I've Said It Before And I'll Say It Again

 

Spider-man is a whore!

 

I've commented here before on Spider-man's whorish ways, and how marvel uses him so sell everything from kids vitamans to toilet seats.  So I guess I shouldn't be suprised when once again Marvel is using an issue of Amazing Spider-man as a totally transparent gimmick to sell more comics.

 

The issue in question this time is Amazing Spider-man #583, in which president-elect Barack Obama makes a guest appearance (if you couldn't tell by the cover of the book).  I have no idea what he's doing in the comic, but does that really matter?  All that matters is that Marvel finds a way to cash in on an important event, then hopefully the media will cover the story like crazy, and then they'll sell a million copies of the thing.  Nevermind if the story is a giant turd or not.

 

“When we heard that President-Elect Obama is a collector of Spider-Man comics, we knew that these two historic figures had to meet in our comics’ Marvel Universe,” says Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. “Historic moments such as this one can be reflected in our comics because the Marvel Universe is set in the real world. A Spider-Man fan moving into the Oval Office is an event that must be commemorated in the pages of 'Amazing Spider-Man.'”

 

For those of you that don't speak bullshit, let me translate that quote for you.

 

“When realized we could make a lot of money by putting President-Elect Obama in an issue of Spider-Man, we knew that these two cash cows had to meet,” says Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. “Profitable moments such as this one can be reflected in our comics because the Marvel Universe is set in the real world (because we were too lazy to create cool city names like Metropolis and Gotham). Any chance we can possibly make a dollar by doing something shameless and gimmicky that we're convinced the average public will buy, that's an event that must be commemorated in the pages of 'Amazing Spider-Man.'”

 

I know I'm being the jaded and bitter nerd here, and that as a company Marvel is all about turning a profit.  I just hate to see such a pandering attempt at cashing in on a truly historic moment.  And when that pandering includes a character I've loved since my childhood, that just makes me hate it even more.

 

Shame on you Marvel Comics. 

 

Hey, here's an idea.  Why don't you stop wasting time thinking up crap like this and actually take the time to craft an intelligent and engaging story involving Spider-man for once?  That might actually sell comics too you know.  Or are your writers too busy writing horrible stories about Gwen Stacey was banging the Green Goblin back in the day, or how Peter Parker would willingly give up his marriage to the beautiful woman he loves in exchange for the life of a little old lady who only has a few years left to live anyways?  Oh wait, that's right, they are too busy writing stupid shit like that.  Sorry, my mistake.

 

(Via Hero Complex)