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Post by zaku on Jan 27, 2023 17:58:33 GMT -5
I liked the Tarantula. He had some great fight scenes with Spidey. It was a bummer what Stern did to him. I don't see what's inherently sillier about Tarantula compared to Ditko villains like the Sandman, Electro, Mysterio, the Vulture, or Scorpion. I'll admit that I'm a pretty big admirer of bronze age Spidey, which I think is one of the better post-Silver Age Marvel titles, so it's easy for me to buy in on villains like The Jackal and so forth. At least they were trying to come up with new villains for him to face instead of recycling the same old opponents. I also don't buy that no one should be a match for Spidey in a fight. The Spider-man I grew up with should not be able to fight like Batman. He should be out fought, over powered, and defeated from time to time. Otherwise, the stories would get boring quickly. I, respectfully, disagree. We are talking about someone who can press lift 10 tons. Who can dodge bullets shoot at point-blank range range. Can leap more than thirty feet. Who can moves faster than the eye can follow. Who went toe-to-toe with the Fantastic Four during their first meeting. Does it means that he is invincible? Of course not. I imagine even a normal human, with preparation and the surprise factor can overwhelm him (considering Spidey tries to hold back when fighting enemies less powerful than himself). But surely he's ridiculous that he fights pages and pages AND PAGES against someone who is at best a decent fighter, not even being able to dodge his blows. Something which contradicts what was established about the character before and after those stories. Sorry. I find it just silly.
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Post by commond on Jan 27, 2023 18:01:16 GMT -5
I'd love to know how Spidey learnt to fight like that in a matter of weeks or months after gaining his powers.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2023 18:26:45 GMT -5
I'd love to know how Spidey learnt to fight like that in a matter of weeks or months after gaining his powers. But he's not Batman, he didn't really need combat training to be very formidable. Besides the super strength, remember his reflexes and outright speed are crazy fast, plus "full-time active spider sense" sending him warning signs/defense impulses throughout any fight. While not nearly Superman power level, he was still one tough metahuman right out of the gate even without experience. I personally have no issue with the Tarantula though, that cover to Peter Parker #1 is a childhood favorite and I like his visual. Again, he's not a top tier Spidey villain for me, but a happy Bronze Age memory, sure.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jan 27, 2023 18:33:29 GMT -5
The original concept behind Tarantula--as the Captain America of a Latin American dictatorship--was pretty solid. It was the execution that usually left something to be desired. Gerry Conway just seemed to have a king-sized hard-on for this particular villain.
Cei-U! I summon the unrealized potential!
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Post by zaku on Jan 27, 2023 18:42:41 GMT -5
I'd love to know how Spidey learnt to fight like that in a matter of weeks or months after gaining his powers. It would be like me getting rid of little babies trying to punch me with their little fists and bite me with their baby teeth. "Where did you learn to fight???"
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 27, 2023 22:15:40 GMT -5
I'd love to know how Spidey learnt to fight like that in a matter of weeks or months after gaining his powers. Count Dante mail order course!
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jan 28, 2023 4:02:53 GMT -5
(...) Gerry Conway just seemed to have a king-sized hard-on for this particular villain. Well, he is pretty dashing Latin lover type with that jaunty head-scarf and those pointy boots.
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Post by zaku on Jan 28, 2023 5:08:32 GMT -5
The original concept behind Tarantula--as the Captain America of a Latin American dictatorship--was pretty solid. It was the execution that usually left something to be desired. Gerry Conway just seemed to have a king-sized hard-on for this particular villain. Cei-U! I summon the unrealized potential! At least he should have given him superpowers or something similar. I mean, it's a universe where you risk acquiring superpowers by touching a bare wire or something! And how the heck he managed to run (or even walk!) with those boots?!? At least Stern had the sense to make the blades retractable! ...wait, is it another meta-jab at the stupidity of the character concept..?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 6:32:48 GMT -5
I *never* thought to question how he managed to walk/run with those boots, any more than I question why Batman doesn’t trip over his cape (in stories where it looks very long). It’s just my view, and I’m not telling you or others how to think, but personally, I just like to lose myself in the fun of it all. If I’m reading a Spidey/Tarantula battle, I’m more about enjoying the fight, not questioning the practicality of footwear.
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Post by commond on Jan 28, 2023 6:34:28 GMT -5
I'd love to know how Spidey learnt to fight like that in a matter of weeks or months after gaining his powers. But he's not Batman, he didn't really need combat training to be very formidable. Besides the super strength, remember his reflexes and outright speed are crazy fast, plus "full-time active spider sense" sending him warning signs/defense impulses throughout any fight. While not nearly Superman power level, he was still one tough metahuman right out of the gate even without experience. I personally have no issue with the Tarantula though, that cover to Peter Parker #1 is a childhood favorite and I like his visual. Again, he's not a top tier Spidey villain for me, but a happy Bronze Age memory, sure. He was a guy who was picked at school and had absolutely no athletic ability. Even if he gained superhuman strength and super reflexes, etc., surely it would take some time for him to learn how to use his powers and new found abilities, let alone learn how to fight. It's a bit of a moot point since his career was well established by the time he fought Tarantula, but I don't think it makes sense that a street level superhero like Spider-Man is so much more powerful than the criminals he faces. The appeal of Spider-man was how difficult everything was for him, from paying the rent to taking care of his Aunt May and beating the bad guys.
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Post by commond on Jan 28, 2023 6:40:20 GMT -5
I don't think he had too much trouble walking in those boots.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 28, 2023 6:59:39 GMT -5
For those who question how Tarantula walks, just Google “9X toe boots” or “guarachero boots.” I’ve seen tons of men and women’s shoes and boots with toes as long and longer than Tarantulas. Y’all are fashion deprived.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jan 28, 2023 7:19:55 GMT -5
But he's not Batman, he didn't really need combat training to be very formidable. Besides the super strength, remember his reflexes and outright speed are crazy fast, plus "full-time active spider sense" sending him warning signs/defense impulses throughout any fight. While not nearly Superman power level, he was still one tough metahuman right out of the gate even without experience. I personally have no issue with the Tarantula though, that cover to Peter Parker #1 is a childhood favorite and I like his visual. Again, he's not a top tier Spidey villain for me, but a happy Bronze Age memory, sure. He was a guy who was picked at school and had absolutely no athletic ability. Even if he gained superhuman strength and super reflexes, etc., surely it would take some time for him to learn how to use his powers and new found abilities, let alone learn how to fight. It's a bit of a moot point since his career was well established by the time he fought Tarantula, but I don't think it makes sense that a street level superhero like Spider-Man is so much more powerful than the criminals he faces. The appeal of Spider-man was how difficult everything was for him, from paying the rent to taking care of his Aunt May and beating the bad guys. If you go back and look at the Ditko run, you'll see that Spidey goes from scrawny to buff over time. It's not difficult to see that as a visual metaphor for his developing abilities as a combatant. The Enforcers, who gave him a hard time on ASM #10 were totally outmatched against him, even with Sandman and a whole gang of thugs on their side by #19. That was much more believable than the instant overnight beefing-up Tobey Maguire went through.
Cei-U! I summon the benefit of experience!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 7:23:52 GMT -5
But he's not Batman, he didn't really need combat training to be very formidable. Besides the super strength, remember his reflexes and outright speed are crazy fast, plus "full-time active spider sense" sending him warning signs/defense impulses throughout any fight. While not nearly Superman power level, he was still one tough metahuman right out of the gate even without experience. I personally have no issue with the Tarantula though, that cover to Peter Parker #1 is a childhood favorite and I like his visual. Again, he's not a top tier Spidey villain for me, but a happy Bronze Age memory, sure. He was a guy who was picked at school and had absolutely no athletic ability. Even if he gained superhuman strength and super reflexes, etc., surely it would take some time for him to learn how to use his powers and new found abilities, let alone learn how to fight. It's a bit of a moot point since his career was well established by the time he fought Tarantula, but I don't think it makes sense that a street level superhero like Spider-Man is so much more powerful than the criminals he faces. The appeal of Spider-man was how difficult everything was for him, from paying the rent to taking care of his Aunt May and beating the bad guys. An inexperienced driver with a souped up muscle car is still going to take an experienced race car driver with a small engine economy car off the line most of the time. It's a power differential thing. I'm certainly no "fighter" myself, but if you threw me up against a big tough guy but also gave me Spider-Man's powers, the guy is going to be basically moving in slow motion to me. And everyone can throw at least a basic punch, so if I've also now got the inherent strength to lift several tons, and the odds are my reflexes can't miss, guess what happens when my "inexperienced" blow connects? Again, he's not a Batman "street level" concept, he's totally a metahuman with fantastic powers. "With great powers..." and all that. And his villains are similar...Doc Ock was no combat veteran, but those lethal metal tentacles make up for it. A utility worker can suddenly shoot electricity, a lab scientist turns into a wicked strong and dangerous lizard creature. Yet again, I still don't see traditional "street level" in the same sense even though his adventures primarily take place in New York, the power levels tend to be formidable. Can you imagine how scary the Sandman would really be to take on? Spidey HAS to have a certain inherent power level to play in this space. And it brings up another point that is not getting covered here...Pete uses his brains in conjunction with his powers. He may not have had a training montage scene of his time in the Orient learning martial arts and deep spiritualism, but when muscle isn't getting it done, he can whip up gadgetry and solutions on a dime. That's the bigger appeal of Spidey to me...blending scientific know-how with his physical based super powers.
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Post by commond on Jan 28, 2023 8:08:17 GMT -5
According to my very limited research, Spider-Man did eventually receive some training from Captain America, and later Shang-Chi, after he lost his spider sense. Apparently, Shang-Chi helped Spider-Man develop his own style of fighting called "The Way of the Spider."
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