Maybe this is just me being outta pocket but I find the idea of Hobie's first day at HQ hilarious
And I can't explain it but if you're a black punk you know what I mean - if ur alt and black uve had it happen before
like the way people act when they've never seen a black punk or goth person before
Peters seems like the type of dude that stands there tryna compliment him while also fumbling and not trying to sound offensive and he's like
'wow Hobie your hair is so..big, and unique. Really crazy. It's uh.. cool. Is it an afroooo or dreads - or locs I mean?? '
and Hobie just stands there looking at him like
cause he's had this conversation like twelve times today and if he has to say 'not dreads.' one more time he's going to start telling Peters about themselves and their middle-aged hairlines
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about spideytorch lately (as I am one to do) and a question popped into my head:
What is the most important spideytorch comic panel?
There’s a ton of great options in my opinion, but I think there also is an answer (at least for me) so now I am going to subject all of you to my thought process. Get ready for a way to long post breaking this down.
The most obvious starting point has to be this classic
Johnny Storm is going full house husband for Peter Parker, I mean c’mon! add in the fact that he’s in his undies and the way that he’s leaning over peter… yeah this is a classic. This might be the most famous spideytorch panel out there, but I don’t think it’s the most important one.
Another classic (but more antagonistic?) one takes place, of course, at the usual place.
To me this is peak identity shenanigans and the stuff that fanfics are made of. The betrayal, the heartbreak, the complications that go into the conflicting way these two view identity, oh boy I could talk about that shit for hours, but as an individual moment, it doesn’t really crack most important for me, it needs a bit more affection (they’re very bad at affection sometimes).
Another panel that came to mind very quickly for me is this set.
Johnny literally only had to say his name and Peter knew exactly what he meant and what he needed. This is top tier levels of communication, both between them and from the creators to us. I think this is another one that I could talk about for hours. That being said, it doesn’t feel important enough to me.
A friend in the spideytorch discord server posed this panel as the most important spideytorch moment in the comics.
I’m just gonna put their quote in cause it’s great. “I think this is one of my favorite panels cause Johnny was just speaking generally and Peter was like ‘oh my god! Actual wise words form johnny’ but also, I love that this was a more important moment for Peter than Johnny.” I must say, this entry is extremely important to spideytorch and gave my choice a run for its money. I don’t have a huge reason for not making this one the most important, other than personal taste. For their relationship, this is a key moment and sets them on the path to actually being friends (at least on Peter’s end), but idk it just wasn’t doing it for me.
Another panel I was reminded of thanks to this submission was this moment.
It’s not quite as impactful as the past one by a long shot but I do think it’s important. After being rivals for so long, to see Johnny give a genuine heartfelt compliment to Peter is fantastic (haha). This feels like the other half of the previous set of panels. There we had Johnny encouraging a stranger and here he’s encouraging his friend.
Some other friends in the discord server suggested the moment that Johnny invites Peter over to watch his sex tape (yes this is canon).
(Not pictured, Peter swinging away and saying he needs to take a cold shower). Now I’m not saying that the most important spideytorch moment needs to be serious, but I think this moment might be too unserious to claim that title. This moment was huge for the fanbase because holy shit did, he actually say that, but for their relationship, I just don’t think it was as important as it was to us.
Now I do want to knock out a few honorable mentions that I would hate to miss.
First, this look given to Spidey by Johnny, I mean yeah, he’s in love.
And to balance the lovesick flirty scales I must expose Peter as well.
Next, this heartbreaking moment that basically admits to the audience that Peter’s world becomes chaos when he loses Johnny. That shit hits.
Of course, the moment that gave us the ship name.
A panel that lives in my head rent-free because honestly marvel what were you attempting to convey here other than the fact that Peter really wants to have hate sex with Johnny Storm?
To take us outside of our duo, this quote from Ben Grimm (EDIT: it’s was Peter’s clone Ben Reilly, which honestly only adds more drama), because honestly same.
And of course, I have to include the panel which showed us the first time (on page) that Peter told Johnny he loved him AND gave us canon proof that these two have “date night,” many a fic writer was fed well.
And how could we forget! THE USUAL PLACE! Literally any panel mentioning this is top tier because its so good, like the core of the fandom honestly.
Lastly, before moving on to my own more serious contenders I have to share this parallel that @sciderman shared because I love it.
Now to my serious contenders for the title of most important spideytorch panel (please remember this is all my opinion and I mean no shade). This will be a top 5, but just know some of these rankings are pretty flexible (even flexible with some panels from the beginning), and this question should not be taken as seriously as I am taking it, I am fully aware of that.
Number 5!
So, I know that I discounted the sex tape scene earlier because I didn’t think it was serious enough and it didn’t do enough for their actual relationship, but I had to include this one I’m sorry. A lot of this is personal taste but the implications here are *chefs kiss* The first time I saw this panel was actually on Pinterest with the caption “wait a second, did spider-man and the human torch have sex?” which says it all for me.
Beyond that, this moment also shows how they reach out to each other when they have problems. Strange children show up in Peter’s life and the first person he calls about it is Johnny. Again, this is not the most serious, but I love it. This moment shows the banter of their relationship, how they care about and rely on each other, and also potentially reveals that they’ve had sex. There’s a lot to take in.
Number 4!
I will be honest with you all, this moment is here almost entirely because Ben’s quote lives in my head rent-free. Everyone around them sees how they feel about each other besides them. When they were rivals others could tell they actually liked each other and when they became friends others could tell that it was deeper than that. I think I especially love this panel because it conforms that we’re not crazy for thinking there’s something there but also because Ben specifically cites the way Johnny looks at peter. That is very specific and says a lot. I can’t imagine Ben would say this if the looks Johnny gave Peter were purely platonic, and just ahhhh, there’s so much said here just in one line from Ben. There was of course the Ben moment earlier, which I also love, but something about this one, the more specific phrasing of it I think just shoots it up my rankings a lot.
Number 3!
If you’ve been following me for a while I don’t think this is a surprise at all, I have already done a very in depth post about this panel so I’ll keep my thoughts brief. Red Skull knows that hurting Johnny will hurt Peter, Peter’s Spidey senses go off FOR JOHNNY, and we are given so much angst potential, I love it.
Number 2!
This one is probably a more popular choice than my number one, and I totally get it. The excitement and joy bursting out of Peter when he finally realizes that Johnny is here, he’s real, and he’s alive really gets me. Plus, the added context to the uniform comment being that Johnny literally left Peter his family and his spot on the team in his will. The amount of pure love in this moment and its larger context is abundant, platonic or romantic, it’s there. I feel like everything I could say about this panel has probably been said before, but it is definitely worthy of being the most important spideytorch moment, even if I have one that beats it for me.
Number 1!
For those of you who don’t know, this panel comes from Peter visiting Gwen’s grave and talking to her. That fact alone breaks me in half but then the things he says to her shatter me. Every spider-man fan knows how much Gwen’s death broke Peter, it destroyed him to lose her. Just the fact that Peter admits Johnny brings part of him back is amazing (haha) because that is a hug feat. But then he shatters me even more with his final sentences. After Gwen’s death, we often get a peter who spends too much time as Spidey in order to avoid having to cope with Gwen’s death as Peter, but also as a way to cope with the loss (he’s a complicate man). Spideypool also gets a lot from that arc because of Wade’s reaction to Spider-Man not holding back as much and becoming less of a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and that’s true. The fact that Peter feels like he’s becoming who Spidey is supposed to be again when he’s around johnny is huge! But then! He corrects himself. He’s not Spidey again, he’s Peter. The real person, the man behind the mask, comes back. And then you get the final correction. He’s not just peter again, he’s *Gwen’s* peter again. He is the him that existed with Gwen when he’s with Johnny. That speaks volumes and breaks whatever parts of me are left. How am I expected to read this and not think that Johnny and Peter are soulmates?
Now, I will acknowledge that this is much more of a peter moment than a joint spideytorch moment, much like the moment suggested by discord friend earlier. If that disqualifies it for you as the most important spideytorch panel, I get it. However, for me that doesn’t matter mainly for one key reason. So many classic spideytorch moments show a lot of Johnny having feelings for Peter or making a move on Peter. There have been a lot of times when I’m trying to get a friend into spideytorch, and I feel like I have to clarify that its not as one sided as it seems. Johnny is much more out there with who he is and doesn’t hide his feelings very well (except maybe from himself). So, when we get any spideytorch moment that hones in on peter’s feelings and love for Johnny, that feels so huge to me. This moment alone proves that it isn’t one sided, Peter has deep feelings for Johnny, even if he’s not sure what they are yet, he knows that what they have is special, he wouldn’t be telling Gwen about it otherwise. While it may not be as famous of a spideytorch moment, its an important one, and for me it’s probably the most important one.
Anyway, this has been a way too long post about this topic but if you made it to the end thank you so much! I would love to hear other people’s thoughts on this topic so feel free to share those. Also, just a reminder that these are my opinions, and I am not in charge at all so don’t take it too seriously (unless you want to).
If you’re interested in hearing me, go more in depth on any of these panels (or any other spideytorch panels) shoot me an ask because I could honestly talk in depth for a while about most of these panels and I would love to do so. Thank you again for reading this way to long post and good night spideytorch nation.
This started as a practice on learning anatomy and stuff, and ended as drawing some of my favorite superheroes!
Deadpool is really fun to draw.. you can see why in the timelapse under the cut!
[Video ID: A 3-minute soundless timelapse showing the process of drawing the piece above. Throughout the process, the artist writes several comments on the piece, as follows:
After drawing a torso but drawing and erasing the arms and legs several times: girl... Help. OMG.
After several more tries: Ok, I give up. (A heart is drawn.)
Short pause: Jk (a frowny face).
The artist then has drawn three figures on the piece. One is standing on the left side and looking to the left. One is in the background center. One is crouched in the front right. The artist begins to draw the left figure as Miguel O'Hara from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and the figure in the background as Peter Parker Spider-Man.
While drawing O'Hara, the artist points at him and says "Bro is built like:" and then draws an upside down triangle with two lines coming out the bottom, resembling O'Hara's wide shoulders and thin hips. The artist then writes, "Absolutely zero hips." After drawing O'Hara's suit design, the artist writes, "Boring suit tbh."
After a short pause the artist writes, "Ohg. I should've made him DD." Then, after an even shorter pause, writes, "It's not too late" and a smiling devil face. The artist then removes O'Hara's design and begins to draw the figure as Daredevil.
After drawing the two D's on Daredevil's chest, the artist points at them and writes, "hardest part of drawing him." The artist points at his left arm and says, "I feel like this arm is too long. IDC though."
The artist goes to the final figure, crouching in the front right, and writes, "Deadpool time? Hmm... No." The artist then erases the second figure's outline, which is designed as Spider-Man, and begins to draw that figure as Deadpool instead. Pointing at the crouched figure, the artist writes, "This pose fits Spidey more."
While drawing Deadpool, the artist draws a small speech bubble next to him and periodically fills it with speech, as if Deadpool is speaking while being drawn. The speech is as follows:
Deadpool, half drawn, says, "You missed a spot!"
After starting to draw the various swords and gear on Deadpool's suit, Deadpool says, "You don't know how to draw tactical gear, do you?" After drawing the circle logo on Deadpool's belt, Deadpool says, "Or circles."
After a pause, Deadpool says, "Why do I have so much armor, anyways? Like, I can just heal."
The artist then finishes drawing Deadpool and draws the crouched figure as Spider-Man. The artist then colors and renders the figures and draws the background. After the piece is complete, the artist removes the figures one at a time so that each figure can have their own close-up solo piece as well. When Deadpool is alone, he says, "A close-up? Nice!" End video ID]
Matt and Foggy go to career day at Peter's school, you know some schools have this day to learn about the work that students' parents do and the possible opportunities in life
Back to the Spiderman au I have where Peter has radioactive venom and accidentally bites Miles when the kid is trying to help him, and because he’s so full of guilt at accidentally doing this to the kid (especially in one of those universes where people absolutely hate the x-men and stuff, being mutated might ruin that person’s life), he takes him under his wing to teach him everything about his new powers and before he knows it, Miles is working alongside him as a new hero
For that au, I’m now thinking about that version of Peter trying to rescue Gwen, and in the end the only thing that can help her is for her to be turned, so he shares his venom, and to Peter it’s this incredibly horrible event where he’s dragged another person into this life of being mutated, but Miles, who is next to him and has never once been unhappy about gaining powers, is like “welcome to the web warriors!!! you’re one of us now!!! :D”
Can we uhm get a little doddle maybe of alt!peter if or when you're feeling up to it? Haven't seen him in a while, I miss him, was viscerally in love with his pretty boy face
I knew it. I spent like three hours drawing a Joe's Pizza box one time, I knew it was the same fucking font (or very close). That diner is a goddamn varient of Joe's Pizza from Spider-Man 2.