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- Jun 13, 2006
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The last time I wrote about Spider-man it was back when Marvel retroactively altered continuity after Peter Parker made a deal with the devil and effectively altered 20 years of comics history.
I stopped reading the title then and have never picked it up again, until now. The last few months have been filled with speculation after the announcement that issue 700 will be the last issue of the flagship Marvel title, and that it will relaunched in the new year, but when it does there will be the biggest change in the history of the character and that things will never be the same again. Writer Dan Slott has stated that he fully expects to be hated and condemned for what is going to happened, but is convinced that he is giving the reader a great story and that many will embrace it.
Inevitably this has led to a lot of speculation over just what was going to happen, with no one really having a clue, but the feeling being that the dying Doctor Octopus was somehow going to be involved.
Well the speculation is over, Amazing Spider-Man hit the stands yesterday, and like so many others I could not resist taking a look. There is a major change, and unlike 'death of character' stories' it is something different with the feeling that it might last a lot longer than a few months.
What follows is spoiler:
Doc Ock is dying, wasting away into a near skeletal state, but there is a twist, using a bit of high technology of his own devising he has taken his final revenge on Peter Parker and swapped their minds, so it is Parker in the dying body and Octavius in Spider-Man's.
The main story in 700 is basically a race against the clock, it's Parker trapped in the dying body determined to make the switch back while Octopus lives it up in Parker's body.
There are some nice touches, having access to Parker's memories allows Octopus to semi-convincingly pretend to be Peter, even if his language is slightly off (more like Ocks). The fact that being Parker he is aware of other things and nearly lets the cat out of the bag n a number of occasions` but it looks as though he is enjoying the life.
As Parker tries to hunt him down, Ock keeps telling him that he has thought of everything and here is no way Peter can defeat him, but as he weakens Peter keeps coming. The finale sees Peter sneakily release the same device that Ock has used to do the mind swap, but even this Octopus has anticipated and the attack is deflected, leaving Peter trapped in a body that is shutting down.
But there is a twist, and it is one that Octavius has not prepared for. The two of them are still linked it is how he was so able to draw on Peter's memories and as Peter dies, the life he has lived flashes before his eyes and Doc Ocks creating a gesalt entity of both characters. When it is over, the mind or soul of Peter Parker is dead but his body lives, the genius of Doctor Octopus melded with Peter Parkers, consumed by the principles tat were such in integral part of the character.
Having lived the same life as well as his own, Octopus becomes the new Spider-man, in Parkers body, taking the name for himself. The insights he has make him realise that the single precept 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility' and he swears to be true to the heart of Parker/Spider-man but he will be better, he will be Superior.
I stopped reading the title then and have never picked it up again, until now. The last few months have been filled with speculation after the announcement that issue 700 will be the last issue of the flagship Marvel title, and that it will relaunched in the new year, but when it does there will be the biggest change in the history of the character and that things will never be the same again. Writer Dan Slott has stated that he fully expects to be hated and condemned for what is going to happened, but is convinced that he is giving the reader a great story and that many will embrace it.
Inevitably this has led to a lot of speculation over just what was going to happen, with no one really having a clue, but the feeling being that the dying Doctor Octopus was somehow going to be involved.
Well the speculation is over, Amazing Spider-Man hit the stands yesterday, and like so many others I could not resist taking a look. There is a major change, and unlike 'death of character' stories' it is something different with the feeling that it might last a lot longer than a few months.
What follows is spoiler:
Doc Ock is dying, wasting away into a near skeletal state, but there is a twist, using a bit of high technology of his own devising he has taken his final revenge on Peter Parker and swapped their minds, so it is Parker in the dying body and Octavius in Spider-Man's.
The main story in 700 is basically a race against the clock, it's Parker trapped in the dying body determined to make the switch back while Octopus lives it up in Parker's body.
There are some nice touches, having access to Parker's memories allows Octopus to semi-convincingly pretend to be Peter, even if his language is slightly off (more like Ocks). The fact that being Parker he is aware of other things and nearly lets the cat out of the bag n a number of occasions` but it looks as though he is enjoying the life.
As Parker tries to hunt him down, Ock keeps telling him that he has thought of everything and here is no way Peter can defeat him, but as he weakens Peter keeps coming. The finale sees Peter sneakily release the same device that Ock has used to do the mind swap, but even this Octopus has anticipated and the attack is deflected, leaving Peter trapped in a body that is shutting down.
But there is a twist, and it is one that Octavius has not prepared for. The two of them are still linked it is how he was so able to draw on Peter's memories and as Peter dies, the life he has lived flashes before his eyes and Doc Ocks creating a gesalt entity of both characters. When it is over, the mind or soul of Peter Parker is dead but his body lives, the genius of Doctor Octopus melded with Peter Parkers, consumed by the principles tat were such in integral part of the character.
Having lived the same life as well as his own, Octopus becomes the new Spider-man, in Parkers body, taking the name for himself. The insights he has make him realise that the single precept 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility' and he swears to be true to the heart of Parker/Spider-man but he will be better, he will be Superior.
