Rate "Danger Zone"

[oldschool]

By the middle of next week, all the talk here presumably will be about the big news of ASM #698 so, before we get to that, let's rate what I considered to be one of the strongest arcs of Slott's run on ASM---Danger Zone!

I personally give it a solid "A"; I thought it was every bit as good as other high-water marks like the opening "Big Time" arc and "No Turning Back" even if it didn't quite reach the heights of the Marla Jameson funeral issue (though a good deal of credit for that issue goes to Marcos Martin) and "Spider-Island". Still, this was pretty great: the spider-sense overload had never been done before and added a great bit of tension to the story and Slott pulled one of his great "fake-out" moments with PhilGoblin capturing Pete and making us think he had figured out his ID, albeit briefly, at the end of Chapter 1. The return of Roddy was masterful as was the depiction of Kingpin and he continued to set the stage for #700 with the return of Harry Osborn and the escape(?) of Norman. Peter was written perfectly and I really have grown to like Max Modell as a character; I also thought Camuncoli's art was terrific.

So....what do the rest of you think?

[Lars C]

A weak B, perhaps. It was great to se Roddy back and it felt like a "real" Spider-Man story. But something was off in a way. Maybe because the "they're going to screw up Spidey?" fear looms just around the corner.

[midnightshrink]

I don't know but imHo Slott's stuff is more hype than actual delivery. He is very up and down. This story was pretty boring. He has to tie it all up in the next arc for any of this to mean anything.

[oldschool]

A weak B, perhaps. It was great to se Roddy back and it felt like a "real" Spider-Man story. But something was off in a way. Maybe because the "they're going to screw up Spidey?" fear looms just around the corner.

With all due respect, Juxtapozed, I really don't understand that sort of thinking. Firstly, we don't know if they are going to "screw up" anything; what we do know if there will be a big change. Secondly, putting a character through the wringer (or even removing him from his role temporarily) is a necessity every few years or else thing become stale. I would argue that some of the more flaccid eras of ASM ere the late 1970's and very early 1980's when it seemed to be a very formulaic way of storytelling and very little of consequence happened. So, as we have seen before with Spidey and also with Daredevil, shaking things up can yield some pretty terrific stories.

So, and I am not looking to pick a fight with you, but why not read ASM #698-700 (and possibly SSM #1) before judging that they are screwing up anything? You may be proved right (and then at least you will know for sure) but you also may be pleasantly surprised.

[Spider-Frog]

I gave it a B.

I'm pretty excited for the next Arc NOW! I just hope Slott isn't Goblinteasing us.

[oldschool]

I would love to hear from whoever voted it an "F"; I am genuinely interested in your reasoning behiind that grade.

[David Walton]

I'll probably go with an "A" with one reservation: the Roddy vs. Phil match didn't turn out to be much of a fight.

But it was still a great story and the final twist fits Roddy well and shows why he's so successful. He doesn't take it personally like Norman.

Business is business.

So...yeah, I'm going with "A."

[MorningMoon]

What really got me was the original hobgoblin's snark: over explaining why anyone else is bad. It felt like a child trying to say why he's the most awesome person in the world.
All while excuses worthy of a 90s sitcom came showering down so Peter would hide his identity, with the cliche'd-to-the-dawn-of-time "oh does he know? it kinda looks like he knows, but who knows if he knows???"

Then we get that Osborn's ultra hidden, ultra important goblin tech was... in a building a few blocks from Oscorp.
Then we get that Spider-man can turn off the spider-sense because learning kung-fu.

And then the original green goblin's snark is even cheesier than the hobgoblin's. And everything in this arc just felt meaningless. What came out of this was stuff that'll have an impact in later issues because it was all-but pointed at with a red arrow and Spider-man using goblin tech because Slott thought that was cool. (hint: it wasn't.)

[Mindnumb12]

I gave it a "C". It was alright, and kept me entertained, but there didn't seem to be anything special about it. I was looking forward to a big Hobgoblin brawl which never happened. Felt like there was a lot of potential that was wasted.

A "C" isn't necessarily bad, it's just...average.

That being said, I love Slott and cannot wait for 698-700 and then SSM!

[Dan_Slott]

What really got me was...

Hold up.
You're the guy who-- for the longest time-- would chime in that the current issue you read was the LAST issue you'd ever be reading and that you were NOT reading the book next month.
And then the next month you would chime in that, NO, for real, this was the LAST issue you'd ever be reading and that you were NOT reading the book NEXT month.
And then the next month...

And so on.

So, I just want to thank you for continuing to read/not-read the book.
Faithfully.
:-)

[Lars C]

With all due respect, Juxtapozed, I really don't understand that sort of thinking. Firstly, we don't know if they are going to "screw up" anything; what we do know if there will be a big change. Secondly, putting a character through the wringer (or even removing him from his role temporarily) is a necessity every few years or else thing become stale. I would argue that some of the more flaccid eras of ASM ere the late 1970's and very early 1980's when it seemed to be a very formulaic way of storytelling and very little of consequence happened. So, as we have seen before with Spidey and also with Daredevil, shaking things up can yield some pretty terrific stories.

So, and I am not looking to pick a fight with you, but why not read ASM #698-700 (and possibly SSM #1) before judging that they are screwing up anything? You may be proved right (and then at least you will know for sure) but you also may be pleasantly surprised.

Putting a character through the wringer is something else entirely than changing the person behind the mask. And I've always thought Peter Parker is essential when it comes to Spider-Man, he's not a legacy character. And I haven't read anything about #698-700/ Superior (so far) that genuinely makes me want to pick those up. Mostly it's been hype talk about how pissed fans will be. I've liked a lot of Slotts work, but some has been uneven. So tell me where are the arguments for trying those issues out?

[MorningMoon]

Hold up.
You're the guy who-- for the longest time-- would chime in that the current issue you read was the LAST issue you'd ever be reading and that you were NOT reading the book next month.
And then the next month you would chime in that, NO, for real, this was the LAST issue you'd ever be reading and that you were NOT reading the book NEXT month.
And then the next month...

And so on.

So, I just want to thank you for continuing to read/not-read the book.
Faithfully.
:-)

Can't make an opinion without doing at least a quick read :/ And i'm not buying, so there's that.

[oldschool]

Putting a character through the wringer is something else entirely than changing the person behind the mask. And I've always thought Peter Parker is essential when it comes to Spider-Man, he's not a legacy character. And I haven't read anything about #698-700/ Superior (so far) that genuinely makes me want to pick those up. Mostly it's been hype talk about how pissed fans will be. I've liked a lot of Slotts work, but some has been uneven. So tell me where are the arguments for trying those issues out?

I suppose if the advance buzz/hype for how big these issues will be for the character has not been enough of an argument to at least read them (even without a firm committment going forward), then nothing I can say will do much to sway you. Sounds like your mind is made up no to give it a chance. While I don't understand that, I do respect your opinion.

[Lars C]

Has there really been that much of a hype? We don't know that much about it except there will be a new Spider-Man and that he will be "dark and weird". Have I missed something or what exactly is the Big deal I'm supposed to be excited about?

[oldschool]

Has there really been that much of a hype? We don't know that much about it except there will be a new Spider-Man and that he will be "dark and weird". Have I missed something or what exactly is the Big deal I'm supposed to be excited about?

There has been a HUGE amount of hype and buzz going back for several months leading up to this. Next week's issue is already sold out at distributor point and going to second print already so, yeah, it's a pretty big deal. Again.....I am not trying to "sell" you on it; I explained why I think this is a gigantic story for any fan of Spidey but you made your mind up not to read it. I am not a writer or artist nor a Marvel employee so I don't benefit in any way from you buying it. I simply tried answering your questions but you seem content not to read it. So.....peace out.