- Title: USA: Comic book fans react to the new man behind the Spider-Man mask
- Date: 9th August 2011
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASHLEY O'CONNOR, 23-YEARS-OLD TOURIST FROM CHICAGO, SAYING: "I think it's weird to have someone new, but I think it's kind of cool to have someone different at the same time, you know." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERTO GARCIA, NEW YORK RESIDENT, SAYING: "I think it's great, you know, it speaks a lot on where the world is right now. I mean, obviously whe
- Embargoed: 24th August 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts
- Reuters ID: LVAJN4G6956YPDY2WNUIPZZDD2N
- Story Text: Goodbye Peter Parker. Hello Miles Morales.
Marvel Comics unveiled the new man inside the Spider-Man mask, a mixed-race character of hispanic and African-American descent.
The new Spidey, who lives in Brooklyn, was revealed in Marvel Comics' Ultimate Fallout Issue 4. He replaces longtime comic-book favorite Peter Parker, who was white, hailed from Queens and was killed in Ultimate Spider-Man Issue 160 in June.
"One thing about the character that has kept him popular for so long world-wide is in Spider-Man's costume, you can't see what race he is. Sometimes, you know, you can't tell what gender he is too," said Thor Parker, the marketing and events coordinator at Midtown Comics.
"And the idea of anyone could be under that mask, anyone could be Peter Parker, it's something that people have always felt strongly about and now finally, you know, the other half of the world gets to identify with the guy under the mask and not just the costume. And I think that's a really great idea."
Like Parker, Miles is a nerdy, awkward working-class kid from the outer boroughs of New York. But Parker was an orphan raised by his aunt and uncle in a traditionally white section of Queens.
Miles' parents -- his mother is black, his father Latino -- are still alive, live in more racially diverse Brooklyn and play key roles in his story.
The change has woven a tangled web in the mainstream media, with critics who disagree with the change.
But Parker said real comic fans don't mind.
"Comic fans are very fickle and usually they get more upset about the fact that someone's costume changed than the fact that the guy isn't white anymore," Parker told Reuters.
"As far as the comics community goes, there hasn't been a huge negative reaction. I've seen a lot of posts online for news stories that have had people that I know just aren't comic book fans. They know nothing about this world and they, a lot of negative comments out there about it and it's sad, but you know, that's the way the world is."
Fans seemed to be more upset about the death of Peter Parker than the introduction of a diverse character.
"I think it's weird to have someone new, but I think it's kind of cool to have someone different at the same time," said 23-year old Ashley O'Connor who was visiting from Chicago.
New York resident Roberto Garcia hasn't bought a comic book in years, but rushed to the store after hearing about the controversy on Facebook.
"I think it's great, you know, it speaks a lot on where the world is right now. I mean, obviously when Spider-Man came out, he was in the suburbs in Queens and you know, regular white kid, so now that they're introducing, you know, like different ethnicities, I think that's great," said Garcia, who embraced the character after her learned that the death of Peter Parker was not a hoax. "I think it speaks volumes and I think it's a good move."
Kevin Argumedo, a resident of New Jersey, stopped in to buy the new issue.
"The new Spider-Man is half black and half hispanic. I'm hispanic, so I'm excited about that, but Peter Parker always being the original one dying and it's really sad to see the original one," said Argumedo, who has been a long-time fan of the Spider-Man comics.
"He had been in comic books all these years and finally they cut him off like that."
The new Ultimate Spider-Man series and the Ultimate Fallout issue is now available digitally and in stores. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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