A Hero's Tale
Glad you posted the letter Tom. A heartfelt thanks to Jeff and Robbie for their service and to the Spidey team for using the book to hilight these everyday lives of extraordinary heroism.

Posted by hamgravy on 2008-10-23 18:33:07
Great letter. I was against this war from the start, but I appreciate those who serve. Best of luck to Robbie and Jeff and everyone else who's been affected by this conflict. I love Robbie's challenge at the end -- truly touching.

Posted by motteditor on 2008-10-23 18:40:58
Flash story
Very good book. In a week that saw very little of Spidey in his own books, you still told some good stories. I am not a military man myself, but my pacifism does not take away from my respect and gratitude towards the men who serve and who lay it all down for the cause.

I have seen some fun-poking at this issue already, suggesting that Flash will undergo future super-soldier experiments and such, and it's rather distressing that people can take things like war and combat so lightly.

This was a solid tale which packed both a continuity-geeky and an emotional punch. Again, in a word, thanks!

Posted by jonmichael on 2008-10-23 19:18:01
Yeah, you guys really knocked this one out of the park. I was supremely impressed by the page where Flash is running into the building, ducking just below the gun-fire. I really felt the tension and depth-of-field was pulled off extremely well in that page.

I have my own feeling about the war, but that in no way discounts the sense of heroism that comes from the men and women serving our country.

I don't like Flash's legs being amputated. I miss Steve Rogers. These are the marks of truly talented people crafting effective art. When you can 'trick' people into responding to these fictions in this way, well, it makes me proud to be a comic reader.

Great job, fellahs.

Posted by kyle-latino on 2008-10-23 20:44:24
I don't really know what I expected but I got more then I expected. It was a great stroy. full of spidy goodness dispite being no spidy. I thought it was a nice tuch that it seemed Peter was the only one to remember flash out their. Maybe I missed something and their where others but from what I remember it was only peter's card their. I thought it was really tastfully done how spider man was still Flashes hero and truly inspiered him to be a better man yet he him self stepped up to become a true hero in his own right. I wounder how peter an flash will get along when he comes home to become a regurlar member of peters cliq.

Posted by s-i-d-e-r-m-a-n on 2008-10-23 22:35:41
to the title :
You can have more like this, this is not a problem to me.

Posted by notapotatoe on 2008-10-24 06:12:12
there's a fine line with a story like this
Respecting the real life tragedies of those who have sacrificed life and limb in Iraq and at the same time respecting the established
reality of the fictional setting that is the Marvel Universe is always difficult. This is a well told tale.

However, you can't let the gravitas of this one story stop the writers from exploring the possibilities that the character would in the world he lives in. There are cybernetics in the Marvel U. There is magic. There is Curt Connors flawed regeneration formula. Surely Flash Thompson, beyond just normal rehab and advanced prosthetics would at least attempt some of these other avenues.

As Spiderman's biggest fan, Flash knows about all this technology and possibly even about some of the magic. Worse for him is if
one or more of Spiderman's enemies know that he is in Spiderman's relatively small circle of admirers and offer him a devil's bargain. Dr. Doom might even consider it if something were to happen to remind him of past events in which Spiderman has helped to thwart him.

I am not trying to diminish the importance of this story or the issues it raises but rather I am hoping to suggest that Flash Thompson must still be considered a character in a fantasy setting.
If not, if this story makes him off limits to the kinds of stories that
other characters get involved in, then it should have been told with
a new character specifically created for the story.

Posted by izzatrix on 2008-10-24 10:23:53
unexpected post too
So the last laugh will be for me ?
I remember myself posting at dcdirect that Marvel had won, and I was badly sad to say it but it was true.Especially for the reason that you had understand and re-using the iconic charges of your characters ( the new Cap, Hulk during World War, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Spidey dealing with the devil... ) that make look DC titles as a ballet of figurines.
But NOW.
Oh boy.
I already said that I enjoyed your sense of disaster since 'Civil War' and 'World War Hulk '.If only 'Planet Hulk' had lasted for years, I'd been interested.It was the perfect context for this character. That doesn't mean that a second Hulk -red this time- can't appear, especially when the Illuminati tought being over with the Hulk.
Instead we have what we had, and 'Skaar the son of Hulk' also, wich means you have plans for him because we don't have to be punished that way.
Aren't you interested by a CONAN re-load instead ?
Then I am.
And now we have 'Doctor Doom and the masters of evil'.
If it wasn't so sad, I would just laugh.
When Michael Heide talked about the idea, I tought it could be really great.
I tought it would have been the Hood's syndicate,because he has all the most charismatics characters of the MU, that the title would have been a complete 'Acts of Vengeance' of his own, starting his personnal vendetta against the super-heroes.
That's not the reconnect with the Spidey questions about the deal with Mephisto, but takes the devil card in the Tarot. That's an interesting card if you know how to use it :
if you're at a cross-road, and you can't make a choice, think about what the devil, or your worst enemy would do, because he won't hesitate. i tought it could have been the same thing with the Hood and his syndicate, a war against the heroes by some one who want to end-up things.And what do we have ? Doctor Doom posing as a tectronik dancer...

I didn't had read the Flash tompson' story of this month, tough I usually appreciate the way you dealt with the realitiy of war, I miss particulary the character of Forge and hope to see him soon....

Posted by bulgarianyogurt on 2008-10-26 07:17:15
aunt may
will aunt may ever get to know that pater is spiderman

Posted by strawberry2k8 on 2008-10-26 11:30:33
And
I ended up buying the issue due to your post. The issue dealt with a tricky topic that was extremely well-handled through in-character story development.

Flash will be a welcome addition to the cast, if only a little undercut by the now immature rendition of Peter. Peter WAS a kid who matured through spending a lot of his life in combat. Pete and Flash have the potential to bond more than Pete and Harry ever did.

It also reinforces my assertion that even "Spidey's biggest fan" recognizes that his greatest attribute is that he "just keeps going" and not his perceived youth.

Posted by hamgravy on 2008-10-27 10:34:17
wow...
...I actually got kinda choked up and some serious chills reading that letter. I'm gonna pick up that issue next time i hit the LCS. All the best to Robbie and Jeff.

Posted by artiepants on 2008-10-28 17:04:54
That was one of the first comics I've read in a while that I didn't want to end. Nice stuff.

Posted by Fetsur on 2008-11-03 15:23:47