Thursday 20 March 2008

HUGE MILLENIUM FOR THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

These first ten years in the new millennium were huge for Marvel in total, specially for there flagship character: PETER PARKER; THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. So many changes and great things happened for spidey, unfortunately there are also bad things that happened, huge failures.

In mainstream comics:

Amazing Spider-Man

Peter thought he lost his wife in a plane crash after two years of his character rebooting and swinging back in action, Mary Jane didn't die and separated from her husband moving to HollyWood. Peter had serious issues regarding the situation; lack of money and having a hard time to get a good apartment.

Screenplay writer "Joe Michael Straczynski" came in the Marvel board in an exclusive contract and wrote incredible stories after MJ left Peter starting by the introduction of Ezekiel Simms who came to warn Peter of a grave danger that is after him to absorb his pure totemestic energy. Before Peter faced his nightmare he had a job as a science teacher in his old high school: "Midtown High School".

Spider-Man and Morlun had a huge fight after Spider-Man saw the Carnage he was making in the city, the fight lasted over a day. After the death of Morlun Spider-Man went to Ezekiel corporation to see how things are with the death of the CEO who was actually still alive and Spidey got thrilled to know the truth.

May Parker knew her late husband's nephew long time dark secret and confronted him with it, she accepted the fact that her beloved son like man is the man she used to fear highly and changed her view about his alter ego. She decided to help enhance Peter's alter ego public image by trying to change Iron Lungs Jameson to change his thoughts on Spider-Man without giving away his secret.

Peter went to LA with his Aunt May to see his wife who was playing the star female role in a flick of a weird super hero "The Amazing Lobster-Man" who has an exact alternate origin of Peter Parker (Lobster instead of a spider). The man in the funny suit had a crush for MJ who is still loyal to her husband despite their separation. MJ and Peter returned to each other and the now late Captain America met her as a friend of Spider-Man.

In the "Book of Ezekiel" Ezekiel told Peter his origin, and how there is only supposed to be one spider person chosen by the power's, Ezekiel let Peter tied up and almost eaten by a "Giant Spider" sent by the powers to eliminate the false Spider-Person. Ezekiel remembered the differences between Peter and him which made him decide Peter is the Spider-Man who is supposed to remain and saved him, but Ezekiel died in the process.

After this arc star artist John Romita jr left the Spider-Man books and was replaced by Mike Deodato jr. for the weird and filling unnecessary gaps that didn't exist but quite enjoyable story: "Sins past". Peter receives a letter by his late girlfriend Gwendolyn (Gwen) Stacy and met her twin children who share the blood of Norman Osbourn: Sarah and Gabriel. Sarah's heart softened about the grudge between them and Spider-Man after she confirmed that Peter is not there father like Norman tricked them that he is, but Gabriel was still stubborn and kept his mind on vengeance against their thought to be father and became the Grey Goblin to destroy their father's arch enemy: Spider-Man.

After Spider-Man joined the avengers, gave them his true identity and putted the twin terror tale behind him, an old classmate from high school "Charlie Wiederman" who had less popularity back then than Peter had. Charlie told Peter about his idea for a super suit and that he needed funding for it, this is where Charlie met Anthony Stark/Iron-Man to have the fundings he needed for his project that made him like another Molten Man, but with vibranum enhanced exterior skin instead of Mark's molten exterior skin. Peter defeated the new villain by putting him in a room with high compression so he gets solid stiff. After MJ called Peter and told him about the burnt homes they used to have Tony Stark offered them a stay in an apartment in his building.

During Civil war events Spider-Man exposed his face to the world and J.J.Jameson decided to sue him for betraying his trust. Spider-Man discovered that the Iron-Spider suit that Iron Man made for him after the events of "The Other" transmits Peter's every thought to the computers in Iron-Mans computer's which caused Spider-Man to take his family outside Starks building and changes sides with the anti registration fighters back in his red and Blue suit.

When they were in a motel room Spider-Man was a target for a bullet as a gift from the KingPin that shot May after he dodged it, this time May Reilly Parker was really going to die. Peter got so angry that he wore his black suit to show people he is angry and he won't pull punches. Peter figured Wilson Fisk was the mastermind behind this shot and made him bleed hard, humiliated him and almost killed him in front of every prisoner.

Peter Parker Spider-Man:
Flash Thompson had a job from Norman Osbourn/The Green Goblin that was actually a trap for Spider-Man, he made Eugene "Flash" Thompson drink whesky to six times over the legal dose and made a truck move toward Midtown High hitting the wall hard putting Flash in a coma and got hospitalized for a long time in: "Death in the Family"

Spectacular Spider-Man:

The Venom symbiote evolved, it separated from Eddie because he can't feed it's need of adrenaline any longer. Eddy revealed to Peter that he had cancer the whole time and this is why he blamed Spider-Man for his problems. Peter reunited Eddy and the suit and questioned his decision.


Peter met a woman controlling every person with an insect gene, somehow she manged to control him and turn him into a Man-Spider using a serum by her lips, Spider-Man returned human and was able to left 15 tons instead of his original 10 and had organic web shooters.

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man:
The Venom symbiote was sold by "Edwin Brock" to mobster leader "Don Fortunato" in an auction led by the "Terrible Tinkerer", "Don Fortunato" had a weak son who people mixed on him whether being a male or a female. The symbiote had a fond for Angelo that it taught him its greatest secrets quickly starting with the secret identity of Spider-Man, the Angelo Venom attacked Peter's high school reunion and screamed Spider-Man at Peter then killed Seymour O'Reilley's neck after he was surprised by Spider-Man's alter ego. Spider-Man had a big fight with Venom that made Angelo scared and the symbiote deserted him in midair because he hadn't had enough hate for Spider-Man to continue the fight and fell to his death.
When Peter and MJ made a statement to the police about the attack on school Peter received a call from an anonymous caller who told him while confroting him that Norman Osbourn arranged his aunt May kidnapping, this caller was Scorpion who was also defeated as Venom by Spider-Man and Spider-Man saved his aunt.
During that time J.Jonah Jameson was in one of those times when he offers a reward for the one who exposes Spider-Man, Peter faked pictures making J.J stop offering the reward so people won't get killed because they pretend to be him to get the 5 million dollars. The most amusing part about the faked photo's is that Peter made Colonel John Jameson look as if he was really Spider-Man.

Big Events:
1.The Other:Evolve or Die:
Started by: Peter David & Mike Wieringo in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1

Spider-Man was dying, so he decided to get a use for his own benefit of his powers before he dies. In New York Morlun has returned from the dead and had a big fight with Spider-Man eating his lef eye and then killing him. Peter has awakened from the dead in the hospital after being revived by a giant Spider-Power then killed Morlun by a stinger.
Spider-Man removed his skin and sat in a cocoon, later he has awakened with his new skin and met his other (Ero, who later became a nurse in Spider-Man's school named Ms.Arrow). Anthony Stark had planned and designed a new suit for Peter to go with his new found powers.

2.Spider-Man Unmasked:
Peter faced danger from all of his classic enemies who went to his friends and ones who help the government to arrest him, Flash Thompson threw a ball in a none believing situation that his hero is the clumsy puny punk Peter Parker after waking up from his comma and remembering how he used to be during only high school but received it flying back at him by a kick from Peter, Debbie Whitman returned after long absence publishing a book about how Peter hurt her, and all of Peter's friend felt betrayed.


In the Ultimate Universe:
Started by: Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley
Current team: Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen
An alternate universe starting with Spider-Man as his shy nerdish 15 years old alter-ego tries to balance his life duties: His school, his work, his home and his web time action. He is now 16 years old and he is known by: Green Goblin, Mary Jane Watson, Doctor octopus, Shield, Harry Osbourn, Edward Brock Jr. & his aunt May.
Unlike the 616 mainstream continuity where he started his crime fighting career after being bitten by a radioactive spider, here he had his powers by the bite of a spider injected with Norman Osbourn's version of the super serum; a serum named "OZ". Since Peter had his powers from a bite and hadn't had the pure serum he stayed as he looks and gained super human powers.
This series had a huge early success as did Todd McFarlane's Spawn. I think it is going on a bit fast pace, since Oct 2k till now; March 2k8 it is about to reach 120 issues (less than eight years)
while Amazing Spider-Man needed over 8 years to build its hundredth amazing issue.

In Marvel Adventures:
A light hearted fun series delivered toward the younger generation, but it's still fun to read and enlightening stories in Peter's teen day's and his idea is secret.

OUT OF THE COMICS:

Video Games: In this era Spider-Man had the highest number of video games ever. 10 games from Activision only.


1.Spider-Man: The first Spider-Man game built by Activision. You get guidance by Felecia
Hardy on how to play in the first stage, after you reach Scorpion your on your own. Your main objective is to prove Spider-Man is not a thief but the story evolves to stopping symbiotic invasion led by Doc Ock to control New York. A memorable game, still enjoy playing it.

2. Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro: The aforementioned game spawned this game even when it was lousy in the view of many. This game has Electro as its star villain trying to gain high powers with a certain gizmo that enhances his powers many levels up.

3. Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace: Exclusive to the Game Boy Advance. Spider-Man takes care of several crimes committed by several villains to figure in the end that Mysterio is the obscured Master Mind. Get him.

4. Spider-Man: The Movie: Based on the first flick, has additional villains beside Green Goblin; Vulture, Shocker and I don't know who else. The GBA version has two fights with Kraven the Hunter, the second fight made me hate the Game Boy Advance version of the game.

5. Spider-Man 2: Based on the second movie, if you want to play this game take either the GBA version or the PS2 version. The PC version controls are just the mouse buttons: Right to jump and Left for the guided action in the right position.

6. Ultimate Spider-Man: These comics spreaded and became popular fast that made a video game five years after the comics release. Excellent game. You have consoles & PC version, GBA version and NDS version.

7. Spider-Man: Battle for New York is a second game based on the Ultimate storyline, here the villain you play with is Green Goblin. This game is exclusive for NDS & GBA

8. Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Not a Spider-Man game but he is a main playable character in this game. This game isn't based on the Ulltimate comics storyline.

9. Spider-Man 3: The PS2 & NintendoWii versions are way different compared to the PC, PS3 & XBOX 360 version.

10. Spider-Man FoF: Friend or Foe is based on the film series, Spider-Man has to fight the villains of the movies and defeat them to make an alliance with them.

There is a game that involves Spider-Man which is not made by Activision, it is made by Electronic Arts (EA) Games, and it is titled: "Marvel Nemesis; Rise of the Imperfect". The visuals are too dark, and the story didn't appeal to me at all, not even the gameplay. EA does much better with Harry Potter games.

Movies: Three facinating movies released and enjoyed highly by the public with great rates. A fourth movie is expected to be done and released around the year 2010, the main plan for it currently is to involve the Sinister Six who unfortunately aren't revealed to team up (specially since Sandman is supposedly a good guy with no grudge and Doctor Octopus is suposed to be dead). The same film team intend to complete the series with a sixth movie.

Animated series: Two new animated series were released:

1- The CGI MTV animated series made as a continuum to the first movie and released in 13 episodes after the first film. The story is supposed to tell what happened between the first and the second movie, but it doesn't fill the bill.

2- Gregg Weisman's: Spectacular Spider-Man animated series. Already 3 episodes has shown and the fourth is awaited to come this Saturday.