The SYFY channel has a 40 minute interview with former Spider-Man writer Dan Slott. It’s an interesting discussion. Highlights include:
*His least favorite story was the Alpha story.
*It was meant to be one big issue and not three.
*How he says he failed at social media and names others who do it better.
*He wanted the Parker Industries storyline to be bigger and have Peter even richer.
*Several other writers were trying to get his job
*He wanted to replace writing Spider-Man with Fantastic Four and an Indiana Jones book
*He wanted to write Captain America, but it was taken before he could jump in.
*He turned down several other characters to write after Spider-Man.
*Spider-Man is his favorite hero.
*Doctor Doom is his favorite villain.
*He wasn’t upset Brian Michael Bendis wrote more issues of Spider-Man.
*He wants to write more Spider-Man someday.
*His excitement over comics marriage, not Spidey’s but Ben and Alicia’s over in Fantastic Four.
*He has a Fantastic Four story idea file, just like his Spider-Man one. He has thrown ideas in it since he was a child.
*Shares his meeting with Steve Ditko.
Slott also shares his thoughts on the Spider-Verse film in this video.
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
Pandora
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Podbean
Amazon Alexa
Player.fm
Listen Notes
Stitcher
He returned the comic to the status quo as he left… Well, yes he did BUT I think he did this under pressure from above; everything I read from him and about him during his tenure suggested Slott wanting his status quo to become the norm moving forward. Peter was supposed to be gone for good after the brain swap, replaced by SpOck; Parker Industries was the new supporting cast and Peter was the rich globetrotting playboy. Spider-Man may be his favourite, but I never felt he actually understood Peter or that whole dynamic or what the “Parker Luck” really is. Actually, as I type this it occurs to me that he reminds me a lot of Felicia in the ’80’s – he likes the idea of a Spider-Man but hates the thought of Peter Parker being anywhere near him and wanted to change him into his idea of what an alter ego should be.
@Enigma_2099 and @William Sinclair – agreed on both counts. I still really love the Spider-Man/Human Torch limited and (much to my later chagrin) thought Slott would be a perfect fit for the main book. He has good ideas but has trouble bringing them home. I also think he, like Moffatt on Doctor Who, needs a strong editorial overseeing him.
Spider-Man is his favorite hero? The same Spidey he portrayed as an incompetent man-child in most of his run? Not Doc Ock? Or his OCs? I find that VERY difficult to believe.
The more time passes, the more I think of Slott as being very much akin to Doctor Who’s Steven Moffat, a writer who was great when doing a few self-contained stories within a franchise, but failed completely when given the top writing spot on said franchise. Both of them also ended up staying far too long, but Moffat at least turned in an above average final season and left me interested in seeing some of his future work outside of Doctor Who, Slott ended so poorly with Spidey that it’s left a bad taste in my mouth, and I have no desire to read anything by him again.
I went from loving his She-Hulk run to never wanting to read another Slott story ever again. That’s how badly these past 10 years have burned me. NEVER let him write Spider-Man ever again.
“*His least favorite story was the Alpha story.”
Good to know that that piece of shit story that wasted a once in a lifetime event for the fans and character wasn’t even enjoyed by it’s author. And that it was stretched out for our mutual disdain.
“How he says he failed at social media and names others who do it better.”
I’ve never heard cyberbullying be labelled as failing at social media before.
“Several other writers were trying to get his job”
So people other than Spencer were desperate to save the character
“He wanted to replace writing Spider-Man with Fantastic Four and an Indiana Jones book”
NO REALLY!!!!!!!!! THAT IS SO SHOCKING I CAN’T EVEN!
“He wanted to write Captain America, but it was taken before he could jump in.”
So let me get this straight, Slott wanted the job taken by the guy who tanked America who then turned around and saved Spider-Man after Slott continued to tank the character because he wasn’t writing Captain America. FML.
“Spider-Man is his favorite hero.”
I think there is a silent ‘Superior’ adjective we’re supposed to read into that.
“He wasn’t upset Brian Michael Bendis wrote more issues of Spider-Man.”
Yes he was.
“He wants to write more Spider-Man someday.”
Please no.
“He has a Fantastic Four story idea file, just like his Spider-Man one. He has thrown ideas in it since he was a child.”
I’m so sorry F4 fans.
@Mark Alford: I feel like Slott’s writing problems built up over ten years, like the proverbial animated snowball rolling down the hill, getting bigger and bigger. Personality quirks in a character that early on might have represented just Slott’s “take” became more and more exaggerated. Peter went from being somewhat distracted and frazzled to a buffoon. Other characters went from acting out faux-Seinfeld moments, to burlesque combinations of sitcom character tics.
OK, try a new set of co-workers. But the Horizon characters were all 1-note Disney FX sitcom cliches. The PI cast were stick-figures. Maybe this just further illustrates your point, that he does poor work with a lenient editor.
I believe that Slott had great ideas. I enjoyed the Superior Spider-Man quite a bit. It was always the execution of the ideas that did not work for me (although I am well aware that others enjoyed his stint very much). I like the idea of a Spider-Verse, trying out a successful Peter Parker, and some of his other arcs, but I did not like reading the stories.
I do feel that his run would have been legendary if he had a strong editor like Jim Shooter to keep things in line with the character’s past development.
“I wanted to remove Peter even MORE from what made him relatable and his core characterization!” is certain a very Slott thing to say.