I understand where you are coming from with regard to making comparisons to Mackie's run in relation to the current run under Spencer. In the way you described, yes, there's definitely a similarity. And I'm not saying you do but I certainly wouldn't compare the two when it comes to the quality of the writing nor the talent of the authors.
A point that I have talked about before with Spencer is his mode of purpose. Unlike some other previous writer, Slott, this isn't a case of "oh let's just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks." With Slott, he would come up with these 'cool' sounding ideas, 'Ock takes over Peter's body' or 'Peter has his own tech company' but he was never able to execute them with the type of good storytelling or even character work for that matter that you would come to expect with a professional writer. In my mind, that tells me that Slott never really had a plan with anything and was flying by the seat of his pants. This may work for some I suppose but with most I'd say you'd need to do some actual prep work. I'd be willing to bet that Spencer went into his duties with a full plan and at least the basic beats laid out in the beginning before he even started scripting. You can easily tell, the quality is there. Proof is in the pudding so to speak. I feel like the difference between Spencer and Slott is like the difference between Chess and Checkers. One is a straightforward game that requires almost no thought or real effort while the other is a methodical game built on strategy and proper planning with knowing each piece intimately and even knowing your opponent i.e. the reader, and using tools such a deception. There's no denying which belongs to which writer. Heck even with Mackie, while there were many missteps, at least the characters behaved in a manner which you'd expect.
Like many I was a bit upset with how the Last Remains issues ended. I, probably like most, was expecting more resolution than what we got. That said, I've really been enjoying these last couple of issues. We got to see more proof of the strength in MJ's character, more from the supporting cast, Peter still reeling from his affair with Kindred and Norman...there's so much going on here, so many different arcs and threads...just watching Spencer masterfully weave them together is quite enjoyable. I mean, think back to when we saw that Syndicate arc with the all female villain squad. It seemed like a throwaway story for the most part. But we got a couple of keys from it...the relationship between Randy and Janice with the potential for a renewed feud between Robbie and Tombstone. We got more of the team up with Boomerang and Spidey which led to them going after the Lifeline Tablet. And then that just kinda dropped off. But now, we know for sure where this is headed...Tombstone and Robbie see firsthand who their respective kids are in a relationship with, Kingpin is making his play even showing him threatening Kindred, and the pieces are moving toward some really great stuff. The conclusion of all of this seems like such a daunting task for any writer. I especially loved the bit where Boomerang is telling Spidey that he's sorry he's messed things up. Boomerang tells him how all he wanted to do was to do the right thing by taking down Kingpin and that all that has done is hurt the people around him. And that Spidey probably can't relate. It's so good because we know exactly what is going thru Peter's head at that moment. Even though Kindred isn't front and center you can see how Spencer is still weaving these little moments in there that are foreshadowing to what is to come and how Spidey is going to tackle the endgame.
At the end of issue 60 we see Strange confronting Mephisto and asking about Peter's soul...ugh, I mean, it sucks we have to wait to see what comes of this. Cause like most I'm sure, I want answers now! lol. But I also know with Spencer he's not just gonna lay down something like that and just forget about it and not ever mention it again. No, it's all part of his plan to bring all these storylines together. I've said this before but Spencer writes for the trades. It's not a dig at all on him. Not one bit. I think the trades just lend themselves better to his plotting and writing style. His stories seem to work better when read as a whole. My continued example of his Hunted story rings true for me in this regard. Reading each issue one at a time over the course of several months was not a impactful as when I read the story in one sitting.
I know that you are aware of most of this Shinlyle. I'm just posting my thoughts and also to say "hang in there." There's no denying we're in for some kind of a OMD reveal/repair. Spencer just needs more time to continue to weave these threads.
