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Author Topic: Spider-Man == Peter Parker
Scott R
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Link

[Frown]

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Stephan
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I heard about that. Somehow, some way, his secret will be hidden again one day.
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fugu13
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C'mon, spoiler warning!

geeze . . .

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Puffy Treat
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This could actually be an interesting story if it were not being written by Mark Millar...who ever since he started believing his own good press has been churning out stories that invariably disappoint me.
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ketchupqueen
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Um... Does this remind anyone else of The Incredibles, but in reverse?
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FlyingCow
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So, isn't this like an expanded Mutant Registration plot? Didn't the X-Men go through this about umpteen million times... and didn't such classification lead to, you know, Sentinels and Genosha and all manner of Bad Things(tm)?

Could Charles Xavier go to Peter Parker and say "Hey, dude, this isn't the best idea, you know. Just sayin'"

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Scott R
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I think that's kind of the whole point of Civil War, Flying Cow. [Smile]

Spidey apparently disagrees, though on what grounds I can't imagine.

I always found the personal lives of the heroes much more interesting than their costumed adventures. So, for me, this revelation is kind of a step backwards-- private/public life is no more.

I don't follow comics much any longer-- but this seemed like a pretty big development, and I thought I'd link to it to see what everyone else thought.

Oh, by the way-- the mutant registration act didn't lead to any of those things. The Sentinels were already around before the act was signed; and Genosha wasn't a part of the Act (which was, as far as we know, US based).

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TomDavidson
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As someone's who's actually reading the current Civil War storyline, I've got to admit that it's been done fairly well -- to my surprise -- so far.

The "reveal" here is well-telegraphed and explained in the text. And I can't imagine how they'd magically "undo" all these changes.

Tony Stark's come out already, in a way that'll make it much harder for him to say "Sorry, I lied about that" in the future. Parker's about to reveal himself on the advice of his Aunt May(although I guarantee that he'll be fighting on the other side before the mini-series is over, probably due to some betrayal from Stark). And so on.

In a way, this is just an informal admission that secret identities really don't make much sense. Already, a vast majority of the superheroes in the "community" know each other's secret identities; Peter Parker's attempt to protect his identity has even become a running joke among other superheroes, who've known it for years.

But of course that's also part of the tension of the character. So I can't quite figure out whether Civil War intends to roll back these changes and return to a status quo, or what. Reed Richards already shot the Hulk into space. Peter Parker's about to never be able to take pictures for the Bugle ever again. And of course Daredevil's in jail and Foggy Nelson is dead.

So all I can figure is that they're going to make these changes permanent OR, in a stunning cop-out, drag out Wanda Maximoff to "House of M" the whole thing away, thus wrapping up THAT storyline as well.

----

BTW, what's Venom doing on the cover? He already knows Spider-Man's real identity. Unlike the Hobgoblin and Bullseye, he'd have no real motivation to go after him afresh. [Smile]

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Stephan
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Have there been any long run permanent and HUGE changes for the core group of superheroes?
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TomDavidson
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There have been huge changes. But I don't know how permanent ANYTHING is in comics.
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Scott R
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I've always admired Spiderman because he's one of the truly Regular Guy (mostly) heroes. All these other folks, Richards, Stark, Captain America, the X-men, the Avengers-- they all live for the job of being a hero.

Not Spidey. Spidey doesn't have a secret mansion to run to. He lives in an apartment. No exorbitant equipment (airplanes, motorcycles); his mode of travel is cheap and fairly limited of range.

Although, if Tom recommends it... I might have to check it out when it comes out in graphic novel form.

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Puffy Treat
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Humans with super powers don't make any sense.

Neither do codenames, costumes, or the world matching up to ours after so many years of this weird stuff happening.

So the big message is that the Marvel universe is a fantastical Rube Goldberg device that doesn't really work?

Dur-hey. That's why it's called "escapism", Millar.

Trying to force characters created in the Silver Age into stories that appeal to jaded, cynical, burnt out fans in their 30s-40s is becoming increasingly silly.

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BlackBlade
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Can somebody give me a running list of villains/people who already knew the identity of spiderman? Pretty sure the green goblin already knew, as did Venom, Mary Jane obviously, and Aunt May. Can the comic book geeks give me a comprehensive list as I think it would play down some of the SHOCK of this revelation.
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TomDavidson
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quote:
Spidey doesn't have a secret mansion to run to. He lives in an apartment.
I think that's actually one of the things this arc is meant to resolve. Since his house burnt down and M.J. ran up some debts, he's actually been living in the Stark Building -- the new Avengers hangout -- and working as Stark's personal assistant. Aunt May is actually dating Jarvis.

I expect that will change fairly soon.

--------

quote:

Can somebody give me a running list of villains/people who already knew the identity of spiderman?

Off the top of my head:

Friends:
Mary Jane
Aunt May
Jarvis
Harry Osborn (d.)
Black Cat
Reed Richards
Nightwatch (d.)
Prowler (d.)
Daredevil
Wolverine
Iron Man
Captain America
Spider-Woman
Luke Cage
Professor X
Jean Grey
Cyclops
Nick Fury
S.H.I.E.L.D (ID on file)

Villains:
Green Goblin
Dr. Octopus
Venom
The Owl
The Jackal
Gwen Stacy's clone (d.?)
Gaunt (d.)
Kaine (d.?)
Judas Traveller
Chameleon (d.?)

People who might know and who seemed in some issues to know but...:
Rhino
Electro
Vulture
John Jameson, Jr.
Robbie

[ June 15, 2006, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: TomDavidson ]

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Scott R
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What's changing? May dating Jarvis? Parker's work?

[Smile]

I really, really, REALLY enjoyed the reveal to Aunt May, and the SPOILER
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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twist that all this time, May had thought it was her fault that Uncle Ben was killed.

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Dagonee
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quote:
Could Charles Xavier go to Peter Parker and say "Hey, dude, this isn't the best idea, you know. Just sayin'"
Xavier (and the entire school) was unmasked unwillingly, and they all decided it was better after the unmasking.
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Chris Bridges
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Trying to force characters created in the Silver Age into stories that appeal to jaded, cynical, burnt out fans in their 30s-40s is becoming increasingly silly.

Only when done poorly. So far I'm liking the Civil War series. It's hands down better than the last couple of DC mega-events, although it may not be enough to redeem Marvel for the M mess.

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Xavier
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Nate Grey (X-Man) also knew Peter's identity. He's dead now too though.
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Lisa
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quote:
Originally posted by Stephan:
Have there been any long run permanent and HUGE changes for the core group of superheroes?

Sure. They'll never bring back Bucky or Jason Todd.

<ducking>

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Xavier
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quote:
Sure. They'll never bring back Bucky or Jason Todd.
I didn't know about the latest bringing back of Bucky. Peter David did sort of brought him back and killed him again on his Incredible Hulk run. Looks like that was ignored for this latest bringing back from the dead.

One character that, so far, has permanently dead is Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell).. He has had two sons though who were revealed post posthumously.

One genetically (sort of cloned) named Genis-Vell. I guess he died recently. The other was made the old fashion way with a Skrull princess named Anelle (currently referred to as "Hulkling" in Young Avengers, but that will certainly change now that his origin is revealed). He has both Skrull shape-shifting powers and the super strength of his father.

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TomDavidson
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I'm wondering if they'll keep Banshee dead now that his daughter's commented on how unlikely it is. [Smile]
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TomDavidson
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Hm. Just read Civil War 2. Millar's being WAAAAY too transparent about his biases, here.
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Xavier
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I just read Civil War #1 and #2.

I don't know, Tom, I feel pretty torn myself over which side is in the right.

On one hand, my current favorite heroes (The Young Avengers) are on Captain America's side, but to be honest I sort of side with Iron Man.

If I lived in their world, I would be against thousands of super powered vigilantes running around with no regulation, training, or civil authority.

Especially considering that half the time, when these "heroes" meet, they fight eachother in the classic "hero fights hero" battle because of a misunderstanding. Endangering thousands of lives, and destroying millions of dollars worth of property.

I can't say for sure that I would be on Captain America's side.

I was going to resist buying the "event", but the fact that the Young Avengers are getting so much screen time sucked me in.

But consider Young Avengers if the law does pass. The team wouldn't be able to operate right now, but they could spend the next year until they are 18 training under professional super heroes, most likely turned into a much more cohesive and powerful team, and then they would be authorized as a legitimate force to still do what they are doing now. Not good for a comic book, but if it was "real life", it would be much better for them.

Oh and I was thrilled to see Speedfreek. He was my favorite Peter David Hulk villian. Too bad he didn't have his suit on. He could have killed each New Warrior all by himself if he had a chance to get prepared. Hypersonic speed, adamantium blades, sophisticated armor, and no morals of any sort would have left each New Warrior beheaded before they even had a chance to move.

[ June 15, 2006, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: Xavier ]

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erosomniac
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Man, it sounds like comics are so much cooler now than they were when I stopped reading (~10 years ago). Too bad there's no easy way to get caught up. [Frown]
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Chris Bridges
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Sure there is. Pick the comics you're interested in and look 'em up at Wikipedia. Most of the heroes I could think have fairly complete listings, including what's happened to them (in a general way) up to the present time.
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Xavier
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Yeah, I stopped collecting for several years (like eight years) and started up again recently.

The hardest part, I've found, is that to maintain my interest I need one or two "anchor" books to collect, and I haven't quite gotten there yet.

I first came back because Peter David was back on the Hulk. I'd collected his run on that book for years and years, so I was excited at his return. The run was short and largely unimpressive, but I still wanted to get back into comics.

I bought Marvel pretty much exclusively, so that's what I mostly tried.

The problem with Marvel is that something like 85% of the books are X-men/Wolverine/Spiderman related in some way or another. Spiderman and Wolverine are even on the same team now (as far as I know). I can't stand following a character who is starring in multiple books, so that makes most every marvel book unreadable for me.

Out of what that left me with and which I sampled, the only one which I truly enjoyed was the Young Avengers.

I didn't find much else that I liked, so I tried some DC for the first time ever.

I really like Green Lantern's powers, so I checked out that book when they were doing the Rebirth storyline. I quite liked the art, and the story was pretty decent too (though I don't really know much about the continuity it referenced).

That miniseries led into the launching of two books, neither of which was able to maintain my interest, unfortunately.

I also tried getting into the Teen Titans. The art was very strong on that title. However, the two characters I liked best from the book were Superboy and Raven, who are apparently no longer on the team after whatever happened in the Infinity Crisis event. I'm not a big fan of the batman family, so it was tough reading a book with Robin as the star. So now the only character left on the team which I like is Wondergirl (Cassandra), and I barely know anything about her. So I dropped that book from my buying list. Sad, to drop a book with art I adore.

Eventually I bought some back-issues of the New Excalibur, because I liked the art and I thought the idea of Juggernaut as a hero was interesting. So far I like what I've seen, but I admit, if they switched to an artist less my taste I would probably drop it.

I really like a clean, fairly realistic looking style to my art. I really hate unclean lines, odd proportions, or any sort of fuzziness or lack of focus. It appears that a lot of artists on comics these days are getting too abstract for my tastes, in an attempt to make them highly stylized.

I loved the art in Civil War, by the way. That's a good example of my preferred style.

I'm pretty picky about both the art and the writing/characters, so I've found it difficult to get back into comics. What's worse is that my current favorite, the Young Avengers, are going to be taking a long break from what I've heard. So I'll be down to one book I am only partly into. I miss the mid 90's where I always knew that Peter David would be on the Hulk, and that Dale Keown or Gary Frank would be the artist.

After all that rambling, anyone have any super hero (or even non-super-hero books) to suggest?

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Mazer
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I am so utterly uninterested in comics for the most part, but I am buying Civil War titles like candy.

I heard about Civil War on NPR of all places, the day before it came out. So far I am enjoying it, artwork and writing. Too bad OSC isn't writing anything for it, I enjoyed his Ultimate Ironman.

quote:
Daredevil's in jail
I could have sworn Civil War 2 showed him out. Maybe he was part of Cap's prison break.
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Rakeesh
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I'm reading some of it, and I totally buy PP's outing himself on the grounds of uncontrolled superhumans running amok and loyalty to Tony Stark and guilt-by-association...but on the other hand, I don't buy it because he's been doing good, at great personal sacrifice and injury, virtually without thanks from the very community which now demands he out himself. And unlike Tony Stark, he isn't super rich and doesn't have a home full of servants to cater to his whims.

Life as a superhero, when compared to life as a super-powered ordinary human being, has been a major loss situation. But that's part and parcel for PP, since it ties into his guilt complex. As Nick Fury termed it in Secret Wars (the new one), "Peter Parker: Suffers from a massive guilt complex which basically means he does whatever you tell him he has to do," in slightly different words.

It will be very interesting to see how he reacts once he discovers Stark's betrayl, both generally and personally.

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Chris Bridges
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Matt Murdock is in jail. There's another, as yet unindentified person running around in a DD costume fighting crime in Hell's Kitchen.
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TomDavidson
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quote:
I don't know, Tom, I feel pretty torn myself over which side is in the right.
I do, too, Xavier. In fact, I think the pro-registration argument is the BETTER of the two arguments. Which is why the bias is so transparent to me.

Have you noticed that we have YET to see the pro-registration argument made sensibly and intelligently by a reasonable person? The best arguments I've seen for it have been in the Spider-Man and She-Hulk comics, which aren't even part of the core storyline; if you aren't reading those, you've yet to see a reason to sympathize with that viewpoint. Stark made his case haughtily, as part of a group who fired Bruce Banner into space -- and scenes in other comics suggest that he's hiding things. We know Richards is ignoring his wife and brother-in-law, and hiding the construction of an enormous prison from them; his "rationale" for being pro-registration is based on math-heavy "gobbledygook" that Susan, as the reader-analogue, is clearly not meant to understand. And in the second issue, we see that escorting guard -- the one who's pushed by Captain America into oncoming traffic -- turned into an ignorant, bigoted caricature as he attempts to explain why masks are unnecessary (and even creepy) on superheroes. Heck, the new Thunderbolts title has them signing on as creepy mercenary jailers -- and even gives them a built-in betrayal, right off the bat, to make it clear that we're not supposed to sympathize with them.

But in the Marvel Universe, masks ARE unnecessary and creepy on superheroes. More importantly, why aren't the "rebels" already beginning to question what they're doing? Captain America could easily have killed that guard, or the driver of the police car that flipped to avoid him. He's already calling this the "resistance" -- implying what, that he's intending to actually overthrow the American government?

This could be a LOT more complex than it is, and we're not seeing it. Those of us who're pro-registration have to bring our own rationales to the table. [Smile]

--------

Chris, I'm not sure that the Daredevil we see in the Civil War issues isn't Murdock. We don't really have a timeframe for when the current Daredevil storyline is occurring relative to Civil War. That said, if it IS Murdock, and this is occurring after he is presumably released innocent from prison, he more than most has a really good motive for being anti-registration. *grin*

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Palliard
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I dunno. In real reality, good guys don't wear masks. In superhero reality, everyone important wears a mask, good guy or not.

I haven't read "Civil War", but from what I'm hearing it sounds like the Marvel version of "Watchmen", with Stark taking on the role of Ozymandias, and Cap taking on the role of Rorschack.

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TomDavidson
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It's actually closer to Kingdom Come, even down to the big prison. Except that the anti-registration crowd in Kingdom Come weren't depicted as heroes, but turned out to be right anyway. [Smile] I expect the opposite might happen here.
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Xavier
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quote:
Chris, I'm not sure that the Daredevil we see in the Civil War issues isn't Murdock. We don't really have a timeframe for when the current Daredevil storyline is occurring relative to Civil War.
Yeah, in Young Avengers #11, Patriot looked as though he was toast.

Then come Civil War, he's back in action, apparently more powerful than before. (Perhaps Cap gives him a transfusion? Though he still wouldn't be bulletproof, I suppose.) So Civil War must be considerably into the future compared to Young Avengers. Wouldn't be surprised if its after the current Daredevil continuity as well.

I sort of see what you are saying now Tom, but I think we may have to wait and see. I agree that the super-secret prison thing is a bit of a neon sign saying "This group is the one in the wrong".

Its interesting how Cap is against bringing in super-heroes who don't agree to stop fighting crime, as he and Iron Man pretty much did just that to the Young Avengers. Perhaps Patriot saving his life changed his mind on the subject.

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Chris Bridges
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Who cares about Spider-Man's silly old secret identity anyway?
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MyrddinFyre
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[ROFL]
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BlackBlade
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You guys are all fools it goes deeper than that,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AmazingFantasy15.jpg

Issue #1: Spidey is clearly admitting his identity out loud for that unnamed common street thug. The "!" and the dialogue border around the text make it clearly an audible declaration. [Big Grin] Edit: Added the emoticon so people don't think I am seriously calling the community "fools."

[ June 16, 2006, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]

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Mazer
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Anyone who is honestly pro-reg scares me. That takes us into Godwin's land.
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neo-dragon
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I don't really read comics on a regular basis (except for Ultimate Spider-man and Ultimate X-men) but I like to hear about the latest storylines and such. So I read about this civil war story on wikipedia, and based on what I read, the super-human registration act doesn't sound unreasonable:

quote:
The provisions of the 2006 version of the Super-human Registration Act have been more specifically outlined. In a June 2006 interview [3] Civil War editor Tom Brevoort confirmed that registrants to the act have to reveal their identities to the government (but not the public) and they have to undergo some basic testing and/or training and satisfy certain (as yet unspecified) standards before they gain legal authoristion to continue to use their abilities to fight crime. Government employment is not mandatory, though it is available to those who wish to take it.
Of course we all know that super-heroes like Spider-man are good guys through and through, and everything they do is to help and protect people. In fact, most heroes would probably turn themselves in if they ever crossed the line. But from the perspective of an average person in-universe, it would be hard to be okay with the idea of masked super-powered individuals who no one has any control over. All the act is asking for is that they give their names to the government and get some formal training/certification, and then they can basically go on as normal. Of course, I realize that it will probably be revealed that the government has some sinister motive behind it, but from an objective standpoint, it seems pretty fair.

I don't understand why Peter revealed his identity to the public though. From what I understand the registration act doesn't require that. It puts himself and everyone he cares about in danger (although a lot of people within the super-hero/villain community already knew who he was).

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TomDavidson
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quote:
Anyone who is honestly pro-reg scares me.
Why? The registration law is for super-powered individuals who are actively using their powers. You don't have to register if you have super-powers; you only have to register if you want to use your super-powers to do something, like fight crime.

And you will be PAID to fight crime, and trained to use your powers, and shielded from some legal liability for damages that result from use of your powers.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a win/win situation for most superheroes, and no more onerous than a driver's license.

What I find a little baffling is that, as proposed, one only needs register with the government; you DON'T need to publicly announce your identity on national television. So far, however, that's been the route taken -- which I suppose is necessary to add any dramatic tension at all, because (for example) S.H.I.E.L.D. already knows who Spider-Man is. If he just "registered" with them, he'd just be drawing a salary for telling something they already knew.

Of course, a legitimate criticism of the registration proposal is that the superheroes would only draw a salary and would only receive liability protection if they were acting in an officially-sanctioned manner, leading to Cap's quite sensible objection regarding whether or not they'd be ordered around like soldiers by the government. But as someone who's used to it, you'd think that he of all people would be able to cope with that one. *laugh*

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Xavier
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quote:
But as someone who's used to it, you'd think that he of all people would be able to cope with that one. *laugh*
Yeah, that's one thing that doesn't sit quite well with me. If there is anyone in the marvel universe who would be in favor of the legislation, its Cap.

I think it would be a much more compelling drama if Cap was the government's representitive, being the "father figure" of pretty much all of Marvel's super-heroes.

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neo-dragon
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You're telling me that Captain America of all people is against the act?! That seems a bit weird...

Anyway, like I said above, I haven't actually read the series but I've been reading about it, and I thought that the heroes who registered don't have to go on a government pay-roll, and therefore don't have to be treated as soldiers if they don't want to (see the quoted bit of my post, just a couple of posts up). Sure, being a super-hero loses a bit of its coolness factor when you have to get an official license from the government, but the fact that they are being allowed to pursue vigilante activities and hide their identities from the public and it be totally legal and government sanctioned sounds like a pretty sweet deal! I'm still waiting to hear the secret sinister motive behind this that makes the Act evil...

I mean, it's all good if you trust the government and believe that it's all just a simple measure to try and keep super-powered individuals in line and keep the public feeling safe. But it's probably going to turn out to be some plot to control them.

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Noemon
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quote:
Of course we all know that super-heroes like Spider-man are good guys through and through, and everything they do is to help and protect people. In fact, most heroes would probably turn themselves in if they ever crossed the line. But from the perspective of an average person in-universe, it would be hard to be okay with the idea of masked super-powered individuals
This is explored in Marvels, which I just finished last night. Excellent book, I thought. Thanks to the people here who recommended it.
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Rakeesh
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You know, one thing that was very irritatinig-and frankly stupid, in my opinion-was Aunt May's assertion that 'cowards hide behind masks'. First of all, it's an incredibly hurtful and inaccurate thing to say to Peter Parker. Second, it's stupid because he took a lot more hell for wearing the mask than he would have without it, I expect. Had he gone the Captain America route, or the FF route, or the Luke Cage route.

Peter let himself be publicly reviled and scorned over and over and over again, with no way to redeem his image. Sure, he often left messes, but how could he pay for it? And what was the alternative, exactly? Let the villainous jackass off a bunch of innocents? Not to mention there was that time when he did try to help for Electro going through that wall. Gave up his month's rent money-and you know what a hassle that was, prior to New Avengers and/or MJ's modeling work-to a couple of kids who's Mom was not very Mom-like and could hardly handle this on her own.

Anyway, just irritating. Just because she's still pissed at him is no reason to suggest he's cowardly.

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Noemon
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So I picked up the first two issues of Civil War yesterday, along with Kingdom Come. Not bad stuff. I'll talk about Kingdom Come in the other thread, but in terms of the Civil War series, what is the timetable for the release of future issues? What Spiderman issues should I take a look at for the pro-registration argument? Just the ones referenced on the last page of the first comic?
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TomDavidson
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That'd help. Actually, Marvel's doing something rather clever with this mini and, rather than just sticking an ugly little logo on the cover to indicate that a given issue is part of the crossover, actually designing all the covers of the associated issues with a consistent theme.

In general, Marvel wants you to stop into your local comic store every Wednesday. But you won't have to. [Smile]

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Mazer
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quote:
You don't have to register if you have super-powers; you only have to register if you want to use your super-powers to do something, like fight crime.
Well it is ambiguous about that.

As for why I am bothered by it, same reason that Cap should be bothered by it. It is so fundamentally unAmerican, it is draconic, it is Orwellian, and it is chillingly reminiscent of yellow stars and pink triangles. I am not talking about lucky charms, I am talking about fascism. (There's that subtle skirting of Godwin.) Sure the law is benevolent, NOW, but whose to say where that will lead.

Regulation/restriction has one big flaw. It requires honest people to abide by it. Meaning that for the most part, Supervillians won't feel compelled to abide by the registration. So only the good guys have to toss their privacy in the dustbin?

And anyway, Millar stated on NPR that it was a thinly veiled allegory of modern restrictions placed on Americans. Individual rights have been dealt some serious blows in the last few years, and since Millar is making no attempt whatsoever to hide it, those who are pro-reg would appear, by association, to be anti-freedom, (Until they are the ones who are "Come for" with no one to speak for them.)

Back to the Capt America thing, I think this is also Millars way of putting forward the idea patriotic dissent. That one can love their country without giving blind allegiance to it.

Also, I think it is awesome that one of Marvels most jingoistic heros is the first one to make a stand against it.

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TomDavidson
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quote:
since Millar is making no attempt whatsoever to hide it, those who are pro-reg would appear, by association, to be anti-freedom
Which is the great weakness of the series so far.
Because I'm pro-reg, and anyone who knows me knows I'm hardly "anti-freedom." Millar does his argument a disservice by making the pro-reg argument a weak straw man; it would be much deeper and more interesting if he at least tried to present a balanced view.

Out of interest, do you also consider driver's licenses to be fundamentally un-American?

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Dagonee
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quote:
Regulation/restriction has one big flaw. It requires honest people to abide by it. Meaning that for the most part, Supervillians won't feel compelled to abide by the registration. So only the good guys have to toss their privacy in the dustbin?
Only the good guys who want to use force to apprehend criminals. We don't allow anonymous police. We severely restrict the rights of people to use force to detain those suspected of crimes.

Hell, every time Spider-man punches someone, he's using deadly force.

quote:
And anyway, Millar stated on NPR that it was a thinly veiled allegory of modern restrictions placed on Americans. Individual rights have been dealt some serious blows in the last few years, and since Millar is making no attempt whatsoever to hide it, those who are pro-reg would appear, by association, to be anti-freedom, (Until they are the ones who are "Come for" with no one to speak for them.)
Yeah, and as an allegory it's crap. We don't generally give people the right to punch out other people. The mutant registration act is a far better allegory.

To equate this to the "then they came for me" line and yellow stars is utter BS, by the way. In most states it's illegal for an adult to walk around in a mask, and it has been for years.

We've seen time and time again even the "good" heroes like Spider-man evade the police, even committing assault to do so. The situation here is very different than registering people based on race.

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Mazer
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quote:
anyone who knows me knows I'm hardly "anti-freedom."
True.

quote:
do you also consider driver's licenses to be fundamentally un-American?
Requiring a license to operate a motor vehicle on roads built with taxpayer money doesn't bother me, but being required to produce identification on demand does. Also, cars are not constitutionally protected. Privacy isn't either, but I think you can make a stronger case for Right to Privacy than Right to Drive.

quote:
We don't generally give people the right to punch out other people. The mutant registration act is a far better allegory. To equate this to the "then they came for me" line and yellow stars is utter BS, by the way.
Are you reading all of the civil war titles? Because in some they are saying that the SHRA is just like the MRA but includes all superhumans or beings with powers. No choice, if you have powers you will register. That is exactly like registering members of a race. I am not suggesting that registering crime fighters is a bad idea, but some of these titles have said flat out, S.H.I.E.L.D. or prison, no other choice. Amazing Spider-Man is confusing the issue, though.

Perhaps they are being ambiguous because they can't keep their story straight, or to show that the characters are confused over what the SHRA really is.

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Dagonee
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If they can't even keep the requirements of the act straight then it's even poorer as allegory.
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