SPIDER SENSE
New writer helms web-head comic reboot
When Nick Spencer turned in the first draft of his debut issue of a new The Amazing Spider-Man series for Marvel Comics, everyone at Marvel loved it. Everyone, that is, except Nick Spencer.
Spencer was convinced the script to his first issue of one of Marvel’s flagship titles (now in print and digital) was missing something. A conversation with Marvel Comics chief creative officer Joe Quesada helped him figure out the secret ingredient he was looking for.
Spencer and Quesada met to talk all things Spider-Man as he prepared to take on the noticeable task of being the writer to come aboard The Amazing Spider-Man after the decade-long writing run of Dan Slott, which recently came to an end with the title’s 801st issue (the series was renumbered for Spencer’s debut with artist Ryan Ottley illustrating).
The relationship between Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson came up. They were once an all-time comic book couple, but were not known as an item anymore. Slott even said during his time writing Spider-Man that fans shouldn’t expect a rekindling.
Spencer, like many fans, assumed rules were in place to keep Peter and Mary Jane apart. Quesada told him that was never Marvel’s intent when they decided to erase Spider-Man’s marriage to Mary Jane from continuity years ago, during the Spider-Man One More Day story.
“Once I had that piece of the puzzle in place, everything else came together and improved massively,” Spencer said. Suddenly, knowing Mary Jane could be a romantic part of the story made his plans for the series “one thousand times better.”
Marvel’s former top couple are front and centre at the beginning and end of Spencer’s first The Amazing Spider-Man tale. The story opens with a flashback. Spider-Man (in his classic black-andwhite suit) and Mary Jane are atop a skyscraper, both smiling, both in love, both happy. It’s a nod to one of Spencer’s favourite Spider-Man stories ever, a The Sensational Spider-Man annual written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Salvador Larroca back in 2006.
During the issue, Spidey endures classic Peter Parker problems such as losing his job, rent worries and roommate issues. Mary Jane can do nothing but laugh in Peter’s face at the ridiculousness of super-villains not being the worst part of his life. At the end, Mary Jane lets Spider-Man (and readers) know she’ll be there with him for the good and bad during these new adventures.
“It’s kind of funny how it all turned out,” Spencer said. “Obviously, it’s a huge moment for the fans — they’re very excited. I’m very glad we got it in there.”
That’s not to say Spencer plans to abandon the decade of work Slott put into the Spider-Man comic book universe. One of Slott’s biggest and most controversial Spider-Man moments was when villain Doctor Octopus took over Spider-Man’s mind, becoming the Superior Spider-Man (with a series with the same name). During that series, Doc Ock finished a college degree Peter Parker never had time to complete. In Spencer’s run, it is determined that the work that led to that degree was plagiarized, giving Peter Parker just one more problem in a life filled with many.
“I have enormous respect for Dan and what he accomplished on this book,” Spencer said. “Thankfully Dan liked the idea of us picking up (with the degree scandal) and running with that.”
Spencer returns to the world of Spider-Man with his trademark sense of humour. During Slott’s time on The Superior Spider-Man, Spencer wrote The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, a comedy series starring Spider-Man’s B-list villains who were anything but superior, including Boomerang, who is now Peter Parker’s current roommate in The Amazing Spider-Man, a sure guarantee for laughs.
After recently writing two more serious series for Marvel — one that dealt with Captain America secretly being a spy for Marvel bad guy factory Hydra (Secret Empire), and another featuring African-American superhero the Falcon replacing Cap (Captain America: Sam Wilson) — Spencer welcomed the chance to dust off his joke writing. (Still, he said he tried to fit humour in his more intense Marvel works as well, and he’s also got a laugh-filled Ant-Man series to his credit.)
Spencer’s favourite joke of The Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 is when former Spider-Man love interest Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) is side by side with Spider-Man during an alien invasion (that turns out to be an illusion from SpiderMan villain Mysterio).
Convinced he’s the only hero (among a whole lot who make cameos in this scene) who can save the day, Spider-Man tells the Black Cat he’s got to web-swing into the unknown to stop the invasion. He looks at the Black Cat and says: “Bye, Felicia,” nodding to the catchphrase in the 1995 Ice Cube movie Friday.
“I genuinely was combing through (comics, and) I was like ... this name (Felicia) has been (at Marvel) for God knows how long. Somebody’s done that joke before, right? There’s no way I got to this one,” Spencer said with a laugh. “But it appears that I did. I’m happy about that.”
Along with Mysterio, another major Spider-Man villain, the Lizard, makes an appearance in Spencer’s first issue. After having fun with Spider-Man’s sub-par villains in Superior Foes — but not getting to use Spider-Man in the series because, at the time, he was being mind-controlled in Slott’s run — Spencer now gets the keys to the Spider-Man castle and all the A-list enemies that come with it.
“I get to hang with the heavy hitters now,” Spencer said. “When we get into the second half of year 1 we’re going to be making full use of the rogue’s gallery for sure.”
Once I had that piece of the puzzle, in place everything else came together and improved massively (and became) one thousand times better.