Late last year, Marvel Comics executed the notorious “One More Day” story through all the Spider-Man titles, which concluded with break-up of marital icons Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. But the shake-up didn’t end there.
Readers saw the return of Harry Osborn from the dead and the dissolution of the Daily Bugle. But the biggest shock came from the revelation that no one remembered Spider-Man was really Peter Parker.
Outraged fans called for the head of Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and swore off ever reading Spider-Man again until the story was reversed. Internet polls recorded majority distaste for the decision. It was a risky move, and a scary one.
But Joe Q responded, through interviews and comic convention panels, arguing that in a few years, launching Spider-Man into “Brand New Day” would be seen as the best move for the character. His stance: an unmarried Spider-Man is more interesting than a married Spider-Man; that the number of stories that could be told about the character was limited due to his domestic situation.
Those that didn’t make papier-mâché’ Quesadas out of pages from OMD to burn in effigy bought the reasoning, agreeing that the time had come to clean out the proverbial cobwebs. And whether reluctantly or optimistically or whatever, jumped on board to see what happened next to the web-head.
Unlike reboots where characters are rebuilt from the ground up, Marvel had the tough job of trying to reconcile forty-years of continuity with two big changes: no one knows Spider-Man’s secret ID anymore, and Pete never married MJ. At first, it seemed like the old Spidey had returned. The stories had a bounce and twist that reminded me of reading Classic Spider-Man reprints.
But as BND continued, it became clear that both Spider-Man and the fans had lost more than they gained.
The marriage wasn’t the only casualty. Many of the relationships that had grown out of Spider-Man’s heroic career were redefined in the wake of the story; relationships that moved the spider-lore forward, defined many of its corners, and provided the basis for what fans loved about the property; relationships that made Spider-Man, Spider-Man.
Post “One More Day,” the “Civil War” story stunt where Spidey unmasked on live TV had been undone, and all knowledge of the wall-crawler’s secret ID was erased. Not just by those who witnessed it on TV, but forgotten by those who had learned through logical and progressive storytelling over the years. Aunt May forgot. Mary Jane forgot. Black Cat forgot, as did Daredevil and the Avengers. Individuals Spider-Man could turn to and trust, all pushed out of the picture.
Though Pete often kept his share of secrets, more often than not from his wife and aunt, MJ and Aunt May’s ability to help, consol, and guide him (when eventually found out) made them essential parts of the mythos. One of the best aspects of Spider-Man has always been his supporting cast, and watching these relationships grow and change kept the character “real.” So many great, defining character moments came directly from learning Peter’s secret. Just a quick example: The issue where Aunt May discovers is one of if not the best issue of J. Michael Straczynski’s run. May’s reactions, her understanding, and eventual confrontation with Peter set the tone for their family, made sense, and moved the over-arcing story of “Spider-Man” forward.
History was made, as one of the longest running secrets in comics was finally out. Fans loved it. But TPTB decided it would be better to undo that, and take a step back, cheating fans out of a concept before it could be completely explored.
But what did this really do to your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, to Peter? It isolated him, completely. Peter lost those closest to him, those who were the north of his moral compass, the woman who always helped him preserve no matter what he faced.
In losing MJ, Peter lost a big part of himself. If anything, Mary Jane’s participation would have added to so many of the elements that make up “Brand New Day”: Knowing Pete was out in the blizzard, her thoughts on Pete working as a paparazzi for the DB, and how her and Peter would deal with the return of Harry Osborn.
Furthermore, just as NYC began to accept Spider-Man and recognize him for the hero he’s always been, the flux capacitor kicked in and transported Spidey back to a time when the citizens feared and distrusted him.
All these factors, accumulating and combining, weigh heavier on the heroes shoulder’s every issue, making nearly every caption and thought balloon a self-pity fest of “shoulda’s” and “why me’s.”
But in a world where an irradiated spider bite can give you superpowers, a former bookworm turned hero marrying a supermodel is too far a stretch for some…
Oh, and Norman Osborn forgot, too.
One of the greatest, most unique relationships in comicdom: Spider-Man and the Green Goblin…gone.
On top of that, readers have been forced to swallow new supporting characters without the time to digest or even care about them in a move that can only be interpreted as attempting to deliberately avoid classic cast mainstays.
What we were told was a move to get Spider-Man back to a more ‘multi-media’ friendly approach has instead made the book unrecognizable to both new and longtime readers; Not only does J. Jonah Jameson no longer helm the Daily Bugle (then again, it’s the DB! now, a trash tabloid), but Harry Osborn—the f’n Green Goblin (II)—owns and operates a chain of coffee shops…Seriously?!?!
Marvel hasn’t so much as shaken up continuity, but made Spidey nearly unrecognizable to whom he was just a year before in the comics or any other medium.
Now, to be fair, the new creative teams introduced some interesting villains with twisted angles: Menace trying to sway NYC’s mayoral campaign, Freak’s preoccupation with drugs, and Screwball becoming the first thief to offer live-streaming video of her escapades. There’s a quirkiness to these villains that echoes of Stan Lee.
Yet, while some of the stories have been entertaining, Spidey’s isolation has made him whinier and more self-pitying with every issue. It seems like Marvel has editorially mandated that he not just have bad luck, but be completely miserable.
…And alone.
“The Amazing Spider-Man” featured one of the most dynamic casts in all of comics, because they all offered something unique to Peter: A devoted wife ready to make the tough decisions, a caring aunt with unconditional support, friends honored to fight by a loner’s side, a father and son who knew and manipulated a hero’s secret, and city that was proud of web-slinging protector.
In the end, “Brand New Day” didn’t bring out the best Spider-Man…it just got rid of it.
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