DO.
NOT.
READ.
MAJOR!
SPOILERS!!!!!
I SAID SPOILERS!!!
I MEAN IT!!!
LAST CHANCE!!!
YOU SURE???’
ALRIGHTY THEN!!!
“Dying Wish Prelude: Day in the Life”
Written by Dan Slott
Illustrated by Richard Elson
LONG STORY SHORT: Doctor Octopus has switched brains with Spider-Man, just as Ock’s body with Peter’s mind inside dies.
MY THOUGHTS: Dang it. Slott finally got me.
But not in the way you might think.
Dan Slott’s been teasing this issue for months now. From demanding that comic shop retailers order extra copies to swearing vengeance on anyone who spoils it online before the issue hits the stands. (Good luck with that.) Predictably, the massive hype for #698 gave way to several theories on what would happen and how it would lead into ASM #700 and Superior Spider-Man. Some guessed that Kaine would be the new Spider-Man. Others such as myself wrongly figured that Mary Jane would be killed off in order to make Spider-Man into a less friendly and more grim’n gritty character for the new Marvel NOW! title.
Out of all the theories however, none were as off the wall and out of nowhere as what eventually happens in this story. And yet weeks before the comic came out, there was one person who guessed it ahead of time on this website’s very podcast.
For those of you who are not part of our Message Board community, Crazy Chris is an admin, reviewer for the front page and panelist on the Crawlspace podcast. It was there in the October 2012 series of episodes where he sarcastically threw out the theory that Doctor Octopus was going to switch bodies with Peter Parker as his final revenge to escape death and destroy Spider-Man. At the time we all scoffed at the idea and took it as a silly joke. In the weeks that followed however, a series of teases for Superior Spider-Man lead to Chris being more and more certain of his guess, to the point where he eventually put up a list of reasons why he felt Doc Ock inhabiting Spider-Man’s body was the only possible outcome of this final arc in the Amazing title.
“The new Spider-Man probably IS Otto Octavius in Peter’s body because – He has all the character traits described in the article – Doc Ock would absolutely consider himself “superior.” That word jives with his personality more than any other Spidey character – The eyepieces look like his goggles – The concept art specifies an “alien nose,” referring to the web pattern around the nose. This makes the character appear more animalistic and otherworldly . . . like an octopus – He could invent new abilities for himself like retractable claws – It would explain why the sinister six will need a new member – It would explain Slott’s earlier comment about MJ and Peter getting what they want but not how they want it–MJ thinks she’s with Peter but it’s really Otto – We know the final ASM story arc involves Doc Ock – This would resolve the “Doc Ock is dying” plot
I think that summarizes why my theory is what it is, and why it is the theory that makes the most sense and fits the best with what we know.”-Posted Wednesday, October 10th 2012
Chris is a smart guy. If you read his reviews, you can tell that behind every thought and opinion he makes lies honest reasoning and critical thinking which leads to a very straightforward and reliable conclusion for whatever he’s talking about. Inane as the idea was, it was these clues which seemed to point the future of Spider-Man down to its eventual destination. So in all honesty when I say I had known about the ending, it’s due solely to Chris’ assertions and guesswork.
With all that being said, Dan Slott still managed to fool me long enough for the ending to be a complete surprise.
How is that possible? How can someone know the ending of a mystery with all the clues given and still be stunned when all is revealed?
I don’t think I’m being new in saying that I don’t take Dan Slott very seriously as the writer on this title. I don’t hate the guy, but going into every issue he’s written, I go with only so much enthusiasm and interest in how he can pull a story off. I don’t think Slott’s one of the best Spider-Scribes in the Web-Spinner’s 50 year history, nor do I think that his run will stand the test of time when compared to the classics like Stan Lee, Gerry Conway and Roger Stern.
But dang it, he’s a very good writer when he wants to be.
I didn’t know exactly what to expect besides the Chris’ clues I had to work on when I began reading this issue. By the title page with Spider-Man however, I started a long cycle of eye-rolls and exasperated groans. This was Slott on PCP. Continuity porn. Painful, poorly written exposition. Unnatural dialogue. Why would Peter say this about himself? Why would he say that? It read like a story on the back of a Shoney’s menu. Every scene was Peter re-introducing the readers to his life, his status quo and his past. “Was this supposed to be a jumping on point for new readers, three issues before the series ended?” I thought. I was ready and willing to chop this thing up for Thanksgiving dinner.
Then this page comes up. Suddenly it all makes sense.
I won’t go as far to say that Slott has been deliberately been writing under par in order to slip snobby comic book fans like me under a false sense of superiority. I will say that his obvious love of classic Spider-Man does him in as a technical writer much of the time, to the point where the book reads like it’s out of time and belongs in the mid-1970s at the latest. This isn’t the case with every issue he writes, but it’s a fair average. So when Doc Ock reveals that he has been in Peter’s body, gaining his memories and taking over his life just before Peter in Ock’s body is about to pass away, it’s the perfect punctuation to a tale that feels as though it belongs in an older time. This is a very old-school, mad scientist plot. The difference however between this issue and Slott’s run is in the delivery. Slott uses exposition and “jumping on point issue” tropes to his advantage where it read badly, but still nothing out of his ordinary work. It makes the reveal that much more powerful, that much more surprising because it’s right when it’s most convenient for the character of Otto Octavious where he can gloat and proclaim his victory in a safe environment that won’t lead to any humiliating destruction. It’s so in-character, but presented in such an almost subversive way that it exceeds any expectations I had for the story.
I have not been this excited about a Spider-Man issue in five years since the JMS run. I have been so bitter and exhausted with the character and how this current team of writers have been portraying him, that it really is owed to the Crawlspace for keeping me invested in him still up to this point. I’ve been critical to the point of ruthlessness in my reviews because of what I’ve felt was a lack of care for the character, the storytelling process or the fans. Basically, I’ve been mad a long time whenever I think about Spider-Man.
But this is the best issue that has come out of the title in years. The key is in the storytelling, which is superb. Even without the clues, the twist hits you square in the face without warning. It’s so diabolical, yet manages to be pulled off without straying from the logical. Sure, we have no clue when or how this first happened, but in this issue it doesn’t matter. What we need to know is how Otto is now acclimating to Spider-Man’s life, and how in the world can Peter get himself out of this one.
One of the best nail biters I’ve ever read in a Spider-Man comic. I even knew the outcome, and yet I was still floored by its execution. A true tour de force.
NOW DON’T SCREW IT UP BY #700!
5/5 webs
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#46 — Sorry, my theory came true but now I have no predictions left. I have no idea what happens next.
Honestly Mike, I have to say, I think your posts end up doing exactly what you accuse others of. If you’re arguing that the “negative nancies” are just posting reflexively, it seems the same argument could be made towards you, as you seem to reflexively make that accusation every time some people here don’t like a storyline.
I think the diversity of opinions on this storyline has been fascinating and I’m glad we’re hearing opinions of every kind. Sure, it is possible for people to be overly negative, but it is also possible for people to be overly positive (as in, not critical enough and thus letting things go that shouldn’t!) Think of us all as collectively trying to find the balance, and I think we’ll all get along better while keeping the diversity of opinions alive.
As a person who wasn’t too keen on this issue but believes that the potential is there for it to lead to a good story, I am just waiting and seeing at this point. I really think this story could end up being the best or worst of Slott’s career, or anywhere inbetween.
I really liked the issue… great review.
My only complaint would be all the “this issue was garbage/I am so done with Marvel” crap that followed the review… if people really felt that way, then stop the pain and stop reading the book and go find something “FUN” to do because being a Negative Nancy will just give you ulcers and possibly a stroke… and I’d hate for that to happen.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone… though it should really happen in October like the Canucks do it…
🙂
I haven’t bought a Marvel book in years, but I admit this is something new that intrigues me. I don’t want to start buying Marvel again, so CrazyChris, can you please summarize for me how this is going to play out? Thanks very much.
If Peter technically “dying” and then coming back to life opens the door to him getting back MJ (wouldn’t Mephisto’s ‘deal’ end once Peter dies … even if he ultimately overcomes death?), then that’s my silver lining. However, if I’m first supposed to root for “Devil Deal” Spidey, and now I”m supposed to root for “Otto Spidey” (an actual villain) then I’m done.
You know, I am a Bronze Age child. My pride and joy … my love for comics rests at the alter of Silver and Bronze age runs. I’m disappointed with One More Day, One Moment In Time, and Brand New Day. But, this latest twist is interesting; it is clever; it is different. Why all the hate? It seems that this arc has the potential to be tops! I think it will prove to be worthy of the Spider-Man canon. For one – wait and see how this unfolds. After taking a look at the preview for 700 and coupling that with the claws and concepts of Superior … it seems that Peter will not be out of it. I don’t think Octavius remains as Spider-Man beyond 700 – it seems that Peter will return as the Superior Spider-Man, but in who’s body? Think about it – why does Octavius need claws? He doesn’t! Peter, in the new body, needs them because his Spider powers are not available in this new body. Sure, this is crazy stuff. But, let’s remember – this is a comic book! I’m excited. And, the haters on this board need to chill. Make Mine Marvel! Yesterday! Today! And, Forever!
You know, I am a Bronze Age child. My pride and joy … my love for comics rests at the alter of Silver and Bronze age runs. I’m disappointed with One More Day, One Moment In Time, and Brand New Day. But, this latest twist is interesting; it is clever; it is different. Why all the hate? It seems that this arc has the potential to be tops! I think it will prove to be worthy of the Spider-Man canon. For one – wait and see how this unfolds. After taking a look at the preview for 700 and coupling that with the claws and concepts of Superior … it seems that Peter will not be out of it. I don’t think Octavius remains as Spider-Man beyond 700 – it seems that Peter will return as the Superior Spider-Man, but in who’s body? Think about it – why does Octavius need claws? He doesn’t! Peter, in the new body, needs them because his Spider powers are not available in this new body. Sure, this is crazy stuff. But, let’s remember – this is a comic book! I’m excited. And, the haters on this board need to chill. Make Mine Marvel! Yesterday! Today! And, Forever!
The story is not completed. No need to talk about raping MJ or any other gross predictions. If you take a look at the preview for 700, you’ll notice that there’s more to this than meets the eye. Octavius will not remain as Spider-Man. It seems Peter will return, or at least his mind will, into another body – share it? It makes sense now – the claws and gadgets of Superior! He needs the enhancements because in the new body he does not have his old spider powers. The question is – who’s body? Alpha? Norman (yuk)? We’ll see. One thing is certain, Slott is kicking it!
Seriously – how does “where did my comment go” get posted, but not my actually post – twice?
Where did my comment go?
@Spideysinger: With regards to Spider-Girl, do you know that there are other Spider-Girls out there (who are related to Peter Parker, but not Mary Jane) that might appear in Spider-Man’s world one day in the same manner as Rachel Summer, Nocturne, and Lyra Banner from the future.
Uh oh. I wonder how peter’s gonna get out of this one. Maybe he transfers into a new body? That would be one unholy kind of mess.
Haha, I LOL’d at the picture of Donovan buying the issue. That’s pretty funny. Hopefully no hard feelings for people, including myself, getting riled up over your review being based on an advance scanned copy. It’s all good.
Considering everything that has happened with this issue, Norman Osborn waking up and the upcoming big twist in #700 and yes, even the Alpha mini, I think I might know how this is going to end.
Loved this issue, can’t wait to see what happens in the next 2 and beyond!
i hated it. 0 out of 5 from me.
Well, like I just posted on the message boards, huge props to CrazyChris because he totally called this one even before Marvel even announced there would be a Superior Spider-Man.
That being said, not only do I think Peter isn‘t dead, I’m still not entirely convinced that this will result in Doc Ock becoming the new Superior Spider-Man for the following reasons:
1. This is still the first part of a three-part story (four parts if you include Amazing Spider-Man #699.1) with the main story in Amazing Spider-Man #700 being close to 60 pages long. Which still leaves plenty of twists and turns left before Superior Spider-Man #1 debuts.
2. Doc Ock’s own megalomania won’t allow him to maintain such a charade for too long. Especially once Doc Ock realizes it will be Peter and Spider-Man getting all the recognition that Doc Ock believes he’s entitled to have.
3. Even if Doc Ock did manage to keep up this ruse, someone with psychic and/or magical powers (hello, Dr. Strange!) would instantly know that “Peter” is not really Peter and try to fix things.
4. The Superior Spider-Man has retractable claws, presumably for wall-crawling as well as for being offensive weapons. Since Doc Ock is shown to have all of Peter’s abilities intact, what legitimate reason would he have to create those retractable claws since he already has wall-crawling powers?
So I’m still thinking (and hoping) this an elaborate misdirection, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we’re going to see Spidey vs. Doc Ock fighting each other in the other person’s body sort of like John Woo’s Face/Off (although that was two people switching faces rather than bodies, but same difference). And/or if Peter is forced to commit “suicide” by being forced to kill his own body in order to stop Doc Ock–perhaps even going as far as to break out his own villains from the Raft and exposing his own secret identity in order to do it.
In the meantime, I really hope we won’t see Doc Ock in Peter’s body get it on with Mary Jane like the Chameleon did with Michele Gonzales in Amazing Spider-Man #603, because that would be just…YUCK!
I’m on the side that doesn’t see this as being a development that’s even intended to last past ASM #700.
Slott’s directly said that the Spider-Man in SSM is “not Peter Parker,” yet he goes out of his way to have Otto explicitly state “I am Peter Parker.” Slott’s historically been very, very specific with wording in interviews for reasons of plot misdirection.
I see this winding up with Peter in a new body under a new name. There’s still supposed to be something big coming in ASM #700 and one would have to assume that they’re saving up something they see as at least as big as Doc Ock effectively killing Peter.
There’s always the possibility that this is the direction they’re going and Otto intends to keep on trucking as Spider-Man, but I get the feeling this is only part of the story when all is said and done.
It is sad, but not buying it is the only way Marvel will get the message. If this upsets you, please don’t buy it.
What a crap idea that will last as long as that crappy One More Day saga – Are Mavel really THAT short of good story ideas?????
I really enjoyed Dan Slott on She-Hulk several years ago. He had an irreverent sense of humor which I thought would be a welcome change to Spidey when he was announced as the oncoming writer. We hadn’t seen Spidey with a sense of humor in a long time. However, what Spidey didn’t need was a “break the fourth wall” writer. He didn’t exactly do that but he didn’t exactly bring the kind of light heartedness that we got from Lee, Stern or Conway. Dan Slott is possibly my least favorite Spidey writer ever. Spider Island was a freaking MESS!!! (Oh, how I wish Bill Mantlo was capable of still writing comics!) When they announced a Spidey relaunch, I EXPECTED Slott to go, maybe bring in Mark Waid, but there’s Dan Slott. This could be the first time since 1976 that I didn’t buy a Spider-Man book every month. Too sad. ); (
@24. The thing with Aunt May will probably happen in 699 or 700. Vomit inducing, I know…
I had heard that ASM 600 had foreshadowed this occurrence. Doc Ock’s mind was transferred to all electronics in New York City. And to countermeasure, Spidey then transferred his mind to all electronics. Or something like that. Mister Fantastic assured Spidey that he would pass an algorithm to erase Spidey’s traces from the whole city, but this was never shown.
I don’t want to get my hopes up, but the story has not ended yet. Of course, I guess things CAN get worse.
After OMD, I can’t stand this crap no more
No. Peters personality manifests so much in the body that peter returns and dock ock is gone….
Did the mind swap take place in this issue or in a prior issue (behind the scenes, so to speak)?
This seems like a fan-fic What If? story inexplicably applied to the headline magazine itself. If Ock stays true to himself, then those webbed-up people you saw in that preview art (the glowering Spider-Man standing in front of the moon) are likely dead. Is that who customers want headlining this thing for a couple of years?
This gonna be how they explain Pete’s recent out of character moments? And allow me to be a little creepy here. Why is he kissing MJ? I thought Otto had a thing for Aunt May?
… yeah, let that thought fester in your mind for a while.
I find these trumped up events very tiresome. Taking the title character out of the suit and (temporarily) ending the title is the best they could come up with to honor Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary?
If this is really the new status quo and not a misdirect I am out. I have no interest reading about Peter’s murder, who is now dating MJ. If MJ is dating Ock, while thinking its Peter that would be the most offencive thing I can think of. Not just as a fan, but as a moral human being. Slott will be making us a party to the most ill thought out ‘romantic’ relationship in comics. There is a word for this that gets thrown around a lot that I’m not going to say. Especially as this is all speculation at this time, but I do not want to read a book that makes a hero of a villain (not Anti-hero, but pure villian).
I give this concept a year tops, before Amazing returns with a new no.1 and hopefully a writer, not a fan fiction blogger who has been elevated to the once flag ship book.
Alright, so probably Peter’s spirit now inhabits Norman Osborn’s body and that’s why we saw him awakening from his coma last issue?
The “Spider-Girl” comic is great! I great mix of modern and classic Spidey.
I will be jumping off with issue #700 but I will admit I’m really interested in this story, but I’m not as jaded the majority of people here.
Anybody got crutches?
That whole premise is just lame.
If Doc Ock has Peter’s body and powers, why would the “Superior” Spider-Man need claws to climb walls?
Marvel Office: “Hey guys, it’s been 5 years since the greates piss-all-the fans-and-shit-on-our-customers event. We really need something here. Things are going to well for Spidey.”
Slott: “Funny that you mention that…”
I am SO done with this garbage. Fortunately Spidey is bigger than this wannabe writer. I have a great collection of Pre-OMD TPB’s that I am re-reading and I am just delighted. I’m going to quit weekly comics, it’s the right time. I hear Spider-Girl is awesome so I’m going to start reading that too.
re: 15 and 16, it’s quite possible that something will happen between now and #700 and this won’t be the long-term status quo for Superior Spider-Man. After all, Slott still has to explain why the new Spider-Man needs claws to climb walls. Maybe the mind-swapped Peter Parker is only for 698-700 and in the end, Ock and/or Peter will end up in another body for Superior.
Also, it is possible that this comic is good and people haven’t been “hoodwinked”. Story quality is subjective, and if people enjoy something, it’s because they enjoy it, not because they’re too stupid to know better.
In an internally realistic storyline, it should take the Parker family and the super-hero world about 3 days to figure out that something is very wrong with Spider-Man/Peter. Given their experiences with mystic forces, mad scientists, and so on, someone should twig onto the idea that Peter is possessed, being mind-controlled, has been replaced by a Skrull, or whatever. You cannot replace an insecure, family-oriented idealist with a megalomaniacal mass-murderer, and have no one notice.
But instead, you know that everyone will be stupid.
P.S. to NickMB: THIS is the time for Mephisto to show up again, to heap metaphysical abuse on who he thinks is Peter. That might be fun to watch — Ock inheriting all of Peter’s OMD baggage.
And so Dan Slott gets to make idiots out of anyone who has ever known Peter Parker, from Aunt May to Mary Jane, if the two of them remotely are hoodwinked by Otto’s disguise…no. Just …no, that isnt the characters I grew up reading, those two would smell a rat immediatly.
Slott has you all hoodwinked, this is crap, and will, as usual, be a complete dissapointment. Slott thought he was being clever, HA. This isnt big or clever, it’s a cliched bit of storytelling that’s been done a million times before in comics and tv shows.
Also, I know Otto, the Ock we saw in “Web of Death” saved Peter just to continue having a merry dance with him all of his life, he would never go as far as do this and leave him to die just to mess with his family, a family, I might add, he cherishes as much as Peter does. Otto may be mad, but the 90s stories displayed he had some sort of rationality and conscience, and that, on a rare instance, he could do the right thing
It is this Otto that I always hold high in esteem, and not this panto farce.
@13 I think it’s still a plot stunt, they’re just changing the name of the book to make it more convincing. The story here is still “How will Peter overcome him?”
The question I have from a sales standpoint is a simple one: whether the character can carry a series. It’s one thing to pull a plot stunt like this for a few issues, it’s another thing entirely to make him the lead!, especially considering that he is a homicidal sociopath. It’s like replacing Marshal Dillon with Hannibal Lecter as the lead in Gunsmoke.
Silly question for everyone….wasn’t Doc reduced to just a head in Ends of the Earth?
@7,
k
Ouch- the facebook teaser for Crawlspace spoiled this for me… will read the review after I get the issue.
I have to disagree with you by claiming that Dan Slott is a good writer. If he was, then he should be good all (or most) of the time. Writing poorly or sub-par in order to lull others into underestimating your ability is not clever, it’s stupid. It’s also a waste of talent for what amounts to a cheap publicity trick.
As for the twist? *waggles hand* Eh. This is going to be another ‘massive change to the status quo that will last forever but not really’. Marvel (and others) have beaten this horse to death in the last ten years. I’m finding it harder to care about such things when I know things will revert back to the way they were as soon a movie or other major comics-related media is coming out. Because more times they say things will change, the more they stay the same.
It said ‘do not read. major spoilers’. I read it. DAMN YOU, DON!!!
In case anyone was wondering, this issue was leaked by a comicbook shop owner on 4chan who proceeded to upload the entire comic image by image. The scan he used for this review is the same exact one from the cbr file of the issue.
Shame on you for using an illegal copy for this review.
If it is Otto in Peter’s body, then I”m done. Seriously, I’m just… I’m done. This isn’t what I wanted at all. It’s good plot, all that good stuff, but this just isn’t what I wanted to see. I hate being a fanboy but it’s how I feel.
Wow, so does this mean Ock is an avenger? Won’t telepathic members figure him out? Or is avengers happening at a different time?
Wow, he really did it.
I don’t know if I should be impressed or be confused that Chris was able to get this so precisely.
The way I see it, Ramos will the weakness of the next two issues.
Great review.
SHA SHAN IS BACK! SANDWICHES FOR EVERYONE!