Spider-Man: One More Day

[Missy]

From Newsarama:

For those who may have missed out on Marvel's Free Comic Book Day title this weekend, which featured the story "Swing Shift" by Dan Slott and Phil Jimenez, we've got a look at what was in the back of the issue, that is, six pages of "One More Day" by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada.

Marvel's intro for the preview reads:

In Civil War, Peter Parker made a choice. He chose to trust a man he viewed as a mentor, as a father. He trusted Iron Man. He blieved that unmasking in front of the world would help his friend, and that Iron Man could keep his family safe.

He was wrong.

After a sniper's bullet nearly claimed the life of Aunt May, Peter decided he must send a message to those who targeted him and his family. Donning his black costume, he became a dark avenger, tracking down those responsible and making them pay. One by one, he faced his enemies and showed no mercy.

But there is one more problem.

Aunt May's health has taken a turn for the worse. Mary Jane's life is still in danger. No one he turns to can help him. Peter Parker has only one option left in front of him. One more choice.

What would you do, if you only had...

One More Day

The final page carries the slug: "Continued in Amazing Spider-Man #544 on sale in August!"

WHOA!

[Dread]

I thought this was going to be a time travel thing. I don't know, it's interesting enough but that art is butt-ugly. Not my bag at all.

[Missy]

I thought this was going to be a time travel thing. I don't know, it's interesting enough but that art is butt-ugly. Not my bag at all.

Dem's fight'n words, suh!

[Dread]

I thought this was going to be a time travel thing. I don't know, it's interesting enough but that art is butt-ugly. Not my bag at all.

Dem's fight'n words, suh!

Sorry but Spiderman isn't even an interesting character to me. I stopped reading him when I was 12. That said, Kraven's Last Hunt is still the greatest story Marvel's published to date and the Spidey movies are amazing even with Kirsten Dunst.

Sorry Mike but I can't see you digging on Eaglesham when stuff like that is getting published. There are several perspective problems in that preview alone not to mention the inconsistency with the armor and the look of Parker. How could they have fallen into an alley like that without completely dsestroying the fire escape? The art bugs me.

I'll look forward to the story being spoiled on the show though

[Missy]

You can't even begin to compare Eaglesham to Quesada. Yes, I am a Quesada fanboy. Have been since Ninjak. So I do overlook flaws in his artwork (i.e. the points on Iron Man's mask go from flat to sharp to flat again), but at least this artwork has life! I hate to beat a dead horse, but those Eaglesham-drawn JSA issues were flat. Speedsters were static. Poses were stiff. With but a few exceptions, everything was dull. Here you can actually feel Peter's urgency as he dumps every last drop of webbing on Iron Man.

As for the fire escape: they landed in front of it, that's why it's not broken. If you look, they're nowhere near it when they hit the ground.

[RedRight88]

The thing is: This preview was actually show in this past month's issue of Wizard before hitting Newsarama.

[Missy]

It was also in the Free Comic Book Day issue of Spider-Man, sort of as an advertisement.

[Dread]

You can't even begin to compare Eaglesham to Quesada. Yes, I am a Quesada fanboy. Have been since Ninjak. So I do overlook flaws in his artwork (i.e. the points on Iron Man's mask go from flat to sharp to flat again), but at least this artwork has life! I hate to beat a dead horse, but those Eaglesham-drawn JSA issues were flat. Speedsters were static. Poses were stiff. With but a few exceptions, everything was dull. Here you can actually feel Peter's urgency as he dumps every last drop of webbing on Iron Man.

As for the fire escape: they landed in front of it, that's why it's not broken. If you look, they're nowhere near it when they hit the ground.

Meh. He should stick to EIC. He's doing a pretty damn good job of that. Page one, panel 2, IM is missing a leg. Is an editor too afraid of pointing that out to his boss or is the art so close to being late that they'll take it anyway?

Why am I expected to believe that Spidey blames Iron Man for anything? Spidey followed the rule of law and did what he thought was right. He voluntarily, without prodding, gave up his identity in front of the world and now he has a mad-on for Iron Man. Who's writing this? JMS?

[Missy]

Meh. He should stick to EIC. He's doing a pretty damn good job of that. Page one, panel 2, IM is missing a leg. Is an editor too afraid of pointing that out to his boss or is the art so close to being late that they'll take it anyway?

Please tell me you don't teach math.

And the artwork is not late. It's done. I know for a fact that Joe has been working on these issues for well over a year. He didn't want another Daredevil: Father fiasco, so the solicitation was held back until everything was done.

Why am I expected to believe that Spidey blames Iron Man for anything? Spidey followed the rule of law and did what he thought was right. He voluntarily, without prodding, gave up his identity in front of the world and now he has a mad-on for Iron Man.

As Captain America said to Iron Man (in Civil War: Casualties of War, I believe it was), Tony used Peter's need for a father figure to get his way. Tony needed a big-name, pro-SRA hero to unmask publicly. He needed it to show the people that superheroes were behind the law. (It also helps that Peter is as blue-collar as the come, which makes him relatable to the average citizen.) So by pushing Peter in little ways, Tony made him think it was the right thing to do.

Peter didn't have to go through with it (so there's blame on his shoulders, too), but he wanted Tony's approval (RE: father figure). So here we are.

Who's writing this? JMS?

Yes.

[Dread]

The leg thing, yes it's there but if he were flying like that he wouldn't be going ina straight line like he's depicted. In every other pic he's got them together. It's inconsistent.

The art is done. Good. Still doesn't make it good art in my books.

The father figure thing. It's a stretch at best. It was Peter's choice to unmask publicly and in doing so made his bed. Why does he think everybody else has to sleep in it? It's irrational. Power and responsibility is what this character's about. Take responsibility for your actions, then!

JMS? Ugh.

[Missy]

I'm not saying it's consistent; I'm simply rebuffing your claim that a second leg wasn't there. Anyway, Tony very well could have come at him from an odd angle (hence the legs being apart), and only put them together once he smashed through the window (to maintain a straight line).

The father figure thing isn't a stretch. It was put forth by Captain America. Tony made the same argument as you ("He made his own decision."), but the fact of the matter is that Tony manipulated Peter to achieve his goals. He was doing it in the months leading up to Civil War (by hiring Titanium Man and forcing Peter into a pact) and during the war itself.

Peter is not without blame. He wanted fatherly approval and he got it -- at a cost. A cost he'll have to live with for the rest of his life. But Tony played on Peter's insecurities to manipulate the political climate and to put himself in a position of power. At the end of the day Tony was only trying to protect his friends, but he sacrificed one for the rest.

[Dread]

Peter Parker is a genius. Manipulation is no excuse. He had enough foresight to disable Tony's control over his suit, what about Tony's control over him? He knew of the manipulation from an early stage. Why then, did he unmask when he knew he couldn't trust Tony as far as he could throw him?

It's got holes big enough to drive helicarriers through.

[Missy]

Peter's a trusting guy at heart. Because Tony presented him with an ideal life (Avengers membership, the apartment, a keen job, the ability to use his smarts, etc.) and acted as a big brother / father figure, because he dangled those carrots in front of his nose, Peter went blind to the truth. Dumb. Smart. In between. We all do it. We all see what we want to see in people, especially ones we idolize. Peter's no different.

And the password Peter installed into the Spider Armor was a bit convenient, but it can be explained away using any of the following:

01. Peter began to notice Tony's manipulations.

02. Peter was tinkering with the suit and noticed it was feeding Tony data (after he unmasked).

03. Tony has fallen under the control of villains before. Maybe Peter didn't want his suit to be compromised too.

Pick any of those. They're all reasonable.

What I don't understand is why you're not putting any (I'm not say "all") of the blame on Stark. He clearly played with Peter's emotions, using them for his own ends, which led to this moment.

[Dread]

Peter's a trusting guy at heart. Because Tony presented him with an ideal life (Avengers membership, the apartment, a keen job, the ability to use his smarts, etc.) and acted as a big brother / father figure, because he dangled those carrots in front of his nose, Peter went blind to the truth. Dumb. Smart. In between. We all do it. We all see what we want to see in people, especially ones we idolize. Peter's no different.

And the password Peter installed into the Spider Armor was a bit convenient, but it can be explained away using any of the following:

01. Peter began to notice Tony's manipulations.

02. Peter was tinkering with the suit and noticed it was feeding Tony data (after he unmasked).

03. Tony has fallen under the control of villains before. Maybe Peter didn't want his suit to be compromised too.

Pick any of those. They're all reasonable.

What I don't understand is why you're not putting any (I'm not say "all") of the blame on Stark. He clearly played with Peter's emotions, using them for his own ends, which led to this moment.

I was with Cap the whole way through the series and still am. I've placed enough blame on Stark.

As far as the other stuff: "can be explained" is not a vindication. I still think that Peter should be to blame for falling into a situation he knew was bad. You can't tell me that even after his genius would be infiltrated by emotions that his Spider sense didn't pick it up. It'sd inconceivable to me that he can make a decision of that magnitude without knowing all of the angles. Regardless of whether or not Stark even said he'd protect his family, Spiderman has to know that Stark can't protect them entirely. It's ridiculous.

I too am a Quesada fan. I think his run with Smith on Daredevil cements him as one of the character's great artists. here he dropped the ball though.

[Missy]

Since when does the Spider Sense alert him to deception and agendas?

Stark wouldn't have been able to protect Peter's family all the time, but Peter unmasked assuming May and MJ would be protected most of the time. Security is tight inside Stark's tower. Tighter than it was at the old Avengers Mansion. May and MJ would have been safe inside those walls. Outside, not so much. But inside... oh yeah.

And frankly, you can't say, "I'll blame Tony for A, B and C, but not D, because I'm tired of blaming him for stuff." Not when he's guilty. He clearly used Peter. Hell, he used everybody!

Here's a question for you, Des: do you not like Todd McFarlane's work? 'Cause these pages are very clearly McFarlane-esque. (Joe has said McFarlane was an influence on his career.) If you don't like Todd's art, I can see why these pages would put you off from the product.

[James D.]

So, uh, is Peter going to ever shoot a web again after that insanity? Yoinks.

[Dread]

Here's a question for you, Des: do you not like Todd McFarlane's work? 'Cause these pages are very clearly McFarlane-esque. (Joe has said McFarlane was an influence on his career.) If you don't like Todd's art, I can see why these pages would put you off from the product.

Todd McFarlane was the last time I bought Spiderman not including Millar's recent run.

I don't mind his art. Not fantastic. It was great at the time but soon lost favour with me. That's not why I dislike this art and I don't find it that Mcfarlane-esque except for the webbing.

[Dread]

I think it just came to me. It's not McFarlane. It looks like it's aping the derivative Image artwork of Michael Turner and his foul ilk.

The characters looking completely different from panel-to-panel, ridiculous facial expressions, lines all over the fucking place...

Michael Turner to me is the worst thing to happen to comics since Wertham. I hate his artwork so much it makes me sick to see him doing so many goddamn covers. It makes me sicker to see a much more capable artist (Quesada) falling into that trap.

[Missy]

Look at the page where Peter punches Iron Man, and the panel before he webs IM's feet. The hair, the hand, face, teeth -- all of that is how McFarlane used to draw. I really think Joe is channeling Todd on this project.

[Dread]

Look at the page where Peter punches Iron Man, and the panel before he webs IM's feet. The hair, the hand, face, teeth -- all of that is how McFarlane used to draw. I really think Joe is channeling Todd on this project.

If you say so. I just don't understand why an artist like Quesada who is leaps and bounds above McFarlane (have you read Batman Year Two? Ugh) would stoop to aping that style. He may be channeling TMc but it dcomes across like one of the millions of derivatives and Quesada is better than that.

Irregardless of the art, JMS is writing so I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole.

[Missy]

Joe's always up for trying new styles. (Have you read Daredevil: Father?) Since Todd was an early influence on him, maybe he's paying McFarlane respect by employing the style in which he penciled Spider-Man. Hell, maybe the rest of the storyline will look like Joe's normal pencils. I can't say. All I know is, I see Todd in these pages.

[Missy]

Oddly enough, One More Day will not be running just through Amazing Spider-Man. The four-part story will run through Amazing Spider-Man #544, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24, Sensational Spider-Man #41 and Amazing Spider-Man #545.