Comparing Spider-Man 2000 to Superman Today
I remember a few years back in the 90s, after a devastating story arc involving clones, the powers at be at Marvel thought it would be a good time to fix Spider-Man.
It had been a good time to fix Spider-Man for a long while, to be honest. There was a story, that shall not be named, involving a certain someone named Ben Reilly that made Spider-Man fans toss their comics into back issue bins. From that point on, Spider-Man became a convoluted mess that was laughable to try to follow as the ship was broken and rebroken. Plans were afoot to try and fix it.
John Byrne did an origin story called Spider-Man Chapter One that didn’t get the critical response that was hoped for. The renumbering of Amazing Spider-Man didn’t do much either. Eventually, Marvel took a chance with their Ground Zero line, which later became known as the Ultimate line.
In 2000, the first signs of life in Spidey came from Ultimate Spider-Man #1. I was skeptical. I mean, really, did we need a retelling of Spidey’s origin? What was the point of doing everything all over again? Unbeknownst to me, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley managed to retell the story in a new contemporary light. The tone of the story was the same, but there were noticeable differences.
Peter Parker was much, much younger. So were Mary Jane, Kitty Pryde, Johnny Storm, Uncle Ben – the whole cast was younger, more modern contemporary than the 1960s story. Peter wasn’t a photographer at the Daily Bugle – he was the webmaster. More importantly than the little minutiae here and there, Spider-Man felt like a new book again. It was the Spidey you knew, yet it wasn’t. There was a bit of discomfort reading that book for the first time all over again.
Yet Bendis and Bagley knew what made Spider-Man special. They never strayed from the idea of Spider-Man – they simply took the core concepts and reimagined them for today. From the first issue onward, Bendis and Bagley managed to inject life into a character many had written off. It felt new again, chances were taken, and suddenly the old felt very very new. People remembered how cool Spider-Man was.
I think of that book and compare it to Action Comics and Superman today. Of all the characters being reimagined and relaunched for DC, this one has me the most optimistic. It feels almost like the same thing. People are uncomfortable with Superman. For so long he has been familiar – married to Lois, mild-mannered reporter, sole survivor of Krypton, etc., etc. People have seen and heard it before, trying to relaunch the character through secret origin stories didn’t seem to click.
Without reading it, I’m getting that kind of vibe from the new Superman creative teams. A lot of people are nervous and uncomfortable with change. Yet let me ask you, the reader: What really makes Superman tick? Why does he work? How many people remember the love triangle between Lois, Clark and Superman? Does Lex Luthor need to be that depraved and evil? What makes Superman “Superman”?
Superhero comics are perpetually in act two.
Looking back and trimming away a lot of the fat and development of a character isn’t always a bad thing. Let’s face it, Superman has been around since the thirties; that’s a ton of continuity and baggage. The sheer numbering of Action Comics was just intimidating. 900 plus issues have travelled by and for a new reader the idea of finding all those issues, even in trade is daunting. While I too feel the appeal of an issue 1000, I understand the need to go back to one.
Superhero comics are perpetually in act two. With some very rare exceptions, act three rarely comes to fruition in a comic. It’s the illusion of change versus the actual change itself.
Finally, we as readers need to be uncomfortable. The real problem with Superman, and DC by and large, is that the whole place feels comfortable. There should be familiarity, but there should also be a feeling of spontaneity. You need to be surprised, shocked, horrified, and feel the pressure of wanting to find out what happens next. Great comics keep you guessing with what is going to happen. That roller coaster ride is why you want to pay $2.99 or more for a comic. If that discomfort and constant shift isn’t there, readers stop paying attention. Now more than ever that is true.
Which is why when September comes, I will look for Superman. I want to see the new Clark Kent – how is he super, what makes him tick, and more importantly what’s going to happen? For the first time in a long time I’ll be buying a Superman book.
In September I’ll also be picking up the new Ultimate Spider-Man #1. They just did the one thing I never expected, and I NEED to know what’s going to happen. Who is the new Spider-Man? Why are they in the mask? It’s one heck of a hook, and one heck of a chance, as Marvel took away the most familiar thing with the property. And I want to know more.
That’s what it’s all about.