How I would fix Marvel's confusing spiderman numbering system.

[lost_my_mind@lemmy.world]

So, about a year ago I tried reading spiderman comics. I watched the 1994 Spiderman cartoon as a kid. I watched the movies. Technically I'm in Spiderman 3. I played the video games. Always been a spiderman fan, and then realized that for some reason I just never read the comics.

So I came here and tried to get myself straightened out. Because since issue #1 back in the 40s or whatever, he was in Action Comics, and then he got his own series. When he got his own series, all the way through today, it's supposed to be one continuous story. Stuff that was written in 1955 is still part of the continuous story today. The problem with that is, I'm not going to just read issue 1, and then catch up on a literal 80+ year old backlog of monthly issues. Nobody has time for that. But even if it's the same story, doesn't mean you're not in a new chapter.

So they started adding smaller numbers on the pages to correspond with whatever the current story is. If you understand whats going on, it makes sense. But for someone who's never picked up a comic before, that makes no sense. "Oh, this is issue 900, but it's also issue 1." WHAT????

Instead, here's what I suggest they do once they finish up their current run. Next time they shake things up, let's make a fake name. Let's say they build up to some big fight between whomever in the current run. When they have their big payoff, and everything ends, have Spiderman sitting on a grass hill. Suit tattered. Cuts. Bruises. Exhausted. He looks up, and sees Mary Jane Watson at the top of the hill above him. Closeup of Mary Jane, as she says "Hey Peter...can we talk?"

The inner back cover just shows a preview of the next months comic cover. It's simplistic. It's just a shot of spiderman against solid color background.

The Amazing Spiderman #4000 or whatever(Big font)

A new beginning: Chapter 1 (really small font. Almost like fineprint, but slightly bigger)

And from then on, the Logo/font does not change at all until we get to a new story. So lets say "A new beginning" runs for 48 issues. On issue 48, again you'd get that inner back cover showing a preview of next months issue.

The Amazing Spiderman #4049

Aunt Mae's shameful secrer: Chapter 1

Same font sizes as before, but, they'll look visually different. And each new story may or may not have a new writing or art teams. Each new story is considered like a soft reboot of the series. By that I mean it's all one continuous story, but with each new story they will take things in a different direction. But that doesn't mean it retcons anything. Nothing is hard rebooted. Uncle Ben is still dead. So they CAN still reuse characters, and have their past affect their version of the story. But the story is segmented, but continuous.

We may just not see certain characters for 10 years at a time. Do we really need Electro to constantly be around? I'm thinking each of these stories will last 2-3 years. So while they do the story about Scorpion, you may not see Venom, or Carnage, or Doctor Octopus. Or Sandman. Because they're not the story being told right now. But maybe on issue 4049 the preview cover for Chapter 1 of Aunt Mae's shameful secret, you just see Scorpion on the street level, with Aunt Mae wrapped up in his tail, as Spiderman is swinging to her rescue. So just from that preview picture alone you know that Scorpion is about to have his story told, and it involves some secret from Aunt Mae's past. Bad enough to get Scorpion to come after her.

And just from that one back cover alone, you now know that the direction is about to change, we're changing stories, we're changing characters, and based on the art style, you may see a totally different visual art style. And you should know from that back cover preview exactly what to expect for the next 2-3 years until this story is told.

And then? Another soft reboot. Another story. We do it all again.

This makes it clear which story each comic belongs to, just by the cover. Even to non-readers, it would be instantly apperent that this was issue 7 of A new Begining. It's issue 4007 of the main series. From there, you know to google A new beginning to see what that it is, and just like that, you have a new reader who knows exactly where to jump in.

Now for the best part. The fact that each soft reboot issue 1 is basically a preview of the next 2-3 years means that if you're ever looking for the Doctor Octopus story, but don't remember which one that is? All you gotta do is check wikipedia for the name of all the stories. And each wikipedia article should naturally always have the cover of issue 1.

Now you just gotta look for the cover with Doctor Octopus. Might not see him again for years, but you know exactly which arc he's in.

HOPEFULLY this will put an end to some of the stupid stuff I've heard happens in the comics. Why is there a second Doctor Octopus? Why are there Peter Parker clones? I'm not asking why in the stories. I'm asking why a writer thought that was a good idea. Doctor Octopus exists. You don't need two.

Peter Parker clones just dilute what makes Venom special. I'm all for introducing new characters. In fact, if a character doesn't work out, you don't need to kill them off. They just fade into the background noise and never get referenced again. Their story still happened, but nobody ever thinks about it.

But when you come up with new characters, the first thing that should be asked is "What is special about this character, and why will it be a challenge for spiderman to defeat them? Do not get me started with the fact that I just learned there's like a BILLION symbiots. Seriously???

Venom is special because Eddie Brock is an asshole, but he's not a villain. The Symbiot is a villain, but it needs Eddy. So it's kind of this inbetween of Spiderman's greatest enemy, but also, competitor. Because Venom is a hero too. He just hates Spiderman.

And then with Carnage, he's special because Cassidy is already a serial killer. Even without the symbiot he's ALREADY a villain that you should fear. Then make him basically into an overpowered spiderman clone. And since Carnage isn't having it's host resist the chaos, he makes the symbiot into giant axe blades, or claws. It's basically freddie kruger in a symbiot suit.

So what makes them special if theres thousands more just like them? They were yin and yang. While venom and spiderman were also yin and yang. but Carnage and Spiderman are so far separated that they are NOT anything alike. But now you got all these other symbiots so it's just diluting what makes those characters great.

Yeah, if I were the one soft rebooting this shit, all the other symbiots would be put on a rocket, sent off to space, and never mentioned again. Carnage and Venom somehow stay. So, it's kinda like retconning, without retconning. The storys still happened, but they mean nothing now, don't worry about it, moving forward.