31 Days of Spider-Man #15: The J. Michael Straczynski Run
A few years back, I was visiting a local comic story and saw a display showcasing the hardcover release of Silver Surfer: Requiem. The staff of the store was so confident about the story’s quality, they actually offered a money back guarantee if someone purchased it and didn’t like it. With little to lose, I decided to grab it and give it a read, despite not knowing a whole lot about Silver Surfer. The only bad part of this story is I wouldn’t get any money back, because well, the staff was right, I loved the story. (Side note: It might not be a story focused on Spider-Man, but Silver Surfer: Requiem gets an incredibly strong recommendation from me)
After I finished being wowed by the story, I looked up the writer J. Michael Straczynski, and found out that he had recently done a run as head writer for my favorite comic book superhero, Spider-Man. I found out a set of trade paperbacks of his run were being released. I didn’t need anything else, I was sold.
Straczynski’s writing for Spider-Man is some of the best for the character. It looked at the characters from new angles, but still kept the right spirit. “Happy Birthday” showed an endearing, though short lived, reunion with Uncle Ben. Ezekiel and “The Other” storyline, provided a fresh and clever alternate take on Spider-Man’s powers that maybe Peter needs to remember the “Spider” and not just the “Man”. “Back in Black” reminded readers of what might happen to anyone who targets the people Spider-Man cares about instead of him.
The tie-ins with the Civil War event showcased how hard it could be to judge what the “right” thing to do is. Captain America’s speech during this arch is arguably one of the best monologues I’ve ever read in a comic book or graphic novel. Forgive the length, it’s too good not to share. (Spider-Man has asked Cap why he chose the side he did in regard to superhero registration, despite it resulting in him being labeled as traitor)
"I remember the first time I really understood what it was to be an American...What it was to be a patriot."
"I was just a kid...A million years ago, it seems sometimes. Maybe twelve. I was reading Mark Twain.
“And he wrote something that struck me right down to my core...something so powerful, so true, that it changed my life. I memorized it so I could repeat it to myself, over and over across the years. He wrote --'In a republic, who is the country?
Is it the government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the government is merely a temporary servant: it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. It's function is to obey orders, not originate them.
Who, then is the country? Is it the newspaper? Is it the pulpit? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it, they have not command, they have only their little share in the command.
In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country: In a republic it is the common voice of the people each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak.
It is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catchphrases of politicians.
Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man.
To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.
If you alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have your duty by yourself and by your country. Hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of'."
Cap continues, "Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right.
This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences.
When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree besides the river of truth, and tell the whole world--
--No you move."
Got goosebumps yet?
The JMS run gets a lot of flack for the story, “One More Day”, a decision that was handed down by the higher ups. While its end result is understandably unpopular, the way the story is told is still strong, focusing on how connected Peter and Mary Jane are.
For me, the story that left the worst taste in my mouth would be “Sins Past”, which just felt too far fetched. (Gwen Stacy having bastard supervillain babies via Norman Osborn?) While it played around with some neat ideas like Norman going into extreme depravity, seeing how much he could do just to hurt Peter, it didn’t feel right.
Obtaining the entire JMS run might seem like a hefty investment, both in time and money (five trade paperbacks) but I’d almost give a money-back guarantee to anyone who takes the chance to pick it up.