We celebrate our 150th show with an interview with Spider-Man Editor Steve Wacker. Josh Bertone and Donovan Grant talked to him at San Diego and he had some interesting comments about his tenure. He reveals his hits and misses with the book. He also says a few controversial things about this website. I have a rebuttal at the end of the episode.
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Again – it was not torn up.
And you know that.
“I have to say…Arguing to you is always fun to me since you are inable to stop saying the same thing over and over again even when you are shown to be wrong.”
Steven… it’s weird because I always think the same of the things you say here. Go figure.
HA! I totally forgot about that torn up comic. Man, how obnoxious and disrespectful to the creators.
What story was it again, George, that got you so angry?
SW
“To be fair though, George, I don’t remember anyone raising internet hell about how much your Fight Club sucks and mailing you torn up copies of the post. There’s criticism, and there’s what you do, which is a temper tantrum.”
I have never mailed “torn up copies” of anything. I did carefully remove, and then fold, several pages of a printing error from Amazing Spider-Man Family #1 and sent them to Marvel as an ‘FYI.’ There were even pictures to prove it. Great care was taken so that the mistaken pages arrived intact. Even the head of Zeta House admitted it was tastefully done.
http://spidermancrawlspace.com/wwwboard/viewtopic.php?t=3695
George, I acknowledge positive things about the site everytime you try to suggest otherwise.
You just keep putting words into my mouth. It’s like information just can’t get into your anger walls.
Most of things you claim I “think” or “say” come from your imagination. The are the things you NEED me to believe for your points to land. I’m not quite as cartoonish as you need me to be.
For the 1000th time, yes, there are good reviews about the books on the site. But I take good reviews with the same grain of salt i take bad ones. They don’t run my life or decisions as they seem to run yours.
The positive reviews don’t excuse the many over the top comments through the years. They aren’t connected to each other. It’s not a bank where if you save some good stuff up it all equals out.
I have to say…Arguing to you is always fun to me since you are inable to stop saying the same thing over and over again even when you are shown to be wrong.
SW
I’m just drawing a line here, Geroge. Quit smudging my chalk.
“George – The facts are overrated. I mean, it’s not like you’ve never swung that big meaty mod stick and pushed for someone to get banned, right?”
I have weighed in on it before. Even with at least one person I was on good terms with but who clearly crossed the lines.
Also, at least one admin will probably call you out here for the way you’re behaving. It won’t have anything to do with me; I haven’t mentioned you to them. But it’ll happen and it will have everything to do with you.
To be fair though, George, I don’t remember anyone raising internet hell about how much your Fight Club sucks and mailing you torn up copies of the post. There’s criticism, and there’s what you do, which is a temper tantrum.
Actually George gas created some great stuff for this very site that has built an atmosphere of fun friendly competitionhttp://spidermancrawlspace.com/wwwboard/viewforum.php?f=20
, as well as celebrating Spidey’s bad ass history! http://www.spidermancrawlspace.com/wordpress/category/spidey-friday-night-fights/As much as you want to pigeon hole George as a one dimensional hater and “failed writer/internet businessman” (which is a really classy way to talk about someone critical of your work) he is a human being with many different facets.
Not quite what I meant, but cool.
Though I do love he created something based around conflict. I rest.
SW
I absolutely have, Steven. I was also able to take criticism on it without throwing myself into a flame war about it.
Let me ask you this since you’re temporarily here. While you get down on us for saying a story “sucks,” why do you never give any credit when also say positive things we like? That happens pretty frequently yet you always overlook that. A few posts below this one we’ve even got a positive review of ASM #669… yet you don’t post on it. Just here, as always, overlooking anything positive said about your work and only seeing the negative.
George – The facts are overrated. I mean, it’s not like you’ve never swung that big meaty mod stick and pushed for someone to get banned, right?
Now that you mention him, I have to give you big credit for bringing Humberto back to the Spidey books. I thought his stuff on Peter Parker and Spectacular was classic, and was really sad to see him go. Followed him on Carey’s X-Men and Wolverine, but I don’t think there’s a better fit for his enthusiasm and amazing detail work than Spider-Man. He can draw the hell out of some buildings.
A quick question on the art front, though: Will we be seeing Marcos on the book anytime soon, or are his attentions now focused full-time over in Daredevil?
“George, have you ever thought of working hard to build or create something? You seem to have strong opinions. Creativity might be a good outlet.”
Can’t speak for George but he created the forums “Fight Club” and it’s been going strong for over a year. It’s one of the sites most popular features.
George, have you ever thought of working hard to build or create something? You seem to have strong opinions. Creativity might be a good outlet.
Or is policing your arbitrary, inconsistent definition of “professionalism” a full time job?
SW
Thanks. Humberto is killing it (along with Edgar, Carlos and Viktor) and Dan is doing the work of his life.
After our retreat though, I think we’re going to top it next year with a story that’s been brewing under the surface for almost 100 issues.
SW
“George (Ban-Ban) Berryman”
Which is funny because I’ve never banned anyone here since I’m a board mod and not an admin. Again, don’t let pesky fact get in your way.
“The Amazing Spider-Man editor. Redefining professionalism for an Internet Age!”
I stand by that.
Thanks, Steve! Just want to let you know that Spider-Island’s fast becoming one of my favorite Spidey stories.
Boy, it seems like even Wacker’s harshest critics have been turned around due the class he showed in doing this interview! Even George (Ban-Ban) Berryman is all aboard and waving a flag on the Wacker cruise ship, declaring, and I quote: “The Amazing Spider-Man editor. Redefining professionalism for an Internet Age!”
George Berryman, you, sir, are a true class act.
You can quote me on it.
No problem Bertone. i have no idea what you guys REALLY think of me, but it was a fun, if hurried talk. Spidey fans are overall an awesome bunch.
SW
I’ll be sure to wrap #28 in quotation marks and use it out of context in my future posts.
I love when you start throwing “professionalism” around.
I hereby declare your behavior is unprofessional for whatever your job is.
Anyway, I think you’ll be okay. You’re just like Burt Reynolds, remember!
SW
Again I’ll point this out to anyone who says I behave badly towards this guy. Cause it certainly isn’t me doing it here; I don’t post that way to the guy. That will get overlooked, sure, but it is what it is.
The Amazing Spider-Man editor. Redefining professionalism for an Internet Age!
I do agree that the “regulars” here usually get away with more than someone like me.
The regulars can spout over and over that my books “suck” (or are “ass” if it’s Kevin) on a podcast, but the site’s reviews are above criticism and I better not dare speak about it!
That’s not surprising, but the double standard is amusing…particularly when I’m so horrible i can be interviewd for the site, but not allowed to respond.
Makes debating me easier though I suppose.
I still like the site overall though. Love that you post the comic strip everyday!
SW
“But you can’t really “do” anything to me, let alone treat me “badly”.
SW”
You heard it from the man himself, George never treated Wacker badly lol!
Drama and everything aside Steve thanks for partaking in the interview with us and nudity cookies.
George, I’m not concerned you “treated me badly” (and I don’t recall saying that or implying it.
I just think you’re an internet blowhard who never has to prove his crazy beliefs and projections about people he doesn’t know and projects he knows nothing about. You have no horse in any race since your decision making has never really affected anything or anyone besides yourself.
I think you failed at your internet business, had big writing dreams that fell through and now look to make it seem like it’s everyone else who’s at fault.
Pretty classic bullying behavior actually. But I’m happy you found a home here. You certainly aren’t alone.
But you can’t really “do” anything to me, let alone treat me “badly”.
SW
Editor’s note: Not saying that quotations are useless, mind you. Just please be mindful of context. It makes my red pen scream when mountains get made of mole hills (and not even a REAL mole hill, the fake cardboard jokey mole hills).
Naw, man, you got me all wrong. I just protest the notion that blatant context-less copypasta is a valid form of argument. There’s a misconception floating around on the internet that good debate is built on quotation marks, which, as someone who’s studied language and debate at a university for several years (FSU represent!!), I liken your kind of debate to the most baseless and offensive abuses of language.
Your posts are pornographic to me, sir.
Whacker continually came in poking people with a stick, so it’s not surprising the villagers jeered at him. On the whoile most stayed very civil and fair with him. Most showed him more respect than he did to this site.
@Enigma “All I’m gonna say is… who stared it?”
The point is it should never have gotten to the place it did. It was a gang-up. I would have acted no differently then Wacker, which is why I give him kudos for his interview. And I give kudos to the interviewers as well. Everyone who partook in that mess was responsible. It seems that both sides are willing to move on which is beneficial for the Crawlspace. 🙂
and you’re not being insulting at all by saying that George has no heart, right Nik!? A shining example of good behavior…
I’m asking you for specifics of how I treated Wacker “badly” here since you accused me of it. What I’ve gotten so far is “not going to cite specifics” and variations of calling me “heartless.”
“You’re old hat at this. You know every point I’m about to make before I even get to it. You’ve had your rebuttals ready before BD even uploaded this.”
Actually that’s not all that far from the truth. I’ve heard the same from others before, including Wacker, that the site (me specifically) treated Wacker “badly” while he acted like an angel at the Crawl Space. And no one can ever cite anything specific, much in the same way you can’t here. While he posted here I did disagree with him over dozens and dozens and dozens of posts and he and I did go back and forth over a lot of different topics. But when you go back and look at those threads and see the comments the two of us made it’s perfectly clear that Mr. Wacker was the one behaving badly. Not just towards me, but also to this site and others that post here. When some crossed the line against Mr. Wacker the admins enforced the board rules in the same fashion they did when Mr. Wacker did the same towards them.
I don’t expect you to go back and check. Pesky facts are pesky. But that is indeed how events took place here and I am glad for the opportunity to correct you on it.
uh-oh, come on guys, don’t let this devolve into something juvenile.
You referring to empty space that should house your heart, or the fact that I’m not going to waste my breath pandering to your deluded sense of internet superiority?
You’re old hat at this. You know every point I’m about to make before I even get to it. You’ve had your rebuttals ready before BD even uploaded this. You look into your heart and tell me what it is I’m about to say and I’ll give you a yay or nay.
“Not going to cite specifics.”
So nothing then. That’s what I thought.
Not going to cite specifics. That’s a loser’s game. No matter what evidence I lay out there, you’ll just turn around and act as if Mephisto had just mind-wiped you. Instead, I’d like to redirect you to your heart, Berry. Just take a gander inside your… no, not there… a little to the lef… no, THERE!
Yes, that’s it.
Take a good hard look inside. Might have to take a machete with you to cut through the smarminess, but once it’s good and trimmed, you’ll be able to spot some faults and bathe in the white-hot rays of enlightenment.
How precisely did I treat Wacker badly here, NIK!? By disagreeing with him? If it was so flagrant you should be able to cite specifics.
“He’s also man enough to admit his faults, so I’d recommend you do the same.”
When did I claim otherwise, exactly?
As for the “best friend” thing, you guys are looking WAAAYYY too far into it. I don’t even see how this became a discussion topic.
No, George, Jon’s right. Wacker was treated pretty badly here (mostly by you and that Enigma guy). Wacker’s a class act, and this proves it. He’s also man enough to admit his faults, so I’d recommend you do the same.
@Jon
All I’m gonna say is… who stared it?
@9 “What, because he never *ever* behaved badly here? Gimme a break.”
No, your absolutely right, both sides behaved badly. Wacker was far from being at his best either, which he knows I’m sure. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been a good sport. The main purpose of my post was to say *I* wouldn’t have been. I would have just cut ties because I could afford to.
@8 – “If I saw that Crawlspace logo coming my way after the way he’s been treated, I’d have told those guys to **** off…”
What, because he never *ever* behaved badly here? Gimme a break.
Wacker has more tolerance then I would certainly have had lol. If I saw that Crawlspace logo coming my way after the way he’s been treated, I’d have told those guys to **** off. Anyway good job on the interview and props to Wacker for being the sport.
If I choose to just skip this one, will they d*** the site because I did?
I love these creator/editor podcasts its so interesting to hear what these guys thoughts are on things.
Nice interview with Wacker, very cool to hear some insight to the inner workings behind Spidey
Great work guys. The Wacker interview was informative and entertaining. Congrats on reaching 150 podcasts!
Liked the interview, but I think Wacker is generally a pretty good subject. Nice to hear him giving his viewpoints and admitting failings where necessary. Well done to the interviewers for being open and mostly keeping their own viewpoints out of the questions.
How about a transcript? Can’t stream stuff at work.
Can’t wait to check it out! It will be an interesting listen!