Elsewhere, this happened:
>>
>>Miles is important to Spider-man in the sense that he allows for
>>teenage spidey shenanigans in settings that have Peter older, with MJ,
>>and dealing with adult spidey shenanigans. And frankly, his
>>interactions with Peter are almost always great.
>
>Fair. I really need to get around to watching Into the
>Spider-Verse one of these days. I've had it on Blu-ray for,
>like... 80 years? Just never made the time to watch it.
>
>Initially I think that was to do with the fact that I tried the comic
>series of the same name first and hated it, but I've been assured that
>they're not really related, so since then it's just been inertia and
>bad time management.

Hey, so, I finally watched the film! And I have some thoughts.

First, I would like to reiterate that I didn't hold off on watching this film for as long as I did because I doubted all you folks who told me it was good. Even though I hated the comic by the same name! I did trust that the people who told me they loved it knew what they were about. I just didn't get around to it Because Reasons.

Second, those people were all completely right, because this movie owns not only the block it lives on, but the entire surrounding district. I'd run out of superlatives fast if I tried to convey how impressive the visual style, the sound design, and all the rest of the technical aspects of the production are. Entire generations of filmmakers have tried their hands at making their movie feel like a comic, and frankly I'm not even sure what that means most of the time, but I feel like the makers of this one might have pulled it off. Even if they didn't, what they got was a unique and special experience.

(They also managed to make the Prowler, of all villains, genuinely terrifying, which is... impressive.)

Speaking of villains, that might be the widest incarnation of the Kingpin I've ever seen.

Also, I feel like I get the hype about Miles now. I mean, obviously there are parts of his deal I'm only able to appreciate from outside, but I can see how important he must be to readers who are closer to the center of the target demo than me, y'know? His character arc in the movie is really something, and I particularly like the way they made it overlap with the life of the Spider-Man he succeeds, even though they only knew each other for a few minutes. Aunt May's involvement, for instance, is genius. And that version of her is awesome, she's like Alfred if Alfred were a slightly aggro widow from Queens. ("I SAID TAKE IT OUTSIDE.")

As for the others, well, I already loved Spider-Gwen, and the Spider-Verse version is... basically perfect. Clearly Miles thinks so too. Can we get another movie that's just her?

Also maybe one starring Spider-Man Noir. ("Is he in black and white?")

--G.
"Is that all ya got? You gonna fight or ya just bumpin' gums, ya hard-boiled turtle-slapper?"
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

LAST EDITED ON Apr-19-23 AT 07:45 PM (EDT)
 
Peni Parker might be aggressively Japanese but she's also very cute and very good.

EDIT: although my gosh it'd be nice if her name was spelt Penny.

>Peni Parker might be aggressively Japanese but she's also very cute
>and very good.
>
>EDIT: although my gosh it'd be nice if her name was spelt Penny.

... did someone have a brush with autocorrect?

--G.
maybe just the tip?
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Also also, wait a minute, I just assembled this LEGO in my head. Miles's father is a black man named Jefferson Davis?

Does Marvel have anyone on staff who has ever read a book?

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Several further alsos, I saw the trailer for the sequel. Why'd they have to do my boy Miguel like that?

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>Also also, wait a minute, I just assembled this LEGO in my head.
>Miles's father is a black man named Jefferson Davis?
>
>Does Marvel have anyone on staff who has ever read a book?
>
>--G.
>-><-
>Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
>Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
>zgryphon at that email service Google has
>Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
this is what is known as giving the middle finger to the past

>Aunt May's
>involvement, for instance, is genius. And that version of her is
>awesome, she's like Alfred if Alfred were a slightly aggro widow from
>Queens. ("I SAID TAKE IT OUTSIDE.")

"Oh great, it's Liv."

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>"Oh great, it's Liv."
>
>Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

I've told you this before -- many times -- but this version of Doc Ock just floats my boat.

Not being a comics fan beforehand (and frankly, still not one), I don't know how many different versions there have been over the decades, but as far as movies go?

She is the bestest.

--sofaspud
--and if you told me her and Aunt May were old college roomies/rivals, I would be down for that too

>--and if you told me her and Aunt May were old college roomies/rivals,
>I would be down for that too

Just as a data point, consider this dialogue in light of May's comment:

"Actually, my friends call me Liv. My enemies call me Doc Ock."

Now, age-wise, I can't see them being contemporaries. But I've seen it argued that Spider-verse!May clearly helped her Peter with tech ("I made them myself... they fit perfectly.") so it's plausible that May was Liv's mentor...

>Now, age-wise, I can't see them being contemporaries. But I've seen
>it argued that Spider-verse!May clearly helped her Peter with tech ("I
>made them myself... they fit perfectly.") so it's plausible that May
>was Liv's mentor...

The Parkers in Miles's native reality are clearly more than they seem. They're usually portrayed as living in borderline genteel poverty, although that gets less and less plausible as time goes on (I mean, they have a detached house in Forest Hills, which might have made sense for a retired whatever-Ben's-job-was in 1962, but uh, not so much in 2023), but borderline genteel poverty doesn't have a super-high-tech Spider-Cave hidden under the garden shed.

I could easily see that version of May as some sort of retired physics professor, the type who still has her insanely high security clearance from work she did with SHIELD back in the day and had Seen Some Shit™ even before she found out that her nephew was Spider-Man. The kind who has semi-fond memories of Howie Stark on the rare occasions when you could keep him sober long enough to get some work out of him and still cannot believe the committee gave that hack Richards tenure.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>Now, age-wise, I can't see them being contemporaries. But I've seen
>>it argued that Spider-verse!May clearly helped her Peter with tech ("I
>>made them myself... they fit perfectly.") so it's plausible that May
>>was Liv's mentor...

>The Parkers in Miles's native reality are clearly more than they seem.
> They're usually portrayed as living in borderline genteel poverty,
>although that gets less and less plausible as time goes on (I mean,
>they have a detached house in Forest Hills, which might have made
>sense for a retired whatever-Ben's-job-was in 1962, but uh, not so
>much in 2023), but borderline genteel poverty doesn't have a
>super-high-tech Spider-Cave hidden under the garden shed.

Also, unlike most Peter Parker’s, who usually scrape by on their finances with whatever jobs they can get, the Peter Parker of Miles’ native universe was smart about licensing his image while keeping his identity secret - he tapped into that deep wellspring of viable low-effort merchandising to help fund his activities. (Compare/Contrast Peter B. Parker’s rather more dodgy investments and licensing attempt of a restaraunt chain…)

>I could easily see that version of May as some sort of retired physics
>professor, the type who still has her insanely high security clearance
>from work she did with SHIELD back in the day and had Seen Some
>Shit™ even before she found out that her nephew was Spider-Man.
>The kind who has semi-fond memories of Howie Stark on the rare
>occasions when you could keep him sober long enough to get some work
>out of him and still cannot believe the committee gave that hack
>Richards tenure.

Given at times Peter’s parents are sometimes presented to have been SHIELD agents before dying on a mission, it makes for some interesting possible adventures of the Parker Brothers and their wives during the Cold War era in that universe… (and I don’t think any of them had high opinions of Hank Pym, if he was at all associated with the organization. His wife Janet Van Dyne was clearly the ‘face’ of that operation. )

—- Philip

	Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here" Fandoms -- Fanart -- Fan Meta Discussions

>Also, unlike most Peter Parker’s, who usually scrape by on their
>finances with whatever jobs they can get, the Peter Parker of Miles’
>native universe was smart about licensing his image while keeping his
>identity secret - he tapped into that deep wellspring of viable
>low-effort merchandising to help fund his activities.

Yeah, I kind of wonder if there's some kind of sub rosa message from the producers in the fact that the one Spider-Man who seems to have his shit completely together is the one who dies. "Spidey can't have nice things" sometimes seems to be a sort of corporate commandment at Marvel.

>His wife Janet Van Dyne was clearly the ‘face’ of
>that operation. )

Weirdly, that wouldn't be the first time Jan had something to do with Spider-Man-related gear. I've never managed to find the actual comics where Spider-Gwen originated (even "Volume 0" of the compilations begins after her origin story), but she mentions in passing in a couple of places that she got her web-shooters from a "Ms. Van Dyne", which I'd love to know more about. Does the Jan of her universe run a superhero gear shop? That would be pretty dope.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>I could easily see that version of May as some sort of retired physics
>professor, the type who still has her insanely high security clearance
>from work she did with SHIELD back in the day and had Seen Some
>Shit™ even before she found out that her nephew was Spider-Man.
>The kind who has semi-fond memories of Howie Stark on the rare
>occasions when you could keep him sober long enough to get some work
>out of him and still cannot believe the committee gave that hack
>Richards tenure.

That's pretty much what I had in mind, yeah.

>...cannot believe the committee gave that hack
>Richards tenure.
>

The epic rant on that von Doom boy is the reason that she's been advised to stay a minimum of three blocks away from the Latverian embassy.

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.

>The epic rant on that von Doom boy is the reason that she's been
>advised to stay a minimum of three blocks away from the Latverian
>embassy.

So she marches in like she owns the place. Doom sneaks out the back door as fast as possible.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>So she marches in like she owns the place. Doom sneaks out the back
>door as fast as possible.

"Oh God, it's Doom's thesis advisor. Tell her Doom isn't here."

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

"Victor Von Doom, I'm very disappointed in you. This is terribly put together, and depends far too much on the Latverean faculty not wanting to make waves. I know you're capable of far more than this."

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>I could easily see that version of May as some sort of retired physics
>professor, the type who still has her insanely high security clearance
>from work she did with SHIELD back in the day and had Seen Some
>Shit™ even before she found out that her nephew was Spider-Man.
>The kind who has semi-fond memories of Howie Stark on the rare
>occasions when you could keep him sober long enough to get some work
>out of him and still cannot believe the committee gave that hack
>Richards tenure.

I do wonder if she dealt with Tony's stuff too.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this: Miles has insanely strong vintage-sneaker game. Those are OG Air Jordans, circa 1985, in the correct Chicago Bulls colorway. Given the attention to detail lavished on the film generally, I assume that's a deliberate touch on the designers' part, and if it is, it quietly establishes Miles as a young man of discerning taste and refinement. Which we already kind of knew from how he reacted to Gwen, but still. :)

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

I'm now imagining some future UF-ised versions of Miles and Gwen watching that Matt Damon movie about Air Jordans and offering sarcastic commentary that leaves the other watchers in stitches and falling off the sofa.

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

So glad you enjoyed it. It deserves its accolades.

Years ago, the following popped into my head after some truly wacky dreams. I couldn't get it out of my head, so I shared it with the old FASERIP Marvel Superheroes RPG Facebook group.

Hi. I'm Peter Parker, CEO of Parker Industries. Yeah, I'm the guy married (HAPPILY, I might add!) to supermodel and actress, Mary Jane Watson. That's right. We grew up in Queens; local kids made good is right! And I just happen to be the Amazing Spider-Man.

Hi. I'm Ben Reilly, ace reporter and photographer for the Daily Bugle. My lovely wife is Gwendolyn Stacy. She *wishes* she was a hard-boiled P.I. but mostly she deals with fugitive apprehension, corporate espionage, and New York Wackiness. We're from upstate New York; just a couple making their fortunes in the Big Apple. And I just happen to be the Incredible Spider-Man.

Hi. I'm Miles Morales. And I'm not married to anybody. Sheesh; I'm 15! Navigating Brooklyn high school and super-heroics is enough work for one teen-ager. My folks are great with the mundane stuff, but it's nice to have Pete and Ben to talk about the super-hero stuff with. Even if they are adults. I just happen to be your Friendly, Neighborhood Spider-Man.

This is:
A. How the Clone Saga resolved, if everybody acted like adults.
B. How Miles gets into the shenanigans, if the everybody acted like adults. (Admittedly, that means the teen-ager is punching above his age group. Given the teen-ager, I'll buy it.)

Full disclosure:
1. I thought the introduction of the Clone Saga sounded like a Train Wreck (tm).
2. I thought the introduction of Miles to replace Peter was a Bad Idea, even if it was in that new-fangled Ultimate baloney. Then I saw Into the Spider-Verse. And I was Wrong. Miles is a *great* addition to the canon, and I'm really looking forward to what they do with him in the MCU.

>B. How Miles gets into the shenanigans, if the everybody acted like
>adults. (Admittedly, that means the teen-ager is punching above his
>age group. Given the teen-ager, I'll buy it.)

B is kinda-sorta how it works in the recent-ish Spider-Man games for PS4/5, where Miles is introduced without killing Peter off first. Peter's absent for the game in that series that has Miles in the title because he's in Europe with MJ (who works as a reporter for the Bugle in that universe) rather than because he's dead; he provides a bunch of technical support for Miles before he leaves, as well as some awkward spider-mentoring (albeit less awkward than Peter B. in Spider-Verse :), and checks in by phone from Symkaria occasionally during the A-plot.

--G.
The Symkiarian telephone system is... not entirely reliable.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>The Symkiarian telephone system is... not entirely
>reliable.

does he need a new

sym card

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

>>The Symkiarian telephone system is... not entirely
>>reliable.
>
>does he need a new
>
>sym card

I feel like Peter would appreciate that joke more than almost any other Marvel super hero. And it'd work even better if I hadn't somehow managed to mistype "Symkarian"!

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

You all go to your room and think about what you've done.

(That's sheer, unmitigated jealousy at my not having that level of pun game. Mea culpa.)

We'll think about what we've done but you'll think about what we pun. =]

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

I'm a big fan of Spider-Verse. I may not be good at media analysis, but I know what I like. The humor was funny, the drama was sad, and the action was gripping, the visuals were gorgeous, and the music got stuck in my head for a few days. I'll definitely be going to a matinee for the sequel.

>Second, those people were all completely right, because this movie
>owns not only the block it lives on, but the entire surrounding
>district. I'd run out of superlatives fast if I tried to convey how
>impressive the visual style, the sound design, and all the rest of the
>technical aspects of the production are.

This film is a visual love letter to all the "lower class" forms of art, like comic books and graffiti. It has just the right mix of quippy self-aware shenanigans and sincere heartfelt emotion.

At one point a character throws a bagel at a labcoated Evil Science Minion and it impacts the guy's head with a visible "BAGEL!" Unsound Effect.

It is amazing and I love it. :)