Knowhere

Anonymous asks:

MrB, let me incite the Spider-Man debate further (I can't resist;)). You say that Spider-San is about youth. I agree. However, the character is almost 30, so does it really make sense to still talk about youth? Aren't new characters such as Miles or Kamala more fit to tell a coming-of-age story? Peter Parker went through a specific evolution during these years, wouldn't it make more sense to embrace what the character has become instead of trying to make it as it was 50 years ago? Thks Francesco

Answered by: antibody80 on 15 June 2015

brevoortformspring:

Again, to use a parallel argument, isn’t is about time that Batman got over the deaths of his parents? Plus, he keeps fighting the same villains over and over again–shouldn’t he do something new? Like battle aliens?

Every series is, at its core, about something. And while that’s not the be-all and end-all of a given series (and while that something can occasionally change over time) that underlying premise is the engine that drives that series, that makes it work, that makes it relatable to a wide audience.

Spider-Man is the greatest teen property ever created. It is no coincidence that every time Peter’s story is adapted to other mediums, he is a student, whether in High School or College. And I would bet all the money in my pocket that this is where he’ll be in the upcoming new film as well. Why? Because that’s where the character resonates the best.

It’s understandable that long-time readers long for the characters to grow up with them–I had a friend years ago who was so frustrated by this that he swore to stop reading Spider-Man as soon as he became older than Peter. But while this is understandable, it’s also selfish.

Spider-Man belongs to all generations, not just one generation.

So, yes, the Hulk is going to lose control of his temper, Batman is going to venture out into the night looking for vengeance on the man who gunned down his parents, and Spider-Man is going to grapple with growing up. Because that’s what these characters exist to do–what they do best.

If Stan Lee had known that Spider-Man was going to run for more than a few years, he’d have never had him graduate from High School. And, knowing this, Ultimate Peter Parker spent a decade in High School, and would still be there had he not, you know, died.