep updating this thread.

It's now becoming more apparent to me why the reboot failed - the last five or six issues have on the whole been pretty poor. Mackie actually has a good handle on Spider-Man's character and nails his voice most of the time. He also writes him and MJ as a couple fairly well, when he isn't trying to create artificial tension between them. The problem is with the subplots. Mackie seems desperate to introduce 'tension' in their relationship, whether through Jill Stacy flirting with Peter (although at the moment that is fairly subtle) or Peter and MJ keeping secrets from each other. Both have been implemented very poorly, and come across as pretty unbelievable.

The absence of Tricorp is also a big problem. I get the feeling that Peter's new job may have been forced on Mackie, as he actually seems quite confident using the Daily Bugle and includes them in most stories. His version of Jameson is a bit old school, but has still led to a couple of amusing moments. It really bothers me though, that after getting a great new job (and lets not forget, being very excited about it) Peter has barely shown up, or even mentioned it. At the moment it just makes him look like a fool, which is a shame as Mackie does write the character quite well for the most part.

Josh, I greatly enjoy your reviews and hope they continue. Great stuff, man!

[remoteman]

As always, thanks a lot for the kind words. It's great to know that people are still reading (and enjoying!)

[Venomous Mask]

Later in the series, Peter mentions that he had been fired from Tricorp. Probably because he never even bothered to show up for work.

[remoteman]

Later in the series, Peter mentions that he had been fired from Tricorp. Probably because he never even bothered to show up for work.

I'm aware of that, and I do remember the Tricorp staff showing up a couple more times. I just wonder why they were introduced at all, as Mackie seemingly had no idea where to go with them, nor interest in using them.

[Venomous Mask]

I'm aware of that, and I do remember the Tricorp staff showing up a couple more times. I just wonder why they were introduced at all, as Mackie seemingly had no idea where to go with them, nor interest in using them.

Maybe to look Peter look even more like a loser? The reboot not only sought to make Peter's life miserable, I think at times it wanted us to feel less sorry for him.

[remoteman]

Maybe, although it's difficult to make someone look like a loser when they have a high powered job that they don't even bother showing up to (not to mention a supermodel wife). I do remember them pushing Peter being a loser a bit later on when MJ died and Peter was unemployed, a period that I remember being almost offensively bad. Peter Parker is not, and never should be a loser. Down on his luck, maybe, but not a loser.

[Spidey_Legend]

Maybe, although it's difficult to make someone look like a loser when they have a high powered job that they don't even bother showing up to (not to mention a supermodel wife). I do remember them pushing Peter being a loser a bit later on when MJ died and Peter was unemployed, a period that I remember being almost offensively bad. Peter Parker is not, and never should be a loser. Down on his luck, maybe, but not a loser.

It's ironic that everyone in the world realized that, well except Marvel people.

[LEADER DESSLOK]

I didn't buy it but I remember perusing through some of them in the store and I'll tell you what turned me off. I vaguely remember seeing Doc Ock standing around bemoaning the fact that he had these extra arms and that it was a result of some mishap at Oscorp. The way I understand it, Byrne was trying to tie the origins of Doc Ock and maybe the Sandman together around Osborn's factories.

It made "sense" because otherwise Ock got blown up at a nuclear reactor and Sandy was exposed to a nuclear blast ala The Hulk and it seemed as if the USA was awful careless with all these nuclear materials back in the 60s! But, in the back of my mind I was thinking: "That's a good idea in principle but WHAT ELSE IS BYRNE GOING TO MESS WITH?" For me, after that Vision\Scarlet Witch bust up, I no longer trusted the man and with Spidey--that was DOUBLY so! Sure enough, sometime later Mary-Jane was apparently blown up on a plane! That was the LAST STRAW! Until, OMD, that is...

[RyanParkerMan]

Maybe, although it's difficult to make someone look like a loser when they have a high powered job that they don't even bother showing up to (not to mention a supermodel wife). I do remember them pushing Peter being a loser a bit later on when MJ died and Peter was unemployed, a period that I remember being almost offensively bad. Peter Parker is not, and never should be a loser. Down on his luck, maybe, but not a loser.

Just read reviews 6-9. Really good job man. I'll be checking the blog out more.

[Alan2099]

There's one thing I disagree with you about on your blog.

You seemed to haev issues with Peter not telling Mj he was Spider-man anymore. To me, it makes perfect sense from Peter's point of view. He just can't sit back when he's needed, and he's able to keep MJ from worrying at the same time. It also added a bit of much needed drama back in their interactions. I'd say that's one of the few things they really did right.

[remoteman]

There's one thing I disagree with you about on your blog.

You seemed to haev issues with Peter not telling Mj he was Spider-man anymore. To me, it makes perfect sense from Peter's point of view. He just can't sit back when he's needed, and he's able to keep MJ from worrying at the same time. It also added a bit of much needed drama back in their interactions. I'd say that's one of the few things they really did right.

Firstly, I can understand why they did it. As you said, it's a decent way of adding a bit of drama to their relationship. The problem was that as a reader you are continually beaten over the head with it in a very one note fashion. I've always preferred it when MJ doesn't have a problem with Peter's career as Spider-Man too, and I find the idea that he would have to go to extreme lengths to lie to her about resuming it quite difficult to stomach. I think as a device it could potentially have worked, but as with many things in the reboot, Mackie's execution was a little off.

I posted part nine yesterday by the way, which I'm sure everyone will be happy to hear is a rather more positive review

[destro]

Course, that's the other thing, Byrne was never really much of a Spider-Man artist. It's like putting Kirby on Spider-Man -- the character has certain quirks that often very capable artists can't really manage. And Byrne was always something more in the Kirby/Jon Buscema mold, neither guy really being known for their Spidey output.

Have you ever read the Marvel Team Ups with Claremont/Byrne? Because Byrne's Spidey in those was absolutely amazing. Check out the page below, you aren't going to get a nicer looking Spidey than that, Byrne was dead on.

In Chapter one he decided to go for the Big head/big eyed super skinny Spidey, and that was the main problem. Also as other have noted, he was a bit past it at that point.

[remoteman]

Have you ever read the Marvel Team Ups with Claremont/Byrne? Because Byrne's Spidey in those was absolutely amazing. Check out the page below, you aren't going to get a nicer looking Spidey than that, Byrne was dead on.

In Chapter one he decided to go for the Big head/big eyed super skinny Spidey, and that was the main problem. Also as other have noted, he was a bit past it at that point.

I think a big problem with his art on Chapter One was that Byrne himself was inking it. Scott Hanna inked his ASM stuff and it was very good, to start with anyway.

[Venomous Mask]

Hanna's inks really brought out the artwork. In Cahpter One, everything looked so muddled.

[remoteman]

Part Ten is now up, and surprisingly enough its another decent story from Mackie. The Perfect World is a story that I have always had fond memories of, and while several elements of the plot do not really stand the test of time, I still found it an enjoyable read.

Very poor use of Mysterio though, and this is coming from a big fan of the character. I could understand why he was used, but didn't feel that it worked at all.