To the Editor (02-May-2007)

 In: Letters > Editor > 2007
 Posted: 2007
 Staff: The Editor (E-Mail)
From Theeman

Most of your articles are directly copied and pasted of Marvel.com. This site looks pretty but has nothing behind it.

Hah! That's a good one. But let me give you the real facts. Firstly, our site has been running (under various homes) since 1994 - two years before Marvel.Com was even registered as a web site. Secondly, Marvel actually contracted myself and the staff from the website to actually write the Spider-Man Encyclopedia. Thirdly, the staff at Marvel.Com have used content from our website with our permission for various entries on Marvel.Com.

If you find material on Marvel.Com which is identical to material on SpiderFan.Org without any credit to SpiderFan, then please let me know and we'll make sure that the confusion is cleared up.

Marvel have been great to us. They've let us enjoy our fair use of the Spider-Man material with no hassle at all. We have a great relationship with them, and we truly appreciate their support and encouragement. In return we offer them our resources as researchers and writers. We all want to avoid any confusion about who wrote what content, but obviously it's quite possible for mix-ups to arise. We'll fix them when we see them, or when people tell us about them.

From Captain Shen

is there a symbiote whose green called Lasher? did his symbiote spawn from venom?

Oh dear lord not this again! Yes, the five symbiotes from Separation Anxiety were Riot, Scream, Lasher, Phage, and Hybrid. Incredibly, they were only the seventh most stupid creation ever offered by Howard Mackie. Please don't ask me to talk about the other six. Yes, Lasher was green. And yes, they are a never ending source of questions from lame-ass fanboys who think that these characters are incredibly cool and want to know all about them but can't be arsed to spend a few lousy bucks to buy the TPB of the story from Amazon.Com.

From Digsy

Will anything be done about the character Toxin, son of Carnage? Such a strong character and he seems to have dissapeared.

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, I'd estimate that there have been at least two dozen named symbiote spinoffs over the last however many years. I'd call the whole concept pretty damn bankrupt, and I'm not surprised at all that Toxin has slipped down the back of the sofa along with the rest of the "Oh I'm so cool, I'm a symbiote, look at meeee!" Venom rip-offs.

That's just my neutral, objective opinion, mind you.

From RumoursDaily

Check out this article.

Ah, interesting article. To summarise, Sony want fans to make fan videos about the Spider-Man 3 movie, but they want to exercise some control over the content and style of the video.

However, the guys at FanTent think that Sony is just acting like a big corporate and totally fails to understand that if you try and force people to act like professionals, you'll undermine the whole point of using amateur fans!

Myself, I think that the positions of both parties are completely understandable.

From Kayla Balfour

Dear Joe Quesada and/or Stan Lee,

I am writing you today to tell you a little about my husband. Ever since he was old enough to read he has dreamed of working for Marvel. His name is Brandon Balfour, he is 26 years old, and an amazing artist. He can draw Spider-Man, and basically all the Marvel Characters without effort. Our son and two daughters always have him drawing something everyday. He has so much talent and is so artistic it just blows my mind. He, to me, and many of our friends and family is one of the greatist artists we've ever seen! He can draw almost anything, and with great detail, and flare.

We took a trip up to N. Dakota one year when we first met and in about 5 min. he had an amazing, yet dark and demented face drawn up that was just absolutely brilliant, it looked like something right out of a Grafic Novel,

Brandon just can't seem to get his foot in the door anywhere, yet never gives up hope that someday you or someone will see all of the greatness and talent that he has to offer to a company.

I am writing to you, without him knowing, (for a surprise) in hopes that you would be willing to look at some of his work, and possibly inform us of any career opportunities that he could possibly partake in.

Hiya, you've reached Stan's answerphone. I can't come to the phone right now, because I'm busy working on a new creative project which will probably fail like the last half a dozen things I tried. But that's fine, because I still get a walk-on part in all the Marvel movies. Yep, I sure am a lucky bastard.

If you're ringing to ask to be in your film, then please call my secretary to schedule the shooting. If you're calling to pitch a comic book idea, borrow money, date my only daughter, or to tell me how talented an artist your son/husband/boyfriend is, then you clearly have a very poor idea of how the industry works and you're pretty much doomed to failure.

If you've written to a fan website such as SpiderFan under the mistaken impression that Joe Q or Stan Lee works there, then I suggest you might want to work on your basic research skills. For example, learn how to type "how to break into the comics industry" into Google (which is how I found plenty of good advice) or think about checking our F.A.Q. list to read How do I get a job with Marvel?.

Good luck. You'll need it.

P.S. If you're going to write emails looking for work, then learn how to use a spell-checker, e.g. to spell "Graphic" and "flair" correctly.

From Eunice

Hello my is Eunice Diaz I am also a writter. I'm a big fan of spider-girl but really i want u guys to read my work. I tried so hard to contact Tom defalco. I would really like Guys to read it would you?

Check our F.A.Q. - "I'm a talentless no-hoper who thinks they're a writer but can't even spell it correctly and I tried to contacting people from Marvel but they took out protection orders against me so can I send you my excruciatingly bad fan fiction and then mail you not-funny chain email letters every day?"

From SCWLC

I was reading the reviews of the Mega Morphs comics and thought of this at once. I don't know if those of you at Spiderfan are aware of this particular YouTube video, but I felt people of your discerning taste in comics and delightful commentary would consider this to be as much of a gem as I do.

If those who might appreciate it have already seen it I do apologise for clogging your in-box. If no one has and you all hate it, then I apologise again. I do realise you don't do reviews of tv shows, but several of the reviewers on this site seem likely to greatly enjoy this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwe4wmAdVZw.

PS No, I don't have a life. Why do you ask?

Well, there's two minutes of my life I'll never have back.

From icyboy

I think i should join the staff

I think not.

From Jas

On the character file will we see Sundown added to the list. Was in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1997, Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual 1997 & in in The New Official Marvel Universe A-Z (2006).

He quit being Sundown to be a scientist, but like most character's in comics they resurface. This is one character I'd like to return and maybe join the new group and comic coming out soon, "Loners."

Characters are done when people have the time and energy to do them. If you want to see Sundown on the characters page, then simply write up the text and mail it to me!

From Tony

I have been a big fan of spider-man, and Wolverine for a long time. I am 10 years old and in fourth grade. When ever I get a chance I buy Marvel comics, action figures, movies, and video games. At school, when we have freeplay, we play a game of marvel heros.

I'm Wolverine and Iron man (I wasn'nt spider-man because my friend, Logen wanted to be spidey realy bad) any way we have a lot of fun!

We have an breakable alience, Me I'm the tough one, Logen's the one that cracks funny jokes, Eric is like the leader of the group. I'll try to wright some other time!

Hey, we love to hear from dedicated Spider-Fans. Keep it real, Tony.

From Pat

Read your article about the new Marvel Stamps.

Trying... not to... make a bad... joke... about licking... the back side... of Spider-Woman... Must........ Resist....

Trying... not... to write... filthy fan fiction...

From Andrés

my name is Andrés Sánchez and i'm a spanish journalist working for the leisure magazine of newspaper El País, the most read in Spain. We would love to have your opinion for the story we are writing about the release of Spider-Man 3.

There is only one double question we would like you to answer: If Spider-Man 4 is released what storyline & baddies from the comic books would you include in the movie and who would play them?

Actually there´s two double questions: your age & and place of birth would be great too (if that´s okay with you).

Thanks a million and really looking forward for your answer.

If I was writing and casting the next movie, I'd pick:

  • The Spot. Played by Dustin Hoffman, if he could thin down a bit. I'm a big fan of method acting.
  • Hypno-Hustler. Forest Whitaker by preference, though Samuel L. Jackson or Lawrence Fishbone would both make the role their own I'm sure.
  • Squirrel Girl. Cameron Diaz would be my pick here, though it's a demanding role with a bit more depth than her usual work.

I'm 39 and three-quarters (thanks for bringing up such a painful subject) and I was born in ward 5 on the second floor, but I've lived on the other side of the world for the last 32 years.

From liam

my name is liam smith and i am 16 doing animaion at college and i like spider man so can you tell me who is the creator of spider Man? and can you send me a picture of him?

Spider-Man was created by Jenna Marie Massoli in 1987, though the rights to the character are now owned by NaBisco.

 In: Letters > Editor > 2007
 Posted: 2007
 Staff: The Editor (E-Mail)