Open Mike Night: Spider-Man (2016) #1 / Amazing Fantasy #15/ Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #1

Open Mike Night by Mike Maillaro and Mike Weaver

Spider-Man (2016) #1

Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Sara Pichelli
Inking assist: Gaetano Carlucci
Colored by: Justin Ponsor
Lettered by: VC's Cory Petit

Published by Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99

Weaver: Earth’s mightiest heroes, defeated by Blackheart!  Only Miles Morales stands against him as the Avengers lay unconscious in the street.  In a flashback sequence, we learn that on the day leading up to this, Miles was finding his entire life falling apart in order to be Spider-Man.  A girl gets mad about him standing her up, his grades are slipping, his parents and teachers are incredibly disappointed by his seeming lack of effort.  While his teacher is browbeating him for not having read the assigned book, he hears an emergency siren and skips out to go into action.  Turns out, it’s Blackheart, and he’s already taken down the Avengers.

Miles takes Cap’s shield and fights Blackheart with a combination of that and his venom sting.  It’s super effective. Unfortunately, original Spider-Man seems pretty pissed by this turn of events.  Clearly there was some deeper strategy at work here.  Uh oh.

Maillaro: I actually think Peter might be under a spell or something since he was using the same phrasing that Blackheart was “What did you do?” Though, I guess that could just be Bendis being Bendis.  

Part of me was a little annoyed that Miles was able to easily take down Blackheart especially after he took down some heavy hitters.  But that kind of thing happens in comics all the time, and there might be more to the story considering how it ended with Spider-Man.

Oddly enough, I actually think it is kind of a mistake to bring back the whole Ultimate Spider-Man creative team here.  I like what Bendis and Pichelli did with the character, but it’s supposed to be a whole new world for Miles, and I couldn’t help but think of this book as Ultimate Spider-Man lite, since it isn’t even in the Ultimate Universe (which we don’t even know if it exists).  The problem right now is that there are a lot of multiples in Marvel right now.  3 Captain Americas, 3 Spider-Man, 2 Thors, etc etc.  And I am just not sure there was enough new here to justify this book.  

I will admit, part of my concern could be that I’ve been reading so much Milestone lately (cheap plug for my next Critical Depth column).  Miles could be a very unique character, but I think he needs a creative team with a little more perspective on what makes him different.  I will be blunt.  Give me a black writer and artist on this book.

Weaver: I can agree with you that things seem a little cookie cutter and that Miles could be virtually anybody.  In one way, I think that an expansion of minority characters is a good thing, and by the same token, I don’t think that white writers and artists can’t write minorities, but I do think that this comic doesn’t have a lot that couldn’t be done with any other character.  Miles isn’t unique.  When To Kill A Mockingbird was the book discussed in class...okay, I know that it’s assigned to everyone in every school ever.  But it also felt like “Better insert some blackness into here.”

I like Miles’ dad.  I think he’s exactly what I wanted out of his parents.  His mom...okay, but his dad really was a great character, even just having a few lines. And I could feel a lot of nuance to his character.  He felt like a legitimate attempt to diversify, and yet...making Miles just another teenage hero looked even worse with him there.

Maillaro: What made the dad work real well is that he knows Miles’ secret, so his reaction made sense.  He knows why Miles has been having trouble in school.  But (broken record time), once again, we’re not sure how much of Miles’ past remains in tact.  Miles dad had some issues with capes over the years (he reconciled with Miles who he basically abandoned in the comics after his mom died), but it’s not quite clear if any of that happened.

I know it sounds like I’m being negative here, but I actually did enjoy this book. I just would have liked it to be something more.  It’s nice to have a young Spider-Man around, but in a lot of ways, I think I would have rather they just use Peter Parker in that role, if they weren’t going to take the time to make Miles more unique.

Weaver: I’m not sold on using a young Peter either.  I hate when they nuke a character down to their teenage years just to find new ways to tell the old stories. I feel like what I would really prefer is a sequence of out of continuity tales with a young Spider-Man...like Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, for instance.  But even Ultimate became bogged down pretty hard.

It’s a tough thing, in my eyes.  I like continuity, I like seeing characters grow and change, and I’d hate to see Spider-Man just go back to 1963, but at the same time, I feel like continuity makes a lot of stories hard to tell.  It’s a double edged sword.

Maillaro: The main reason I am saying that is that they actually are doing a series called Spidey which is telling “new” old Spider-Man stories.   Even the title of this book just makes me wonder what they have new to offer.  Spider-Man.  Though at least they didn’t just try to rename him as Black Spider…

Weaver: We’ve seen Miles Morales pop up in other titles, so I take it they want to integrate him into the universe, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing yet.  I’m leaning towards “not a good thing.”

That said, I think that with that as the assignment, they did about the best they could do in shoving him into continuity.  It’s funny that the Avengers are now the “go to” guys for “This is in the wider Marvel universe” guest spots.  For a while, it would be Wolverine or Hulk, then Spider-Man, and the X-Men occasionally, then Iron Man, and now, Avengers or nothing.  

My scores for this issue: writing, 3.5.  Art, 3.5.  This was above average, but I’m not sure it needed to happen.

Maillaro: I think those scores are pretty perfect.  Technically, there is nothing at all wrong with this comic, I am just not sure it made enough of an argument that this book needed to exist.  To me, it is just kind of there, which is not good when you have such a crowded marketplace.  And again, this is coming from someone who is a Miles Morales fan!

Amazing Fantasy #15 / Amazing Spider-Man #1

Written by: Stan Lee
Art by: Steve Ditko
Colored by: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Lettered by: Johnny Dee

Published by: Marvel
Cover Price: $1.99

Note: This review is of a digital copy of the remastered Amazing Fantasy #15/Amazing Spider-Man #1 reprint that came out back in 2012.

Maillaro: Peter Palmer?  You know, as much as I criticize Marvel and DC’s editing these days, nothing is worse than the inconsistencies in early 60’s Marvel comics.  In the second story in Amazing Spider-Man #1, they call the character Peter Palmer at least twice. And throughout all three stories here, they can’t seem to decide if it’s Spider-Man or Spiderman. And don’t get me started on the numerous spellings of Scott Summers name during that first few years of X-Men.

I had actually forgotten that Spider-Man’s first appearance was only 11 pages.  I kind of wish they had reprinted the other stories in that original Amazing Fantasy #15.  Yeah, I know the only one that really matters in terms of comic history is Spider-Man’s first appearance, but I always love seeing the other stories in these classic comics.

What is apparently real quickly in this comics is that Marvel was intentionally setting out in a much darker direction than DC comics at the time.  The Fantastic Four discuss their concerns that Spider-Man might end up becoming a bad guy..Spider-Man even considers a life of crime himself, but the only thing holding him back is that he doesn’t want to disappoint his Aunt May.  There is also a pretty big twist in the first story of Amazing Spider-Man #1.  JJJ has started his hate campaign against Spider-Man.  Spider-Man rescues JJJ’s son, which you would expect would change the way JJJ perceives Spider-Man.  But nope,  JJJ is even more determined that Spider-Man is a danger and a fraud.  

Weaver: What really strikes me is the supervillain speech that Peter immediately gives upon getting his powers.  It truly is straight out of a James Bond villain’s repartee.  I guess we’re just lucky Aunt May’s wheatcakes were that good.

I also get the feeling here that if Jameson hadn’t totally screwed up Peter’s public image, he may have decided that being on the Ed Sullivan show in order to help pay his aunt’s rent would be a better way to go through life than crimefighting.  I know Peter has always had that razor thin margin of being a hero versus just quitting, but I didn’t realize how much it was like that even right after Ben dies.

Maillaro: Yeah, this was a much different Spider-Man than he would be even a few years later.  You don’t often think of Spider-Man as a dark character, but he was pretty borderline here.  I give Stan Lee a lot of credit as this was something completely unexpected.  

And the more I think about it, the more I am surprised that the whole power/responsibility thing became so big over the years.  Spider-Man in the early days was a lot more “relaxed” when it comes to the morality of his situation. You will notice that when Spider-Man retells the story, he doesn’t even mention  him letting the burglar go.  By the way, could you imagine in the modern world a cop telling a civilian to “tackle” a runaway criminal?  That part of his origin doesn’t quite hold up any more.  

Weaver: That’s why in the recent movies it’s almost always a security guard, not a cop.  Although honestly, I doubt even a security guard would do it now.  I guess Spidey being a “cape” factors in, I can imagine a cop being pissed that someone of Vin Diesel’s build didn’t step in if he was just standing around.  But it’s still a lawsuit waiting to happen these days if Spidey (or Vin) does join in.

Also, it was neat to see that a big part of Jameson’s raging anti-Spidey campaign was designed to get recognition for his son.  John Jameson shows up quite a bit in later Spider-Man, becoming Man-Wolf and such.  And throughout those stories, even with his son a lycanthrope, Jameson always wanted to believe the best of him, which meant believing the worst of Spidey.  That makes a ton of sense to me, even if it is very misguided.  This humanized JJJ more than any subsequent issue.

Maillaro: Yeah, there is a lot of complex emotions going on here, which really made these issues stand out for me.  I also liked the way the Fantastic Four react to Spider-Man’s attempts to join the team.  The first What If story Marvel ever did was “What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four?” and you can really see how just a small tweak of fate would have allowed this story to go in that direction.

You know what’s odd.  I actually tend to forget that there was a lead-in story in Amazing Spider-Man 1. The cover only advertises the Fantastic Four/Chameleon story (which are basically two unrelated stories in one).  Spider-Man tries to join the FF. Fails. Chameleon tries to frame Spider-Man for a crime. Fails.  The FF wonder if Spider-Man will become a real threat.   The “Spider-Man rescues John Jameson from a crashing ship” story is just there.  I always think that story happened much later until I re-read this comic.

Weaver: It’s the Silver Age.  You got so much more story for your 12 cents than you get for your four bucks or so these days.  But you didn’t often get this kind of story depth, with all the angst from Peter, rage and pride from Jameson, and just general goodness from Peter’s uncle and aunt.  Did you notice that she’s smiling as she’s pawning her jewelry?  Even with her husband dead and basically her entire financial safety net dying with him, she’s happy and relieved that she’s able to keep things going for Peter.  

Maillaro: Yeah, this is an Aunt May who had no idea that some day she would inherit a nuclear plant.  Aunt May is one of the most interesting characters in comics in a lot of ways.  Writers have done a lot with her over the years.  I do like that somehow she keeps getting younger even as Peter gets older, but oh well.

My one gripe about this book is the art...but I wonder if some of the problem is that when they retouched this book they made a mess on the art.  I’ve read these comics before and didn’t remember the art looking this bad, especially the coloring.  Though it does occur to me that the version I read most was in black and white.  You’d have thought that a reprint from 2012 would be better quality, not worse.  

Weaver: Ugh, butterscotch pudding Thing.  I always forget that was a thing, much like snowman Iceman.  At some point in the early 60’s, they decided “Let’s give these characters sharper lines” and the result made them look a billion times better.  But that’s not Ditko’s fault, he didn’t design lumpy Grimm, so it’s hard to hit him for it.  And Spider-Man’s costume is really nice and iconic, even from the word go.  But...I’ve never liked the “big head mode” that Ditko’s art often gets into.  Peter has a forehead that you could rent advertising space on.

Maillaro: Yeah, I really think that was the “style sheet” for Marvel characters at the time.  I always thought Kirby’s big-headed Xavier was kind of scary too.   I would go a solid 5 for the story (even with the inconsistencies of names), but a 2.5 for the art, with the asterisk saying that I am thinking bad coloring at the time or the reprinting MIGHT be to blame for some of the lower score there.  

Weaver: I’m going to be slightly nicer to Ditko, but only slightly.  I’ll give it a 3, mostly because I believe he was probably told “SMART PEOPLE MUST HAVE GIANT HEADS.”  And the initial Spidey costume is, dare I say, amazing.  I’ve heard rumor that Kirby actually designed it, but no matter who created it, Ditko executes it like a boss.  The story was incredibly complex, and I was shocked since, like many people, I generally revert to the idea that comics were nice and happy and Superman juggling moons until approximately 1975.  I know better, obviously...this isn’t the first deep Silver Age comic I’ve ever read.  But is one of the deepest.  A definite 5.

Maillaro: I actually think that Marvel comics started deeper than DC comics, in general.  There is plenty of Silver Age weirdness for Marvel...a lot of which we have reviewed...but that seems to have come a little later on.  The first issues in particular of Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Spider-Man are all fairly serious affairs.  

Weaver: I’ve heard numerous later writers discuss how cracking open Fantastic Four and seeing the team argue with themselves...sometimes even coming to blows...redefined to them what could be done in a comic.  So you’ll get no argument from me.  Plus, we have the deadly serious matter of inheriting a nuclear reactor and getting a random mobster’s head stuck in it.

Maillaro: Don’t forget Namor buying a movie studio for...man, I don’t even remember why.  That was just out there.  

Weaver: Pretty sure it had something to do with controlling the narrative of the Fantastic Four so he could leverage it into sexy blackmail on Sue.  Which is pretty damn creepy.

Maillaro: That’s comics for you.  One day we totally need to do a review of the Ms Marvel as the mother of her own boyfriend issue (or arc?)....

Or maybe not.  

Weaver: We could do an “all creeper” column with a lot of those types of stories.  

Weaver: Anyway, we’re taking next week off, so what does the week after look like?

Maillaro: Power Man and Iron Fist by David F. Walker.  I love David F. Walker!  Marvel does have their next big event starting, but we’ll probably tackle that in Front Lines…

Weaver: Power Man and Iron Fist it is.  Have we ever reviewed old Iron Fist?  Some of it was really interesting.

Maillaro: I actually haven’t read any old Iron Fist, so we probably haven’t reviewed it.  Pick something and I’m glad to give it a go!

Final Scores