Comics People Who Love the Current Spider-Man Stories

[Reilly28]

Hello, I am starting this thread because I am tired of people complaining about Brand New Day and all that. Spider-Man is in a better place right now than he has been in a long time. Read reviews on IGN and other respectable websites and you will see, week in and week out, the experts are giving Amazing Spider-Man great reviews. I am also tired of people threatening to quit reading or talking about how they stopped reading because of this or that. If you really loved the character, then you would stick through it. I wanted to quit in 1999 too when Howard Mackie was writing terrible stories, but I stuck through and its been worth it.

So, feel free to post about any recent Spider-Man stories you have loved, or really any story you have loved.

On another note, I am super excited for all the upcoming Gauntlet stories!

Excelsior!

 

[Themanofbat]

I've been loving ASM for the first time in many years, but I'll bet you get more anti-BND people posting in here... unfortunately.

 

[Meehaul]

I love the new direction. As I've said, many times, the marriage was a disaster in my view and the new dynamic is MUCH preferable to the old one. My only real complaint is the inconsistency in writing and art occasioned by a thrice monthly publication. Still, I'm pretty happy. That having been said, that's just my opinion. I can understand why other people would disagree. That doesn't make them any less a fan. Different people will always prefer different takes on the character. I'm just glad they're at least trying to return the character to what made him special in the first place. Marriage to MJ and the JMS run did not, imho.

 

[Reilly28]

This is the second time today that I am going to agree with you completely Meehaul. I miss the days of seeing the same art every month. And its not that I hate MJ as a character completely, I just hate the marriage. That said, I think MJ has very little character depth, but ultimate MJ has a TON of depth. She is more like the mainstream Gwen's personality. But enough about MJ. I have really enjoyed many of the last couple of big arcs. Character Assassination was great. American Son was great. I loved 600 the first time I read it, but the second time I felt it was pretty mediocre. All the Fred Van Lente stories are great, and I am excited about his Sandman story. I never really understand what made Sandman become a good guy. I enjoyed the Sandblasted arc in FNSM.

 

[Meehaul]

Well, Reilly, we're a majority of two! The Ultimate MJ is much better than 616 MJ. The difficulty Marvel had with 616 MJ is that they did an about-face on her character and sort of made her more like Gwen, so MJ has vacillated quite a bit over the years in terms of her character. I always preferred Gwen, even on the animated Sensational Spider-Man thats showing. And, having Gwen dead meant that the ghost of her relationship would forever haunt Pete. I always sort of dug that idea.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Hello, I am starting this thread because I am tired of people complaining about Brand New Day and all that. Spider-Man is in a better place right now than he has been in a long time. Read reviews on IGN and other respectable websites and you will see, week in and week out, the experts are giving Amazing Spider-Man great reviews. I am also tired of people threatening to quit reading or talking about how they stopped reading because of this or that. If you really loved the character, then you would stick through it. I wanted to quit in 1999 too when Howard Mackie was writing terrible stories, but I stuck through and its been worth it.

So, feel free to post about any recent Spider-Man stories you have loved, or really any story you have loved.

On another note, I am super excited for all the upcoming Gauntlet stories!

Excelsior!

Aloha,
BLESS YOU MY SON!
Vocal haters can sometimes distort the whole picture.Amazing Spider-Man did not crash and burn as a result of OMD.The Boycotters (many whom I respect as legitimate and sincere fans) did not cause Amazing to change direction.Long standing fans of Spider-Man have seen the ups and downs and rode out the good and the bad times.Continue to enjoy.And yes, Gauntlet looks like a great arc
Spidey rules with True Believers

 

[TheWrathOfGod]

They could very easily FIX ALL 616 CONTINUITY by my method.
Dr. Doom when he escaped from hell. He killed Mephesto and took his powers. He used his powers to have revenge on Reed by altering history.

-Doom created the Sentry.
-Brought Bucky back as the Winter Soldier.
-Made Scarlet Witch go crazy.
-Made Norman bang Gwen.
-Caused all the "Mystical Spider Totem" garbage .
-Caused civil war.
-Made the OMD Deal with Spidey.

Only Deadpool knows the truth, because he breaks the 4th wall.

 

[Reilly28]

Did people enjoy the Electro final part? I have subscriptions through Marvel so it takes my comics forever to arrive. The first two parts seemed like mostly build-up when I read them. I saw that it got very strong reviews on IGN. Also, I enjoyed the first Kaine story, but it seems like Web of Spider-Man is shaping up to be pretty worthless, but I can't stop buying it! The Web of Spidey Electro story was strange, I wasn't really sure what happened. I can't wait until Marvel comes out with Gauntlet previews for March so we can see who is up next. I can't wait for the Mysterio story.

 

[Reilly28]

Also, I'm gonna make a valley prediction that Flash Thompsom will become the Lizard. He is missing limbs, and he is mentioned in the previews for February issues right before the Lizard issues.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

They could very easily FIX ALL 616 CONTINUITY by my method.
Dr. Doom when he escaped from hell. He killed Mephesto and took his powers. He used his powers to have revenge on Reed by altering history.

-Doom created the Sentry.
-Brought Bucky back as the Winter Soldier.
-Made Scarlet Witch go crazy.
-Made Norman bang Gwen.
-Caused all the "Mystical Spider Totem" garbage .
-Caused civil war.
-Made the OMD Deal with Spidey.

Only Deadpool knows the truth, because he breaks the 4th wall.

Hahaha.... no.

 

[kguillou]

I like the current spidey stories but they seem to lack a certain...something. I dunno, i commend the spidey team for putting out 3 issues a month for two years straight but i would rather have one writer and one or two artists just do their own ongoing spidey saga. The current stories lack a specific vision of the character, its just a jumble of different writers and artists' interpretation of spidey every month. Thats what i really liked about JMS' stories, it felt like a continuous ongoing story where he was eventually taking the character somewhere. Thats what makes Fraction's Ironman, Brubaker's Cap and JMS' Thor such great books, its their vision of the title character and they're telling their story. I wish the spidey books had that feeling.

But anyway thats just my opinion.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Subscribed, just to make sure that you guys can chat without having to deal with BND haters.

 

[Reilly28]

I completely understand about the idea of having one writer with one vision, but I don't think that one vision appeals to as big of an audience as a system of rotating writers does. Compared to the 3 monthly titles that were coming out before BND, Amazing is leaps and bounds better. I enjoyed Peter David's 1980s Spider-Man stories, but his work on Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was disappointing when you think about how he was the same guy who wrote the Death of Jean DeWolfe. And Sensational Spider-Man was a huge letdown at the time as well. The stories never had a connecting feel, despite falling under umbrella events like Spider-Man: Unmasked and Back in Black. I think the 100% connecting 3 times a month stories work much better, despite not being able to fit in small things, but thanks to Web of Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Extra there are still places for those stories. In March, Peter Parker #1 debuts, making this the first time mainstream Spider-Man has had 5 regular books a month since the 1990s (back then it was Amazing, Spectacular, Web, Spider-Man, and Unlimited) when things like the Clone Saga were happening.

 

[imdaly]

In March, Peter Parker #1 debuts, making this the first time mainstream Spider-Man has had 5 regular books a month since the 1990s (back then it was Amazing, Spectacular, Web, Spider-Man, and Unlimited) when things like the Clone Saga were happening.

Actually, there are going to be 5 issues of ASM in March alone! Plus an issue of WOS and the Peter Parker One-Shot!

 

[iloveclones]

Totally loving it.

I get what kguillou is saying though. I think any title is at it's best is when it maintains a strong identity. And although the Spidey-Trust has managed to hold together a unified theme and direction, there's no replacement for seeing and expecting the same artist month after month.

If I got to pick a Dream Team that was doing Amazing monthly, it would be Fred Van Lente and Scott Kolins. I actually started writing Dan Slott, but realized it's FVL's stories that I actually liked the most. And Kolins is easily what I consider to be one of the best comic artists in the biz. Marvel, get the Mouse to pony up and get him back to Marvel!

All that said, I still prefer the rotating format in one title to the three seperate titles. And considering what it must take to produce that (hats off to Wacker..), that is really saying something.

 

[kguillou]

I would rather hey maybe limited it to two or three writers and artists and have them rotate every other month or something. Keep a tight crew, give them a specific vision to follow and stick with it. I would say keep Joe Kelly, Mark Waid, and Dan Slott and for artists keep Marcos Martin, and JR JR and have them rotate. Martin really needs to be drawing more spider-man, the guy is phenomenal.

I just feel like, especially recently, there's more and more artists and writers jumping on the book and its losing consistency. I think they should just try and stick with a tight cast of creators.

 

[Spider-Gnome]

Not actually loving it. It has been pretty hit or miss. As been pointed out, this is partially due to rotating teams. I understand why they have to do it, but I prefer a more of one team. This is particularly true of the art. I was a fan of the runs by Ross Andru, Ron Frenz, Todd MacFarlane, Erik Larsen, and John Romita Jr.

The funny thing is, since Spidey joined the New Avengers, all the big cross over events (Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign), and the rise of Norman Osborn, first with Thunderbolts, then with everything, I have been more interested in the Marvel Universe at large. This is a switch as I had only really collected things directly related to Spidey's little corner of the MU.

Oh, and I am enjoying that Spider-Man & the Secret Wars mini!

Edit: Oh, and I forgot Mike Wieringo! (R.I.P.)

 

[C. Pumpkins]

ASM hasn't been this good in a really, really long time! I love the rotating cast of writers and artists and the schedule. Whether I love a particular issue or merely like it, I'm always excited about whatever new one is coming out, unlike the JMS run. So nowadays I avoid the BND hating threads, I respect those Spidey fans, but I'm bored with reading the complaints. I enjoy comic book continuity like the next guy, but after 40 years it doesn't have to be an exact science.

You know what? I think someday Marvel will have a new Spidey monthly with one writer and artist, and if the crew is good, I'd pick that one up too!
----------------------------------------
Combustible Pumpkins

 

[Flint Marko]

I like the current spidey stories but they seem to lack a certain...something. I dunno, i commend the spidey team for putting out 3 issues a month for two years straight but i would rather have one writer and one or two artists just do their own ongoing spidey saga. The current stories lack a specific vision of the character, its just a jumble of different writers and artists' interpretation of spidey every month. Thats what i really liked about JMS' stories, it felt like a continuous ongoing story where he was eventually taking the character somewhere. Thats what makes Fraction's Ironman, Brubaker's Cap and JMS' Thor such great books, its their vision of the title character and they're telling their story. I wish the spidey books had that feeling.

But anyway thats just my opinion.

100% agreed my man Say what you want about JMS's run on ASM and the quality of the stories he told, but the man breathed something into the spidey books that hasn't been there for God-knows how long. He wrote with such a solid voice and direction that I honestly didn't care at the time that he screwed up a lot of spider-mans backstory (gwen gettin with norman, the spider-totem thing...). Now that he's off the book it bugs me that its considered canon, but at the time it really didn't matter to me (JMS is also the main reason why I'm buying into the new Thor series).
But you're right, these new stories lack that foundation that other books seem to have. It's just been a revolving door the past two years, sometimes with good stories, other times with terrible stories (I'm looking at you, Bob Gale). I love that it comes out 3 times a month and I understand that's dang near impossible for one writer-artist duo to handle, but sometimes I wonder what kind of quality a writer like Matt Fraction or Brubaker could bring to the title.
But I digress. The new ASM has been a pretty good read the past couple years overall, but it does suffer from time to time (*cough cough BOB GALE cough*). And as I said before, it coming out three times a month is fantastic. Its kind of spoiling me a little bit because now I HATE waiting a month for other titles, but I love that I'm gettin my spider-man once almost every week and a half or so.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I've been loving ASM for the first time in many years, but I'll bet you get more anti-BND people posting in here... unfortunately.

Same here, TMOB. I'm a big supporter of the current day comcis, and I've been waiting for Spidey to be this great again, but people just can't seem to let things go (OMD).

The current issues are just very interesting and they're usually fun these days. I rmeember the first issue of ASM BND, Spidey was wisecracking and such. It just felt like the Spidey we knew finally came back.

 

[Flint Marko]

They need to get Steve Mckniven back on ASM. Everything he touches is gold

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

The funny thing is, since Spidey joined the New Avengers, all the big cross over events (Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign), and the rise of Norman Osborn, first with Thunderbolts, then with everything, I have been more interested in the Marvel Universe at large. This is a switch as I had only really collected things directly related to Spidey's little corner of the MU.

Same here. It's been years since i've considered myself a "Marvel Fan", but Civil War got me interested in the Marvel Universe as a whole once again, as opposed to just reading Spidey and Daredevil....It's been non-stop ever since.

So kudos to Joe and the rest for making Marvel seem like one collective universe again. I also really LOVE all the attention being given to Marvel's Golden Age characters these days.

As far as Spidey goes; i think it's been ok. Sometimes i love it, other times it seems like it's taking place in an alternate universe or something....still can't say i'm 100% behind it yet, even two years later....

 

[TwilightPro101]

The stories have been sort of hit or miss in my books. That's not to say that it's necessarily bad. I've enjoyed a number of the current story arcs - particularly the ones, that tie into the return of Harry Osborn and the Norman Osborn situation. As well as the Peter and Betty best friend interactions (I'm sort of hoping for a romantic entanglement with them in some capacity on down the road).

I'm on the fence about the way they handled the Black Cat situation, but I'm still eager to see where they run with it on down the road as well.

I think my only real issue with the books as of late is the lack of explanation for everyone not knowing who Spidey is. But overall, I'm pretty open to seeing where the series goes with Peter from here.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

I've liked it since the start but 2009 was a masive improvement on 2008. In the first year there seemed to be a problem with characters and storylines disappearig for too many issues. That has been resolved this year, improving the product

 

[Spider-Gnome]

Same here. It's been years since i've considered myself a "Marvel Fan", but Civil War got me interested in the Marvel Universe as a whole once again, as opposed to just reading Spidey and Daredevil....It's been non-stop ever since.

So kudos to Joe and the rest for making Marvel seem like one collective universe again. I also really LOVE all the attention being given to Marvel's Golden Age characters these days.

As far as Spidey goes; i think it's been ok. Sometimes i love it, other times it seems like it's taking place in an alternate universe or something....still can't say i'm 100% behind it yet, even two years later....

Cap, ever since I first started lurking here, I've looked to your posts as being similar to how I felt about things. Maybe it's because we're the same age (based on that thread of ASM covers that came out the month we were born). I agree with EVERYTHING you wrote in that post (although I didn't really follow DD). So, yes, I have to agree with you there about Joe Q. I HATED what he did to Spider-Man, but he has certainly gotten me back into the Marvel Universe!

And for the record, I don't totally mind Harry's return (considering Norman's, it makes sense) and I don't mind Norman forgetting Spidey's id (it has happened several times, so even if I hate the Mephisto method, I can chalk it up to his usual "amnesia").

But, although they touched on the "psychic blind spot" and how it works, we still don't know who did this with Pete, or who Pete thinks he did this with.