The Superior Spider-Man 9

superior spider-man 9

Today, Ethan and Drew are discussing Superior Spider-Man 9, originally released May 1st, 2013.

Ethan: I’m not sure why so many of my posts have dealt with issues of identity lately. Maybe modern comic authors really like to incorporate this theme; maybe it has something to do with the inherent conceit of people donning costumes to play out parts of their life as someone else; maybe it’s just a concept I like to think about. Probably some mixture of all of them. Regardless, in Superior Spider-Man #9 Dan Slott provides a great forum for exploring the ideas of what makes us who we are by throwing science, emotional relationships, and morality into a figurative salad spinner and, um, spinning it.

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The Superior Spider-Man 8

superior spider-man 8Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Superior Spider-Man 8, originally released April 17rd, 2013.

Patrick: How do we measure the “good” a superhero does? By how many supervillains they fight or alien worlds they protect? Or maybe by how many times they save the world? Those are some impossible benchmarks to understand — no matter what kind of life you lead, you’re never going to meet someone who achieves victory on the scale of an Avenger. That level of “good” is alien. Real life heroes address much more personal issues — hunger, disease, poverty, crime. Y’know, like a doctor. Hey, wait, Dr. Octavius is a doctor. Continue reading

The Superior Spider-Man 7

superior spider-man 7

Today, Shelby and guest writer Gino Killiko are discussing Superior Spider-Man 7, originally released April 3rd, 2013.

Shelby: What exactly does it mean to be “good?” Does it it mean always following the rules to the letter, or is there some leeway when it comes to breaking rules in order to do good unto others? That raises the question of how one determines if the good they are doing is worth the rules they are breaking; stealing food is bad, but what about stealing food to feed hungry children? What if you’re stealing from someone who has so much food they’ll never even notice it’s gone? Technically, you’re breaking the law, but so much good is accomplished from your actions, where do you draw the line? We’ve been dancing around this ethical morass ever since Otto took over as Spider-Man, and this issue Dan Slott decides to address it head on.   Continue reading