10 Amazing Comic Books That Should Have Flopped

9. The Superior Spider-Man

Giant-size x-men Cover
Marvel Comics

Dan Slott had a crazy idea. A dying Doctor Octopus would swap bodies with Spider-Man, and Peter Parker would die in Ock's place. Slott had a lot of goodwill for his years of successful stories on The Amazing Spider-Man, but would fans go along with him on this radical idea?

Reaction was divided on the “killing off” of Peter Parker. Some saw it as a stunt that would be quickly fixed, and they knew Peter would be back quickly. Others saw it as an attack on a beloved character, and the writer actually received death threats that required police intervention.

Otto didn’t run amok in his new body, he vowed to become a “superior” Spider-Man. The story started in issues 698-700 of Amazing Spider-Man and into the new Superior Spider-Man biweekly limited series. Doc Ock solved many of Parker’s long-standing financial issues by creating Parker Industries. However, Octavius lacked Spider-Man's heart and compassion, and his violent nature had many of Spidey's allies questioning what was going on in the Web-head’s mind.

The final issue of Amazing Spider-Man (#700) was the number one selling book of December 2012, and Dan Slott won the Diamond Gem Award for the Top Dollar Comic of the Year for ASM # 700. Critical reception of the miniseries was slow to come but many saw it as a fresh approach and appreciated Slott for his intricate narrative.

Contributor
Contributor

John Wilson has been a comic book and pop culture fan his entire life. He has written for a number of websites on the subject over the years and is especially pleased to be at WhatCulture. John has written two comic books for Last Ember Press Studio and has recently self-published a children's book called "Blue." When not spending far too much time on the internet, John spends time with his lovely wife, Kim, their goofy dog, Tesla, and two very spoiled cats.