#after which i may go rogue and not bother waiting for my doc to say yes or not to T because she wants my endocrinologist's input

[lupismaris]

...

[maples-wings]

Exile Chapter 0.5

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539429/chapters/59284624

Inbetween stuff before chapter 1!  Full chapter below for people who like to read on tumblr.

Mentioned Hermits Xisuma - Sundapple, Mumbo - Twigleap, Cleo - Petalshade, Joe - Rainwhisper Iskall - Iceclaw, Stress - Honeyfrost, Bdubs - Mossbrook, Keralis - Brighteyes, Tango - Tanager, Zedaph - Zinni, Impulse - Sparks, False - Goldenstrike. Doc - Foxthorn, Tfc - Badger Please tell me if I've missed anyone!

“So, forming a clan?” Sundapple said. “What do you guys think?”

The hermits, which they had jokingly named themselves while interacting at gatherings went silent, thinking about the idea Sundapple brought up.

Foxthorn looked slightly uncertain. “Wouldn’t that mean we have to follow the warrior code? It’s a great ruleset yes, but it got us all exiled in the first place. And barely have enough cats to do patrols.” 

“It doesn’t have to be an actual clan,” Sundapple said. “Just our own little group with some rules.” 

“I think it’s a good idea.” Rainwhisper looked to Petalshade. “May I suggest we attend gatherings as well? It would be good to see what the other clans are up too.” 

Hazelscar ears perked up excitedly. “I think we’d do well as a group, maybe not following the other clans but attending gatherings and stuff like that would be interesting!”

Sundapple nodded. “We can go the next full moon, which isn’t far away.”

“Don’t we need to have a name?” Twigleap asked. Iceclaw nodded. “We could just stick with hermits. I mean what else would we go with?” 

Mossbrook snorted. “Are the clans smart enough to know what a hermit means?” Iceclaw laughed a little. “We could tell them.”

“What about a deputy? I mean, only for gatherings but if we had a deputy, how about every moon or so it rotates?” Goldenstrike suggested. “And just in case if Sundapple isn’t present and something happens. They could take charge.” 

Brighteyes nodded. “I like that! What about you Bubbles?” Mossbrook tilted his head in confusion. “What?” He asked. 

“Bubbles! It fits, you're bubbly.” Brighteyes reasoned.  

Sundapple snorted. “Alright Mossbrook, that’s your new name now.” He said jokingly.

“Okay, Brighteyes.” Mossbrook sighed. “If we need allies, maybe we could talk to nearby loners? As long as they aren’t malicious, I’m sure they’ll be fine!”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try.” 

---

Sundapple dipped his head to the group in front of him. “Tanager, Zinni, Sparks.” He sat down at the edge of the border. “Greetings.” 

The three stood, watching him with apprehension. “You wanted to speak?” Sparks asked. Sundapple nodded “We wanted to ask if you wanted to come and join us. Or at least ally with us.”

Tanager tilted his head. “Why? I didn’t think the clans wanted help from outside sources.”

Sundapple shook his head. “Oh no, they definitely wouldn’t accept help from rogues and loners. But my friends and I were exiled from them and we could really use some of that help.” He looked down slightly. “We uh, might’ve taken some land from Thunderclan.” He laughed nervously. “Wasn’t our smartest decision.”

“So you’re working against the clans?” Zinni asked. Pausing for a moment to think Sundapple sighed. 

“I mean, kinda?” Sundapple said. “The leaders aren’t the nicest cats.” Zinni, Sparks and Tanager shared a look.

“We’ll have to see.” Sparks swished his tail. “Though, if you’re looking for some cat that would want to join, you might want to seek out Badger.” 

Sundapple nodded. “If you want to take up my offer of joining us. Meet me here next half moon, at sunhigh.” He stood, dipped his head in respect again and padded back to his friends.

---

“What are you doing here?” Acornstar glared down at the group, ears flattened. 

Sundapple grinned. “Just doing the same thing you’re doing, catching up with the news.” He headed towards the tree leaders would sit upon with Goldenstrike, who was their appointed co-leader for that moon. The hermits that had decided to come clumped together in a group to find a place to sit away from the clan cats.

Rainwhisper nervously walked to sit with the medicine cats. He spotted Honeyfrost who, miraculously hadn’t been exiled yet, sitting by the edge of the medicine cats. Settling down next to Honeyfrost he said a quick hello and turned his attention back to the leaders.

“Acornstar,” Morningstar said. “Calm yourself. We can talk about this later.” Acornstar sent one last glare towards Sundapple before sitting down on her branch. Unfazed, Sundapple leapt onto one of the lower branches.

Marshstar narrowed his eyes at Honeyfrost and Rainwhisper, looking over them for a moment. “Shadowclan has been doing well, we have a new medicine cat apprentice, Barkpaw.” Marshstar paused so the clans could call out Barkpaw for a moment. “Our old deputy, Sageleap has died due to unforeseen circumstances, We have chosen Duskheart as our new deputy..” Rainwhisper frowned. Wasn’t Duskheart Sundapple’s brother? Or was he remembering wrong? He’d have to ask Sundapple later. 

“Twolegs have started encroaching on our territory and scaring prey away. We are still searching for traitors in our clan but I am sure we are nearly rid of them all.” Avoiding the gaze of the hermits’ Morningstar continued on. “Otherwise, Windclan is doing fine.”  She nodded for Acornstar to report.

“Thunderclan has been doing incredibly well, especially after ridding ourselves from traitors.” Acornstar focused her gaze on the hermits. “We have two new apprentices, Bramblepaw and Featherpaw. As well as a new warrior, Graystorm.” The clans chanted their names for a minute before quietening down. “That is all.” 

“Riverclan has been doing alright. Twolegs have been bothering us with their monsters, but that is expected. We have no new warriors or apprentices this moon.” Drizzlestar sat down and looked back over at Acornstar. 

“Well! That’s that it then.” Acornstar stood. “Thunde--” 

“Wait!” Sundapple said, cutting her off. “What about us?” 

Acornstar scoffed. “What about you and your group? If you have something to say, say it, but I’m sure you have nothing to say.” 

Sundapple opened his mouth, reaching for something to say back. Rainwhisper saw Goldenstrike say something, but he was too far away to hear. 

“Thunderclan! With me.” Acornstar called. Her cats stood and followed her away. 

Sundapple sighed and stood. “Come on hermits. Let’s go.” Rainwhisper said a quick goodbye to Honeyfrost and went to talk to Sundapple.

[momentofmemory]

fictober - day twenty-four

Prompt #24: “Patience... is not something I’m known for.”

Fandom: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Warning: Vague references to depression/death

Characters: Peter B. Parker, Gwen Stacy, Spider Noir, Spider-Ham, Peni Parker, May Parker, Miles Morales

Words: 1720

Author’s Note: set between the attack on may’s house and the spidey crew’s arrival at miles’s dorm. there’s a good concept in here that got lost somewhere along the way, but the first half at least is pretty entertaining, and it ends hopefully, so that’s enough for tonight.

>>Someone’s Gotta Take This

Peter’s in the midst of an absolutely devastating take down of Doc Ock when she freezes mid punch.

“Cat got your tongue?” He takes the opportunity to slip his trapped appendages (all four of them) out of her grasp, and backflips into a perfect three-point landing.

Okay, semi-perfect. It might classify as a three and a half point landing; his elbow was just a lot closer to the ground than he expected. Doc does the whole ‘look at how tall my mechanical arms can make me’ thing, and he rolls his eyes.

“Actually, you’re an octopus, so come to think of it probably not a cat.” He stands up and widens his stance, ready for round two. “What kind of predators do you guys have? Fish? Other fish? …Sushi restaurants?”

He expects a claw to the face for his troubles, but instead Liv taps her finger to her chin. “You’re a lot like him, despite…” she gestures down the length of his body. “…Everything else. How fascinating.”

Which, one, creepy; and two, rude.

Then she shrugs and starts climbing away. “If you start completely falling apart molecularly, do let me know. I’m sure it’d do wonders for my chance at a Nobel this year.”

“Yeah, that’s a no—”

“Peter!”

It’s Peni, and she sounds like it’s important.

Peter looks at the receding figure of Doc Ock and sighs. “I hope you know I’m going to go home and have just, the biggest plate of calamari Tomo’s has to offer when this is over!”

The Doc doesn’t respond, maybe doesn’t even hear his shout, but it makes him feel better anyway. He leaps down from the rooftop and swings as fast as a suburban neighborhood allows in the direction of Peni’s voice.

He lands in the wreck that was Aunt May’s front lawn and sees the whole gang, minus this earth’s rogues’ gallery.

“What’s with the long faces, guys?” he asks, unease settling in his gut. He suddenly notices Miles isn’t around, and his expression hardens. “Tell me they didn’t get the goober.”

Four heads shake in unison, but it doesn’t feel reassuring in the slightest.

“They got Miles’s uncle.”

It’s Porker that answers his question, but he feels the weight of the statement in each of their faces. His eyes flick to Aunt May, sees her alive and whole in this universe instead of rotting six feet down in a grave, like in his.

God, I’m so sorry Miles.

“Let’s go back inside,” Aunt May says, and it’s Aunt May, so no one questions it.

They trudge into the house—Peter’s the only one that bothers with the door, because he’s civilized—but the rest of the spider crew just wander in through the eight foot hole in the wall. There’s wreckage everywhere from the fight: overturned furniture, pillows ripped inside out, pieces of May’s kitchen tiles with the yellow-painted sunflowers lying shattered on the ground.

This can’t go on.

“Peni, can you trace the goober?”

She looks up, one hand still rubbing slow circles on SP//dr’s head. “I mean sure, but what about Miles?”

“Where ever the goober is, that’s where he’ll be, too.” Peter yanks his mask off. “But honestly, we need the goober right now more than we need him.”

“Peter—”

“No, Gwendolyn,” Noir says. “As much as I hate to admit it, this scruffy Spider-Man has a point.”

“What did you call me?”

“Clearly the kid isn’t ready for this level of threat yet.” Noir squints at the Rubik’s cube in his hand. “We can’t risk letting Kingpin get away. Some sacrifices always have to be made.”

“Hopefully just the one this time, but agreed,” Peter says. “Now, Peni, if you can just find that goober we can grab it and sneak into the collider tonight—”

“Whoa, hey, have we forgotten the whole ‘someone has to turn it off’ part?”

Everyone turns to look at Gwen.

“Because if Miles isn’t doing it, that’s a death sentence.”

Peter winces. Time to move this along.

“It’s all good, I’ll be the one taking care of the collider,” he says. “We just need a plan to get there.”

Noir flips a row around on the cube, still baffled by the colours. “Now wait, if we’re talking Chicago overcoats here, the lady might not be wrong about putting this to a vote.”

“At the risk of losing my snout, what the Sam heck’s a Chicago—”

“Guys,” Peter interrupts, valiantly not pulling out his hair. He thought he’d be used to this kind of thing by this point in his career, but no. “It has to be me, and that’s fine, really.”

“Why?” Peni looks up at him and the innocence there reminds him of Miles.

God, kids are so small.

He clears his throat. “Y’know, just, so many reasons. For one, I’m the oldest, so—”

“Incredible. You don’t look a day over seventy.”

“I don’t think I have an age?”

Peter drags his hand across his face, refusing to acknowledge either Noir or Spider-Ham.

“Okay, I’m older than half of you,” he says. “But this still isn’t up for debate.”

“Why not? You’re not the only hero here.” Gwen crosses her arms over her chest, and it doesn’t take a genius to see the forced nonchalance in her stance. “I just think we should slow down before you go all martyr on us.”

“Yeah, see, patience is not something I’m known for and I’m thinking—”

“You’re thinking the same way my Peter did!” Gwen bursts out, then her fists clench like she hadn’t meant to say that.

“Gwen—” Peter hesitates. “Look, I don’t know what happened to your Peter, but I’m not him. This is about you guys. You and Miles and Peni—you’ve got your whole lives ahead of you, and Noir’s got colours to discover, and Porker—”

Spider-Ham looks up at him expectantly.

“—Porker’s got laws of physics to break,” Peter finishes.

There’s not a single face in the room that looks convinced, but fortunately for Peter, at that moment everyone’s atoms choose to go nuts.

Thirty seconds later, Peter finds himself sprawled out on the floor along with the rest of the crew, nerves still twitching.

“I vote we agree to the orange spider’s plan,” Noir says.

“That’s red,” Spider-Ham says, his voice muffled from where his snout is pressed face-down into the floor, “but I second the motion.”

Peter rolls over and looks at Peni, and she rubs her arm and looks down.

She nods.

Gwen doesn’t even bother voting. “Guess I’m overruled.”

She stalks out, and Peni heads down to the lab to trace the goober. Porker drags Noir into the kitchen to discuss colour theory, and that just leaves Peter. He flops his head back down on the floor and stares at the broken patches in the ceiling.

He’s so, so tired.

“Peter.”

He freezes mid thought, because there’s been so many nights he would’ve done anything to hear that voice, yet every time he hears it now it feels like a stab from Scorpion’s tail.

“…Aunt May?”

She leans over him and offers a hand, and slowly, he’s pulled to his feet.

“I know you’re tired.”

He flinches, and he knows she sees it.

“My Peter was too, you know.”

He thinks of the Peter he’d seen in the memorials, all perfect hair and perfect teeth and perfect life. It doesn’t seem possible, but there’s a talking pig and a literal black and white detective arguing over china in the kitchen, so he knows better than to doubt it.

“I’m fine,” he says.

“You told everyone else what they have ahead of them. What do you have?”

“…This,” Peter says, and it isn’t a lie. “I have this, because I can do this. Really.”

Aunt May’s lips pull into a thin line. “Promise me one more thing, then: when the time comes, you let my boy have his chance.”

“Miles?” Peter blinks. “I mean, yeah, of course I’ll let him try before we go with it. I’m not completely crazy.”

“Good.” Aunt May seems strangely satisfied. “Tell MJ I love her when you see her for me.”

“…Sure.” He’s pretty sure she can tell her on her own time a lot easier, but he doesn’t question it.

He has a job to do.

Peter’s a man of his word, so he gives Miles a chance to use his powers on command. He can’t, but he won’t hold it against the kid—he has better things to do in the time he has left. Then he sees MJ, this world’s MJ, and he tries to do as Aunt May asks but he gets a little overwhelmed, because MJ.

He doesn’t think much else about May’s words until Miles shows up again, and God, Miles is amazing. Doesn’t mean he’s going to risk the whole earth on a newbie, though, so he tells Miles he’s got this.

Miles sweeps his legs right out from under him, and as Peter hovers over the portal and his own chance, he realizes the boy May was referring to wasn’t Miles at all.

It was himself.

“You gotta go, man,” Miles says, and Peter thinks he taught this kid way too well.

He backflips into the stream and lands on his bed in a three point landing that’s all legs and elbows. The pizza slice on the ceiling doesn’t judge him, so it’s all right.

He takes three weeks and a lot of introspection—as well as a couple calls from Miles and Gwen, because apparently Gwen’s figured out a way to communicate even though the collider’s gone—and then he shows up on MJ’s doorstep. He’s brought her flowers in an expensive, pressed suit, he’s prepared a litany of apologies, and he’s ready to announce his realization that he has paternal feelings after all.

MJ opens the door, and she’s wearing fleece pajamas and fuzzy slippers and her hair is up in curlers, and it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, even more beautiful than the MJ he saw at the gala on the other earth.

This is his MJ.

“Hi,” he stammers, monologues vanishing in an instant.

MJ stares at him, apparently just as shocked as he is, and come on you idiot just say something—

He swallows, and holds out the flowers.

“Aunt May said to tell you she loves you.”

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Spider-Man: Life Story #4 Thoughts Part 1: Doc Ock Disservice

In retrospect issue #1 of this series was a mixed bag, issue #2 was bad, issue #3 was hot trash and now issue #4 is...

 Well...it depends.

See I usually try my best to write these basically as soon as I’ve read an issue. However a trip to my LCS and back is at least a 2 hour round trip and I had to head into work practically immediately after getting back. Consequently I’m writing this several hours later than I would have liked.

My initial gut feeling during and immediately after reading the issue was that this was a mixed bag. But ruminating on it more it’s gone down yet further in my eyes.

Maybe I’m not diving deep enough into it but my gut feelings on this (which is what these posts are, they’re not reviews where I try to be more actively analytical rather than ‘free style’ it) it’s...not AS bad as prior issues; issue #3 being the absolute nadir thus far.

Perhaps that is due to now knowing how messed up this series is I knew what I was getting into and what to expect thus I was less aghast by what I saw. Perhaps it was the fact that this issue, unlike issue #3, didn’t slap my intelligence in the face with asinine historical politics and the most aggressively stupid attempt to homage my fav Spidey tale, KLH.

However some of my...I don’t know the right term...my feeling less disdainfulness, towards this issue might stem from Peter’s age.

See when you do the math canon Peter Parker’s lifespan can be viewed as encompassing the amount of time covered in issues #1-3, that is to say ages 15-mid 30s. Thus there was a certain degree of precedence involved, a certain roadmap for us to compare LF Peter to.

But in this issue Peter is around 48 years old. This is well beyond the age of canon Peter Parker and only AU versions of the character have ever approached that age and being AUs they aren’t great sources for comparison. The closest thing we have is MC2 Peter Parker who was in his early 40s and different in his attitude and outlook to LF Peter. However that could be due to being younger, having his family and being retired for 10+ years thus making him more positive towards the prospect of being Spider-Man.

LF Peter is fed up, tired and wants to stop being Spider-Man. Any of the old enjoyment he ever derived from it is long gone. As is apparently his desire to remain ‘relevent’. Guess he got over that early mid-life crisis he went through in issue #3. You know that mid-life crisis that led to him using an alien performance enhancer that was allegedly addictive.

Actually more than a few of this issue’s problems can be owed to older issues, and specifically issue #3.

First of all...so America is still around. Um...yeah wasn’t there a war with Russia happening last issue? Wasn’t there a nuclear arms race that was hotter than the Cold War ever was in real life?

I suppose given how utterly unrealistic it was that Russia nuked an American town and then nuclear Armageddon didn’t ensue in issue #3, this issue is consistent in it’s boneheaded lack of realism.

And it does offer an explanation. Tony Stark’s weapons ended the war.

...Okay...we need to talk about this again and this time I’m going to spell it out.

So there has been no end of speculative fiction presenting stories revolving around a world where historical events happened differently.

A common example, embodied by the acclaimed show Man in the High Castle, is ‘What if the Axis powers won WWII’.

Life Story has at various turns presented real life historical events but injected superheroes in them whilst also showing them playing out differently.

Iron Man, Giant Man and Captain America went to Vietnam.

Captain America went rogue in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War lasted longer than in real life history.

Russia launched nukes at the USA and destroyed a town resulting in a super hero invasion on Russia and open warfare.

Said war was won by America apparently thanks to Tony Stark’s weapons.

Do you know the difference between Life Story and Man in the High Castle, or indeed most speculative fiction?

It actually explains what happened!

In Man in the High Castle we learn various pieces of the alternate history, among them being that the Axis powers developed atomic weapons before the Allies and nuked Washington DC, eventually winning the war and dividing America between the Third Riech and the Empire of Japan.

In Life Story we find out the Vietnam War lasted longer. Somehow.

In Life Story we find out Tony Stark’s weapons won the war with Russia. Somehow.

WHAT HAPPENED!

At best this is a pointless tease, it’s like sidestory world building. What’s the point of bringing the fact that this world’s history is drastically different but not bothering to elaborate on it at all.

Tony’s weapons won the war. What weapons? How did they win? Give us some details for God’s sake.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the story isn’t about the Russian war or the alternate international politics, it’s about Spider-Man. But then...why the fuck is it in the story?

Shit dude, redraft Life Story a little bit and you could more or less exorcise ALL the stuff about international political conflicts and lose nothing. In the case of Kraven’s motivations last issue it’d be an improvement!

Look maybe I’ve got a bug up my butt about this more than most people because I studied history at university, but even putting that aside...it just feels superfluous to this story.

What gets me is that it’s veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery good money the only reason this shit is in the story is to evoke Watchmen (which ‘coincidenally’ is being revisted in Doomsday Clock by DC right now) which was also an example of speculative historical fiction involving superheroes. Which also explained what happened!

Superheroes existed. So they intervened in Vietnam. And they won because of their overwhelming power.

In Life Story we don’t even know who won the Vietnam War or even if it’s over yet!

Moving on a little, so Tony Stark and Peter are at logger heads. Now I dislike Spider-Man’s involvement with Iron Man in recent years but I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand seeing Iron Man not be Peter’s mentor is lovely, but I wonder if Zdarsky was banking on audience familiarity with that dynamic from the films to create a shock moment by portraying a relationship between both men so at odds with what you see in Homecoming.

That wasn’t my first thought though. My first thought was Zdarsky is trading off of the Peter/Tony relationship from JMS’ run...which had nothing to do with the 1990s at all; we’ll talk more about that in a minute.

Finally, not content to write Peter out of character, Zdarsky apparently wanted to write Tony out of character too.

I am no Iron Man expert but by the 1990s...hadn’t he kinda sorta stopped making weapons!

I could forgive it in the older issues because Tony apparently didn’t get out of the arms business in the comics immediately like in the films, so it wasn’t inaccurate to the time periods. But I’m 90% sure he had stopped making weapons by the 1990s. Tell me if I’m wrong please, but if I am not....holy shit what is Zdarsky doing? How does aging in real time = Iron Man would still be a war profiteer?

Let’s leave Stark and the real life history alone and get into the real meat of this story.

Okay so we have Ben Reil-

Wait what?

*re-reads Life Story #4*

...there is something off with this...

*checks Life Story #2*

...um...Life Story #2 clearly states that Peter and Gwen’s clones took on the names Helen and Ben PARKER not REILLY!

Now Reilly makes a lot more sense from both a practical point of view (a guy who looks like Peter Parker with his last name raises questions) and from a referencing canon POV.

But what the fuck is up with the inconsistency?

Who was asleep at the wheel for that one! Oh...but it won’t be the only inconsistency by the way.

So Ben Reilly (who looks more like Ben Urich) is a photogra-

Wait, wait, wait. What again?

Ben Reilly is a...photographer?

...WHY??????????????????????

Look...Peter does have a certain passion for photojournalism, but he prefers science.

Ben Reilly in canon never even considered photography as a job to my recollection. He worked as a lab assistant, a barrista, a bouncer/body guard, a teacher but never a photographer even though that would’ve been an obvious profession to consider.

When Peter began working that job it was a way for him to earn the money he desperately needed to provide for himself and Aunt May whilst also not having his time eaten up with a 9-5.

Sure Ben is also a superhero (the Red Mask...I hope he didn’t dream that up himself...in the middle of a Cold War...) in this universe, but what is motivating him to do that? He’s got science smarts, he has legal documentation from issue #2 allowing him to hold jobs. Why would he not go into a field he both prefers and one that you’d think in a world where there was a war raging with intangible nukes would be of greater use?

I can think of some No. Prize explanations...but that’s the problem.

I  have to think of those explanations. The story, like so much else in this shitty series, doesn’t elaborate.

This goes beyond the characters being different for the sake of being different from canon.

Ben Reilly is doing something that demands an explanation within the context of this series’ unique continuity as established. It’s not even a matter of established characterization based on canon, it’s a matter of established characterization based upon the last 3 goddam issues.

This lack of thought equally applies to our main villain of the issue, Doctor Octopus.

So in issue #2/1977 Doc Ock had reformed because of a heart attack and all that good tender luvin care he got from a woman at least 20 years his senior; Zdarsky does know most people enjoy the May/Otto relationship ironically right, nobody actually thinks it makes sense or was a good idea, but no here it’s the crux of his whole character.

In issue #3/1984 he was...clearly a villain again because he’s obviously attacking Spider-Man in the double page spread depicting Secret Wars.

In issue #4/1995 we learn that Otto was at May’s funeral and this was the last time Peter saw him. Also according to Peter May left Otto long before she died and that was when he just disappeared, Peter presuming he retired in Florida.

So going by issue #4 alone we have something of a contradiction. If Otto disappeared long before May’s death...how could the last time Peter have seen him been at her funeral.

Maybe that’s just phrased a little badly and I’m nitpicking. Fair enough.

What isn’t fair enough though is either Zdarsky isn’t paying attention to his own writing, Bagley and he are not communicating properly or the editor is severely dropping the ball.

May and Otto were clearly NOT together in issue #3 when Otto was also clearly a villain and Peter clearly was aware of this because Otto was attacking him.

Which means Otto must’ve disappeared before then which means Peter would’ve known he hadn’t retired, he’d returned to villainy.

Now a point of praise, Otto blaming Peter for May leaving him, I think that rings true to Otto’s character, let alone an old aging Otto. This is the guy who often saw what he wanted to see, who infamously once wanted to nuke NYC to prove how he wasn’t to be taken lightly even though it’d also kill him too.

Too bad that point of praise is drowned out by his plan in this story which is all wrapped up in the clones.

Okay, okay, Doc Ock had a important role to play in the 1990s Clone Saga so what’s the problem?

The problem is that...I heavily suspect this isn’t riffing on the 1990s Clone Saga.

I think it’s much more likely that it’s riffing on the Ultimate Clone Saga in which Doc Ock was the mastermind behind the clones; coincidentally Bagley drew all three of the Ock Clone Saga tales which is a nice piece of historical symmetry.

Why...is....Zdarsky....riffing....on....a...Ultimate....Universe....story....?????????????????...from the 2000s!!!!!!!!

And in case the jury doesn’t accept that criticism here is another one. Otto feels he’s dying without accomplishing anything.

Um...wasn’t he working with Reed Richards in issue #2?

Otto working legitimately with a big brain like Reed surely would’ve in like 10 years accomplished SOMETHING! He invented so much crazy tech he really didn’t patent any of it, release it to the public?

Couldn’t his arms alone do wonders for disabled people?

I know this is comics so you should suspend disbelief because if you don’t you have to ask why fossil fuels even still exist.

But that’s the problem with this series.

It wants to have it’s cake and eat it.

It wants to show superheroes having a world changing impact on the world as they realistically would...but not go all the way with it.

It wants to have superheroes go to Vietnam and Russia have and use super powered people and intangible nukes but it also wants to ignore the obvious ramifications when it’s inconvenient.

This gets even stupider when you contextualize it within wider Spider-Man media. In the recent, heavily publicized Spidey PS4 video game (that Marvel is adapting as a comic book right now) Doc Ock creates his arms specifically to help disabled people and uses them because he himself is losing control of his motor functions. And in Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon (for 5 year olds) Doc Ock is disabled from the outset and entirely relies on his arms to move around.

So why the fuck did Otto at no point consider using that tech to help the disabled and thereby accomplish something in his life. It’s an obvious idea Reed, Peter or even May must’ve suggested. It probably could’ve helped someone as frail and infirm as May specifically.

We’re also told May left Otto due to his anger. Great use of telling not showing there Zdarsky. Remember how angry Otto seemed in his one other speaking appearance before now?