Written by Reasonable men who pay for The Amazing Spider-Man expect Peter Parker to serve as its main attraction. Likewise, reasonable men believe that an editor would never allow an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man to go to print with a mere two panels allotted to the protagonist. These days, however, reason is in short supply at Marvel Comics, which is why ASM #24 not only turns the main character into an afterthought, but also manages to annoyingly serve as a faux-addendum to Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy. Why? Because Clone Conspiracy Omega #1 also fills that role.
Confused? Frustrated? Saddened at the state of affairs for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Well, dear reader, you’re not alone! Tune into my latest YouTube review to hear my thoughts on The Amazing blink-and-you-missed-him-Spider-Man #24.
As always, feel free to share your comments below — and subscribe to the channel if the format is up your alley.
Douglas Ernst Blog 
Are you even shocked or outraged anymore? I’m sort of BLAH about the whole Marvel stuff now.
“Are you even shocked or outraged anymore? I’m sort of BLAH about the whole Marvel stuff now.”
I’ve never been “outraged,” and I can’t say that I’m shocked at anything Marvel does these days. 🙂 I really keep reviewing comics like this because the mainstream industry websites are generally atrocious. They just say everything is awesome because to do otherwise would put their access to the creators at risk.
The other reason I keep plugging away is because they often allow me to discuss broader cultural issues.
Good point, a means to an ends! Love the mercenary nature of it!
“Good point, a means to an ends! Love the mercenary nature of it!”
I know that certain people would like to take the “mercenary” line out of context, so let me just clarify that what I’m trying to do is not particularly for my benefit (although I would enjoy better comics). I see the moral relativism that oozes from most of these comics as detrimental to the cultural, and as such I seek to reverse the trend for people I will never know. This blog discusses comics, but the comic book talks are really a segue to more important issues like the attainment of virtue, a defense of western civilization, etc.
Mercenaries do what they do for money, but I have not really made any money blogging, and the peanuts that came from advertising in the past went back into the blog by registering domains, buying new templates, etc. At some point I suppose I could make money on YouTube if the trends keep going the way they are, but I haven’t monetized my channel. I’m basically indifferent to making money on YouTube at this point because that’s not my motivator.
I’m sorry to nitpick a compliment, but I don’t want anyone to think the endgame of my videos is ego-based. 🙂
I get it, and your content would cause the liberals at YouTube Central to have a coronary as they struggle to de-monetize you! LOL
It looks like they dedicated an entire issue of ASM to be the “Director’s Cut” added material for the “Clone Conspiracy” Trade Paperback.
I’ve realized that with Marvel at this point, there really are no original main heroes left. I thought that with all of the replaced heroes like (takes deep breath) Thor, Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, etc., that at least Peter was still Spider-Man. At least my favorite hero was still here. But I was wrong.
There is Miles Morales running around calling himself Spider-Man. Peter is a weird version of himself that can hardly be called Peter Parker. This weird Peter-in-name-only is appearing less and less in his actual main title, and when he does he is overshadowed by the writer’s own pet characters. I don’t want to have to read the Avengers, or team-up books, or alternate universe books to get stories about Peter. I want to be able to read Spider-Man’s main books and get stories about Peter.
I really wonder if anyone at Marvel has taken a step back and has seen just exactly what they have done to their entire universe and it’s most beloved characters.
Peter Parker is my favorite hero. Always has been, and always will be. Marvel WILL NOT kill my love for this character no matter how hard they try. No matter how hard they try to create a million other spider-people and attempt to convince they are all as great as Peter. No matter how twisted and badly they write him. No matter how much they have him be overshadowed and diminished in his own book. Peter Parker- THE Spider-Man, will always be my favorite hero. I just want him back.
Isn’t it funny how they continue to poke fun at their past era of embarrassment (the mid-90s) only to follow the exact same formula come the new 10s? You just have to replace the ‘roided-up meatheads with Tumbler-land wetdreams and it’s all about shallow characterizations and shameless pandering garbage all over again. The more things “change”, the more they stay the same, eh Marvel?
Good review Doug!
As you said, that is another ASM issue with barely any Spider-Man in it. Vol. 4 have 24 issues and in six of them (issues 16, 18, 20, 21, 22 and 24) Peter was a supporting character! In this crap event he was really passive just being guided by others and going from one corner to another while Kaine, Spider-Gwen, Anna Maria and Otto did all things. Even when he is the focus he is written like crap, we have no glimpse of his domestic life, there is no friends or girlfriend. I don’t remember a superhero being neglect in the way he is under Slott pen. And as you said, the editorial think it is fine.
I see no point of him continuing to write Spider-Man and we don’t see any signs he is going away. If he keeps writing after Homecoming, I believe the Mackie/Byrne era will gain a strong competitor for the worst Spider-Man run of all time.
He brought his precious “Superior” Spider-Man back (I bet he made this dumpster fire of event and vandalized Ben Reilly just for that) and I can’t see bigger sign of creative bankruptcy than that.
Think maybe the events title got swapped around? The “Cone Conspiracy” issues should’ve been published under the AMS banner, while the ASM ones should’ve gotten the “Clone Conspiracy” title? Sounds like that would’ve kept Spider-Man as the main focus in the main series, while still allowing real estate for the other characters to take center stage.
(Admittedly, since I kind of took both the “Conspiracy” and ASM titles to be the same series with different labels on the covers, can’t say I’d be as bothered by who was the focus in which. I’d be more worried about the story itself, which, judging by what I’ve seen and heard, it’s nothing I want any part of.)
The discussion about Spider-Man being a guest-star in his own series is something I find funny to think about, since I recall that “Ultimate Spider-Man” occasionally had other characters as the leads in specific issues. Sometimes those were really good tales too. So, maybe the moral is it depends on how it’s handled?