from http://www.usatoday.com
Those who know Spider-Man only from Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst
in the movies might be surprised to learn that in the comic book,
the web-spinning hero has been married for almost 21 years.
That's why the comic world is in an uproar over Marvel Comics'
decision to undo the marriage of Peter Parker and red-haired
bombshell Mary Jane Watson, reversing two decades of
storytelling.
In Amazing Spider-Man #545 last week, Peter and Mary Jane make a
tearful deal with the devil-like character Mephisto: In exchange
for saving Aunt May's life, Mephisto erases all traces of the
Peter-Mary Jane marriage from memory.
In the issue out this week, subtitled Brand New Day, Peter Parker
returns to his roots young, nerdy and single. Aunt May is alive
and well and Mary Jane is again just part of the cast. The marriage
never happened.
"People are very upset. They erased a lot of stuff that had been
set in stone," says John Newman, manager of Ultimate Comics in
Chapel Hill, N.C., on Wednesday as customers came in to buy the
opening chapter of Brand New Day. To help emphasize the new start,
Amazing Spider-Man will go thrice-monthly.
"We knew it would be a very controversial thing to do," says Joe
Quesada, Marvel's editor in chief, who believed so much in the
project that he drew the crucial issues himself. "Looking into the
future, this is really the right thing to do for the long-term
health of the character."
Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962, was a hit,
connecting with young readers because he was a geeky teenager, shy
with girls and uncertain of how to use his powers. But in 1987,
Peter and Mary Jane, by then a fashion model, got married. Marvel
had instant regrets.
"I remember editors and editors in chief lamenting that a married
Spider-Man was not where we want to be," Quesada says. "A married
Peter Parker makes for a less interesting soap opera than a single
Peter Parker going about his nerdy kind of life."
Writers tried everything: The couple separated for a while. She
miscarried. And in a much-criticized story line, Marvel tried to
convince readers that Peter Parker had not gotten married, but his
clone. That didn't stick, either. Then Quesada took over and
insisted the marriage just couldn't continue.
"Nobody wants to read about a married Spider-Man," says Craig
Shutt, a columnist for Comics Buyers Guide. "But in the short run,
it's a terrible idea. It disrespects the readers by saying
everything they read is wrong."
At DC Comics, Superman is married to Lois Lane, disrupting that
title's long-standing tensions. DC declined to comment for this
story.
Quesada is steadfast that for Spider-Man, the move is the right
one: "Ultimately we have to do this to keep this character fresh
for this generation and generations to come."
