User blog:Dorkpool/Spider-Man: Season One

There's a comic I own called Spider-Man: Season One. It's a retelling of Spider-Man's origin, and some of Amazing Spider-Man #2 (comic, not movie). It's not that good, and I'm prepared to tell you all why.

First, let me tell you the story. Nerdy high school student Peter Parker goes to a demonstration involving radioactivity or some kind of radiation-based plot device, and is bitten by a radioactive spider. He gets powers, and decides to go into showbiz. The comic focuses quite a bit on Spider-Man being a showbiz figure before a superhero. Anyway, his uncle is killed by a thief he let escape, and is unable to appear on TV due to an expose in the Daily Bugle that made him out to be a bad guy. Around this time, the Vulture is around, and no one can get a picture of him. So, Peter decides to get a picture, and sell it to the Bugle. Spidey defeats the Vulture, the end. That's it in a nutshell.

Now, there are a few things about this story that bothers me. First, it pretty much glosses over Peter trying out his powers and making his costume, and focuses quite a bit on him in showbiz. An interesting concept, but it takes so long, and it's quite annoying, and the reason why J. Jonah Jameson wants Spider-Man hated is never really made clear. In the original comics, it's because of J.J.J. being jealous of Spidey; however, that's revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #10, and Season One is an adaptation of Amazing Fantasy #15 and Amazing Spider-Man #2, so I won't be too hard on that part.. Anyway, as I was saying, it focuses more on Peter in showbiz and kind of glosses over other bits of his origin, like him originally trying out to be a wrestler. It's mentioned, but I would prefer to see it, and watch as he discovers more about his powers.

Next, and this is a minor nitpick of mine, but it bothers me. In this story, the Vulture hurts Spidey, and drops him in a water tower, hoping to drown him. This is similar to a scene in Amazing Spider-Man #2, except in that issue, we see Spider-Man using his intellect and his strength to break out. Here, we don't know how Peter gets out of it. We see Vulture drop him in, and then cut to Spider-Man walking down the street in a wet costume. We don't know what happened, just that he's ok. Way to undercut drama, writer. See, as I said, the scene in Amazing Spider-Man shows Peter's intellect, and some writers forget that Peter Parker is a scientific prodigy. I mean, he created the webshooters and web fluid! The scene remade in Spider-Man: Season One undercuts his intellect.

Also, there's a bit of a plot hole. While Spider-Man fights the Vulture, he takes pictures of him to sell to the Bugle. During the fight, Spidey mentions that he's taking pictures of Vulture. That is stupid. I'm pretty sure the Bugle has a byline, and the Vulture could see the issue of the Bugle with those photos, and find out that Peter Parker took those pictures. Congrtulations, dumbass. You gave away your secret identity.

Finally, the art work. The artist is good at drawing Spider-Man, but sucks at drawing faces. Most of the faces seem stuck in really stupid looking expressions. I was laughing a bit when looking at them, which I'm pretty sure wasn't the reaction the artist wanted.

Now, there are a couple of good scenes. I personally think the best was when Spider-Man saves a little boy with the name Morales on the back of his jacket, a subtle nod to the future Ultimate Spider-Man, Miles Morales. That's really the high point of the comic in my opinion, and that's sad.

Anyway, there are two things we can take away from this: First, I know way too much about Spider-Man, and need a life. And second, to quote Linkara, this comic sucks!