Thwip!

“The stories are all about Peter Parker, mask on or mask off.”

J. M. Matteis, Spider-Man writer

"I don't want to think of a thwipless world, Maureen."  

Dan Slott, Spider-Man writer and inventor of the Spider-Verse

Thanks to my Marvel Unlimited subscription, I'm attending Beyond Amazing: Celebrating 60 Years of Spider-Man, an online event celebrating the anniversary of Marvel’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.  (To be completely accurate, Peter Parker’s alter ego makes his first appearance on June 5th, 1962, in Issue 15 of Amazing Fantasy, so we’re a bit early for his actual birthday, but what the heck, everyone loves a party.)

The event is competently and cleverly hosted by Marvel Creative Content Director and social media personality Lorraine Cink, and overall it’s certainly the best produced event that I’ve attended since the world made the move to virtual events two years ago.  

The theme music and sound effects are effective, the animated screen graphics are well designed, the format for the trivia questions is cleverly done, almost all of the presenters have good webcams, the audio is excellent, and Ms. Cink keeps the event moving along smoothly and professionally.  That being said, it's also just a fun and entertaining discussion, and the various participants - writers, artists, and editors - are uniformly dedicated, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and involved.

Spider-Man is arguably one of the best known Marvel Comics characters, and certainly one of the most popular.  Ignoring his movie career and his various animated television appearances*, there have been multiple comic book treatments of Marvel’s favourite web-slinger since his creation by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko in 1962:  The Amazing Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, The Avenging Spider-Man, The Sensational Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man, Giant-Size Spider-Man (the comic format, that is, not Spider-Man himself), Spider-Man Unlimited, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, The Superior Spider-Man (and Superior Spider-Man Team-Up), Spider-Man's Tangled Web, Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, Spider-Man Family, Spider-Man/Deadpool, and just plain Spider-Man.**

Radioactive spider-bite victim Peter Parker has undergone every possible change in his life:  he's been orphaned, married, divorced, rich, poor, cloned, mutated, vilified, hunted, hated, killed, reincarnated, possessed by an alien symbiote, turned into a cannibal zombie, made a deal with the Devil, gone public with his secret identity, and had his mind swapped with a dying Doctor Octopus.  Poor guy, no wonder he's a bit neurotic.

And yet, at his core, he's remained the same person: a bit clumsy, a bit socially challenged, concerned about doing the right thing, worried that he’s not the person he should be, and terribly, constantly aware that with great power comes great responsibility.

It's this aspect of the character that the first segment of the event addresses, as Ms. Cink questions Marvel VP and executive editor Tom Brevoort, editor Steve Wacker, and Spider-Man writer J. M. Matteis (clockwise from top left) about Spider-Man’s origins and their perception of what makes the character tick.

For Matteis, Spider-Man is a profoundly personal character.  “The essence of Spider-Man was right there in that first Romita story that I read. Huge story, but the stakes were personal - it was about Peter Parker.”  

Wacker comments that it was Peter Parker’s youth that resonated with him, that he wasn’t a sidekick, but the main character, and that in spite of his youth he was responsible for his Aunt May.  Breevort found that the relatability of the early Spider-Man stories are what made the connection to the character for him, that Spider-Man was the first superhero who was the audience. “Peter Parker was just this stupid kid trying to make something good out of this weird accident that happened to him.”  

The other panelists agree that the story isn’t really about Spider-Man, it’s about Peter Parker, his problems and his struggles, which made the comic an intensely personal experience. Wacker adds that Spider-Man’s well-known tendency to make jokes is anchored in his back story:  “Comedy is the way we deal with tragedy.”

When asked to sum up Spider-Man in one word, Tom Brevoort says, “Amazing”, Steve Wacker chooses “Everyman”, and J. M. Matteis simply says, “Human”.

There’s a brief break for some trivia and a give-away (sadly restricted to the US attendees) and we’re back for Part 2 – Spider-Man Beyond, featuring Spider-Man artists Joe Quesada and Humberto Ramos, and the legendary John Romita Jr., son of the equally legendary John Romita Sr., whose signature artwork on Spider-Man defined the character and his world.

Romita Senior’s artwork is in some ways the basis for the conversation, as the artists discuss the classic look of the Spider-Man costume and the way in which it’s changed (and remained the same) over 60 years.

Quesada and Ramos concur that the most distinctive thing about drawing Spider-Man is the character’s ability to emote through his mask.  For Romita, it’s the character’s lack of grace – as Quesada points out, there’s a kind of creepiness to the way that original Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko drew the character.  Quesada also adds that whenever he draws the the original costume, he curses Ditko for his use of the webbing pattern  - "It's like a math problem, I hate that."

John Romita Jr. is very much the focus of this portion of the event.  Cink asks what keeps drawing*** him back to Spider-Man, and he replies that, “It reminds me of family. He felt like a family member.”  As a second-generation Marvel artist, Romita has a unique legacy: he relates how when he was young, his father would explain what Stan Lee was doing that morning to describe a story, and remembers actually seeing Ditko drawing Spider-Man. 

He describes Spider-Man as “...the greatest character. He's Stan Lee’s antithesis to Superman - he's not perfect.  He gets beaten up, he catches a cold, he loses. It’s the greatest character of all time.” He adds  that Stan Lee once said that the balance of fantasy and reality is what makes a character great.

To conclude their segment, Cink asks the artists who their most influential artist is.  For Ramos, it's the two men he's sharing the screen with; for Quesada, it's John Romita Sr., who "took Spider-Man and made him an icon." Romita not surprisingly also says that it was his father. “I saw all of his work, but when he did Spider-Man, it sang to me." 

The third segment lightheartedly looks at the Spider-Men (and Women) who are spinoffs (no pun intended) from the Peter Parker storyline, as represented by Maureen Goo, who writes the Korean-American character Silk, Spider-Woman writer Karla Pacheco, and Dan Slott, inventor of the Spider-Verse: or, as Cink cheerfully describes them, the trouble-maker group, a sentiment that they eagerly echo.

Cink asks this group what they think makes for "a truly great Spider character?" For Dan Slott, the answer is simple: "They're like you and me - they screw up all the time!", with the subsequent obligation of then fixing their mistakes.  Maureen Goo feels that it's "their heart (that) stands out - it may lead to good or bad decisions, but that's their compass."

Karla Pacheco agrees with both of these observations:  "There's a very human and relatable aspect to Spidey-characters - the most fallible in ways, the most "normal" if that makes sense. That's why the character has endured so long."

The final question for this group is what sound effect they would use if Spider-Man's distinctive webshooter "thwip"**** was banned. After they earnestly discuss options like "Weeebbbbbbb", Dan Slott wraps up the conversation by saying, "I don't want to think of a thwipless world, Maureen."  

 

In the final section of the event, we take a look at what's next for Spider-Man under the guidance of Nick Lowe, Vice President of Content and Executive Editor at Marvel Comics, and C.B. Cebulski, Editor in Chief.  Lowe brings a sort of exuberant over-the-top Stan Lee energy to the conversation, which is probably not the worst reference for a Marvel Comics executive.

It's a bit of a marketing moment, but that's understandable under the circumstances, and fans do like to know what's coming up for their favourite characters. 

Based on the catalogue of publications that Marvel has planned, 2022 is very much Spider-Man's year:  several new comics, including one drawn by John Romita Jr.; and Issue 900 of Spider-Man, which will essentially be a graphic novel featuring Spider-Man in combat with with all of his traditional enemies as combined in classic Marvel villain the Adaptoid. 

C. B.'s final statement provides the perfect summary of the character of Spider-Man to end the event:  "Under that superhuman mask is the human."

- Sid

* The less said about his failed Broadway appearance the better.

** Not including Spider-Man 2099, the Miles Morales Spider-Man, Mary-Jane, Spider-Gwen, the graphic novels, mini-series, one-offs, guest appearances, or any of the Marvel Age/Marvel Adventures comics aimed at a younger audience, which I gather aren't part of the standard continuity.

*** Apparently no pun was intended.

**** In the Spider-Verse animated movie, Peter Parker also uses this word as a verb when attempting to teach Miles Morales the fundamentals of web-slinging, it's obviously a key term in Spider-lore.

UK 2022: Snapshots.

Some bits and pieces from the UK 2022 trip:

Browsing the Fanasy section at the Notting Hill Comic Exchange – which may even contain some myffic fanasy*, if I’m lucky.

Dear Hamleys' Toy Shop, I was wondering what a three meter Optimus Prime with glowing eyes would cost?  Asking for a friend.

To my surprise, Jelly Babies are COMPLETELY different than Gummy Bears!!!  How could I not know this after so many years of Doctor Who?

I'm sorry to say this, but I saw far too many ten-year-old English boys who reminded me of Edmund Pevensie from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe:  sullen, pouty, a little spoiled, and inexplicably red-cheeked.

All the tables were all numbered 42, apparently it was the pub from The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Shopping again at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore - the geek equivalent of drinking out of the firehose.

...where I bought a couple of books, a 2000AD comic, and a long LONG overdue TARDIS pin!

As we wandered along the South Bank on our last day in London, our unplanned stroll took us into a branch of Foyles Bookshop.  Until that moment, I was completely unaware of Foyles, let alone the almost cult status conveyed upon it in the past due to its archaic (and anarchic) business practices for much of its lifespan. 

It's now owned by Waterstones, and whatever its past sins, I found it to be a well-stocked and pleasant shopping spot - as well as offering one final opportunity to spend money on books before heading home.

All in all, our first pandemic trip went surprisingly well, although we sadly decided to forgo our usual restaurant research in favour of take-out - and one cautious afternoon visit to an almost empty pub for a pint and some onion rings.  As always, Karli was the ideal travel companion for a week of Britannic shopping and sightseeing: Sherlock Holmes, Albert's Hall**, Brompton Cemetery, the Beatles***, Marks & Spencer, West End theatre, Jack the Ripper, Portobello Road, and, of course, Doctor Who.  Thank you again for agreeing to join me, my love!

- Sid

* “But I was thinking, you're in trouble now, Mrs Ogg, 'cos it'd all gone myffic.'

'Mythic?' said schoolteacher Susan.

"Yep. With extra myff. And you can get into big trouble, with myffic.”

Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

** Apparently I'm the only person in the world who remembers the line about "Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall" from A Day In The Life by The Beatles. 

*** I bought a mug and a T-shirt, it's not always about science fiction.

 

UK 2022: Infinite London.

"London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London.” 

Peter Ackroyd

"I do love London, so many cameras."

Miss Kizlet, The Bells of Saint Johns, Doctor Who

It's hard not to love London.  On our last day in England, we took advantage of beautiful weather and made our way down to Embankment Station for a farewell walk along the Thames.  We took an obligatory selfie with a newly restored and regilded Big Ben, crossed Westminster Bridge, and made our way back along the water to Jubilee Bridge.

 

As we wandered along the south bank, I realized that we had reached the spot where the Doctor and Clara amaze the passing pedestrians by making a blue police box appear from nowhere in Episode 6 of Doctor Who's seventh season, The Bells of St. John. This episode marks the third appearance of Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl, and introduces her as the Doctor's new companion.

It's a fun, fast-paced and well-written episode, but it's also a bit of a love letter to London, as the Doctor and Clara make their magical South Bank manifestation, zoom across Westminster Bridge on a motorcycle, pass Horse Guards, and cruise through Admiralty Arch to enjoy breakfast at Grange St. Paul's Hotel rooftop patio near St. Paul's Cathedral*, after which the Doctor rides up the side of the Shard to invade the headquarters of the wifi soul stealers and restore Clara's mind to her body.

The Doctor explains all this as protecting the TARDIS from falling into the wrong hands, but really, it's just to show off some London scenery.  That's the one shortcoming of the TARDIS:  yes, all of time and space, bigger on the inside, but no windows.

- Sid

* Ever since I saw this episode I've wanted to have breakfast at that restaurant, and to my intense happiness I stumbled across the shooting location in the process of researching this posting - that's now on the list for the NEXT visit to London.