the good people of the world are washing their cars on their lunch break

[sab]

First- who wants a GMail invite? I have exactly one. Never mind. *g*

I'm reading the JMS run of The Amazing Spider-Man. These books kick serious ass, in patented (*cough*) JMS fashion.

The thing that's tough about Spidey, but also sort of irresistible and angsty, is that he's all alone. So there's no natural partner/nemesis/Robin/Lex/crew of X-Men or FF or JL folk for Peter to confide in or get drunk with or get slashed with. (He does hang out with the FF on occasion, but he's still the outsider who doesn't get that nifty blue shirt, and as for the X-Men, when they come down out of the suburbs they're usually busy with their own business and plus Spidey can bench press most of 'em without breaking a sweat. Which is also kind of hot, and I am fully in favor of any Spidey/FF or Spidey/XM crossover slashiness but I am so off the poin there which IS -)

So JMS did what JMS does, namely, he gave Spidey a Vorlon secret brother mysterious friend who shares his Spider powers, named Kosh Ezekiel Ezekiel (*sigh,* JMS, you are a crackhead but we love you but mostly, you are a crackhead) who comes by in Vol. 1 and tells Spidey not to go to Z'Ha'Dum or he will die not to go to Millhaven or he will die not to face Morlun or he will die. Of course, Spidey faces Morlun, and Ezekiel disappears, leaving Spidey alone much the way Kosh ultimately left Sheridan.

And, anyway, it totally worked for me. I loved seeing Spidey with a mentor for a while, and Spidey himself even says, "I realize that Peter Parker has been the recipient of a great many kindnesses over the years. Spider-Man, on the other hand, has received very few such kindnesses. For a moment there it was very nice...to be accepted, to be offered sanctuary. But moments pass. It's what they do." Mmmmm. And then of course battles break out and he has to go fight and it's all very sad and beautiful. Morlun, the bad guy of Vol. 1, was pretty bland as bad guys go, but he served a purpose -- he was there to wick Spidey's spider powers from him, which in turn gave Ezekiel the opportunity to teach Spidey about his spider powers and vulnerability.

JMS loves the reluctant hero -- he loves it when the ordinary man has a destiny to be something greater, and he plays it with Spidey here to a great degree. I don't know too much about Spider-Man comics canon but I love it when a hero has vulnerabilities, flaws, when he can't always save the day, and JMS's Peter Parker is just exactly that angsty (yet also adorably sarcastic and wisecracking and ass-kicking). So I'm still learning about Peter Parker but mostly I just have a big superhero crush on him and want MORE. I bought the six volumes of this run that are out in trade, as well as the loose comics for the ones that aren't collected yet, and I am in loooove.

Anyway, so Peter gets set up as this flawed, lonely hero who wants to make things right for the dorky and less fortunate, and he gets a job teaching at his old high school and sympathizes with the science nerds who get beat up and the gifted kids who are homeless and druggie and he can't save them all and it lays the groundwork for Vol. 2, "Revelations."

Which opens on NYC right after 9/11, and is one of the best things I've ever seen in a comic. Spider-Man looking down on the rubble, and people clinging to each other, crying out to him, "where were you?! Why couldn't you stop this?" and he COULDN'T, and then an interlude where Spidey and the FF and other assorted NYC superheroes are helping construction workers and firefighters dig through the ruins, and ordinary folks are just as super as the superheroes and everyone's taking care of one another and Peter is totally brokenhearted and also in awe of the regular folks helping each other out. Vol. 2 goes on to be about, among other things, Aunt May learning that Peter is Spider-Man, and taking it upon herself to help people realize what a hero Spider-Man is, even when Peter doubts himself. Subtle and JMS-ian and damned good.

I wish I had the comics discourse to discuss these more critically, but mostly what it comes down to is I love Peter Parker and I want to have his tiny Spidey babies.



That being said, I will take any and all Spidey slash recs, and am eagerly awaiting the entrees in liviapenn's Let's-Fuck-Peter-athon. I haven't seen S2 yet but I'm not particularly afraid of spoilers, so bring 'em on.

Meanwhile, the Jetta's stay of execution several months back may have reached its natural end. I was driving up the 101 to Ventura (not by choice), listenin' to KZLA, LA's country music radio station, when the black clouds of smoke shooting from under my hood started spilling in the vents, and causing passing drivers to honk and mock me and attempt to communicate using the international hand signals for "your car is super fucked." The mechanic said $750. I said fat chance. We're working on a compromise. I've got the car for the weekend so I can make it to elke_tanzer and cortese's day of independence, and then on Monday it's under the knife. Poor the Jetta. Dear, sweet, decrepit, stubborn, ten-year-old Jetta. I took it to the car wash today and washed it with the hoses and the big soapy brush and we sang "All I Wanna Do" hosin' and scrubbin' on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Comments

[hobsonphile.livejournal.com]

Hey, are you going to respond to Damar? *g*

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Just did!

[hobsonphile.livejournal.com]

Dance of joy!

And didja see? Kako and I are having fun at the kids table. ;)

[mostlikely2.livejournal.com]

DAMN it you've made me want to read every volume. Even though it was JMS, I avoided it until just now. Good work. I love this post.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

You want to read every volume. It's SO GOOD. I'm trying to read slowwwly so I can drag it out and savor it. I'm so glad I sold you on 'em. *g*

[mostlikely2.livejournal.com]

Will do.

[prillalar]

Yeah, I've been reading Amazing Spider-Man since JMS started his run and it's been awesome. The best thing is that JMS totally gets it -- that Spider-Man isn't about Spider-Man, it's about Peter Parker. (I always call the book "Peter Parker, High School Science Teacher" to myself.) Being Spider-Man is just one of Peter's problems.

And I'd slash Spidey with Lt Lamont if I weren't so invested in the Peter/MJ relationship.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

The best thing is that JMS totally gets it -- that Spider-Man isn't about Spider-Man, it's about Peter Parker. (I always call the book "Peter Parker, High School Science Teacher" to myself.)

YES. That's exactly it. And I don't know MJ well enough to like her yet. At the moment she's being Lobster-Man's love interest. I do like MJ from the movies, though, so I can feel the love.

[-maayan.livejournal.com]

I took it to the car wash today and washed it with the hoses and the big soapy brush and we sang "All I Wanna Do" hosin' and scrubbin' on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Sort of sounds like my perfect day.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Squee! I'm there on all counts. (I would have more useful things to say, except I'm weeks behind in everything and I must try to catch up today.) You need to write to Taselby and encourage her to work on her Spidey/Daredevil or Peter/Bobby Drake stories, heh.

[jenavira.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Damn. I am going to have to go and buy Volume 1, aren't I? (I bought Vol. 2 as soon as JMS started talking about how good his 9/11 story was.) Damn! I own practically everything JMS has ever written, but I thought I'd be able to hold out on the Spidey...

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Mmm, wishing you and the Jetta good, inexpensive car thoughts!! The carwash will undoubtedly help it mend:) Good luck!!