The Web Page: Nov. 28, 2007

Wow...Wizard have really been cranking out the articles and features of late! There were quite a lot of lean spells in November, but now it's approaching the end of the year, seems like there are HEAPS of things to report on!

Here's another installment of "The Web Page":


THE WEB PAGE: NOV. 28, 2007
Wizard Universe’s regular swing through ‘Spider-Man: One More Day’

By Sal Loria

Posted November 29, 2007 12:55 PM

EDITOR’S NOTE: The amazing Spider-Man is swinging into a whole new friendly neighborhood thanks to the back-to-back Spidey mega-events “One More Day” and “Brand New Day,” both of which are poised to change the wall-crawler’s world forever. So check the Web Page with each new issue for recaps, insight, analysis, Easter eggs and more web-slinging goodness!)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

PREVIOUSLY IN THE LIFE OF SPIDER-MAN:

• Bitten by a radioactive spider while on a school field trip, nerdy Peter Parker gained the proportionate strength and abilities of a spider. Following the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter took on the alter-ego of Spider-Man in hopes of helping others, because with great power comes great responsibility.
• Life threw many curveballs at Peter, but he still found love with the beautiful Gwen Stacy—until a battle with the Green Goblin left her dead. Eventually, old wounds healed as he fell for, and eventually married, model/actress Mary Jane Watson. With his wife and his beloved Aunt May behind him and a membership in the New Avengers offering new support, things were looking up for Peter.
• Then the Stamford disaster, in which an out-of-control battle between heroes and villains left hundreds of civilians dead, turned the Marvel Universe upside-down. Wanting to put a stop to these “unsanctioned” heroes, the government and Tony Stark/Iron Man put instituted the Superhuman Registration Act, forcing all heroes to receive official sanction from the government. Spider-Man chose to back the act, and as a sign of good faith, he revealed his secret identity to the world.
• As a civil war among the heroes broke out, Peter began to rethink his stance, and realized just how much of a mistake he made by going public. Switching sides meant that Peter and his family were on the run—fugitives for making a stand against Iron Man and registration.
• While the Parkers were on the lam, a sniper hired by long-time Spider-Man adversary the Kingpin shot Aunt May. Spider-Man tracked down the man who gave the order and trounced the Kingpin while he was still in prison, vowing to return and to finish him should his Aunt May pass away. She remains in a coma, with extremely little chance for recovery…
• With rising hospital costs, Peter and MJ are aided by Jarvis, personal butler to Tony Stark and one-time romantic interest to Aunt May, as he covers all of the bills for May’s care. With the financial problem in order, Peter heads off in search of other alternatives in saving his aunt.
• Dr. Strange helps Peter split his consciousness into many parts, allowing him to ask the majority of the Marvel Universe’s power players to save his aunt—all of whom are unable. Attempting to stop the gunman by going back in time, all Peter manages to do is nearly get himself killed by the mystical Nightwalkers and relive the initial horror of his aunt getting shot all over again. Dejected, Peter leaves Strange’s sanctorum and comes across a mysterious little girl…

THIS WEEK…

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #41
J. Michael Straczynski (W)/Joe Quesada (A)



THE SPIDER-SUMMARY:

• Peter talks to the little girl who seems to know everything about his current troubles, and agrees—reluctantly—to follow her. Rounding a corner, Peter encounters another stranger sitting on a park bench. The older gentleman starts explaining to Peter that if he had the power to be a real hero who could change the world and save lives, he’d be grateful and not ask for anything in return.
• At that moment, a Rolls Royce arrives and another, even older gentleman beckons Peter over, offering a lift to the person who can help Peter. This third stranger is obviously well off, but seems depressed over the fact that he has everything a person could possibly want, but he’d trade it all in for his true beloved. Down yet another street and Peter meets up with a woman who explains that the tiniest change in history can drastically alter what a person becomes.
• One possible course for Peter would be to become introverted and focus only on the things he can control, thereby losing sight of his own potential. Another option would be to constantly want to prove his worth and value regardless of how successful he may become, resulting in Peter becoming consumed.
• Fed up with the surreal surroundings, Peter lashes out, intent on carrying on with his quest to save his aunt’s life. It’s at this point that the woman shows her true identity—Mephisto. Peter quickly surmises that Mephisto wants his soul in exchange for Aunt May’s life, but that’s not the case at all. Simultaneously giving the offer to both Peter and Mary Jane, Mephisto promises that one of two things will happen at midnight the following day: either Aunt May dies, or Peter and MJ’s marriage will be wiped out completely!

MAYDAY?!?



Long thought buried under Marvel continuity, baby May Parker was swept under the proverbial rug never to be seen or mentioned again. Then again, a little girl who claims to be smart like her dad but wants to be beautiful like her mom is sure to raise a few eyebrows…

SUBWAY’S NEW SPOKESMAN



At least we now know that a powerless, alternate reality version of Peter Parker could still find fame shilling foot-longs, and much like Jared, Petey’s 15 minutes of fame would be unnecessarily stretched for an eternity.

SOMEONE KEEP WANDA OUTTA HERE!



We all saw what “No more mutants” did to the Marvel U’s resident homo superiors, but while there still are almost 200 mutants running around, there’s only one Spider-Man. Imagine no more web-spinning adventures, comical zingers and catchy theme songs. I

DEMON…REVEAL THYSELF!



The only thing missing from this reveal is someone to announce Mephisto’s arrival. Understandably, Thor’s tied up with things since his return, but couldn’t Hercules be rounded up for this special occasion? He’s always in need for ale money after all…

WHAT’S THE CATCH?



Here it is, folks, the moment that Joe Quesada and JMS have been inching towards for six years. How will it end? Check out Amazing Spider-Man #545 for the answer!

The Web Page: Oct 10, 2007

More of The Web Page: the latest events happening in the One More Day arc in the Spidey-verse!

THE WEB PAGE: OCT. 10, 2007
Wizard Universe’s regular swing through ‘Spider-Man: One More Day’

By Sal Loria

Posted October 10, 2007 4:35 PM

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The amazing Spider-Man is swinging into a whole new friendly neighborhood thanks to the back-to-back Spidey mega-events “One More Day” and “Brand New Day,” both of which are poised to change the wall-crawler’s world forever. So check into the Crawl Space with each new issue for recaps, insight, analysis, Easter eggs and more web-slinging goodness! )

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

PREVIOUSLY IN THE LIFE OF SPIDER-MAN:

• Bitten by a radioactive spider while on a school field trip, nerdy Peter Parker gained the proportionate strength and abilities of a spider. Following the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter took on the alter-ego of Spider-Man in hopes of helping others, because with great power comes great responsibility.
• Life threw many curveballs at Peter, but he still found love with the beautiful Gwen Stacy—until a battle with the Green Goblin left her dead. Eventually, old wounds healed as he fell for, and eventually married, model/actress Mary Jane Watson. With his wife and his beloved Aunt May behind him and a membership in the New Avengers offering new support, things were looking up for Peter.
• Then the Stamford disaster, in which an out-of-control battle between heroes and villains left hundreds of civilians dead, turned the Marvel Universe upside-down. Wanting to put a stop to these “unsanctioned” heroes, the government and Tony Stark/Iron Man instituted the Superhuman Registration Act, forcing all heroes to receive official sanction from the government. Spider-Man chose to back the act, and as a sign of good faith, he revealed his secret identity to the world.
• As a civil war among the heroes broke out, Peter began to rethink his stance, and realized just how much of a mistake he made by going public. Switching sides meant that Peter and his family were on the run—fugitives for making a stand against Iron Man and registration.
• While the Parkers were on the lam, a sniper hired by longtime Spider-Man adversary the Kingpin shot Aunt May. Spider-Man tracked down the man who gave the order and trounced the Kingpin while he was still in prison, vowing to return and to finish him should his Aunt May pass away. She remains in a coma, with extremely little chance for recovery…
• With rising hospital costs, Peter and MJ are aided by Jarvis, personal butler to Tony Stark and one-time romantic interest of Aunt May, as he covers all of the bills for May’s care. With the financial problem in order, Peter heads off in search of other alternatives in saving his aunt.

THIS WEEK…

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #24
J. Michael Straczynski (W)/Joe Quesada (A)



THE SPIDER-SUMMARY:

• An upset Spider-Man pays a visit to Doctor Strange in hopes of finding a remedy for Aunt May’s condition. While Strange explains that there’s nothing he can do to heal her, he does offer Peter a chance to search all possibilities himself by invoking the Hands of the Dead—allowing Peter to “enter the tides of space and time” and to “be in several places at once.”
• Splitting his consciousness, Spider-Man asks a virtual who’s who of the Marvel Universe for help in saving his aunt. Everyone from Reed Richards, Dr. Curt Connors and Beast and Yellowjacket to Doctor Octopus, Doctor Doom and even the Night Nurse give the same answer—they are unable to help.
• Back in Strange’s inner sanctum, Peter seizes the opportunity when the Master of Mysticism turns his back, and invokes the Hands of the Dead once again—this time, diving in headfirst and going back to the moments leading up to Aunt May being shot.
• Unable to stop the shooting because he’s unable to physically touch anything, a frantic Peter watches in horror as he relives the moment his aunt was gunned down. Adding to the problem is the arrival of the Nightwalkers, creatures that live on the edges of time and space in order to prevent destiny from being changed. Peter can’t hurt them, but they can inflict damage on him, and do so repeatedly until Strange pulls Peter back to our reality.
• After Doctor Strange heals Peter of his grave injuries—“magical cures for magical ills”—Peter comes to a hard conclusion: His beloved Aunt May will die, and there’s nothing he can do to change that. Leaving, Peter mulls over what he’s just experienced when a familiar bird causes him to follow it, where he runs into a little girl who says she can change the fact that everyone dies…

ROAD TRIP



By splitting himself up, Peter visits anyone he thinks may be able to help his Aunt May, and this journey of his is detailed with this image. For more on how Joe Quesada came up with this gem, as well as who each character is, click here!

TAKING THE PLUNGE



Not satisfied with his results from his trip, Peter decides to try again, this time without the good Doctor’s help and guidance. Unlike Peter, Strange knows immediately what a terrible mistake the grief-stricken lad has made.

A PERSONAL HELL



Peter must relive this tragic moment in his life once more, and worse yet, he’s powerless to stop it. Joe Quesada’s depiction of both Peter and Spider-Man’s synchronized horror is spot-on here.

LITTLE GIRLS ARE EVIL



…or, at the very least, they should be dealt with from afar. In the Marvel Universe, whenever a new little girl pops up, it signals a potentially enormous change (Layla Miller anyone?) and this is no exception. But what will this arrival bring?


Once again, fabulous looking art by Joe Quesada. It's times like these when you can't help but wish he were back pencilling regularly again, instead of having his full-time day job as the Marvel EEK! (Editor in Chief).

Though, if he wasn't the Marvel EEK! then we'd lose so many great stories and so many great creators working for Marvel. On second thoughts, keep the day job, Joey Q!

The Web Page: 7 September

Right. I haven't even read the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man #544 yet (I haven't even PURCHASED it yet) but I'm going to be featuring the articles and analysis here, since I've already missed out on some awesome ongoing features like the Civil War features and the World War Hulk War Room.

THE WEB PAGE: SEPT. 7, 2007
Wizard Universe’s regular swing through ‘Spider-Man: One More Day’

By Sal Loria

Posted September 7, 2007 11:00 AM

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The amazing Spider-Man is swinging into a whole new friendly neighborhood thanks to the back-to-back Spidey mega-events “One More Day” and “Brand New Day,” both of which are poised to change the wall-crawler’s world forever. So check back here with each new issue for recaps, insight, analysis, Easter eggs and more web-slinging goodness!]

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

PREVIOUSLY IN THE LIFE OF SPIDER-MAN:

• Bitten by a radioactive spider during a science demonstration, nerdy Peter Parker gained the proportionate strength and abilities of a spider. After the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter took on the alter ego of Spider-Man in hopes of helping others, because with great power comes great responsibility.
• Life threw many curveballs at Peter, but he found love with the beautiful Gwen Stacy—until a battle with the Green Goblin left her dead. Eventually, old wounds healed as he fell for, and eventually married, model/actress Mary Jane Watson. With his wife and his beloved Aunt May behind him and a membership in the New Avengers offering new support, things were looking up for Peter.
• Then the Stamford disaster, in which an out-of-control battle between heroes and villains left hundreds of civilians dead, turned the Marvel Universe upside down. Wanting to put a stop to these “unsanctioned” heroes, the government and Tony Stark/Iron Man instituted the Superhuman Registration Act, forcing all heroes to receive official sanction from the government. Spider-Man chose to back the act, and as a sign of good faith, he revealed his secret identity to the world.
• As a civil war among the heroes broke out, Peter began to rethink his stance, and realized just how much of a mistake he made by going public. Switching sides meant that Peter and his family were on the run—fugitives for making a stand against Iron Man and registration.
• While the Parkers were on the lam, a sniper hired by longtime Spider-Man adversary the Kingpin shot Aunt May. Spider-Man tracked down the man who gave the order and trounced the Kingpin while he was still in prison, vowing to return and to finish him should his Aunt May pass away. She remains in a coma, with extremely little chance for recovery…

THIS WEEK…

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #544
J. Michael Straczynski (W)/Joe Quesada (A)


THE SPIDER-SUMMARY:

• While standing by Aunt May’s bedside, Peter and MJ are visited by Dr. Fine, who informs the “Morgans”—the fake surname the Parkers are using—that unless the hospital receives proof of payment, Aunt May will be transferred to the charity care ward. Visibly upset, Peter storms out to search for money—only the doctor, who saw through the fake names, tells Peter he’ll stall the transfer as long as possible as thanks for Spider-Man saving his uncle years before.
• Breaking into Stark Tower, Peter is quickly met—head on—by the person he’s searching for: Tony Stark. Their tussle lands them on the streets below, and Peter unloads everything he’s got, encasing Tony in a cocoon of webbing. Pleading for financial help, Peter is clearly at his darkest hour. Regardless, Tony declines, stating it would go against everything he’s trying to build since the war. Breaking free of his webbed prison, Tony lets Peter go, but promises him the next time they meet, Peter will be arrested.
• Back at the tower, Tony has a change of heart, and entrusts his butler, Jarvis—who had a brief courtship with Aunt May prior to her being gunned down—with the money needed to keep her comfortable. After Jarvis arrives at the hospital and makes the necessary arrangements, Dr. Fine informs Peter and MJ that they need to face facts: Aunt May will die, and nothing “humanly possible” will prevent that. With his monetary woes temporarily solved, Peter sets out to find any solution “outside the box” that can be used, because nothing will stand in his way of saving his beloved aunt.

BORROWED TIME?



Grief-stricken with Aunt May’s current condition, the Parkers have no one but themselves to lean on. With Peter’s life spiraling out of control, could this be one of the last moments shared between them?

WHERE’S THE WELCOME WAGON?



Desperate times call for desperate measures, but surely even Peter knew he wouldn’t be greeted with a handshake and a “hello.” Instead, ol’ Shell-head decided to take his one-time protégé for a little breath of fresh air.

ALL TUCKED IN FOR THE NIGHT



Despite being one of the coolest single-page spreads in a long time, did anyone else wonder where in the world Petey stored all of that webbing to begin with? Ick.

TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES…



Jarvis, confidant and butler extraordinaire, has seen and dealt with many tragedies while employed under Tony Stark, but matters of the heart are another story altogether. The mere sight of May lying in the hospital was enough to make him break.

MIKE WIERINGO: 1963–2007



It was only fitting that Marvel would pay tribute to the recently deceased Mike Wieringo—who worked some of his illustrious magic over the years on The Astonishing Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and The Sensational Spider-Man, to name a few—in this new chapter of the Web-head’s life. Godspeed Mike, godspeed.