Renew Your Vows: The Spider-Man story we needed after One More Day

Well, as a lifelong Spidey fan who’s seen the highs and lows of our friendly neighborhood hero, I must say that “Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows” has been a breath of fresh web-swinging air for me. This series takes everything we love about Peter Parker and his family, gives us an alternate universe where the events of “One More Day” never happened, and delivers a heartwarming, action-packed story that’s pure joy to read.

For decades, opinions about Spider-Man’s comic book runs have been highly varied and contentious among fans. This trend persists even today. To put it simply, when discussing the lowest points in Spider-Man comics, one title that consistently comes up as particularly poor is the infamous storyline known as “One More Day,” which has earned a reputation as one of the worst.

The impact of this infamous Spider-Man storyline is still resonating in today’s comic books. Fans consider it a particularly disappointing chapter, and it seems unlikely that opinion will shift anytime soon. However, there exists a series of Spider-Man comics that mitigate the effects of “One More Day” or at least offer an alternative perspective on Spider-Man’s story and mythos that could bring satisfaction to fans.

Grab a seat true believers, and enter the world of The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows.

One More Day, explained

If you haven’t heard about it, “Spider-Man: One More Day” was the final storyline in J. Michael Straczynski’s controversial period as writer for “Amazing Spider-Man,” which lasted from 2007 to 2008.

The narrative unfolds as we delve into Peter’s life post-Civil War, a significant crossover event where his secret identity was exposed. This revelation sets the stage for the storyline, with the Kingpin ordering hits on Peter, which unfortunately leads to Aunt May getting caught in the line of fire and requiring hospitalization. The narrative then focuses on Peter’s past and current mistakes as he endeavors to nurse Aunt May back to health. At one juncture, he seeks Doctor Strange’s mystical assistance for Aunt May’s recovery, but his request is declined.

Ultimately, Peter encounters the demon Mephisto who offers to save Aunt May, but at a cost: their marriage with MJ would either be annulled or erased from existence. Faced with this difficult decision of letting Aunt May perish or losing their marriage and all their shared history since they were married, Peter and MJ choose the former, sacrificing their union to save Aunt May and fulfilling Mephisto’s demands.

In the final chapter, Peter found himself starting anew, with Aunt May recovering, his marriage to MJ annulled, and the exposure of his identity in Civil War forgotten by all. With this fresh start, he embarked on a reinvigorated journey as Spider-Man.

In my summary of “One More Day”, I chose to focus on the key aspects, as this article is centered around “Renew Your Vows”. Including details from “One More Day” that weren’t crucial to the discussion made less sense. If you’re intrigued and want a deeper understanding, feel free to read the comic or watch explanatory videos on YouTube. There are numerous content creators who delve into the subject in great detail.

Renew Your Vows, Explained

Originally published as a 5-issue limited series within the massive interconnected event called “Secret Wars” in 2015, “Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows” was a standalone story not heavily reliant on the crossover. It was penned by Dan Slott and illustrated by Adam Kubert and Scott Hana. This tale, along with several others, was linked to “Secret Wars”, but luckily for both casual and dedicated fans, it could be enjoyed independently from other titles in the series.

To start off, let me clarify that this story doesn’t align with the usual timeline involving Peter Parker and his associates. Instead, it presents an alternate reality where the events depicted in “One More Day” never took place. In this universe, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson remained married and even welcomed a daughter named Annie into their family.

In time, Peter secured a typical occupation while Annie started exhibiting abilities similar to her father. Naturally, this alarmed Peter due to the possibility that Regent would seize Annie for her powers and ultimately end her life. Unfortunately, Annie’s powers were revealed, leaving Peter no other option but to resume his role as Spider-Man. Following this revelation, he joined forces with the resistance led by Hawkeye to confront Regent. After a series of brutal battles resulting in heavy casualties, Peter and the surviving members of the resistance eventually overpowered Regent. Consequently, Annie and MJ emerged as superheroes, much like Peter (more details on MJ’s powers will be provided later).

Because of the high demand for this series, Marvel introduced a continuous storyline featuring this particular Peter and his household, which is known as “Spider-Man: A Fresh Start“.

Why you should read Renew Your Vows

For approximately two years, the “Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows” comic book series ran for a total of 23 episodes. The initial phase of this series was penned by the esteemed comics author Gerry Conway, while the latter part was written by Jody Houser.

In this tale, we follow the everyday lives of the Parker family, juggling their professional and educational commitments alongside their extraordinary role as superheroes. Given that their superhero activities are a family endeavor, it adds an extra layer of complexity to the Parkers’ already busy lives.

One succinct summary for this series could be: “Entertaining”. The blend of writing from Conway and Houser is captivating, the stories are thrilling, and the artwork, despite its diversity among various artists, remains equally engaging and exciting. Furthermore, it offers intriguing alternate takes on established Marvel characters such as Wolverine, the X-Men, and the Spider family. The series also pits these iconic figures against a mix of old and new adversaries, including the Mole Man, Venom, and others.

This comic stands out due to several reasons. Firstly, it was partially penned by the legendary Spider-Man author Gerry Conway. Secondly, it offers fans an intriguing glimpse of an alternate reality untouched by the events of “One More Day”. Lastly, it effectively captures the essence of Spider-Man and his character, while introducing the concept of his family mirroring him. Balancing his duty to uphold Uncle Ben’s teachings and his newfound familial responsibilities, especially towards his daughter Annie, forms a poignant narrative. Teaching her to use her powers wisely, much like he did, is a theme that resonates deeply within this series. I heartily recommend “Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows” to any Spider-Man enthusiast, as it’s an engaging and enjoyable read!

2024-11-28 19:31