Wednesday, January 19, 2022

CLONING AROUND

Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1 is on sale today and I couldn't be happier with the way our first issue turned out.  Set in the days of the Clone Saga, the story take a deep dive into Ben's psyche as—back in New York, back in the Spider-suit—he tries to build a life from the ground up.  

Hope you all enjoy it!  (And wait till you see what's coming over the course of the next four issues!)

11 comments:

  1. I don't want to brag, but I did see it, purchase it...AND read it.



    Jack

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    1. Well, Dematteis, I sat down and wrote a letter to the Spidey offices about it.

      So...

      A) I can re-type that all here.

      B) you can call up the editor office and say "hey nerd give me any letters about my comic!"

      C) Gamble and see if they publish it.

      I will let you decide.

      Jack

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    2. How about an abbreviated version?

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    3. Excerpts from the letter/email...

      "The first issue of Ben Reilly: Spider-man was Amazing! Spectacular! Web of! all the terms spidey fans are used to seeing. However, with J.M. Dematteis on the book, that is hardly a surprise."


      "This is a comic to file away for anyone who asks why you bother reading comics when the MCU exists. This comic is why. Not some grand Earth-shaking blockbuster, but the story of a man trying to make sense of an odd hand life dealt him. A character study set with the fantastic as the backdrop... Stan Lee would be proud!"

      "Then there is the fascinating feel of the book. Not quite a dream, but dream-ish. With us caught in the haze of emotional rawness and fragility. We are not observing the story, we are in it with him."

      "Seeing someone in the Spider-Man mask, anyone, trying to talk someone down and empathize with them instead of just hitting him for eternity? That humanity and compassion is the true soul of the web-crawler."

      "This issue proved it is not just nostalgia. It was not just a fluke. It was a good idea well executed through good old fashioned character work."

      That is roughly 1/4 of the paragraphs in the letter. If they end up publishing the rest, I will sign a copy for you.


      There is more, but you know, you said abbreviated.

      Jack

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    4. Thanks for sharing that, Jack. SO glad you enjoyed the book! And thanks for taking the time to write to Marvel!

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    5. Of course you are glad I enjoyed it, why else would you have written it? The money? Creative fulfillment? Other readers to enjoy it? No, obviously, just so I would. Maybe to feed that oxygen addiction your Italian heritage courses you with too.

      Believe it or not, I almost did not read it this week. For various reasons, I decided to subscribe to a few mini series from Marvel, however since they now take 2-4 weeks to show up( something NO OTHER periodical or even Marvel when I was a teenager does/did)... and I really wanted to read that first issue wanted to eat the cost of the first issue.

      Any time a read a character in a comic using their head and thinking, or at least not wanting to wail on some guy is worth the price of admission.

      Hopefully the rest of that letter will see print. If not... make a note, and I will post the rest of the letter here.



      Jack

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    6. Writing comics just to impress me?

      I am not sure it is the best businesses plan, but it does seem unavoidable.


      Jack

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  2. I loved this issue, it's so deep and really gets into the minds of many characters, sometimes all at once!

    There were certainly some surprises, I'm wondering just how much they will affect characters like Kafka going forward in the main books? I eagerly anticipate finding out.

    And Mary Jane's pregnancy getting a mention...which is rare (at least for the 'main' Spidey timeline), I greatly appreciate that little touch, the world deserves to remember Peter was almost a dad once upon a time (and is in many other realities)

    I can't thankyou enough for this treat, I grew up reading your Spider-Man comics during late Saturday evening errands to the local stores, and have been influenced in my own writing many times by your character studies. And of course, big props to your art team, slick, stylish, it made Wednesday feel like part of a 90s weekend.

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    1. You are VERY welcome, Zarious. As I've said before, writing Ben again is like being reunited with an old friend. The positive response to the first issue has been overwhelming and I'm hoping we get to do more in the not-so-distant future.

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