Spider-Man Is Single Again

This morning, I read in USA Today that Spider-Man was returning to Bachelor-Land. Cool!, I thought. He's been going through a lot in the "Civil War" series, and it's finally taken its toll on his marriage. I don't think that there's been many super-hero divorces, plus it reinforces Peter's loser status, which is a big part of the character. Then I read the rest of the article, which described how it was going to happen (summary courtesy of Wikipedia):

"...After his Aunt May is shot, the superhero Spider-Man searches for help in saving her life. Spider-Man meets the demon Mephisto, who offers to save her life if Spider-Man gives him his marriage. Spider-Man and his wife Mary Jane Watson agree, and the character's history is subsequently retconned so that he has never been married. The storyline serves to set-up a restructuring of the Spider-Man titles, resulting in the cancellation of 'Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' and 'The Sensational Spider-Man', replaced by 'Amazing Spider-Man' revamped as a thrice-monthly publication."

That's disappointing - a Faustian bargain, literally with the devil. Who can relate to that? I realize that there's a lot of things out there that are far more worthy of worrying about, but it's still a little annoying. It's why I prefer close-ended stories to following an ongoing title.

Sigh.

Toy OTD: Medicom, H8Graphix Vinyl Collectible Doll: Spider-Man 3 Figure (Black Costume Variant)

Recently, Medicom has started to produce highly stylized superhero figures as part of their Vinyl Collectible Doll line. They're not chibi-style, but their proportions and features are very exaggerated.

This is my current favorite of the new additions - the stylization and posing complement each other really well in the sculpt. The color palette is pretty simple, but the paint apps on the costume's webbing are very nice. There's a traditional, red-and-blue costumed version, but I like the simplicity of this colorway better.

You can still get either version at ningyoushi.com for $65.00 + shipping each.

Synergy OTD

BBC NEWS: U2 write for Spider-Man musical

Bono and The Edge from U2 are to write music and lyrics for a Broadway musical based on comic book hero Spider-Man, according to film trade paper Variety.

The show will be directed by Julie Taymor, who won two Tony awards for Disney's Lion King musical in 1998.

Auditions are taking place for key characters, including Peter Parker and love interest Mary Jane Watson, but no date has been set for the show's debut.

The third chapter in the blockbuster Spider-Man film series opens in May.

This will be the first time a Marvel comic book hero has officially made the transition to the Broadway stage.

Previous stage credits

"We've been analysing and looking at the Broadway market for some time, given the success of the big musicals lately," chairman of Marvel Studios, David Maisel, told Variety.

Bono and The Edge have written for the stage before, composing songs for a Royal Shakespeare Company production of A Clockwork Orange in the 1990s.

With U2, they also wrote the theme song for 1995's Batman Forever film - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.

Spider-Man has been one of the most successful superhero films of recent years.

Starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, the first two instalments took more than $1.6bn (£800m) at the global box office.

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I'd joke about an "X-men" musical (Hugh Jackman's on Broadway already), but someone might be listening. I can't image that there's much overlap between comic fans and musical theatergoers, but I guess we'll find out.