"Post No. 611"

Okaaaayyyyy......

When last I posted I rambled on about the reasons why I didn't care very much about Marvel's The Ultimates series, how the characters were just too "dark" for this old-timer to enjoy and how I was going to avoid any of this sort of thing from the company in the future.

However.

It doesn't mean that I don't enjoy some of their main-stream titles, one of which is the Amazing Spider-man. I've been reading through a lot of approx. 30 issues ranging from #471 (aka V2 #30) to #539, all written by J. Michael Straczynski and really enjoyed them.

They contained various storylines such as: some new supporting character and villian introductions, "Sins Past" and "Skin Deep". Some of this I enjoyed more than others, but one really was pretty odd, i.e., the "Sins Past" where we find that Peter Parker's old girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, had an affair with Norman Osborn (sans, "The Green Goblin"), went to Europe where she gave birth to twins and that was the whole reason "why" the GG went after her wayyyyy back in #129 (circa 1972 or so). She didn't want someone like Osborn to raise her children, and he said that if HE couldn't have her and the children, Peter Parker wouldn't as well..

Didn't do much good though, as after he resurreted himself he got his butt over to Europe and took charge of the children, filling them with lies such as Parker actually being their father and that he'd just abandoned Gwen after discovering she was pregnant.

The twins were born two months premature, however, they were still fully termed due to Osborn's GG formula in their blood, which also gave them accelerated strength and speed. Little side effect there: they also had a growth accelation causing them to turn to adults within just a few years and now will eventually burn themeselves out way before their time.

Spider-man finally gets, at least, the girl of this duo to understand this, but the lad's much like his old man, finding one of the GG's old costume stash's, injecting even more of the GG formula into his system (making him even more looney), and taking off after Spidey as a new GG persona, The Grey Goblin. Naturally Spider-man defeats him, and the boy loses his memory (at that time) of all events and the girl takes off on her own.

This gives Parker at least a little closure after so many years of blaming himself for Gwen's death and begins a better chapter in his web-slingin' life.Dammmit. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why did Marvel Comics have to be actually a good read again? Now I'm hooked on The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, AND The Amazing Spider-man. Will there be no end to this madness?