Crawl Space #3 Discussion Thread

[BtmxComedy]

Spider-man: Crawl Space #3 (A BTMX Review)


PLOT: read it for free on the site

LIKES
-How everyone and everything WAS RIGHT IN CHARACTER to a tee.
- This has been an issue of very good quotes, I'll make multiple favorite quotes for this
- Harry going after Gabriel makes me happy. I don't want to say I hope he dies...but I hope he dies.
- Carlie has no social skills whatsoever. This is why she hangs out with Peter and MJ still, I'm convinced not many human beings would do so considering that Peter supposedly had an affair with her. I guess MJ is OK with having her around because she doesn't genuinely see her as a threat. When I wrote the review from #2 I thought there was no way I was ever going to like Carlie. Kevin, the writer of this issue (if you are reading this sometime in the future with no context), responded to my review by saying that if I don't like her by this issue I never will. By that time I already read the issue which is why "Then I guess I never will" became "Goddamnit...ok I guess Harry doesn't have to kill her anymore" Carlie is now one of the best written supporting characters of all time, no joke. Her complexity intrigues me.
-Norman giving everything away to Peter was so unbelievably in character for Norman that I was shocked that I hadn't been able to guess it all long. Perfect.
-Black Spider. I'm always up for a mystery power player.


DISLIKES

- Must come up with something...Alright, so there were a few descriptive details that could have been phrased better and tightened up but since that did not deter my reading or would have appeared if the comic had been illustrated I won't count it as a vice.


FAVORITE QUOTE:

KILLSHOT:
Come on man, please, I did what you asked.
FACELESS MAN:
Who asked you to talk to Peter Parker?


MJ:
It feels like our lives have just been one big event after another with no time to breathe for the past few years.


FACELESS MAN:
The loose end has been tied up.
And someone already took care of Norman Osborn for us.


RATING:

I really didn't want to give out a 5. I wanted to save it for some epic issue and let's face it, although big things happen in this one...it's mostly set up for bigger things to come. What if those are handled amazingly? How will I express my appreciation then?

Oh what the heck.



5 webheads out of 5

[Kevin Cushing]

Man, this review just completely made my day. The work day started just before 7:30 this morning with a call from my manager saying everybody had called in sick and I'd better be there. And spiralled predictably from there. Seeing this tonight put a big smile on my face and pretty much turned the mood around, I can't thank you enough for that.

I'm so very glad you came around on Carlie. I have a guilty confession: she's my favorite character in this comic. Don't take that as a diminished love for anyone else; if I didn't love Spidey and MJ and all the rest I wouldn't have taken on this huge undertaking to give them their due while Marvel prints its retro-porn. But I often latch onto well developed supporting characters as my favorites in all media (Lindsey was my favorite character in Angel, what does that tell you?). And Carlie is quite simply the most real, human character I think I've ever written. I have the brain trust to thank for introducing her and then...well and then nothing. So she was a fairly blank slate I was able to fold some personality over. And I largely let her reflect the kind of insecurities I don't like to admit come from myself. She is sort of socially awkward, and she will make mistakes, and sometimes come off as sort of a romantic fool. She's a good person with very many wonderful qualities, but her emotional shortcomings stemming from loneliness are about as honest as I can be with a character. And I love her for being so good naturedly imperfect. Half the time she just doesn't really know what she's doing. And can't that be said for most of us? I confess I very nearly wrote her a scene into #4 just because I missed her. But alas, she just didn't fit.

Anyhow, I really look forward to your review of #4. But feel free to take it slow and savor it. Wouldn't want you to go through withdrawals waiting for #5

[BtmxComedy]

Man, this review just completely made my day. The work day started just before 7:30 this morning with a call from my manager saying everybody had called in sick and I'd better be there. And spiralled predictably from there. Seeing this tonight put a big smile on my face and pretty much turned the mood around, I can't thank you enough for that.

I'm so very glad you came around on Carlie. I have a guilty confession: she's my favorite character in this comic. Don't take that as a diminished love for anyone else; if I didn't love Spidey and MJ and all the rest I wouldn't have taken on this huge undertaking to give them their due while Marvel prints its retro-porn. But I often latch onto well developed supporting characters as my favorites in all media (Lindsey was my favorite character in Angel, what does that tell you?). And Carlie is quite simply the most real, human character I think I've ever written. I have the brain trust to thank for introducing her and then...well and then nothing. So she was a fairly blank slate I was able to fold some personality over. And I largely let her reflect the kind of insecurities I don't like to admit come from myself. She is sort of socially awkward, and she will make mistakes, and sometimes come off as sort of a romantic fool. She's a good person with very many wonderful qualities, but her emotional shortcomings stemming from loneliness are about as honest as I can be with a character. And I love her for being so good naturedly imperfect. Half the time she just doesn't really know what she's doing. And can't that be said for most of us? I confess I very nearly wrote her a scene into #4 just because I missed her. But alas, she just didn't fit.

Anyhow, I really look forward to your review of #4. But feel free to take it slow and savor it. Wouldn't want you to go through withdrawals waiting for #5

I'm glad to have made your day. Yes and I agree about Carlie. The part of me that likes her is the part of me that says something weird in a social group and goes "why did I just say that" and the part of me that like for you, is insecure. At first I wanted to label her as introverted and anti-social. It was actually something very small that happened in Issue #3 that made me dismiss just giving her a blanket stereotype and leaving it as that. Flash Thompson made a joke and she gave him back a playful jab. It was at that moment that I stopped reading and things started clicking. She's not anti-social, she just sucks at expressing herself socially. It fit especially well for me because I don't think she knows Flash Thompson long enough yet to be doing playful jabbing unless they immediately clicked which it didn't seem to me.

Understanding her character requires paying attention to the subtle things, she's not a big expressor which is a nice change especially in the Spider-man world where every other person seems to want to give away his life story in a long winded speech.


I don't know if you meant that jab to envoke the thinking it did for me but whatever you meant to do, that's what it did. I also really liked that the catalyst to this thinking came from an image (albeit described in text but you know what I mean) and not speech. I think it shows a certain level of mastery over visual storytelling.

[Venomaniac]

I really really really liked it!

My only compaint is a constant one, and it is a lot of your dialogue, mainly its wording seems ooc for the characters sometimes (normally Peter). However this may be just because I'm reading it via script. if it was drawn on a printed page I might not have a problem with it.

[Kevin Cushing]

Glad you liked it!

For Peter's dialogue, it could just be a fault with me, but I wonder if it might have something to do with what you're used to reading these days? If you've been mostly reading BND Peter, the voice would definitely be different, as I'm writing the Peter I've always known. And there is a significant difference.

[Venomaniac]

Glad you liked it!

For Peter's dialogue, it could just be a fault with me, but I wonder if it might have something to do with what you're used to reading these days? If you've been mostly reading BND Peter, the voice would definitely be different, as I'm writing the Peter I've always known. And there is a significant difference.

Haven't been reading BND Pete in a LOOOOONG time

I was actually reading Paul Jenkins' run earlier today.

It's not the voice, but the words themselves that I don't see coming out of his mouth. The wording just seems a bit awkward

[Nova#1]

Good issue. It was just mostly set up...but I was left wondering something. Is the Black Spider's costume a black version of Spider-Man's similar to the one seen in SM3 or the venom looking suit like in the comics?

[bdog]

Good issue. It was just mostly set up...but I was left wondering something. Is the Black Spider's costume a black version of Spider-Man's similar to the one seen in SM3 or the venom looking suit like in the comics?

psssst

[FSUSpiderFan]

That cover is sweet!

[bdog]

That cover is sweet!

Kevin's posted it before lol, I'm going to re-color it soon...

[FSUSpiderFan]

Why recolor it?

[Kevin Cushing]

Is the Black Spider's costume a black version of Spider-Man's similar to the one seen in SM3 or the venom looking suit like in the comics?

You can check out The Black Spider on at least one cover for issues 4, 6, 7, and that early look at a #8 cover bdog just posted!

[Nova#1]

Good issue. It was just mostly set up...but I was left wondering something. Is the Black Spider's costume a black version of Spider-Man's similar to the one seen in SM3 or the venom looking suit like in the comics?

psssst

Man, that cover is pure awesome!

[Spider-Girl]

Here are a couple notes (in no particular order):

1. "I Don't Care" is a great song! I can definitely see how it would fit here, but I think it will always fit a man/woman relationship best!
2. "nic nacs?" What happened to the all powerful "tic tacs?!"
3. Most of what I love about this issue are all the character interactions, best seen at the restaurant. I'm so glad that you're bringing legitimate (and recurring) minor characters to the fold! I especially love the platonic MJ-Carlie and Peter-Flash relationship.
4. My only negative feedback concerns page 4. I read it a couple times and I really could not orient myself. Where was The Faceless Man coming from? I think, perhaps, this page (and this page only!) could be re-blocked.

Keep up the good, nay, GREAT, work!

[Kevin Cushing]

1. "I Don't Care" is a great song! I can definitely see how it would fit here, but I think it will always fit a man/woman relationship best!

I love this song, but I didn't realize when I posted this issue that I needed to specify the album version. I heard it first pretty soon after it came out on the radio and loved it, then went and downloaded it on iTunes from the actual album. It was the same version, so I didn't know there was another. But every time I've heard it since (including in an episode of Smallville) it's been some watered down version with synthesized drums and much less lyrics (replacing good lyrics with repetition of the basic hook). No idea why they did this, but I do not like what I assume is the "single version." Accept no substitutes!

2. "nic nacs?" What happened to the all powerful "tic tacs?!"

Contrary to very popular belief, I was not quoting George Berryman here. I've actually heard the phrase with "nic nacs" before, though I can't remember where. I thought it was funny

3. Most of what I love about this issue are all the character interactions, best seen at the restaurant. I'm so glad that you're bringing legitimate (and recurring) minor characters to the fold! I especially love the platonic MJ-Carlie and Peter-Flash relationship.

That's my favorite stuff, too! I think my favorite scene of the issue was the MJ/Carlie bathroom scene. And, as seems to happen often with my favorite scenes, it wasn't one I had planned beforehand. The best characters (like Carlie) are the ones that really begin to write themselves.

4. My only negative feedback concerns page 4. I read it a couple times and I really could not orient myself. Where was The Faceless Man coming from? I think, perhaps, this page (and this page only!) could be re-blocked.

It's possible that one really needed to be seen drawn out, but it's equally possible I blocked it badly. Live and learn!

Keep up the good, nay, GREAT, work!

Thanks! I really appreciate that you're not only taking the time to catch up with these, but to comment on the old issues as you go!