Since the dawn of the format, comic books have shaken things up periodically to keep things fresh for the readers. Heroes have died and come back to life when the buzz wore off. Other heroes have come out of the closet or changed ethnicity/gender depending on which universe du jour the comic publisher unveiled that week. So, it is no surprise that once again some major heroes have changes coming their way.
First up is the MAN OF STEEL himself. Superman and all of the DC Heroes were rebooted with The New 52 launch that also had the Green Lantern come out to the world as being gay. Entertainment Weekly exclusively revealed the news that after some shocking tragedy, Superman and Wonder Woman will hook up (brown chicken, brown cow!). Writer Geoff Johns told EW the relationship will have a seismic impact on all the heroes and villains in the DC universe and will not be a one issue stunt.
While I do not think that the news of Wonder Woman and Superman getting together is all that shocking (nor would Batman and Robin finally cutting that tension!), it would make the potential for a SuperBaby quite interesting. We will all find out how Supes, ahem, opens the cockpit of her invisible jet on August 29th.
The other superhero shift comes from Marvel comics. Spider-man, who has been a member of various superhero squads, will be getting a sidekick for the first time.
Unlike most major shifts, this change will be happening in the main Marvel universe and will not be a publicity stunt. In fact, this change will likely have the biggest character impact we have seen to Spider-man in a long time.
Spider-man’s new sidekick (to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Stan Lee’s creation) is named Andy Maguire, a slacker from Peter Parker’s old high school. Until, that is, a science experiment gone wrong grants him powers, including superstrength and flight. Spider-man feels responsible for the accident and takes Maguire, who will go by the hero name Alpha, under his wing.
Spider-man has always been a geeky, smart-ass teenager who was forced to grow up fast. Now, as an adult, he will have to find a way to mentor a young man who is a lot like him at the same age. The fact that they have different powers could leave a lot of potential for conflict in future issues. The Amazing Spider-man issue featuring the introduction of Maguire hit stores today.
Between both of these stories, there is potential to be mined for future big screen adaptations. But, comic fans are like us movie buffs; if you try something new and jack it up, we will be all over your asses to clean it up. Here is to hoping these changes are done well and not another cheap trick to sell comics.
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