Everyone, take a deep long breath and relax! Overreacting? Have some faith in Slott

[MagSeven]

I like that if you go back, you see Otto working on that shielding in Peter's Horizon lab.

nice catch!

[Xenon]

I'm willing to bet $10 that, as of Superior #1, there will be clear evidence that Peter Parker is going to return. Everything I've read so far seems to indicate to me that this story is going to conclude with Ock failing to live up to Parker's Spiderman, and Parker returning to save the day.

I hope you're right. I doubt you are. Except about the Superior #1 thing. I'm guessing that will happen.

He tried and then got walloped. He's lying there broken and bleeding and can't focus enough to use the arms or attempt again with the gold octobot (not that it would have worked anyway because Spock said his cranium was completely shielded). He fought the entire issue and never gave up. He gave out.

Except he DOES use the Gold Octobot (which magically appears beside him despite no one throwing it there). He clearly can focus enough to go through the great mental strain of putting his conscience into Doc.

I like that if you go back, you see Otto working on that shielding in Peter's Horizon lab.

Ha! So he does! That doesn't come out of nowhere then. Good find.

[MagSeven]

Except he DOES use the Gold Octobot (which magically appears beside him despite no one throwing it there). He clearly can focus enough to go through the great mental strain of putting his conscience into Doc.

I guess that's open to speculation. Maybe it's easier to focus in sharing a mindlink than it is to control a machine with your mind? Who knows. My main point is that Peter NEVER gave up. The octobot reappearing I guess Spock threw it at him or it landed near to where Spock leapt down to boast at Pete.

[Spike-X]

Did you read 700? Peter Parker's conscience beamed right over? He reacted to stop it cause it was the right thing to do and he knows it now.

That's one explanation for what happened, sure.

He tried one time to zap him. ONE TIME.

And then HE DIED. That's not giving up, that's DYING.

This is the end of the story. Someday it may be changed by a later story. But that story doesn't exist yet, and may never exist. Or may not change the standings. People complain because we talk about things that may happen but haven't happened yet. It works both ways. You shouldn't love a comic because a later comic is going to come along and make it all better. You should like it for THAT comic.

If this was the last Spider-Man comic ever, you would be right. But it's not. So it's not the end of the story.

Seriously though, it's that he tried once. That's the problem. He saw there was armor, then used his remaining time to give Ock his conscience. he didn't try to focus harder to use the arms. He didn't try to get underneath the armor. he didn't try a zap in another place to see if that would work. He doesn't grab Otto's arms. he just says "I guess there's only one thing I can do". Frankly, he shouldn't have had tiem to beam his conscieness, because he shoulda been fighting up til that last second. As long as he has the arms which are controlled entirely by his thoughts, and as long as his other option was using his thoughts to force his experiences into Otto, he should have kapt fighting. Spider-Man's not supposed to give up and look for the practical option. He's always been the unreasonable one. Practicality isn't his style.

What he tried didn't work, so he tried something else. Instead of futilely flailing away physically, he tried a different approach. You know, like intelligent human beings do.

[Tendrin]

I'm willing to bet $10 that, as of Superior #1, there will be clear evidence that Peter Parker is going to return. Everything I've read so far seems to indicate to me that this story is going to conclude with Ock failing to live up to Parker's Spiderman, and Parker returning to save the day.

I think we all assume he'll fail because we don't want anyone to surpass Peter Parker. This is fine. It'd actually be harmful to have him succeed in that way. But having Otto succeed in becoming the best hero he can be isn't a slap at Peter Parker's legacy. If anything, it compliments it. It makes it stronger. What the story is saying is: Peter Parker's life can turn around the very worst person. Here's a life that in its emotional power and purity of heart (god I hate that saying) can make someone as vile as Otto Octavius realize what a petty, shallow monster they've been and try to do better.

One of the whole points of this story will be Otto learning what made Peter Peter.

Seriously, people. Just calm the heck down and enjoy a different kind of story for a while. We all know its not permanent in the long run and that, sooner or later, Peter will be back in some form or another.

Otto will eventually confront what he's done to Peter as part of the story and he'll be forced to make a choice and, because of Peter, he'll make the right one for the first time his adult life.

'Who Is Peter Parker and What Made Him' is the single most important question that this book will be trying to answer, and that's a good thing.

Because heaven forbid we have a book do something new that shakes us all out of out comfort zone.

In fact, I dare say that this is one of the reasons for the violent, knee-jerk reaction. Comics are like comfort food and nobody likes it when things get shaken up TOO much. They're a consistant, weekly form of entertainment and we all knew that, eventually, Peter Parker'd win out and solve all his problems and overcome them. Comfort food, emotionally speaking. They've been part of our lives for *so* long...

[charlesthehammer]

Supporting something just because its new (or different) is rather silly and undermines the point a bit.

[Tendrin]

Supporting something just because its new (or different) is rather silly and undermines the point a bit.

I'm willing to support someone taking a risk on doing something new, even if that risk doesn't pan out. So far, it's too early to say.

[Spike-X]

Supporting something just because its new (or different) is rather silly and undermines the point a bit.

I agree. I'm supporting this story because it looks like it's going to explore some interesting ideas and directions.

[charlesthehammer]

I'm willing to support someone taking a risk on doing something new, even if that risk doesn't pan out. So far, it's too early to say.

That works if you think you will enjoy the product. If you don't it really doesn't. I would rather have old and predictable than new and dumb.

Edit: I just don't get the outrage over people not buying something they won't like.

[Tendrin]

That works if you think you will enjoy the product. If you don't it really doesn't. I would rather have old and predictable than new and dumb.

Edit: I just don't get the outrage over people not buying something they won't like.

I haven't really noticed a whole lot of outrage over people not buying something they won't like and I don't think arguing that people should give it a chance is outrageous.

I *have* noticed a lot of outrage directed at Slott and Wacker for messing with Peter Parker, along with calls for them to lose their jobs over it.

People can buy or not buy as they like, but I think a lot of the hate for SSM is pretty knee-jerk and hyperbolistic. Not ALL of it, I should say.

[charlesthehammer]

I haven't really noticed a whole lot of outrage over people not buying something they won't like and I don't think arguing that people should give it a chance is outrageous.

I *have* noticed a lot of outrage directed at Slott and Wacker for messing with Peter Parker, along with calls for them to lose their jobs over it.

People can buy or not buy as they like, but I think a lot of the hate for SSM is pretty knee-jerk and hyperbolistic. Not ALL of it, I should say.

Its understandable, they read SM for Peter. That is just how it works. If they wanted to read a comic about another character, they could do that. There are plenty of other books if you want a new superhero.

Though you did seem to imply that there was something inherently better in something as long as its new. Though honestly the concept isn't even really all that new. Replacement characters happen all the time and so do mind switching arcs.

Edit: I am not even telling you that you are wrong for liking it, just stop trying to make out everyone who doesn't as irrational actors.

[Spike-X]

That works if you think you will enjoy the product. If you don't it really doesn't. I would rather have old and predictable than new and dumb.

Edit: I just don't get the outrage over people not buying something they won't like.

I've got no issue over people buying or not buying whatever comics they jolly well please.

[Tendrin]

Edit: I am not even telling you that you are wrong for liking it, just stop trying to make out everyone who doesn't as irrational actors.

When people have expressed some pretty petty and irrational reason for not liking it, at its core, I will take issue with it for purposes of discussion. There are plenty of reasons to not like it that I can understand sympathize with and I don't take issue with those, and I cerainly can't make people buy the title and don't want to. I'm not likely to be buying it either -- though that's for financial reasons more than anything else.

I mean, I said early on: I hate legacy heroes. I find them toxic. I think they split fanbases. I tend to find them harmful to the longevity of franchises. I can understand not liking replacement heroes, for example, or the notion that we're going to be reading about Peter's murderer. All those are pretty valid, in my view. Readers have an emotional connection to Peter Parker, after all.

[tv horror]

I just can't see the benefit to Doc Ock being Spider-man, o.k he has the power but that's it, why does he have to continue being a good guy. He could just walk away from everything and become whatever he wanted such as an Venom character. The story within issue 700 needs an air of finality to confirm that Peter is back because anything else will always leave doubt in the fan's mind. I do agree that the Amazing title should not have been stopped because in these times of household named publications finishing their print runs, it may never return in that form. Now that would be a good reason to make fans not angry but disappointed in how the title character was treated.

[Tendrin]

I just can't see the benefit to Doc Ock being Spider-man, o.k he has the power but that's it, why does he have to continue being a good guy. He could just walk away from everything and become whatever he wanted such as an Venom character. The story within issue 700 needs an air of finality to confirm that Peter is back because anything else will always leave doubt in the fan's mind. I do agree that the Amazing title should not have been stopped because in these times of household named publications finishing their print runs, it may never return in that form. Now that would be a good reason to make fans not angry but disappointed in how the title character was treated.

The benefit is him proving he's Parker's superior while living up to the promise he made to the man, a much better man, whose life he stole. Ock's never had responsibility to anyone else. In fact, he's terrified of it. But Parker whammied him and forced him to develop a conscience and a cogniscience that he now *has* a responsibility due to already being Spider-Man. No doubt exactly why Ock is going through with this will be further explored in SSM 1.