I read so many comics each week, that I rarely pay attention to subtle clues that require connections between issues released months apart. I just don't think that way. (Except about Grant Morrison's work, but that's different for some reason.) Anyway, if Dan Slott puts subtle hints in his Amazing Spider-Man issues, I completely ignore them. I know that he's playing around with the identity of Menace, for example, by showing that the character is putting on some kind of villainous "act" even though we don't know why. But as far as his true identity goes, I have given it zero percent of my brain space. I just haven't even thought about who might be under that mask.But a reader of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous, thinks that Slott has given us a clue in the dialogue of recent Amazing Spider-Man issues:
I've noticed eithier a glaring hint, or glaring red herring, as to who Menace is in issue #570 that no one has picked up on. Anyway, on page 17 (ads included) panel 3, Menace says "and Billy? My l'il Billy-boy? My Billy?" which is very similiar to the introduction Dexter Bennett gave Norman Osborn in the previous issue; page 10, panel 2: "Stormin' Norman, my storm guy, my Stormy."So, is Dexter Bennett, owner of The DB, the man behind the Menace mask? Or is it just a case of Dan Slott's own verbal tics showing up in dialogue spoken by different characters. Hell, if dialogue is all we're going on, then all of Bendis's characters are other Bendis characters in disguise.
What do you think? Is that a clue worth pondering?
14 comments:
"But a reader of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous..."
Now THAT'S a mystery worth pondering.
It's you or Nevett, masquerading as drooling fanboys.
NO WAIT! It's Klock!
(And how about a 6-letter limit on these word verifications, Blogger?)
Menace is actually me. It's the greatest meta-fictional story of all time.
I just think that no one really cares either way. It's been interesting the first time Marvel did it with Green Goblin, but then they later went through the same "is he, or isn't he" deal with Hobgoblin (twice?) and by now it's not even cute.
I don't think that any of the new Spider-villains will catch on, just like Howard Mackie's the Ranger, JMS' the Digger and Morlun quietly faded away from the fan's memory.
Odds that any of the new Spidey-villains will catch on:
Freak 5%
Menace 10%
Screwball 50%
Mr. Negative 60%
Anti-Venom 90%
Anti-Venom can heal your disenchantment, Vanja.
This makes a lot of sense, and it would provide a convenient way to unite Spidey and Jonah to discrediting Bennett and getting the Bugle back - for once, an actual "menace."
Marc, if it were me, I'd just say it on my blog. But, I don't read Amazing Spider-Man. I gave it a shot during its second month and we did a Splash Page on the results. To sum up my feelings in a single word:
"Meh."
(And agreed with the word verification thing.)
its MJ.
Bennet also refers to Parker in this manner in issue 560:
"look at you, my scoop-getter-guy! My scoops! No...my "scoopy"!
I was thought it was most likely Harry, being a Hollister supporter, the son of the Green Goblin and ,ost likely still unstable. I can't really see why DB would want to dress up as Menace when it would go against everything he's shown to stand behind, but you never know. Plus, Bennet's OLD. Spidey would've broken his hip five times over already.
Are you kidding me? I dropped this exactly after the second bnd arc. and recently picked up the first issue of new ways to die. It was so obvious it's him. I mean really.
Harry's eyes GLOWED RED last issue, which, if a red herring, is CHEATING. (I mean, sure, they could glow red for some other reason, but it better not be "he was just mad".)
Harry definitely makes the most sense. There's been a handful of clues that indicate it's him. In this week's issue, we've got Norman calling Menace a "de-caf" version of himself, which ties back in with Norman being ashamed of Harry owning the Coffee Bean.
After the scene in #570 where Menace bursts into Hollister's office, I immediately assumed that
Menace was Bennett. I dunno, I haven't followed the whole arc, but go back and read that scene, especially the bit about "surrogates doing our dirty work for us" and tell me it's not at least a purposeful misdirect from Slott.
I'm with vanja on this one: it's not really a matter of who the menace is revealed to be but who's going to care? We already did the identity intrigue dance with the Green Goblin and Hobgoblin and now it's getting tiring. Sidenote to Marvel: we don't need any more goblins and it's time that you admit that you've run out of good ideas.
If Marvel is going to keep bringing Norman back over and over again, rehashing the Gwen Stacey tragedy, bringing Aunt May and Harry from the dead, reverting Flash Thompson back into a muscleheaded crybaby, erase Peter and MJ's marriage and giving us D-List characters that nobody cares about, isn't it time they went back to the drawing board?
Ever since the clone saga, the writing has gotten worst and bringing back Norman as a Lex Luthor wannabe didn't help. Why didn't Marvel use the original Hobgoblin when he's a much better character than Norman "Luthor" or Menace aka the D-LIST Goblin wannabe, I will never understand.
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