“Heroes, Villains, and Me” is a weekly article on Geeky KOOL by Larry Litle about the world of comic books and my reaction to it. “Heroes, Villains, and Me” is not a comic book review article. I will write about current events, speculation and rumors, or my own wacky thoughts about the world of comic books.
This is an open letter to Dan Slott, the writer of Superior Spider-Man.
Dear Mr. Slott,
I have been a fan of your work since you started with Amazing Spider-Man. I have enjoyed your creativity and storytelling. I have been reading Spidey since I was a kid in mid 70s and your run on Amazing was one of the best in my opinion.
The Brand New Day movement almost caused me to drop my subscription to my favorite character. Your writing encouraged me to stick with Amazing when I was utterly sickened with the destruction of Peter and Mary Jane’s marriage. As I stuck with you, I believe your writing continued to just get better with time.
Before I get too far into this letter, let me say this. I am a Peter Parker fanatic. He has long been my favorite fictional character of all time. As an outcast, comic book geek, and sci fi geek, I could always relate to good ole Pete. He was the lovable loser that usually made the right decisions but often paid dearly for those same choices. No matter how bad life got as a kid and teen, I could always count on Pete going through similar challenges but he was able to pull himself back up and take on the latest Super Villains. I found this completely inspiring.
I would like to apologize for some of my fellow Peter enthusiasts. You by no means have ruined any of our lives or our childhoods. I wish you no harm (just the opposite-long and healthy life) and I have a hard time understanding how fans of Peter would want to cause you any pain. That is not what Peter Parker would do.
When Peter died and Otto took over his body, I was beside myself. Peter was my sacred cow. He is the character I most relate to in comics. But I decided to trust you. Your writing hadn’t let me down. In fact, the last year and a half prior to Peter’s death was filled with some great stories.
When Peter was in the head of Otto, I thought we would have Peter back in full control in short order. You did a wonderful job and stringing us along and crushing our hope for a speedy return of Pete. Very well done but I still don’t like that you did that to me.
As a writer, I completely understand the desire to change things up and tell some different stories with Spider-Man. You could completely change the Spider-Man predictability by letting Otto have control. The stories have been interesting and different. The problem for me is that I don’t like Otto as Spider-Man (because he is a complete jerk ) and I miss good ole Pete. I am torn because I am enjoying the stories but I don’t like the protagonist which makes it so hard to read.
I understand we will soon get Peter back in his own book but I also realize these won’t be current stories. I am sure I will read them but it is also a reminderof how much I miss Peter’s Spider-Man.
As a Peter fan, I request that you work your usual magic and bring back Peter in true Dan Slott form. I know there is a fantastic story in your mind waiting patiently to be sprung on us fans. Please don’t wait too long. I am not sure I am stomach too much more of Octavius’ condescending attitude and lack of respect for his great power.
Thanks for listening to my rant. I hope to some day meet you in person, shake your hand, and pick your brain about your thoughts on comics. I would love to interview you. Until then, Stay Geeky.
Larry Litle
Chief Creative Officer- GeekyKOOL.com
