Wow what a kid being a know it all ass to his dad. He must only know about spider-man through the awful Tobey Maguire movies. If he took the time to read say wikipedia or any comic books before 2000 he'd see Gwen Stacy was first.
Let's give the kid credit and assume that he only read Ultimate Spider-Man. This kid looks to be about 12, which is certainly old enough to use a search engine.
@angelofthenight - The 1990's Spider-Man TV series did a good job of making it seem like there was only Mary Jane. Gwen Stacy only showed up in the series finale in an alternate universe.
Gwen was in the animated "Spectacular Spider-Man," which IMO was the best and most faithful adaption done to date. The show was canned when Marvel became a Disney company and replaced with "Ultimate Spider-Man," which....uhh, is interesting.
The truth is, I don't see many realistic takes on high school love in movies or TV anymore; usually the first person the main character meets in high school is his/her One True Soulmate. It didn't used to be that way; Superman had a couple girlfriends before Lois, and Parker had a few before MJ.
Most Hollywood producers tend to want to cut the fat out and get straight to the soulmate. I'm convinced if we weren't restarting the movies so quickly, we'd never see Gwen at all.
Reminds me of an employee at a bookstore who, after my wife and I had told him we had just seen "Spider-Man 2" decided this old fart needed a lecture on Spider-man. Don't recall how it came up, but he flat out told me there was no character named "Man-wolf." "Sure there was - Jameson's son, I believe," I told him. "No. Never a character called that," he sniffed. Alrighty then....
Back in the 70s (yeah, I'm one of these old farts who doesn't know anything) I had a 45 record that was the origin story of Man-Wolf. Jameson's son was an astronaut sent to the moon where he got exposed to something (the memory fades after 35 years) that turns him into a werewolf.
It's kinda tragic, from a historic point of view, that so few people seem to know about Gwen. Her death is widely considered to be one of the most significant events in comics; the demarcation point between the silver and bronze ages.
I am a huge Spider-Man fan so I will clear this all up for you fine people. I'm talking 616, mainstream Spidey here.
1. Betty Brant WAS his first girlfriend. Liz was a girl he had a crush on, who would later have a crush on him for a small time. (It was later revealed in the David Lapham 'With Great Power' mini that showbiz woman Tiffany Lebeck was his first 'female interest'. She was a real cougar) 2. Gwen was originally written as a hot-tempered, flirtatious woman. After Ditko left, she became more whiny and depressive even before her father died. She was always putting Peter through the wringer. They were never truly portrayed as 'soul mates'. 3. Peter had a couple of brief dates with MJ before he started seeing Gwen. 4. Only after her father's death did Peter and Gwen seem to become closer, but she once tried to get back at Peter for some petty thing by courting Flash. Sins Past (Gwen cheating on Peter with Norman) is a retcon that makes sense given she was needy and had daddy issues. 5. MJ is his soulmate and one true love. 6. Movie MJ did not have Gwen's personality. Movie MJ had MJ's personality, just influenced by the different environment. Movie Gwen was not as developed as comic Gwen, but still had her personality. 7. New Movie Gwen seems like she may be a re-imagining of the Gwen character, much like she was re-imagined in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Though you didn't mention the "House of M" Gwen, and the 90's animated Spidey Gwen/MJ would also be a valid topic. Still, from one Spider-Fan to another, spot on.
Man, this really gets me. When I started reading comics seriously (as opposed to the one or two I might get in a checkout line by bugging my folks, there was no internet, no Google. I was still interested enough in the books to find out the past histories of the characters I was reading about.
With virtually all the information you could want on a character being at your fingertips, where do kids like this come from?
Is there no curiousity or respect for what came before? I mean, back in the 70's and 80's you had to check back issues to get the history of a character, not at all like today.
Heck, it's not even the kid's ignorance so much as how aggressive and nasty he is about it. I'm assuming his father showed tremendous restraint in not figuratively raking him over the coals. Rassa-frassa little smarmy so-and-so!
And yes, Betty Brant was first, but not as serious, if I am remembering right (and I may not be).
Wasn't his first technically Betty Brant?
ReplyDeleteHells yes, it was! Bitches keep forgetting Betty Brant!
DeletePerhaps that's because Betty Brant was so incredibly wishy-washy that NOBODY wants to remember her.
DeleteOld people never know what they're talking about!
ReplyDeleteBoth Father and Son are wrong, as Anonymous above me notes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Brant
ReplyDeleteThe above ought to be read in "Comic Book Guy" voice.
Wow what a kid being a know it all ass to his dad. He must only know about spider-man through the awful Tobey Maguire movies. If he took the time to read say wikipedia or any comic books before 2000 he'd see Gwen Stacy was first.
ReplyDeleteLet's give the kid credit and assume that he only read Ultimate Spider-Man. This kid looks to be about 12, which is certainly old enough to use a search engine.
Delete@angelofthenight - The 1990's Spider-Man TV series did a good job of making it seem like there was only Mary Jane. Gwen Stacy only showed up in the series finale in an alternate universe.
ReplyDeleteWhat adaptations of Spider-Man HAS Gwen Stacy been a big part of? She seems to get shoved out of the picture an awful lot...
ReplyDeleteGwen was in the animated "Spectacular Spider-Man," which IMO was the best and most faithful adaption done to date. The show was canned when Marvel became a Disney company and replaced with "Ultimate Spider-Man," which....uhh, is interesting.
DeleteThe truth is, I don't see many realistic takes on high school love in movies or TV anymore; usually the first person the main character meets in high school is his/her One True Soulmate. It didn't used to be that way; Superman had a couple girlfriends before Lois, and Parker had a few before MJ.
Most Hollywood producers tend to want to cut the fat out and get straight to the soulmate. I'm convinced if we weren't restarting the movies so quickly, we'd never see Gwen at all.
What about Liz Allen?
ReplyDeleteThey didn't date. Peter was seeing Betty Brant at the time.
DeleteReminds me of an employee at a bookstore who, after my wife and I had told him we had just seen "Spider-Man 2" decided this old fart needed a lecture on Spider-man. Don't recall how it came up, but he flat out told me there was no character named "Man-wolf."
ReplyDelete"Sure there was - Jameson's son, I believe," I told him.
"No. Never a character called that," he sniffed.
Alrighty then....
Back in the 70s (yeah, I'm one of these old farts who doesn't know anything) I had a 45 record that was the origin story of Man-Wolf. Jameson's son was an astronaut sent to the moon where he got exposed to something (the memory fades after 35 years) that turns him into a werewolf.
DeleteI recently recovered my copy of that record. That thing freaked me out something fierce when I was a kid.
DeleteWasn't Liz Allan technically Peter Parker's first crush/girlfriend? She was blonde so dad might've been referring to her not Gwen.
ReplyDeleteMary Janes last name is "IDIOT"? Who knew? ;)
ReplyDeleteOn some level, I think we all knew.
DeleteIt's kinda tragic, from a historic point of view, that so few people seem to know about Gwen. Her death is widely considered to be one of the most significant events in comics; the demarcation point between the silver and bronze ages.
ReplyDeleteGwen Stacy was Perter Parkers dream girl, Mary Jane was the rebound girl when Gwen died.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am in power, it will be legal to take a single swing at kids like that...
ReplyDeleteDoes no one know how to use a pillow anymore?
ReplyDeleteOr a condom. Although probably 12 years or so too late in this case.
DeleteNot if you hold it over their face tightly enough.
DeleteBetty Brant was a brunette, actually.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Spider-Man fan so I will clear this all up for you fine people. I'm talking 616, mainstream Spidey here.
ReplyDelete1. Betty Brant WAS his first girlfriend. Liz was a girl he had a crush on, who would later have a crush on him for a small time.
(It was later revealed in the David Lapham 'With Great Power' mini that showbiz woman Tiffany Lebeck was his first 'female interest'. She was a real cougar)
2. Gwen was originally written as a hot-tempered, flirtatious woman. After Ditko left, she became more whiny and depressive even before her father died. She was always putting Peter through the wringer. They were never truly portrayed as 'soul mates'.
3. Peter had a couple of brief dates with MJ before he started seeing Gwen.
4. Only after her father's death did Peter and Gwen seem to become closer, but she once tried to get back at Peter for some petty thing by courting Flash. Sins Past (Gwen cheating on Peter with Norman) is a retcon that makes sense given she was needy and had daddy issues.
5. MJ is his soulmate and one true love.
6. Movie MJ did not have Gwen's personality. Movie MJ had MJ's personality, just influenced by the different environment. Movie Gwen was not as developed as comic Gwen, but still had her personality.
7. New Movie Gwen seems like she may be a re-imagining of the Gwen character, much like she was re-imagined in Ultimate Spider-Man.
*tips hat*
DeleteThough you didn't mention the "House of M" Gwen, and the 90's animated Spidey Gwen/MJ would also be a valid topic. Still, from one Spider-Fan to another, spot on.
Man, this really gets me. When I started reading comics seriously (as opposed to the one or two I might get in a checkout line by bugging my folks, there was no internet, no Google. I was still interested enough in the books to find out the past histories of the characters I was reading about.
ReplyDeleteWith virtually all the information you could want on a character being at your fingertips, where do kids like this come from?
Is there no curiousity or respect for what came before? I mean, back in the 70's and 80's you had to check back issues to get the history of a character, not at all like today.
Heck, it's not even the kid's ignorance so much as how aggressive and nasty he is about it. I'm assuming his father showed tremendous restraint in not figuratively raking him over the coals. Rassa-frassa little smarmy so-and-so!
And yes, Betty Brant was first, but not as serious, if I am remembering right (and I may not be).
Take it and run,
They're both wrong. Spider-Man's first love is feeling sorry for himself.
ReplyDelete