Maybe it was Tobey’s interpretation that irked me. I liked Peter Parker in the comics. I didn’t like his character in the movies – but that is just a personality thing.

All that being said, I still think there is a lot of room for changes in the movies that could really make these films even better, and more than enough room for a meaningful reboot. In my opinon, of course!

I can’t account for what level of input Ditko had in the inception of the character that became the Spider-Man we know today. Then again, the Spider-Man of today in the comics teaches High School science, has been married, divorced, and by a deal with the devil-never married. He’s been cloned, had a black costume that was really a symbiote with abandonment issues, and revealed his ID to the world while wearing StarkTech Spider Armor. Did Ditko have anything to do with the last 40 years of Character EVOLUTION? For that matter, did Stan Lee?

This is why I have a hard time with the families of Siegel & Shuster getting a claim to the Superman rights. Siegel & Shuster did the initial work, but it took the collective of DC’s bullpen to evolve a one-dimentional character about a musclehead in a cape with a big S on his chest to become an American Icon.

If you are right about Ditko’s differnce in opinion about making Parker into a full blown puss, then I disagree. Parker needs to be that sunken-chested, nerdy kid with the glasses that FANTASIZES about being able to take out the jock bully. Does he? No way in hell…he gets his ass handed to him by the dorks in the AV club, how’s he supposed to deal with Flash Thompson?

The costume is his way of protecting his family from harm (Aunt May), and at the same time, compensate for the years of torment he went through as Puny Parker.

I’ve read ASM off and on since ’75, and my favorite creative teams were Joe Straczynski (w/Romita Jr), J. M. DeMatteis, and David Michelinie.

The character has been allowed to grow and not always in directions I can appreciate (CLONE?!).

He really is Marvel’s answer to Batman.

Students of Comic Book History will remember that Steve Ditko (whom many feel is the real creative genius behind Spiderman) allegedly severed his ties with Stan Lee because Ditko didn’t like the direction Stan wanted to go with a villain (the goblin).

Personally, I did not like the Spiderman movies (with the sole exception of parts of #2) because they seemed to much “Stan Lee” and not enough “Steve Ditko.” too sappy, wimpy, corny.

While people may remember Rami from the Evil Dead films as a horror/action director, I think his real love is for family drama (the Tin Cup, Simple Plan, for the love of the game,) and slapstick comedy(crimewave, parts of Evil Dead 2, 3) This is not the kind of director I wanted for Spiderman.

Tobey would not be my first choice for this part, and I kept hoping they would give the role to someone else in each sequel.

I imagined Ditko’s version to be a really frustrated kid who was never emo-wimpy – he was just physically weak until he got his super powers. He was frequently angry at his peers (flash thompson, etc.) and his outlet for this was being Spiderman. Heck, he even fought with the human torch and tried to become a member of the fantastic four (for money, no less!) – at least in the early comics (which I feel are the best). I didn’t get this kind of character from the movies.

So I am all in favor of getting a emotionally stronger/wise-cracking spiderman!! and yes, bring back the web shooters! Running out of fluid in the middle of a fight was always a fascinating plot device in the books.

and while they are at it, let’s bring back his “Spidey sense” too! There were too many times that Parker was surprised by people/villains sneaking up on him in the movies. His spidey sense didn’t even warn him about who was the goblin when he met him without his mask (and I hated that green costume!), and he didn’t know when Doc Ock was going to attack!! (at least, that is how I remember it)

oh. one more thing. Aunt May was fragile – emotionally and physically – old woman in the comics. There was always a worry about Parker going out as spiderman and his aunt May not being cared for. In the movie, she was a tough old cookie that I wouldn’t hesitate to leave alone for a while. And didn’t she find out Parker’s identity in the movies? in the comics, that would have killed her!

So, in my opinion, there is more than enough changes for an effective reboot. New actor, stronger Parker. new action-based director. web shooters. spidey sense, fragile Aunt May. I would see that. definitely.

MARVEL (The one that Disney bought) has lost the original vision. ORDINARY PEOPLE, with EXTRA-ORDINARY situations. A teenager peter parker is what needs to be shown. Webshooters were an oversight by lee & ditko. Organic shooters *are* a better fit. But, just to look at it another way for a second…OK, so he makes webshooters. Now what? If he’s shooting webs all over the place like the comics to get from A to B, and uses them to contain his prey (bad guys), then he’s gonna be like a Clint Eastwood type of Spaghetti Western Cowboy that uses a gun with unlimited ammo? Or, does he run out of webbing fluid and realize “Oh damn! No webbing! Curse that spider for biting me and only giving me wall crawling and strength.”

as for rebooting; its not like fans have a say in it. Batman Begins was a sleeper comic book movie that needed that change in the Batman franchise. Spiderman slipped and is now hanging off the cliff with a tired hand. They really need to think about what TONE they want the movie to be e.g. Spiderman 2, which was very good and serious enough to make me think of 3 before it came out, thinking it was going to be as good.

I just saw 500 Days of Summer and read the Marc Webb might shoot the next spidey movie. Now…this is just me but I think the dude Joseph Gordon Levitt(?) who was the star of 500 days… should adution for spiderman.

Another Spiderman movie makes me nervous, with or without a reboot.

1. Give the Spider Man suit nipples and a codpiece.
2. Turn it into a musical or a gross out comedy.
3. Woefully mis-cast the movie (let’s make Greg Kinner pretend he’s a teenage Peter Parker).
4. Base the half the plot of the movie on insider/fan stuff about how this is consciously a reboot and how it was different last time around.
5. Have the entire film take place in near real-time (a 2.5 hour movie takes place over 12 hours or less.)

And this couldn’t be more thought about. It’s just a bad idea, and I disagree that Spider-Man 4 under Raimi’s lead would of been a bad idea. this blog has posted his direct quotes on how he plans to undo the wrongs that 3 did, which is easy because character wise, the story went nowhere in 3, besides Harry dying.

At least Raimi can now get to work on Warcraft.