Peter Parker's death and inevitable rebirth

I only read Amazing Spider-Man every once in a while (largely because it's bimonthly) — though I do keep up with its goings-on — so I can't speak very well to how the writing's been lately, or even to how the story's been lately. I was interested in the Doc Ock-on-a-deathbed story idea, but in the end, I didn't buy any of the issues.

Anyway, Peter Parker is dead, Dock Ock is going to be the new, better Superior Spider-Man, and well, does anyone really think this will last? Of course it won't. And that's okay. I knew when Johnny Storm died that he'd be back, and probably in issue #600. The return was done exceptionally well, so it was validated for me. Death and rebirth is a ubiquitous part of Big Two comics and it can be okay.

So, the question isn't will Peter Parker return? The only questions are: when will Peter be back? And how? Well, I don't know quite when (probably a bit before Amazing Spider-Man 2 comes out in theaters), but I'm calling how here: Doc Ock will somehow sacrifice himself to bring Peter back. Like, switching bodies back (posthumously) or something similar.

There we go. I'm calling it, that's how Peter comes back.

Weekly Previews for July 27, 2011

It's Previews time! Spider-Island starts this week. Is that enough to get me to finally break down and pick up Amazing Spider-Man? Keep reading to find out. (Maybe.)

Weekly Previews for May 11, 2011

I'm a bit late this week, so I'll be brief. It's a good week for comics. Let's not overlook all the great books that aren't Flashpoint this week.

Weekly Previews for May 4, 2011

Previews are late this week. Lots going on here, but never mind that. Even though these books came out yesterday, there's some good ones here, and I'm not getting to the shop until Saturday, anyway. (And you'd better go then, too. It's Free Comic Book Day, after all.)

Weekly Previews for April 27, 2011

This is a pretty big week for me, and everything is pretty much a shoe-in for purchase. Interestingly, there are no books out of the first quarter or so of the alphabet. Make of that what you will, everyone else will be reading on to see what's caught my eye this week.

Weekly Previews for April 13, 2011

It's the start of a full-to-the-brim month for me, with crossovers and tie-ins. I'll have to be choosey and some good stuff may get left behind. Let's look at the potentials for this week.

Weekly Previews for March 30, 2011

New comics, new Previews. Only a few this week, but they include Detective Comics and an FF tie-in from Amazing Spider-Man.

Weekly Previews for February 16, 2011

Previews are coming a little late this week, but they have arrived! This week we've got a new issue of S.H.I.E.L.D. (always worth celebration), the start of a new Silver Surfer mini, and more. Read on to see 'em all.

Weekly Previews for February 9, 2011

I'm starting to think that I should switch my monthly comic day to the second Wednesday of the month. Some of my favorite books — Red Robin, The Unwritten and X-Factor — come out on the second week of the month. (Of course, I say this now, but next month — one of the five-weekers — the DC books, at least, come out the third week. But it's only because of the extra week in the month.)

That is, welcome to this week's Previews!

Weekly Previews for December 15, 2010

December has been a busy month (as evidenced by this week's Previews coming much later than usual), and yet another event pushed my trip to the comic shop back a week. Which means that this week's trip will be a huge one for me, as I have six weeks of books to looks through and buy. There's a pretty big list adding to it this week, so you get started here, and I'll be figuring out what I can afford.

Weekly Previews for November 24, 2010

Computer problems bring this week's Previews to you a little late, but there's some really good books here, including the #0 issue of the new Batwoman series and the start of Scott Snyder's run on Detective Comics. Read on for that and more.

Weekly Previews for November 10, 2010

This week brings us three books that make me wish I could go to the comic shop more than once a month: Red Robin, Ultimate Comics: Thor, and The Unwritten. Also, we've got the end of Return of Bruce Wayne and a fistful of worthy and potentially worthy books. Read on and see for yourself.

Post-shop Thoughts, November 2010

The beginning of the month means a trip to the comics shop! This month features a bunch of Return of Bruce Wayne-related books, but which ones made the cut? And, with all those Bat-books, what else did I have room to get? Read on to find out the whats and wherefores.

Weekly Previews for November 3, 2010

This may be a first, but I have no DC books I'm looking at this week. If I'd been getting Batman and Robin (like I probably should have), I'd have that, but no. Nothing. But, with the newest issues of Buffy and Chaos War, The Shepherd's Tale (all about Shepherd Book from Firefly and Serenity), and some new titles by some really good creators, I've got my plate full anyway. Keep reading to see it all.

How I Got Into Comics, Part Two

My first introduction to comics, outside of newspaper strips, was because of my older brother. At some point (I can't quite remember when) he started collecting X-Men comics. I'd go with him to the LCS (a tiny place I can still remember bits of) and I'd get Ghost Rider. I remember it just seemed cool at the time. I mean, the dude's got a flaming skull for a head, he has a chain whip and he rides a motercycle — what more could a pre-adolescent boy ask for?

I also remember really wanting to read my brother's X-Men comics but not being allowed to. I can't remember how everything fit into the timeline, but I watched the X-Men animated series and thought it was awesome (I still do). I loved the epic-ness of it and the cast of characters, each with their own powers. I've always loved fantasy and sci-fi, and I especially love magic-users. Well, many super-heroes are basically like magic-users with a small subset of spells. Of course I'd love it all.

Even though I had never read or watched anything else Marvel-related, I had gained a decent knowledge of many of the characters and some plot points. Most people (especially more recently) know a bit about Spider-Man, and, this being the 90s, I knew of Venom and Carnage and some other general plots. I had a similarly general knowledge of the other major Marvel characters, too. My DC knowledge was limited to watching Batman: the Animated Series a bit and the Batman and Superman movies (and the big hullabaloo with the death of Superman). I'm not sure I even knew there were other comic publishers, let alone non-superhero comics.