Another Open Letter to Dan Slott

[Spoilers for The Superior Spider-Man #31, and, well, heck, the entire series.]

Hey, Dan,

I know, it’s been a while since we last talked.  Don’t worry, I didn’t forget you or my promise to see where The Superior Spider-Man went.  Things just have gotten busy for me.  In these past sixteen months, a lot has happened.  I’ve had a kid, I’ve lost sleep, I’ve lost some sanity (the latter two thanks to the first event).  But I’ve still been reading SSM, anticipating the big day when Mental Ghost Peter would take back control from Otto.

And then you had Otto erase Peter early on in the run.  Didn’t see that coming, I admit it.

Still, Otto’s attempt to become the Superior Spider-Man was a joy to read, even if I didn’t agree with all his Ends-Justify-The-Means deeds.  Being proactive on crime?  Great!  Killing Masscre?  Nnnnot so much.

Even so, I was fully invested in your story.  In Slott We Trust, or something like that.  And then — and then! — Peter’s consciousness returned, even if he then was forced to live all of Otto’s memories, slowly losing his own sense of self.  How could Peter survive?

The twist of Peter regaining his memories as Otto remembered getting them in the first place?  Friggin’ GENIUS, my friend.  So simple and yet so unexpected.  And Otto’s self-sacrifice?  Well, I may not have shed a tear like Peter did, but it truly is a shame that Otto is (apparently) gone.  He may not have been the Superior Spider-Man, but he did learn how to love Anna Maria.

The final page of SSM #31, where Peter realizes that he failed in his oath that No One Dies, is truly a heart breaker.  Peter’s back, but at the cost of Otto, and at the cost of Anna Maria’s love of “Peter”.  I’m sure many a person will think the room is a bit dusty after reading that.

So, now the future is wide open, full of possibilities for Peter — except for that one nagging thing of having to account for everything Otto did in Peter’s name and likeness, with Peter not even knowing that most of those things are.

Can’t wait read the future exploits of The Amazing Spider-Man.

Thanks, Dan.  This was a hell of a great series.

Your Spider-Friend,

-Phil