cahubble09

August 6, 2011 2:31 pm David Betancourt's commentary: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/miles-morales-and-me-why-the-new-biracial-spider-man-matters/2011/08/04/gIQABzlGuI_blog.html

August 6, 2011 2:29 pm @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?

August 6, 2011 2:25 pm @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:

August 5, 2011 9:53 pm For some reason, I just wasn't digging this when I read it, but I couldn't figure out why ... and then I listened to Eleven O'Clock Comics podcast and Vince B. and Jason Wood put their fingers on why. The artwork in this is gorgeous, but I really don't care for the lead character.

August 5, 2011 9:50 pm @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.

August 5, 2011 6:50 pm 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.

August 2, 2011 12:37 pm I was so totally unimpressed with Blackest Night ... Seriously, what WAS the bid deal? Fear Itself has been OK, but comparing it to BN is like comparing apples and oranges. The best Marvel book of the summer IMO has been Journey Into Mystery. What I find slightly saddening is that so much attention is given to arguing about the big two when there is wonderful work being put out by the smaller publishers. Boom!, Dark Horse, IDW, Dynamite, Image ... each have some fantastic titles. The ongoing debate about which of the big two sucks more cheats readers and indies alike.

August 1, 2011 11:14 pm Don't buy the Vol 1 trade ... buy the hard cover ...

August 1, 2011 3:45 pm haha ... monsterface ... The Johnny Storm humor is back ...

August 1, 2011 2:13 pm Well this is a strange story to be putting in hard cover ...