FB Re-Post: Why the Dying Wish Storyline Offends Me FAR Less Than One More Day Ever Did

Warning: This post has spoilers about the story arc leading up to Amazing Spider-Man #700.  If you don't want to be spoiled, then please don't read any further.  You have been warned.

In the aftermath of ASM #700, I've been hearing a lot of hate directed at the storyline, its writer Dan Slott, and the overall state of Spider-Man in general.  I've heard terms like "disrespectful," "lame," and "unfit" bandied around and lobbed like grenades in reference to the death Peter Parker endured.  A number of long-time Spider-Man fans and readers have declared they will not stick around for a Spider-Man title that doesn't include Peter Parker.  There have been unfavorable comparisons of this story to the Clone Saga and the egregious One More Day.  In other words, the reactions have been extreme, voluminous, and plenty.

As one of those long-time Spidey readers and a fan who considers the web-slinger my favorite among superheroes, I have to disagree with the large volume of negative chatter out there.  To be sure, I wasn't exactly thrilled at Peter's death, but I came away from this story far less offended than I had been by the end of One More Day (henceforth OMD).  

I've already reviewed the final issue of the series, but I didn't expand much on how this storyline, for me, bests OMD, another controversial storyline that bequeathed a huge change to the Spider-Man status quo.  I'd planned to do so as a follow-up post in this blog, but a friend's response to my review link on Facebook prompted me to write it there.  He had issues with the amount of disrespect he perceived in Peter's death,  as well as other loose plot ends, such as Octo-Spidey's (btw, PLEASE stop calling him Spock, people.  There's already a very popular character by that name in the Star Trek franchise) relationships to MJ and Aunt May.

I address those things, as well as make a direct comparison to OMD, in my re-posted response below:

We don't always get the ending we want for our heroes. I had this same debate with Alex during the whole "will Bruce die in DKR?" discussion many months ago. I think the moral victory is what becomes important in these cases, and I think that's where Peter won out in this conflict. Sometimes they have to win where they can in these kinds of situations, and I feel that's what happened.

What was important to Peter Parker at the end? Yes, getting his body back and beating Ock would have been best. An all-out sacrifice saving those he loved would have also worked. But neither of those things happened, because Octavius out-muscled and out-thought him on both fronts. Which makes sense, as they're both brilliant men who know how the other thinks.

When it became clear that neither of those things was going to happen, did Peter give up? No. At that point, it became paramount to not let Doctor Octopus run around in his body, using it to do evil as Spider-Man and Peter Parker. THAT ending would have been a huge middle finger to the character. Peter used their connection to show all of his most important memories to Octavius as Peter's life flashed before his eyes, in a sense bonding them to him, making Octavius really see things from another perspective.

Octavius, shaken and humbled, becomes a different man, and vows to carry on as best he can in Peter's name. He's still Octavius, of course--hence the "better than you ever were" moment at the end--but he's been diverted from his more sinister original intentions. He will try to be a hero. Peter wins, at least on that front, and it can be argued that's the most important one at this point.

And as for mourning, appreciation... Peter will get those things from Octavius. Not ideal, I admit, but it does work in an odd way, given everything that's gone down.

Regarding relations with MJ... well, I'm not sure how to feel about that, but it's been made clear that he's pursuing her on that front. I think it's less of a problem for me than it would have been if they were still married, but the OMD train wreck effectively nixes that. From that point to now, there's been the unspoken possibility of them getting together, but nothing solid--until, ironically, Octavius arrived. And while I get the squick factor in Octavius having sexy time with MJ, I'm thinking that this subplot is one of those tests for Superior Spidey's new character. I'm curious to see how it pans out, and really not sure what to think until then.

Regarding May... yeah. Weird. I'm pushing that out of my head. I'm sure Octavius will, too.

I think what makes this story much more palatable for me than OMD comes down to two points.

First and foremost, different and better choices were made by the hero. In OMD, Peter chooses to selfishly sacrifice his marriage to bring back his dying aunt, who by all measures should have been allowed to die. He just couldn't handle the guilt. It was one of the most un-heroic moments in the mythos, and was chiefly the result of a lack of testicles on the part of the editorial staff to tell some actually realistic Spider-Man stories in the wake of Civil War. It's what made me nerd-rage like I never have in the past.

Here, Peter doesn't take the easy way out. He fights, and never gives up despite the overwhelming situation he's in. And even when he knows he'll die, he still fights on, trying to convert Octavius into a hero. It is, in my opinion, one of the most respectful ways to have your hero handle that kind of no-win scenario. That he does convert Octavius is what makes this his final victory.

Second, this story didn't come out of left field, like OMD did. In OMD, May gets shot, Peter tries desperately to save her (which he should), and is (quite literally) magically shown there's nothing he can do to save her. All is lost, and then ALONG COMES MEPHISTO, offering a deal. It's Diablo ex Machina, with all the magic trappings thrown in to emphasize it. The editors wanted Pete and MJ's marriage dissolved, and quickly, and it plainly shows here. No respect given to that at all.

Here, this story's been building for quite some time. Clues and red herrings have abounded for the last 100 issues, from when Ock returned. If you look back to Spider Island, Ends of the Earth, etc., you can see pieces of the puzzle, and shudder at how they've been used in the most recent storyline. There was planning that went into this story, and it shows. You can not say that for OMD.

The points I made above are pretty much what I would have said in a follow-up post, and are the primary reason I urge Spider-Man readers to give Dan Slott the benefit of the doubt here.  I know Octavius in Peter Parker's body is a controversial, unnerving, and distasteful proposition.  But it's also a huge opportunity to tell some very interesting stories that you couldn't have done with Peter Parker, and Slott has been all about the interesting stories in his run on this series.

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here.  I think true fans of Spider-Man will be, as well.

GN Review -- Daytripper / Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá

I can only imagine how confusing the individual chapters of Daytripper were to its readers when they were being released in single-issue format by Vertigo, but it would be impossible to make the argument that twin brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá's metaphysical musing on life and death wasn't interesting enough that it kept you coming back for more.  Thankfully, the ten issues are collected in one trade paperback, and make the whole reading experience a compelling and fulfilling, though at times no less confusing adventure.

Daytripper follows the life of Brás de Oliva Domingos, an obituary writer who is also the son of a famous Brazilian writer.  Considered a miracle birth by his mother, Brás's musings on life, death, friendship, loss, love, inspiration, and destiny often leave him with the unsettling feeling that he is missing something in his own life, and he constantly seeks to find that missing thing.  We see him at various phases of his life, each of which ends the issue with his death at a particular age, and we almost never see things chronologically.  In the first issue we see him at age 32, shot to death by a desperate young man, and in the next issue we see him at age 21, mysteriously drowning in a ceremony while pursuing a romantic interest.  The body of the work shows him at significant points in his life: when he received his first kiss, the time his first love left him, the birth of his son, his search for a lost friend, and so on.  In the final story, we are given a life-affirming look at Brás's life and how he's found meaning in it, through the final days of his old age and a lost letter from his father, bringing his life full circle.

The most intriguing narrative device in this work is the many deaths of Brás, each of which is depicted at the end of each issue--except, significantly, in the last one.  They seem to serve as touch-points to the significant moments in Brás's life and courses his path could have or nearly did take, as well as subtle reminders of the constant uncertainty we should always respect but not necessarily fear in our lives.  Death, even though depicted, is always avoided as the narrative continues, usually intimating that the choices Brás made were unchanged.  For example at the end of one story, he dies after being hit by a car while on his way back to the store to tell a woman he was in love with her; in the next story, they are together and building a life.

The theme of fathers and sons plays subtly into Daytripper as well.  Brás is heavily influenced by his father: he smokes the same brand of cigarettes his father preferred; he has taken a career as a writer, at first only tangentially, but eventually following in his father's footsteps to become a novelist; and feels the touches of his father's influence, realizing that his life and his influence on his own son, while not identical, in many ways paralleled his father's.  It is a poignant reminder that we can't choose our family, and that they leave an imprint on our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Artistically, this story is a success as well.  The brothers' drawing style is stark and realistic, with plenty of room for the divine and unknowable to permeate their expressions.  Brás and the significant people in his life are depicted consistently and identifiably across a range of ages and circumstances.  Setting vary considerably, from crowded cities to hospitals, to abandoned beachfronts, and they all convey a sense of immediacy to the narrative.  You always feel like you're really there.

Overall, this comic conveyed a similar feeling to me that the film American Beauty did when it was released.  It seemed to say, "Live life to the fullest.  Do what makes you happy.  And know that your life will impact others."  It's a powerful message, and one that is masterfully conveyed in Daytripper.  A delight to read.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? / Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert

What would Batman's funeral be like, in the event that he actually did die?  Who would attend?  What would they say about him?  Would the stories match up, or would they all be accounts of a different man, a different person?  Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert take a crack at a possible answer in their tribute to the Dark Knight, Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

The story begins with the funeral-goers gathering for the deceased Batman's service.  Their ranks include friend and foe alike: Dick Grayson, Catwoman, Joker, Alfred, Harley, Commissioner Gordon, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, and so on.  As they gather to pay their respects, they tell stories of how he died, and it seems none of them is talking about the same Batman.  No one mentions the contradictions, though, and simply continue the service in respectful somberness.  Adding to the confusion is the disembodied presence of Bruce Wayne, watching the people from his various lives gather to tell these stories, wondering if he's actually, really dead and if this isn't another clever ploy by an enemy.  The stories told are different in scope, tone, and plot, but they all have one thing in common that makes Bruce realize instinctively that no one is lying: the Batman in all of their stories never gives up, never compromises himself or his brand of justice, never gives in, no matter what the situation.

Neil Gaiman is one writer you can always trust to have a unique perspective on a popular, well-loved mythology, and from the start of this story, you can tell that Batman has had a profound influence on him creatively.  In choosing to shed the specifics surrounding Batman's "one, true" off-panel death, he's using the setting of Batman's funeral as a stage to pay his respects to the various interpretations of Batman over his 70-year publication history.  It's a clever ploy, and one that is both entrancing and haunting in its exploration of the character's soul, as we see the various lives he's touched at various points, and how they, regardless of whether they liked him or not, were profoundly impacted by his existence.

If there's a criticism with this story, it's that it's lacking in particulars.  Batman's various stories and the deaths in them are of course conflicting accounts in terms of character, time, and place.  Things are therefore left with a very metaphysical, surrealistic feel that may come off as disappointing to anyone wanting a more concrete story.  This was all undoubtedly intentional, and I can understand Gaiman's desire to keep mum on the specifics in order to pay homage to all of the various interpretations of Batman over the years.  I can just also understand if other readers are more than a little turned off by it as well.

Art-wise, you generally don't get much better than Andy Kubert.  He had to not only draw a plethora of characters in Batman's extended family, but he also had to do varying interpretations of them in different eras.  He does a good job of this, and conveys emotion, clarity, and purpose to what could have otherwise been a rather muddled and perplexing story.

Overall, I'd say this was a decent story, and very typical of Neil Gaiman in its atypical-ness.  Anyone who enjoys his works will at least want to give Whatever Happened a read, as will Batman fans.  I'm not guaranteeing either will like it, particularly if you expect more traditional modes of storytelling, but for those with the patience for a more surreal experience, I think will find a loving and well written take on the Dark Knight mythos.  Recommended.