With a new Venom comic debuting today, and Spider-Man featured in the new FF: Future Foundation comic, I'm taking a moment to reflect on Spider-Man's live action effort on Broadway. The recent critical thrashing of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is more than the story of a troubled Broadway show. As any number of Broadway professionals can tell you, many shows have been marked by soaring budgets, deep-pocketed backers, and mercurial creative minds coming to a sad end. Indeed, other rock musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair prime examples, faced similar problems. Yet, few have received the rancorous focus associated with this comic book-inspired show. Even before the critical onslaught, the cultural fixation on Spider-Man: TOD was severe. Spider-Man: TOD is a natural target for unfavorable scrutiny in part because it is about Spider-Man. This to me is the core issue. Spider-Man: TOD has generated so much press because unlike other dubious productions, Spider-Ma...
A blog for and about the intersection of comic books and American history.