10 Amazing Comic Books That Should Have Flopped
9. The Superior Spider-Man
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.