The NEW Ultimate Spider-Man Identity Revealed – SPOILERS

* * * SPOILER ALERT * * *

 

Over the past few weeks there has been a ton of speculation as to who was the mysterious new teenager who donned the red and blue tights to take the mantle of Spider-Man after Peter Parker's death in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man.  In recent days that speculation has reached a fever pitch as rumors swirled that the identity of the new Spider-Man would be that of an African-American teen.

Tonight, USAToday broke the news that the identity of the new Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man is half an African-American, half Hispanic teenager named Miles Morales.  Morales will be introduced in the pages of Ultimate Fallout #4, which hits stores this Wednesday, August 3rd, but his appearance will be brief.  His entire origin and story of how he becomes Spider-Man will come this September, with the re-launch of the title with Ultimate Spider-Man #1.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis assured readers, "The theme is the same: With great power comes great responsibility," says writer Brian Michael Bendis. "He's going to learn that. Then he has to figure out what that means."

 


 

UPDATE – Marvel provided the following additional offial images to accompany this announcement:

  

  

Comments

  1. Oh.  Ok.

  2. Not a big deal. I’m a black guy, and I was hoping it was Cap. But the whole Donald Glover bit being inspiration? Aces.

  3. This is the Al Capone’s Vault of Marvel press releases.

  4. A real legacy character; not simply expanding a ‘franchise’ as tends to happen with super-heroes. I look forward to this.

  5. i had a feeling in my gut it would go down that way. Sounds cool.

  6. How did they make Spider-Man even thinner? I’m looking forward to all the new characters and powers. I hope he knocks Green Goblin on his wallet.

  7. Kudos to Marvel and Bendis for this move. Can’t wait to start this new journey with the new character. Rooting for ultimate success for Bendis’s bold choices here. 

  8. My only concern, is that we don’t get a cliche depiction of a latin/african american youth. I’m latin american, born and raised here in NYC and i have never said ” ese “. I do say, ” dood ” & ” awesome ” an awful lot. lol

  9. I’m on the fence about this whole reboot, and pulling a random unknown character out of the woodwork doesn’t work for me. Unless Ult Fallout convinces me otherwise I’m cancelling all the Ultimate comics from my pull list.

  10. Jaime Reyes says hi

  11. I was hoping in some way that it would be peter somehow. Since it’s not, I’m done with this title. My subscription will die with Peter.

  12. You’ve got to be kidding me. Goodbye Ultimate Spidey, it was nice knowing you.

  13. I like how they stuck with the double initial. M.M. That Stan is know for doing.

  14. Already had this spoiled for me on a message board, unfortunately.

    There’s a lot of “I’m not racist, but I’m not going to read this, despite being the same writer who’s been dishing out consistent quality for over 10 years now,  there’s no possible way this will be good”

    I’m sorry, but if you’re not even going to give the first issue a shot after reading Ultimate Spider-man for 10 years, you’re either racist, or one of “those” comic fans that is completely opposed to change. 

  15. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Totally on board. And I’m even more excited it’s not who we thought it was, because this is an even further step away from the 616. The Ultimate line ought to pioneer like this, out from under the boot heels of that other Marvel continuity. This is its own thing and an experiment I’ve very, very excited about. 

  16. I gotta be honest.  I’m really intrigued by this.  It’s like they’re finally not afraid to make the Ultimate Universe truly different.  It might be a lot of fun to see someone else in Spider-Man’s shoes and it’s certainly ripe with story possiblities.  I may check this out.

  17. Rad. Sounds cool!

  18. Already pre-ordered the first issue a month ago. Was looking forward to jumping on. Now… top of the stack. First read. 

  19. Only question, how do you pronounce his name? Is it just like 5280 feet? Or am I an idiot? Or both?

  20. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @StupendousMan Like 5280 feet, yes. There was a typo, but it’s adjusted now. “Miles.” 

  21. @PaulMontgomery Cool. Thanks! I like the name.

  22. I was hoping it would be Peter’s female clone.
    I’ll give it a few issues. I was really into USMs supporting cast, so I’ll wait and see who Bendis surrounds him with.

  23. Anything that gets us one step closer to Donald Glover playing Spider-man on film is a step in the right direction.

  24. Cool!

  25. Hm… could be interesting, as long as it isn’t played as a cliche, which I’m reasonably sure bendis wouldn’t do. any word on art?

  26. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @deezer  On USM? It’s Sara Pichelli. 

  27. Right on. I wish Bendis another decade of Ultimate success.

  28. Knowing comicbook fans and the overall tendency to birch about change I think it’s less racism and more boring fans. I HATE that comic fans never are willing to change things up after 60 years. That being said I think it’s stupid if this turns into he or she is racist. Or are you for claiming that because of the new character? I guess I’m ranting now. So end rant.

  29. Sara Pichelli is one of my favorite new artists. She’s fantastic.

    Also, you guys are like, way less racist than other commenters, and that’s great.

  30. @josh, because we are smart and thoughtful people, who appreciate story!

    might need to pick this up. it’ll be interesting to see what story elements a different kind of character protraying Spider-Man will bring to the table.

  31. Donald Glove–errr, I mean, Miles Morales? Awesome.

    I honestly would rather see him inspired by Peter Parker, but without the superpowers. It would start out like Kick Ass (he’d get his ass kicked a lot) then slowly he’d start figuring out how to replicated the powers with anti-grav boots, buy some spent web-cartridges off ebay and reverse engineer the whole thing, etc. That, to me, would be a much more interesting story then “hey, someone ELSE got bitten by a radioactive spider! Crazy, huh? And guess what, even crazier story, this time, he’s black!”

  32. I’m not a racist or anything… but i just threw-up and shit my pants at the same time

  33. If they really wanted a mixed ethnicity character, why not just go with Miguel O’Hara?  I’m still completely on board with this but would’ve loved to have seen the nod to Spidey 2099.
  34. I also thought it was gonna be the female clone and thought it was a cool idea. This has actually surprised, in a very good way.

  35. And here I was hoping it would be Miguel O’Hara.

  36. I guess I missed the racists. Oh well. Being hispanic, I always have this conversation with my black friends about which one of our minorities gets the shorter end of the stick in comics. I still say hispanics do. Marvel just evened the odds, a bit. Or not. I don’t know. I like the idea.

  37. Sounds awesome. Definitely going to give it a try and see how it goes.

    And I’m glad I come to iFanboy for comics news and reaction, not USA Today. *shiver*

  38. Is this a brand new character? Has Miles been around before? I don’t read Ult Spidey, so wondering.

  39. Also, I’m intrigued by a new spiderman that might be able to rip free from any vestiges of continuity. I’ll check it out until there’s the ‘Ultimate One More Day’ or ‘Ultimate Spider Island.’

  40. It defintley doesn’t hurt to see another hispanic character in comics, so I’m all for this. Also, really excited for Sara Pichelli on art.

  41. Im on board

  42. I was so incredibly disinterested when they announced this reboot. Now I actually want to read it. Thats quality marketing at work folks.

  43. @nudebuddha  I’d agree that hispanics are still getting the short end of the stick, considering most articles being posted about this are saying “Holy Shit! New Spider-Man is Half-Black!”, instead of using his other half in the headline. And as a tip, the easiest way to spot a racist in this whole debate is look for someone who starts a comment with “Well I’m not racist, BUT…”

  44. Even though I am black I was actually against them making Peter Parker black in the new Spider-Man movie but I’m 100% for this. It’s a new character with a new set of stories and if they wanted to make a movie based on this character I’d be all for it because it’s much better then changing an existing character for apsolutly no reason. 

  45. In the words of Dr. Venkman, “I love this plan! I’m excited to be a part of it! LET’S DO IT!”

  46. As poitically incorrect as it would be, I’d love to find out that the origin of Miles is that he used to be a white Spider-Man who was bitten by someone who was half-black/half-hispanic, 100% radioactive.

  47. I’ll accept this Spider-Man when I’ve seen his long-form birth certificate

  48. I’m on board, even more since Pichelli is on art duties. I’m hoping they don’t stick to much to the old cast and bring a whole lot of new characters. It’ll finally be like a new super hero.

  49. Allow me to jump on a recurring theme, the comments on this thread are about 75% less racist than i expected for an anyonous web discussion dealing with an underlying factor of race

  50. meh prolly pick this up. Bendis has a way of making anything good. Intrigued by a new character and a new set of powers and responsibilities.

  51. This is a brilliant marketing stradegy because I just realized I can’t complain about it cause it’ll make me sound racist! So I don’t know what else to say…..I mean I think Bendis is only doing this because of the Donald Glover/Spider-Man film rumor but hey it could turn out really well other then that.

  52. Isn’t Kirkman planning on having Invincible be replaced by a black man? Wonder if this steals his thunder and if he’s pissed?

    Wonder if this is spurred by DC’s inclusion of more ethnic diversity in the new 52?

  53. I was kind of hoping for Miguel O’Hara but this looks awesome. I love Ultimate Peter Parker and cannot wait to see how his actions have inspired Miles Morales. I also look forward to the meeting between the new Spider-Man and the Amazing Friends.

  54. I really hope this character didn’t face any tragedy for him to fight crime. I would love it if he just had a desire to help people. Also I hope they don’t keep all the old supporting characters around. Also I read every issue of Ultimate Spidey but who is Miguel? I don’t remember the character.

  55. Miguel O’Hara is/was Spider-Man 2099

  56. @thewolfmancometh  Yeah, that sentence never ends well. It’s never, I’m not a racist, but, man, black people are wonderfull, well rounded human beings. I’m not a homophobe and no offense have the same effect.

  57. Yea but does he exist in the Ultimate ‘verse? If not why bring him in if you’d be creating a new character anyway?

  58. @gobo thank you! My only experience with that character is from the last video game but he was awesome in it.

  59. Well, I’m on board.  I still wish they hadn’t kiiled Peter, but bringing in a brand new Spidey is intriguing.  And that cover for issue #1 is killer.  Looks like it might actually attract some new readers.

  60. Like my mom always said, “Don’t drop it ’til you’ve tried it.” She was a true believer.

  61. Looking forward to it, I’m sure the story will continue to be strong and that’s all that should count – Bendis has more than earned the benefit of the doubt with everything he’s already done on this title. 

  62. Can’t believe some of the comments in other places, degrades my opinion of humanity.

    I’ll give it a try, but I really liked Peter more importantly I loved Gwen, MJ, Kitty, Bobby, Johnny, Aunt May and the rest, I think Ultimate Peter had the best supporting cast of any comic I’ve ever read, I’m not being hyperbolic, it was everything not super that made USM great. So I’m a little disappointed they eliminated that constantly evolving dynamic for an entirely new one.

  63. I forgot about Kirkman doing the exact same thing for Invincible until I saw a comment on here for it.

    Gonna assume Kirkman is pissed right about now… 

  64. @TheNextChampion  I’m sure Kirkman isn’t even worried. 1) Invincible isn’t a mainstream book so it’s not like it was going to get that much publicity anyway. 2) A black Invincible has already been discussed on comic book sites so he already got the publicity he needed. 3) I think Kirkman is putting his chips on the story and not on the fact that Invincible is going to be black.

  65. Like others, wasn’t going to get it, but now I am. With any luck, this will feel like the first five years of USM, not the last five, when it was so forgetable that I forgot I wasn’t buying it anymore.

  66. I’ll give it a whirl.  Pichelli is an incredible talent, so I’m glad to see her on board for this.  Bendis has been writting this book for over ten years, so he must be doing something right.  On a side note, this is a comic book. Which means Peter Parker will probably be back. I’m sure we will see him in some sort of tube with SHIELD.  That being said, I want to see where it goes. 

  67. Ok, I always thought that Peter Parker was the only guy fit for Spidey, BUT BMB hasproven he knows how to write Spider Man, so I will give him and Miles a chance

  68. Hey! It’s like I’m watching Daredevil all over again!

    Incidentally, while I was reading this, my dad sent me a text regarding it.  I don’t particularly care for his take on the issue, and never have cared for his opinions on race, but I will paraphrase what I said to him.  If this is just to get away from Peter Parker and the baggage that comes with the name, cool, awesome, great, fantastic.  Let there be some breathing room for new stories.  It needs to happen sometimes.  One of the reasons I never really cared for the Ultimate universe was that it just seemed to rehash old 616 stories.  If it’s just for the sake of “diversity”, then I will actually lose a bit of respect for BMB.  Political correctness is out of hand.  I don’t care what race a superhero is, personally.

    I’m a little tired of “racist” being tossed around like candy from a parade float.  I’m also more than a little sick of “African American”.  I can count the “African Americans” I’ve gotten to know in my 31 years of life on my hands.  One of them was white. *gasp*  She was a hot redhead, and her accent killed me.  Yum.  While I haven’t known all that many “African Americans”, I sure know one hell of a lot of black people.

    At any rate, I will continue to not buy USM, because the only Ultimate universe book that ever interested me was Fantastic Four.  My friends and I will accuse each other of being racist for not buying it because we are all a bunch of un-PC sardonic jerkfaces.  I hope you guys that enjoy the book continue to enjoy it.

  69. forget that he isn’t white, that is irrelevant. I just can’t stand Bendis. these Hyper-conversations as i call them are ridiculous. Hyper because they are like witty banter on steroids, meth, and red eye (cowboy bebop reference) Completely unrealistic dialogue for every fight scene he’s scripted. Takes me out of the book everytime.

  70. haven’t read ultimate in a loooong time (maybe since the Spidey-Kitty relationship started) but i think this is a great idea. This here is what the Ultimate Universe should be about, making itself a completely different and new version of the 616 instead of the same old stories rehashed over ad nauseum. Really hoping this works out so that the other titles in the line won’t be afraid to do branch out from what’s expected.

  71. @nightwalker  I can see that point on Bendis, because I’ve said it before too. I loved early Powers, but I think after a while, he just started relying on those convesations that were peppered with ums and ahhs and came across as forced, to me. I haven’t read too much of his work in recent years, though, so I don’t know how his wriitng is now.

  72. This is a nice stab at balancing ethnicity (which is good), but it does very little to sell more books.  

    I’m Jewish.  Does that mean I’m more likely to buy a Magneto book?  Avengers Children’s Crusade (well, I buy that book because it’s awesome, not because I have the same last name as one of the characters). No.

    If Ultimate Spiderman turned out to be former Rabbi Samuel Goldstein I would have the same level of interest in the book as I had when Spidey was Peter Parker – NONE.

  73. Exactly what the Ultimate Universe should be all about. Kudos. Hopefully the rest of line follows suit of trying to be what the 616 isn’t.

  74. I’m looking forward to this, but I do have to say I’m rather bummed that Peter Parker was actually killed off rather than retiring or going off to college or somesuch.

  75. Black and Hispanics getting the shorter end of the comic stick? … what about the Asian?  The only asians in marvel comics lately have been masked punch-bag ninjas.  There’s that dude in the Secret Avengers, the smart dude from the hulk,  and Mr. Negative guy.  And… why are the only abilities/superpowers available to Asians are karate and smarts… if that is not stereotyping… what is?

    And Asians are not even the best in those fields… Cho is the only 7th smartest guy in the Marvel U, and the Mr. Kung-Fu guy is a blonde rich dude.

  76. So, I’m really down for this now and will for sure step up to buy to make sure that this move is met with not just vocal but financial support.  The only nitpicky thing that bugs me (and it’s really nitpicky) is that this is the second new mixed-race character that’s half-black, half-hispanic (the first being Victor Alvarez aka Power Man who is Afro-Dominican). It’s almost like the diversity lacks diversity. As long as they aren’t characterized exactly the same (which I have faith that they won’t be) I’ll be pleased. That said, lets keep this going see some half-Samoan, half-Indian folks too.

  77. I honestly can’t believe the comments on other places around the internets. I thought we were mostly past that kind of mindless dribble.

    I think this will be a nice new directing, and I am sure Bendis is happy to have complete freedom over where he goes with this. If he wants, new supporting cast, villains, etc.

    I might jump on USM in issues for the first time in years (I’ve been doing the trades, but I dropped off back before Ultimatum).

  78. See, I was JUST talking to a pal about the reboot, saying that Pete’s death felt like just another stunt, he’d be replaced by someone from the supporting cast and he’s be back in a year. Tops.

    This really gets me excited. A top notch creator introducing an honest to god NEW character? In the immortal words of Steven Stills: “Ok… now I’m gettin’ tingles.”

  79. @loki2486  No one said Asians have it easy. I was only comenting on my conversations with my black friends. If an Asian joins the conversation, there’s enough for all of us to gripe about, no doubt. And if one of us is gay, too.

  80. On the one hand, I think this is a great idea. In and of itself, a Hispanic/black character is long overdue for a high-profile spot in Marvel Comics.

    On the other hand, this screams desperation to me. I never thought 50-year-old Bendis could write convincing white teenager dialogue–now we’re supposed to think he can write from the perspective of an even younger minority character? It’s going to come off as extremely forced and clumsy. Bendis has never been good at doing different “voices”–so many of his characters sound the same. If he’s going to conscientiously try to make this character sound different, it’s going to be awkward.

    Second, I wonder how many outside readers this will actually pull in? I certainly hope it pulls in a lot, but will it pull in more new readers than it loses old readers? I doubt it. I just doubt it. This seems like one of those ideas that just doesn’t pay off. I definitely respect Marvel for doing this, but it’s almost like they’re saying “Well, we’ll kill off one of our characters and put an ethnic minority in instead, and that should be enough to pull in minority readers.” You can’t just make a surface-level change and expect minorities to just go with it and be hooked that easily.

    In the end, it all comes down to the writing, and I’m sorry to say but I definitely don’t think Bendis has the range for this. Bendis, however, is good at convincing OTHER 40-year-old white guys that his writing is actually “true-to-life”, though. So I expect a lot of longtime readers will continue to read this and actually think that they’re learning about other cultures. SMH

  81. Stating “I can’t complain because I’ll look racist” is stupid beyond belief.
    I’m really excitied to see a new kid in the outfit.

  82. 2 things no one seems to be commenting on:

    1) Marvel ONCE AGAIN spoiled something for the sake of getting NEW readers. If I was a reader of USA Today I’d be sick of getting spoiled all the time at this rate.

    2) Now that we know the new USM is Black….is it kinda racist that his costume is predominantly black? 

  83. Is there anywhere I’d know the character from? I don’t need it but I would like to look into any previous stories he’s been in.

  84. Yes! us mixed people are finally getting some major comic respect.

  85. The more I think about this, the more excited I get.  It’s just such a different approach to the character, and I’m hoping that Bendis does something completely unique with it.  The fact that we may also get some new supporting characters, new villains, and everything else is also great.  I think the book will feel fresh, which in superhero comics is a rare thing.

  86. I’ve been trying to work out why I was spitting blood about the spoiler marketing over the death but my only reaction this time was “Oooh that could be fun.” 

    This isn’t really ruining the comic for anyone, it’s a different kind of spoiler, how exactly I’m not sure. Peter Parker dying was an “event”, it was something that happened, one of the most important things that happened in his story, in his life, and the best way to appreciate it as a long-term loyal reader would have been on the page as it happened, an experience which Marvel took away from every single reader on the planet.

    Miles being whatever race doesn’t matter (well yes OK, it matters) but it’s not the same, it’s not a “plot point”, it’s more like the blurb, they’re telling you the launching point for the story, NOT the ending, it’s different somehow. It’s like saying “Buffy is a new TV show about a blonde girl who slays vampires”. That’s not a spoiler, it’s the hook, the same as saying “USM is now about a black/hispanic kid who has spider powers”.

    At the end of the day I stick to my original point – spoiling the death was a “fuck you” to the readership, it was unoriginal, lazy and it lacked balls. This move cannot be accused of lacking balls. Whether it can be accused of being anti-the readership depends on how the stories turn out, and since this is Bendis writing USM I’d happily bet a large sum of money in his favour. 

  87. @TheNextChampion  Bendis didn’t do it for the Glover Spider-man rumors. He was inspired by Glover’s pitch to be Spidey. That’s it. Well, that and the fact that he’s the (adoptive) father of two kids, one Ethiopian and one African American. So I suspect the nature of ethnicity and culture is one that’s important to him.

    I, for one, love everything about this. Sara Pichelli? Aces. The name Miles Morales? Alliteratively awesome. The biracial ethnicity? I think that, played right, it doesn’t just add a surface diversity, but it allows Bendis to subtly play in new directions. I trust Bendis not to just make this a paint job, but to really play with Miles as a unique character. A legacy character inspired by Peter, but learning as he goes? I embrace this wholeheartedly. Certainly it’s a better creative tactic than rebooting, retconning, or trying to come up with new devices and plots to squeeze something out of the same ol’ character.

  88. In 50 years time Miles Morales may have far surpassed Peter Parker in both heroics and worldwide popularity. Maybe Peter is Alan and Miles is Hal!

    Personally I loved Ultimate Peter and I was stoked that he got to do that which none of us really get the chance to do – die happy. Maybe I’ll grow to love Miles, maybe I’ll read the first few and find out he’s a dick or just someone I’m not interested in, but I can’t imagine not giving it a try. I’ll just try not to get too attached, since Marvel will no doubt rip my heart out – twice – next time some shareholder needs another humvee limo to have their orgies in.

  89. I think this is great. The Ultimate Marvel line should have done more bold stuff like this this from the start. I could care less about minor differences like Wolverine with chin pubes or Iceman with a stupid hat. If it’s an alternate universe anyways, give me fresh stories and unique takes on characters, like this. Change is good… 

  90. Can’t wait to see more of Pichelli’s work on this.

  91. Miles straight up looks like my little cousin Juan Manuel

  92. @TheNextChampion  Not racist because that costume is simply one of the best Spider-man redesigns ever. And there have been a LOT of Spidey costume redesigns.

  93. @Minion  I had the same question, since I haven’t read USM in years. And where does this leave the sizeable supporting cast of characters?

  94. It’s “Ultimate” so I just don’t care.

    But it’s interesting. In one of Marvel’s first releases on this they said they knew it had to be a character that represents the diversity”. Really? Sound more like a gimmick to garner attention.

    Don’t even toot you own horn Marvel. Put Miles Morales out there and write great stories with him. Don’t make him a spectacle. Make him a hero.

  95. Oh my lord. Can I just say, THANK YOU iFanbase?

    I just (stupidly) read some of the comments posted beneath the USA TODAY story, and… holy crap, it made me want to flee the country. Immense ignorance, stupidity, and, well, straight-up racism.

    So, I’m VERY VERY glad to see a decent discussion (as I would expect) here on iFanboy. You guys give me hope. 🙂

  96. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @daccampo  Right?! It’s legitimately horrifying over there. 

  97. I think it completely devalues Peter’s death that there is a replacement already announced before
    the dust even settles.
    Good thing there just happens to be another spider powered hero ready to take his place the Day after.

  98. I guess it’s a spoiler because it’s NOT anyone we already know?

  99. @daccampo – well put. agree completely.

  100. regarding the supporting cast – “Supporting characters such as Peter’s Aunt May and Gwen Stacy also will give Miles nuggets of wisdom to help his transition from young kid to New York City superhero.”

  101. Comment for the guys running the site. I was trying to avoid the Ultimate Spidey spoiler. But just had it ruined by the “You Might Like” ad with it’s picture at the bottom of another article on the site. Oh well. Not sure how that thing works. Does it use the first image of the article it links to? If so, might I suggest adding a more innocuous picture at the top to make that not happen to others? Just a thought. Cheers.

  102. @PaulMontgomery  Is it just bad, or Yahoo bad?  Yahoo commenters seem to be on a different plane of existence.

  103. @ericmci  I don’t see it that way, personally. Ignoring the marketing, you’ve got Peter’s death, then 3 issues of a city mourning, followed by a fourth issue where a kid puts on a mask and tries to honor his hero. To me that’s totally fitting. He’s not “Spider-man” at this point, but it’s starting on the road, pushed forward by Peter’s death. And it strikes me that it WOULD start organically right after the fall of a inspirational hero.

  104. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @ericmci  Isn’t the kid also apologizing for the costume as being “in bad taste”? That and what Dave just said pretty much clears that matter up. Peter Parker died, but the world keeps on spinning and still needs heroes. 

  105. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @j206  Genuine apologies for this spoiler. Rest assured we’ve come up with a solution so that it hopefully won’t happen again in similar situations. Even though we were aware of it, thanks for calling attention to the problem as politely as you did. 

  106. @Paul – No probs. It’s not the end of the world. That sort of thing happens. C’est la vie.

  107. On the subject of how civil and generally nice the comments have been on this article: I browse a certain Comics and Cartoons board which has so far had around 6 or 7 300+ reply threads about this subject, with no sign of letting up. And probably about 5% of the responses are as reasonable as the ones here. So that’s pretty good going for the iFanboy crowd. 

  108. I think it’s just hard to figure out who is upset with the fact that there is a new Spider-Man and he happens to be black, or who is mad that there’s a new Spider-Man because he is black. I read ASM and if Pete was replaced in that, with anyone, I’d be pissed. White, black, clear, gay, a dinosaur…wouldn’t matter. I think it’s just hard for some people to articulate why they’re actually mad. Oh, and a lot of people are mad because they’re racist. Not saying that about people on here, but mostly on other websites.

  109. Hmmm, I wonder if this is the same discussion that people had in comic shops about John Stewart in 1972.

    I’m not even sure I can understand the idea of race being an issue here – I genuinely cannot conceive a situation where someone is basing their comic book purchases on the ethnicity of a character.

    Ultimate Spider-man has been consistently great for over 10 years; I’ll be sure to give this a shot.

  110. I will give this a try but the fact that its not Peter Parker is enough to almost have me drop this title for the first time ever. So here’s hoping for a great relaunch!

  111. Call me when USM Peter Partker pulls a “Bucky” then I will buy it again.

    Matthew  

  112. I like the street spiderman suit, not a huge fan of the black and red. I’m still going to give it a shot

  113. @mguy77  Why? You don’t even know this character yet, but you’re wishing for him to be killed off and replaced with a familiar face?

  114. totally thought it was going to be a chick because of the new artist and what with peter’s clone and all.  so spideys’ a racial hybrid, its about time.  i think this is awesome!  the only thing that could make this better is if it is revealed later that MM is also a gay/athiest.   then we’ll see all the stupid bigots coming out of the woodworks like the cockroaches they are.  if only my shoe was big enough to smash them all!  oh, and speaking of miguel o’hara, why not relaunch 2099!  that would be awesome!   
    p.s.  all you guyz crying for peter, i have news for you, peter parker is the star of a FEW other comic books, you may have heard of them.  maybe you should pick up a few issues to dry your tears.

  115. Well this is interesting…

    Definitely going to have to check out the new Ultimate Spiderman book, I wasnt going to originally as I dont typically enjoy Bendis, but I have been coming around to his writing lately.  Plus this is exactly what the Ulimate Universe should be doing, new modern stories with different characters  

  116. Cool. I hope Marvel chooses to go in a brave new direction here. This is the chance to start clean. Dump all of the Peter Parker Status Quo – other than Peter inspiring MM – and move into new friends, new family, new villains. I can’t wait.

  117. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting Miles Morales and seeing how he comes to be Spidey.

  118. More like Peter Darker, amirite?

  119. Spider Man is Peter Parker.  Anything else is just Ben Reilly 2.0. 

    Get me the real deal & I’ll read the book. 

    You don’t, well I’ll just read Amazing in tpb.

    I read Ult. Spidey in Big 12-13 issue HCs in the past.

    Matthew

  120. I just hope this is the real deal, and they’re committing to this character.  If he ends up just being a fill-in ’til they figure out how to bring Peter back from the dead, I’ll be pissed. 

  121. Ya thanks a lot iFanboy…I just had the spoiler ruined for me with your “You Might Like” feature…I will be cancelling my membership ASAP.  I was trying to avoid it all day…Thanks again.

  122. @MadMartigan  
    Thats not really their fault now is it?  There was a glitch in post, its not like they went out of their way to spoil this for you (quite the opposite actually).  It really does not effect the story much anyway because all you would know from that picture  is that the new spiderman is not white.  His whole story has yet to be told 

  123. I love Bendis… but can he write a legit-sounding black teenager? When he wrote the Midtown High white kids ten years ago, it was great, fun writing, but they all sounded kinda like middle-aged Jewish men.

    Either way, the track record speaks for itself. Benefit of the doubt, given right here. 

  124. wait… peter parker died???  thanks ifanboy.

  125. also, i’m totally kidding.  🙂

    this sounds cool – if it’s HALF as good as the last decade+ of USM then we’re in for a treat! 

  126. God I love comics.
    Only in comics would you change 1 aspect of a character and cause enough ire that it fills thousands of posts.
    In most other fields it would be simply derivative.
    From the shock across the web world you would have thought Bendis made Spider-Man an actual spider and all the stories take place in a barn…with a pig friend…but ultimately it ends the same way.

  127. I’m not racist or anything, but I will be buying this.

  128. Is it just me or does anyone else find it a little coincidental that we have a new Spider-Man that looks a little like our president just in time for the 2012 election.

  129. I dropped all the Ultimate comics some time ago and I didn’t plan on buying this but I may have to check it out.  I support the idea of a new Spider-Man becasue I like it when the Ultimate universe skews farther away from the 616 counterpart. I actually agree with @TheNextChampion and have worries that this is just a publicity stunt to grab attention and get more readers. That isn’t really a bad thing if it works, afterall, they are in this to make money. However, I hope they stick to their guns and keep this new Spider-Man. If they bring Peter back and change Mile to the Scarlet Spider or something else it will just be a huge cop out in my opinion. For now, I say enjoy continuity free Spider-Man. Having a fresh start like this, Bendis is sure to write some great stories.

  130. I think somthing like this is going to happen in invincible kirkman is going to be pissed.

  131. @PaulMontgomery  –i totally agree with you about the Ultimate line taking risks and experimenting with legacy characters. Ultimate Universe is the ultimate “what if” right? Mainstream superheroes are pretty wonder bread so its refreshing to see a publisher going for a hero who’s not so homogenized. 

    If Bendis really dives into the character, family, neighborhood etc this could be a really refreshing take on an iconic character.

    @daccampo –mainstream news comment boards can be a parade of ignorance and stupidity..can’t even read them anymore. 

  132. Peter Parker IS Spider Man. Another reason why I will not read this book.

  133. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @spaceghost15  He actually isn’t anymore. Dying will do that to a guy. 

  134. @PaulMontgomery  ZING! Ya know what I mean. Call it pig headed or stupid but I just have zero sesire to read a book where Parker is not Spider-Man.

  135. I am down with this, it will be interesting when this new spider-man crosses paths with spider-woman.

  136. Call me racist if you want… This whole things just sounds awful..

  137. @spaceghost: totally agree!!

  138. I’m confused.

    Aren’t these two comics supposed to be out, like…Today? Why is no-one talking about the comics specifically (people saying “sounds like it’ll be terrible” etc) ? And why isn’t it on the Marvel Digital Store? (It’s supposed to be day&date isn’t it?) The home page of the store has a big “New Ultimate Spider-Man!” promotional graphic but clicking it only takes you to Ultimate Fallout 1-3. 

  139. @boosebaster  Ultimate Fallout #4 is out today. Ultimate Spider-Man #1 doesn’t come out until later.

  140. For some reason I’d had the impression USM relaunched this week along with Ultimate Fallout 4 (I blame Bendis’ nonsensical tweeting). I’m guessing UF4 just isn’t day and date. So it’s just the case that if you’re not American, and you don’t have a comic store in your town, you can screw yourself.

    This is one ass-backwards industry. 

  141. “This is a business, Marvel must do whatever it takes to make money”.

    Well, apart from actually offering it to people who have the money and want to read it right now but don’t have access to a store. Maybe they should think about all the people in the world who don’t have stores or just can’t get to them (what about disabled people?) before they start saying “our backs are against the wall, we simply don’t know what else we can do, we MUST spoil the story!”

     

  142. Making him black is good. I’m black and i want an interesting hero but this talk about making him gay in the future is absurd. They’re making me think they only made him black to f it up. And pick on black people if theyre dumb enough to make people the black hero they have gay i’ll dump marvel (but not for dc they’re racist) and just buy image comics.

  143. Here’s an idea for a banner for the site:

    “Ifanboy.com-The least racist site on the internet!”

    What do ya think?

  144. @nextchampion

    That sounds good. I love ifanboy.com. (not conor that much though).

  145. @TheNextChampion  I’m for that

  146. Heh, during the interview Ron does with Chad Murray in the video show there appears to be a huge Japanese Spider-Man on the wall behind him.

  147. I am buying this because:

    * I want more minority characters in Big Two comics and supporting this title with my dollars shows it.
    * I like Bendis’ writing.
    * New #1 means I don’t have to worry about “where to start?”

    Color me “sold!”

  148. Well, I won’t be buying it apparently, not because of Miles Morales but because Marvel thinks my digital money smells of poo and I’m not allowed to purchase and read it. Looks like Peter’s death was the end of the road for me as far as USM went after all. 

    Apart from the fact it hasn’t been on the iPad today, I just discovered that while I have been paying £2.49 for comics, they cost $1.99 in the US. £2.49 is more than four dollars, it’s not equivalent to two. I’m very quickly developing a sour taste about this whole digital thing.

  149. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @boosebaster  Ultimate Fallout #4 hasn’t been available today? Just making sure because there’s been some confusion of what book is out this week. USM #1 is next month. If you meant Fallout #4 then I understand your consternation. 

  150. No it hasn’t Paul, they finally put it on there about 15 minutes ago (it’s 11 pm in the UK now). I’m not going to bother now, I’ve gone sour on the whole thing and that price is a kick in the balls.

  151. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @boosebaster  That is indeed ridiculous. They need to ammend that quick. 

  152. why does everyone keep glossing over the fact that he is going to be half hispanic, a lot of people keep refering to him as “black”, and “can bendis write from a young, black kid’s point of view?”  is it because no one cares about the other half? 

  153. @sitara119  Our president is multi-racial, but the media, even in other countrys, calls him our first black president not our first multi-racial president. We live on a very strange planet.

  154. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @sitara119  I think this is an extremely unfortunate case of media outlets shoehorning the character’s mixed heritage into a quick headline. They jump on the visual and the “half black” in an effort to simplify the description. Whether or not they know they’re giving half of the character’s heritage short shrift or don’t know that it’s significant, we don’t know. A lot of mainstream outlets are really botching this story. 

  155. I mean, this kid is not going to be able to get away with saying “meshuggah”. Oh, Bendis! (Again, will read this because he’s never, ever let me down. Okay, maybe “Secret Invasion”. But that’s it.)

  156. So now Glenn Beck is calling Miles gay….for no other reason other then to piss people off even more. (I mean for the people who are already mad to begin with….you know, idiots)

    http://www.oliverwillis.com/2011/08/03/glenn-beck-freaks-out-over-multiracial-spider-man-blames-michelle-obama/

  157. “Making him black is good. I’m black and i want an interesting hero but this talk about making him gay in the future is absurd. They’re making me think they only made him black to f it up. And pick on black people if theyre dumb enough to make people the black hero they have gay i’ll dump marvel (but not for dc they’re racist) and just buy image comics.”

    @tsbelementman So… You’re fine with him being black because you’re black and want an interesting hero, but him being both black and gay would ruin it. 

    I can’t tell whether you’re saying this because you believe it’s too pandering or because you just think gays are icky and don’t want this new black guy, which you associate with because you’re black too, to be something that you aren’t. Assuming you’re not gay, of course. Correct me if I’m wrong.

    I would agree that it seems like they wanted to make a bunch of statements all at once, but don’t understand the idea that him being part of one minority group is fine, while adding him to another is instantly terrible, regardless of how well it’s actually written. Most of us have obviously not read a word of this story yet.

  158. I guess it gets better?

  159. @TNC – Because when I hear that clip of Michelle Obama talking, I instantly think, “She’s talking about Spider-Man.”

    *incoherent sputtering* (This occurs whenever I listen to Beck. GLENN Beck, not musician Beck, who I actually rather like.) 

  160. @tsbelementman  You have no idea how sad you make me… and how impressed I am at your ability to simultaneously and without any sense of irony whatsoever argue both sides of the same debate at once.

    I’d rather not spell out what I mean by that; if someone doesn’t get it, that’s fine by me.

  161. @TheNextChampion  You know what might have offended me about that Glenn Beck clip the most? The sidekick guy sneering, “I’m not some comic book geek.” Well, no, that’s fair. What you ARE, though, is the glad-handing hanger-on to an opportunistic, agenda-spouting, manipulative, ratings-starved crackpot.

  162. @boosebaster  @PaulMontgomery I was able to download UF #4 at 8:30 (Pacific) this morning – the time new day-and-dates are normally released on Comixology.

  163. I’m sorry but one of the picture for the “end of post links to other iF posts” spoiled the identity… 🙁 couldn’t a picture of the Spidey suit be there instead? :/ it got spoiled anyways… 

  164. The funniest thing abou this announcement is that every time I tell someone about this, their reaction is: “Andrew Garfield’s black?”

    The average person doesn’t know or care about comics. 

  165. I just told my parents about this and….

    They didn’t get it. 

  166. @Highball 
    Were you in the Marvel App itself (which I believe is Comixology tech)?  Or in the Comixology App? I didn’t think to try that.

    It definitely wasn’t in the Marvel App until very late evening, at least not in the UK (I don’t know if these things get loaded on seperately or what).

    Marvel has a diverse, worldwide audience, but it simply doesn’t know how to get out of the mindset of pandering only to the Wednesday comic shop crowd. 

  167. It be kinda nice to have a Spider-Man who isn’t always popping out silly one liners and drolly over Mary Jane. Will be checking this out but I really really hope this is going to be a whole new character and not a carbon copy of the original just with a different suit.

  168. Paul- Well obviously you’re right.
    What was a thinking.
    You are completely right- you’re reasoning is totally logical, almost mathematical.
    Infallible.
    I will change my opinion immediately.
    Thank you for explaining my error and not enabling me to have my own opinion by acknoweldging any emotional resonance to what I might be saying.
    Dodged a bullet there.

  169. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @ericmci  You’re entitled to your opinion. I’m just saying it’s baseless. Peter has a legacy and it’s being honored by someone else. Peter might not want this for Miles because he knows how hard it is. But he’d be proud of him. Miles is taking up Peter’s mantle just as Peter took it up from Uncle Ben. 

  170. I always loved Peter’s story rather than “spider-man’s”. I’m done with this title unless Peter comes back.

  171. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @supertrackmonkey  This is your right, but it begs the question: Do all of the other books you read each month have Pater Parker in them? Is Green Lantern unacceptable because Peter isn’t featured? Are you abstaining from every book featuring a new character? 

  172. @supertrackmonkey  Thats my point also. I’m not mad that they want to make a diverse multi racial character (who may or may not be gay). It’s that if they write him like Peter it will feel hollow and awkward and if they don’t it makes me pine for Peter. You can’t kill Frank Castle and have someone else be the Punisher. The characters are linked, they are the story.
    However this is the Ultimate line that does not sway in the real 616 and it’s Bendis’s book he can do what he likes. I hope its awesome and great for those people that read it. Sadly it won’t be me.

  173. @supertrackmonkey  I don’t get this idea. The reason you loved Ultimate Spider-man isn’t because of Peter Parker. He’s not real. The real reason you love it is because of the writer: Brian Michael Bendis, who is still going to be writing the book.

  174. @TheGoddamnDeadpool  –totally agree. its not like they’re giving it to a new writer. Call me crazy, but it feels like Bendis has a *plan* with this. I’m sure it will be good. Maybe he’ll actually be able to create a new icon for a new generation. The horror!!!

    I’ve said it before and i’ve been flamed for it, but its sad that so many comic fans don’t want anything to change..EVER. Its gonna be ok. Open you mind to new things, let characters evolve, let your comics change just a little bit. 

  175. Well, I went ahead and preordered the first two issues at my store yesterday.  There’s something about the winds of change coming through the industry right now, with DC’s overhaul, that just gets me all excited.  It’s great see a similar wind blowing through the Ultimate Universe.  Someone above mentioned that the Ultimate U is more interesting the further it gets away from 616, and I couldn’t agree more.  In the words of Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock:  “Let’s do this!”

  176. @Woomer  

  177. Peter Parker is in about 10 comics every month.  This new guy, just the one.  Give him a break.  It’s meant to be an alternative universe Spiderman anyway.  Treat it like a new book written by Bendis and drawn by the exceptional Sarah Pichelli, about a cool looking superhero.

  178. After reading… ok, skimming all of the comments for this post I can’t help but wonder:

    What If?! Marvel released this announcement today after its fans had a chance to read the story Wednesday?

    Would we hit the boards with the same fervor? Would we have gone on the boards of USA Today (and other news sites) and rather than kneejerk with the rest of ’em provide informed critiques of what actually happened in Ultimate Fallout #4 and what preceded it? Would our comments have convinced someone to read Ultimate Fallout or any Spider-Man comic book?

    The iFanboy community (and others like it) is for the most part a collection of intelligent, informed, funny (sometimes snarky), decent individuals who love comics. It’s disappointing when the publishers of the stories we cherish spoil them for people who don’t.

    They really don’t understand how powerful a resource we can be for them.

  179. I think with this announcement, some people realized they’re a little more racist than what they originally thought.

  180. @vadamowens  –they’re usually the last ones in the room to realize that.

  181. @vadamowens  No, the sad thing is most of them don’t even realise it.

    This Dwayne McDuffie video explains a lot of things to me:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u16sKK-1oLQ 

  182. Seriously, look at how awkward some of the above comments are.  We’re still going around in circles as a society when it comes to race.  It’s hysterical and sad at the same time.

  183. As long as the story and the character is good, who cares?

  184. @vadamowens Just as hilarious is people stumbling over each other to prove that they are the least racist. That puppet play got it right, “everyone is a little bit racist”. Yes we’re all human but we’re all also ONLY human. Accepting that is the first stage towards improving the situation.

    Anyone that says things like “I don’t even see colour, man” is talking crap.

  185. Im with RickyStardust.  I dont get the rage for changing up Peter Parker in this title.  I might get the rage if we were talking the 616 universe and Peter was killed and replaced… but this is an alternate universe, and there’s no shortage of Peter Parker Spiderman stories….besides his own book, we have him in Avengers and Fantastic Four!

    That being said, I also didnt understand why there was such a driving urge to have Peter Parker become single again for Brand New Day, when we already had single Peter Parker in the Ultimate line. 

  186. A girl who works at my LCS said to me “The sad thing is that the only way they can make characters relevant is to kill them and replace them with minorities.” The sad thing is I don’t think she realized her statement was almost as incorrect as it was racist. I left the store shaking my head.

  187. I don’t buy that Ultimate Peter Parker is an “alternate” or not “the real one” in any way. He was MY Spider-man (even though I read 616 spider as a kid in the 80s) and was THE definitive take on the character as far as I’m concerned. Among other things, I’m firmly in the camp that sees Spidey as a “teenage superhero”. He just doesn’t seem right as an adult.

    All the crappy stories 616 spidey has been involved in will never happen to my Peter (totems,
    Ben Reilly, brand new days, for a start). He had an untouchable run that was pretty much perfect throughout, and now, nobody can ever change that.

  188. It’s a slippery slope, people!  If we’re not careful, minorities could end up being 0.003% of our beloved super-heroes!

  189. @boosebaster, I agree with that, but he’s dead, that story’s finished, so what’s the difference if someone else is inside the suit now?  Like I said, this is a new comic essentially, if you don’t like the sound of it, don’t buy it.  I guess a good question to other people would be would they have read the last 160 issues of USM if this guy had been in the Spidey suit from the beginning?  If all those stories were the same and just as good but it was this guy, not Peter?

  190. The ult universe sucks anyway… Do with it what you will, Bendis.

  191. @RickyStardust

    I haven’t had a bad word to say about there being a new Spidey from the beginning! I’m looking forward to it. 🙂

    (Well I have had bad words, I’m majorly annoyed that it didn’t go on the Marvel App until Wednesday night and even more fucked off that I’m expected to pay double what Americans are for it as I’m in the UK – as a result I’ve stuck to my guns and not bought it). 

    What I was saying was a response to all the people saying crazy things like “Well, it’s not the REAL Spider-Man anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

    He WAS the real Spider-Man to a lot of people. Not just youngsters…I’m 33. And more to the point, Ultimate Spider-Man OWNS 616 Spider-Man in every way apart from the number of issues released.

     

  192. @boosebaster, yeah I appreciate that, I checked back on your comments before I posted mine.  I’m 34 and probably coming at things from a similar direction to you, don’t buy 616 Spiderman (don’t even really know what 616 Spiderman really means), just got Ultimate because I liked what Bendis did with some of the ideas.  I tohught you were responding to my point, and I want to elaborate by saying what I mean is, its totally fine to love that version of USM and not be interested in continuing because you’re done with it, I’m more saying that the outrage by others at someone else taking over the costume is just weird because the whole concept is to be an alternative type thing.  Anyway, I think we’re both on the same page, hopefully it’s going to be awesome and this will all go away in a couple of months!

  193. I really don’t get why some people have their panties in a twist over this (Beck et al) … oh, wait … I do … It’s called racial bigotry … Personally, I think it’s brilliant and will be buying. This choice infuses Spider-Man with potential to be a compelling story (not that it hasn’t been over the last four+ decades of the character’s existence). On a more cynical note, Marvel never does anything if they don’t think there is a buck to be made. Otherwise a lot of the crap they put out wouldn’t be on the stands (I say that as a fan who buys some of their better work religiously). I have a feeling they wouldn’t have made this choice unless they thought there was a market for it. So, with that in mind, I really hope they do it up right, or I’ll be quite disappointed.

  194. @cahubble09, normally I’d agree with you but I can’t see this as a commercial move on Marvel’s part, I can’t see it selling more than previous USM, I think it’s because this is what Bendis wanted to do and he has enough power to pull it off.

  195. WOW – I would like to say WOW. Noth that he is Black/Hispanic. The reactions from fanboy/girls on here are much better than I expected. Before reading I prepped myself for an onslought of racist comments. I read like 30 straight without seeing one. This is a great start for my weekend. Maybe humans can grow and change. I love it so much because I grew up on comics, learned to read first with comics and joined the military because of hero values i obtained from comics as a kid. I am proud of us (fanboys/girls)

  196. @RickyStardust: I definitely don’t disagree with you. I just couldn’t help thinking about Jason Wood’s recent article discussing Marvel’s very calculating fiscal discipline. I certainly don’t see this as purely monetarily motivated. It is incredibly exciting and I’m looking forward to reading/seeing the stories they tell. But I don’t think they would have made the change if they thought it would be a losing proposition.

  197. I’d be curious to see a graph of the iFanboy ratings on Ultimate Spider-man.  I always loved Ult. Spider-man when it was BMB’s self contained storyline, where almost 10 years of comics covered a few months of Peter Parker’s life.  But ever since Ultimatum the quality of the book has suffered imo.  If I hear that the Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-man is the back up to the book’s former quality, I’ll definitely pick up the trades. But if they continue from Ultimate cross-over to Ultimate cross-over I don’t expect to regret taking a pass on Volume 2.

  198. @Myself:  I checked it out and over all the ratings have been consistently solid, just taking a dip during the Ultimatum cross-over.

  199. I get the feeling a lot of people on the webzones look at the duality of spidey and peter parker as unchangeable, different from someone like green lantern where anyone can fit the job, for those “fans” clark kent is superman, bruce wayne is batman, peter parker is spider-man. and it’s almost like these characters are real people, so just like you probably wouldn’t have roosevelt be played by an asian man, or martin luther king jnr be white, to stick to the truth of the story you’d probably have that role played by someone of the same nationality. i don’t really see it as racist. if they had a new avengers film and had john cho and kal penn as harlem’s finest luke cage and sam wilson i’m sure we’d have people crying foul there too. not that it wouldn’t be awesome.
    this doesn’t excuse people from not understanding that miles morales (fantastic name!) and peter parker are two different people though. i just think people aren’t being racist but they’re wording unintentionally is.

  200. I don’t think Donald Glover should play Spider-Man. He could be a great Flash Thompson though.

    It should be Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris or McLovin’.

     

  201. @Matrix  Although seeing a white actor play Martin Luther King Jr. would be interesting …..

    There is literally nothing about Spider-Man’s character that is inextricably tied to his whiteness.

  202. Honestly, it seems like a publicity stunt to me. Were they advertising how great the new charatcer is and how Bendis has crafted a superb origin story for this charatcer and how he was inspired by Peter? Not as far as I can tell. Everything I’ve seen has focused almost entirely on the ethnicity of the character. So far this seems to be about pushing diversity in spite of story. Of course, this could be due solely to MArvel’s marketing department and not to Bendis’s actual thoughts and plans regarding the book. I’ll keep reading, but it seems EXTREMELY gimmicky to me. I hope he doesn’t lose his powers and have to start wearing an armored costume while dealing with a cloned version of himself trying to take his place until a Kryptonian resurrection matrix brings back Peter. I just think that would be too on the nose/ =P

  203. @Matrix: You might enjoy Will Brooker’s “Batman Unmasked: Analyzing A Cultural Icon”. It is mainly a discussion of the history of the character, of how it and interpretations of it have shifted over the years. He emphasizes the role that audiences play in shaping cultural production once a character reaches the kind of iconic mythical status that Batman has. In Batman’s case, there has been an ongoing tension between the character’s dual alternating representations as dark/gritty and pop/campy. More recently, he argues, the character has been allowed to assume multiple identities and variants (All Star Batman, Batman Beyond, Dick Grayson Batman, Batman Inc.) in orderto accommodate the diverse audiences who invest in the character and claim it as their own. There has also been some commentary about how manufacturers diversify representations in order to maximize profits (see Pearson and Urrichio’s edited “Many Faces of Batman” from 1991).

    I think Spider-Man has been undergoing a similar process, as controversies surrounding the musical seem to suggest (who was the interloper? the Broadway maven. Who saved the day? the comic book writers). The character has been iconic for decades. The fact that the character can (hopefully) be translated into a new iteration having profound meaning for potentially millions of fans (just read David Betancourt’s recent opinion piece:

  204. @KevinAB: I haven’t analyzed Marvel’s PR messaging, but could it be that the focus on race and ethnicity has been at least as much a function of the marked preoccupation of observers and commentators as it has been Marvel’s?

  205. I’m not sure I get this biracial stamp I keep seeing, isn’t he just “American” ?

  206. @boosebaster  –i really wish our society was there, but sadly, it just isn’t.

    And just think, there’s a whole federation of planets out there waiting to make first contact with us…all we have to do is get over this petty BS!!! =)

  207. @boosebaster — b^.^d

  208. Way late to the conversation on this, I really like how the new Ultimate line is shaping up. I get a post-superhero vibe that is exciting.

    I just reread the first two ultimate spider arcs, and it totally made me sad that for the loss of Peter’s character. However, I’m exciting to get to know Miles (and kind of surprised/disappointed that this is being considered massive spoiler)

    In a bigger sense, as it relates to Peter, I’m happy to see an awesome character in a superhero comic have a $&@!ing third act and an ending for once. Amid all the discussions regarding relaunches and reboots, I find myself getting sick of the expectation that COMICS ARE FOREVER. As much as I enjoy them, part of me thinks the concept of a shared universe and continuity has gone too far. Not that the Ultimate line remained as streamlined and compact as it originally intended to be, it’s nice to see a return to that along with some actual progress.

  209. the discourse makes me drowsy