Comics Spider-Man: Life Story

[UltimateWebhead]

Issue 4...

Another solid entry. If the next 2 issues are anywhere near the level of the first 4, this gets my vote for series of the year.

4 deals with the Clone Saga. We see a return of Ben. Peter is running Parker Industries. MJ and the twins packed up and moved to the west coast. That's where I'll end with the spoilers. What makes this issue so good? The choices Zdarsky makes and how he implements them into the story. His idea for resolving the Clone idea of the real Peter was remarkably good. A couple of villains make a return and Zdarsky is savvy at paying homage to these storylines while putting his spin on them and adding twists. I really enjoyed this.

 

[stillanerd]

On the one hand, I think Spider-Man: Life Story #4 is the weakest of the four chapters thus far. That being said, it's still great! Who would've thought Chip Zdarsky could make a Clone Saga that's shorter, less complicated, and which doesn't suck?

Spider-Man: Life Story No. 4: The Clone Saga remixed

 

[Ben_Reilly]

The Clone Saga never sucked!

 

[shinlyle]

I've still got to pick up this issue. Looking forward to it...even if having it deal with the Clone Saga has me worried. Those are the only Spidey comics I actively never revisit. Just...so much crap. I liked the Scarlet Spider as his own thing, but when he became the "real" Spider-man, it just sucked. I was happy to watch Norman stab him in the back, drop him off a skyscraper, and then to see him disintegrate, effectively killing him 3 times.

And he STILL came back.

Either way, you guys say it doesn't suck, I listen to you. The few of us folk who keep this board alive seem to all have pretty stellar tastes in their comics.

 

[Nicko-Ray]

Issue 4...

Another solid entry. If the next 2 issues are anywhere near the level of the first 4, this gets my vote for series of the year.

4 deals with the Clone Saga. We see a return of Ben. Peter is running Parker Industries. MJ and the twins packed up and moved to the west coast. That's where I'll end with the spoilers. What makes this issue so good? The choices Zdarsky makes and how he implements them into the story. His idea for resolving the Clone idea of the real Peter was remarkably good. A couple of villains make a return and Zdarsky is savvy at paying homage to these storylines while putting his spin on them and adding twists. I really enjoyed this.

I'll have to agree with you for Series OTY. I enjoyed this issue MAINLY for -- like you said -- the choices Zdarsky makes. What he did with Peter's clone had me fooled and it was so great to have that root back to Norman. Absolutely loving this whole series and take on the mythos.

On the one hand, I think Spider-Man: Life Story #4 is the weakest of the four chapters thus far. That being said, it's still great! Who would've thought Chip Zdarsky could make a Clone Saga that's shorter, less complicated, and which doesn't suck?

Spider-Man: Life Story No. 4: The Clone Saga remixed

That's kinda how I feel. I think it's probably the weakest written, but I still love what he was able to craft in this one issue involving Peter's clone.

I've still got to pick up this issue. Looking forward to it...even if having it deal with the Clone Saga has me worried. Those are the only Spidey comics I actively never revisit. Just...so much crap. I liked the Scarlet Spider as his own thing, but when he became the "real" Spider-man, it just sucked. I was happy to watch Norman stab him in the back, drop him off a skyscraper, and then to see him disintegrate, effectively killing him 3 times.

And he STILL came back.

Either way, you guys say it doesn't suck, I listen to you. The few of us folk who keep this board alive seem to all have pretty stellar tastes in their comics.

Thanks man. You got good tastes, too. I think I'm a big Spidey fan and have never read the Clone Saga. It's comments like yours that make me stay away tbh...

 

[shinlyle]

I'll have to agree with you for Series OTY. I enjoyed this issue MAINLY for -- like you said -- the choices Zdarsky makes. What he did with Peter's clone had me fooled and it was so great to have that root back to Norman. Absolutely loving this whole series and take on the mythos.


That's kinda how I feel. I think it's probably the weakest written, but I still love what he was able to craft in this one issue involving Peter's clone.


Thanks man. You got good tastes, too. I think I'm a big Spidey fan and have never read the Clone Saga. It's comments like yours that make me stay away tbh...

It could have been awesome, or at least passable, had it lasted for maybe 6 months or a year, like Superior Spider-Man did, but they DRAGGED it out for well over 2 years, and over the span of a hundred plus issues total...with no clear narrative path in sight. They brought back Jackal, Gwen's clone, The Spider-Clone, and it amounted to a story so bad that they had to have the ORIGINAL Green Goblin come back from the dead (souring his death, as well as Gwen's) to wrap it all up under an even MORE ludicrous all-encompassing conspiracy that said that Norman was responsible for every woe in Peter's life from losing his child, his fake robot parents, his belief that he was the clone, that time his milk tasted sour when it wasn't supposed to expire for like, 4 more days, all of it...

I just...got nothing. I keep the comics so I don't have a 2 year gap in my Spidey collection, and so that no one has to read my copies again. This is my burden...

 

[Nicko-Ray]

It could have been awesome, or at least passable, had it lasted for maybe 6 months or a year, like Superior Spider-Man did, but they DRAGGED it out for well over 2 years, and over the span of a hundred plus issues total...with no clear narrative path in sight. They brought back Jackal, Gwen's clone, The Spider-Clone, and it amounted to a story so bad that they had to have the ORIGINAL Green Goblin come back from the dead (souring his death, as well as Gwen's) to wrap it all up under an even MORE ludicrous all-encompassing conspiracy that said that Norman was responsible for every woe in Peter's life from losing his child, his fake robot parents, his belief that he was the clone, that time his milk tasted sour when it wasn't supposed to expire for like, 4 more days, all of it...

I just...got nothing. I keep the comics so I don't have a 2 year gap in my Spidey collection, and so that no one has to read my copies again. This is my burden...

Hahahah wow. Thanks for summing it up for me. I truly feel like I don't need to delve into these. I feel the CLONE SAGA gets a bad rep which is why I've stayed away from it. It just sounds lazy. I always see the trades at my shops here, though..."The Entire Clone Saga" or w/e..

 

[shinlyle]

Hahahah wow. Thanks for summing it up for me. I truly feel like I don't need to delve into these. I feel the CLONE SAGA gets a bad rep which is why I've stayed away from it. It just sounds lazy. I always see the trades at my shops here, though..."The Entire Clone Saga" or w/e..

It gets an unfair amount of crap for being BAD, but it isn't the bad-ness that sucks, it's the sheer amount of bad-ness you get! It's not even that Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider was bad, or that he was a bad Spider-Man. It's just that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and they were just determined to change that. There was even a 3-4 month stint where all the titles were retitled with "Scarlet Spider" instead of Spider-Man.

The fact that there was a storyline called "Maximum Clonage", and that it made it into production with that title, says a lot. Also, there were stories that involved Peter backhanding his pregnant wife in a fit of rage, Peter losing his powers because he was a clone, then regaining them because, you know, he wasn't really the clone (no explanation was ever given), and not to mention that awful storyline where the Jackal had implanted a program in his brain to kill Mary Jane if jackal was ever defeated when he was in the clone tanks...because Peter was really the clone...until Peter was revealed to not be the clone at all, so this storyline makes NO sense...but they never bothered to explain it.

Also, Norman has a Wolverine-style healing factor that allowed him to recover from being stabbed in the heart by his goblin glider, and harry just never looked in the casket to see his beloved father one last time...because, you know...he totally trusts everyone and didn't care to say goodbye to his father one last time.

ALSO, Norman never bothered to reveal himself to be alive, even when his grandson was born and named after him. Also, when Roderick Kingsley was ransacking all of his goblin lairs, AND took his formula, he just...was busy in Europe. Not to mention when Harry was going crazy, exposing himself to the goblin formula, and DYING, he was busy...then Harry came back to life to ruin Spectacular Spider-Man 200 because, well, Slott and company wanted Harry back to do...absolutely nothing since his return of value.

Wait...what? I must have blacked out. Oh, look, I ranted about the low points of Spider-Man history over the past 25 years. Imagine that...

 

[UltimateWebhead]

The Clone Saga gets a bad wrap and for good reason however imo it's still not as bad as Brand New Day. I know that's probably a controversial opinion and I may be in the minority however I will absolutely stand behind that.

 

[shinlyle]

The Clone Saga gets a bad wrap and for good reason however imo it's still not as bad as Brand New Day. I know that's probably a controversial opinion and I may be in the minority however I will absolutely stand behind that.

Well, when the Clone Saga ended, we still had Peter and MJ, and he hadn't done anything totally out of character. I mean, Aunt May died in there, and he didn't run off and ask make a deal with Mephisto to save her. I mean, yeah, she was shot for BND or whatever, but how would he have rather her died? Fell out a window? He would then feel responsible about the window being open. He was the reason she was in a coma for so long, anyways. Also, she said she was ready in ASM 400, and she said she was ready to die before BND. So....what's the difference?
Oh yeah. creators who don't understand the character. That's what.

Honestly, let's take about 6 months, no variant covers, no crossovers, and just see how many people will buy Spider-man comics...I'll bet the numbers wouldn't even be HALF of what they were during the lowest point of the Clone Saga, which had maybe, 2 variant covers. I know, I know, "Times have changed" and all that crap.

Imagine if Marvel poured all the money they paid Campbell for variants, and instead, gave him a year or two to draw a 12 issue run on a Spider-man comic with a TOP tier writer. Maybe Donny Cates? Maybe someone else. I don't know...something! Shoot, Zdarsky and Spencer have been the best 2 writers on Spider-Man in a decade, just them run with it! It's like the Abrams thing. Pichelli is cool, but what IF they got Campbell or McNiven or Bryan Hitch or someone on that title? BOOM! Of course, that artist would need a LOT of leadtime...but imagine the awesomeness!

Instead, we get Pichelli...who may need a fill-in artist by issue 3. I hope not...as I genuinely like her stuff!

 

[UltimateWebhead]

I think the biggest problem with the Clone Saga was the idea of getting rid of Peter Parker. But the issues themselves weren't really that bad and the characters were still themselves. In fact some of the stories were actually really good. And some good came of that era... both Ben Reilly and Kaine are still popular, the new Stacy's were received well, we got Spider-Girl, Carolyn Trainer...etc.

BND failed on its promise. It's barely 10 years old and it has nothing to show. It was supposed to be this creative power house with a new start and bring about positive changes. Where are they? What memorable ideas or characters came from this? What, Screwball? Mr. Negative? I guess. What stories or characters do you think fans are clamoring for a return? Dexter Bennett, Michelle or Vin Gonzalez, the Horizon Labs crew, Jackpot, Freak, Menace, etc. For all its bragging about this will be the new great era it created nothing memorable or lasting. Everything the came from BND is easily forgotten and replaceable.

And I think it's important to note that the creators from the Clone era were at least trying to tell a good story. We got ASM 400 out of that period-- one of the greatest Spidey stories ever. Contrast that with the fan-bashing responses from Marvel's editorial during BND. It wasn't about ever trying to tell a good story. BND was a failure on every level.

 

[ragingdemon155]

The Clone Saga gets a bad wrap and for good reason however imo it's still not as bad as Brand New Day. I know that's probably a controversial opinion and I may be in the minority however I will absolutely stand behind that.

I don’t think you’re in the minority at all. The clone sage has some really good story telling for a large portion of it, especially the start up. It did have readers glued to their seats and I personally don’t hate. I enjoyed it. However Marvel milked it was too much and dragged it out and things got ridiculous from there.

Omd and BND were awful to me. I would take the clone sage over then any day. It didn’t feel like the character I grew up reading.

 

[shinlyle]

I think the biggest problem with the Clone Saga was the idea of getting rid of Peter Parker. But the issues themselves weren't really that bad and the characters were still themselves. In fact some of the stories were actually really good. And some good came of that era... both Ben Reilly and Kaine are still popular, the new Stacy's were received well, we got Spider-Girl, Carolyn Trainer...etc.

BND failed on its promise. It's barely 10 years old and it has nothing to show. It was supposed to be this creative power house with a new start and bring about positive changes. Where are they? What memorable ideas or characters came from this? What, Screwball? Mr. Negative? I guess. What stories or characters do you think fans are clamoring for a return? Dexter Bennett, Michelle or Vin Gonzalez, the Horizon Labs crew, Jackpot, Freak, Menace, etc. For all its bragging about this will be the new great era it created nothing memorable or lasting. Everything the came from BND is easily forgotten and replaceable.

And I think it's important to note that the creators from the Clone era were at least trying to tell a good story. We got ASM 400 out of that period-- one of the greatest Spidey stories ever. Contrast that with the fan-bashing responses from Marvel's editorial during BND. It wasn't about ever trying to tell a good story. BND was a failure on every level.

The Clone Saga gave us Spider-Man: The Lost Years, which was great, got JRJR back on Spider-Man, and gave us Amazing Spider-man 400, which should have been left alone, as it was the PERFECT ending for Aunt May. Also, yeah, Spider-Girl was where it's at.

BND gave us Screwball, Goblin-lite(Menace), Goblin X-TREME (Red Goblin), Imposter MJ (Jackpot), and Mr. One-Day-I-Will-Be-Awesome-In-A-Video-Game (Mr. Negative). The positives for it are things like Marcos Martin, Matters of Life and Death, and Chip Zdarsky's Spectacular Spider-Man run. The rest has been a "How Not To" write Spider-Man fest. I mean, I enjoyed Superior Spider-man, I genuinely did...but it highlighted how BADLY Slott and company had been writing Peter when he came back. Also, he couldn't let it go, and now Superior Spider-Man is a regular character, and we are deprived of Doc Ock proper. Lame.

Also, the fact that there are still people 20 years removed that hated the clone saga, yet can see merit behind it's characters and stories, speaks to it's credit. Conversely, we have the OMB/BND era, which, 10 years removed, people keep waiting for it to be undone, and NO ONE defends Brand New Day as necessary or even remotely entertaining.

 

[ragingdemon155]

Finally Got caught up with the last issue and I still stand by my original statement....this series seriously has a chance of being an all time classic if the payoff is good. This is such a good natural progression of a superhero getting old and my heart is breaking for Peter panel after panel because the end is coming soon.

I’m a sappy happy ending kind of guy especially when it comes to the character of Spider-Man....For whatever reason especially with the tone of the series, I don’t see that happening .


Whatever the case though, whoever isn’t reading this series is missing out.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

Finally Got caught up with the last issue and I still stand by my original statement....this series seriously has a chance of being an all time classic if the payoff is good. This is such a good natural progression of a superhero getting old and my heart is breaking for Peter panel after panel because the end is coming soon.

I’m a sappy happy ending kind of guy especially when it comes to the character of Spider-Man....For whatever reason especially with the tone of the series, I don’t see that happening .


Whatever the case though, whoever isn’t reading this series is missing out.

I agree about this series becoming a classic.

And yeah I have a feeling the ending is going to be emotional but more on the side of sadness. A happy sad if you will, something like the end of Toy Story 3. That same feeling.

 

[ragingdemon155]

Spoilers coming up obviously....

Damn what an issue. Completely in love with it. Watching Peter is uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. I actually thought Morlun was going to kill mj So glad they didn’t go that route. Shame to see Ben go though . Heroic til the end like his father and sacrificing himself for his family.

My only nitpick was the artwork which is weird coming from someone who loves Bagely as much as I do. Mj just came off as too old art wise in some of these panels. A bit inconsistent...Missed her long hair as well...She’s 59 I believe here...not 90 lol. Small nitpick for such a great issue.

Please chip finish off strong.....I might actually end up enjoying this more then Blue if Peter and MJ gets that “happy” heroic ending they both deserve. They’ve been through way too much. I just don’t see that happening though.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

Issue 5...

I definitely enjoyed this but it wasn't quite as good as the previous issues. It's not at all bad but it just didn't have the same punch. And yeah for some reason Bagley's art was kinda wonky? Not sure if that's the right word. It was simply off, I think.

As much as I'm enjoying this excellent series I do feel like this would have been better with several issues for each decade. There's just so much material. In only what, like, 34 pages we got two deaths, 9/11 and Civil War references, plus Morlun with Ezekiel references... it's just soooooo much, lol.

But Zdarsky is doing a bang up job of it. I can only imagine how many hours this guy is dedicating to writing these. There's a ton of reading and research and then trying to fit all these ideas into such a small space. He deserves some series props, imo.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

I know the Eisner's don't really mean much but I still think this is a fair achievement.

Spectacular 310 won the Eisner for best single issue/one shot.

 

[shinlyle]

I know the Eisner's don't really mean much but I still think this is a fair achievement.

Spectacular 310 won the Eisner for best single issue/one shot.

Well deserved, too!

 

[UltimateWebhead]

Well deserved, too!

Spectacular 310 imo is not only one of the best Spidey issues of the last decade but maybe ever. I'd add 310 to the list of recommended Spider-Man stories.

 

[Ben_Reilly]

#5 was an okay issue, but definitely the weakest of the series.

 

[ragingdemon155]

Man I have to check out issue 310. Can’t believe I missed it. Just wasnt collecting at time but I continue to hear people flat out rave about it

 

[Ben_Reilly]

Spoiler

testing, on my phone

 

[Ben_Reilly]

Okay, so a few thoughts about the issue:

Spoiler

I didn't like how Ben died, and not just because it's Ben, I would have felt the same, regardless of who it was. Pete gave Ben his company and his life. He gave him a dossier so he could be prepared. Yet he didn't bother to even casually mention that someone else with Spider-Powers was able to figure out who Pete was and that there was a potential mega villain on the way that could track and kill you? That was crap!

Civil War could have been fixed in this issue as well. Instead, it was even worse.

Pete left his kids and wife to die. While only one did, it was still a crap move.

Yeah, not such a great issue at all.
It just might be the decade's events that make it that way, but not fully. It was also Pete's decisions that made it bad.

If that's the case, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how scathing a mess the slott years are handled.
Will we be seeing OMIT/OMD?
The Mind-Wipe?
The Superior Spider?

 

[Nicko-Ray]

Issue 5...

I definitely enjoyed this but it wasn't quite as good as the previous issues. It's not at all bad but it just didn't have the same punch. And yeah for some reason Bagley's art was kinda wonky? Not sure if that's the right word. It was simply off, I think.

As much as I'm enjoying this excellent series I do feel like this would have been better with several issues for each decade. There's just so much material. In only what, like, 34 pages we got two deaths, 9/11 and Civil War references, plus Morlun with Ezekiel references... it's just soooooo much, lol.

But Zdarsky is doing a bang up job of it. I can only imagine how many hours this guy is dedicating to writing these. There's a ton of reading and research and then trying to fit all these ideas into such a small space. He deserves some series props, imo.

Slowly getting caught up on the past couple week's issues...Lol dude we have seriously the same tastes and thoughts. Just about. Shinlyle, too. I enjoyed this issue as well, but yes, its quality didn't match its previous ones -- although I will say it was better than the last, which was the weakest of the series. Still solid though.

Not gonna lie -- that's what I loved about this issue was how he was able to fit so much into it. 'Twas a big task. Loved the 9/11 reference and incorporating CIVIL WAR. Essentially two villains in this issue -- Stark and Morlun. Both intimidating in their own way. I thought the issue overall was good, just a tiny bit lacking compared to the first 3 issues. It's just so interesting to see this psychological conflict with Peter and how he deals with his usual problems at such an older age. It's compelling but in a weird way satisfying. To see him suffer in a way we haven't before. I think that's what they're going for. Looking forward to the finale!!!!

I know the Eisner's don't really mean much but I still think this is a fair achievement.

Spectacular 310 won the Eisner for best single issue/one shot.

I didn't know this! Didn't even know when those were held. But so glad and very well deserved!!!