Comics What you miss most about Spider Man

Ben Reilly and his world.

 

I miss fun stories that could be told in one issue alone.That's spidey

 

the hyphen

 

Well remembered.

 

My first request: Shriek.

My second: the month and year of publication on the cover.

 

Respect for continuity.

 

Good writing!

 

Forgot to mention that...

 

A cool Goblin-themed villain.

 

The ONE thing I miss? I miss when they didn't feel the need to conform him to the films' standards. Y'know what I mean? He worked just fine the way he was for FORTY YEARS... and now two movies come along and they decide the way his powers have worked for FORTY YEARS suddenly need changing?

 

A single Peter Parker.

 

A lot of what's been mentioned already.

- "Previously" fold-out covers
- Ben Reilly, the Daily Grind, etc.
- The lower prices.
- The footnotes that pointed you to a previous issue when the story references to it (see: continuity)
- John Romita, Jr.
- Spidey having multiple titles that were past 100 issues. No Vol.2 existing.
- Stan's Soapbox

And most of all...
The Letter's Page!

 

The black costume.

 

damn straight

 

Web-shooter
MORE (much more) Spider-Sense
And all the rest mentioned above (except for the Reilly stuff...I hate clones

 

Well, I damn sure miss NOTHING about the Clone Saga...

Here's my list:
-Norman being DEAD.
-Single issue Spidey tales
-Erik Larsen
-New Villians (well, Tracer seems kinda cool, but that's just one)
-Spidey's secret identity being an actual SECRET
-Spidey actually having super-strength, which he seems to be written without nowadays.
-respect for continuity
-Mechanical web-shooters.
-spider-tracers
-spider-signal
-sub-plots
-Spidey NOT being on a team
-the old Spidey/JJJ fued
-Black Cat (who seems to have been conveniently ignored since MKSM#12)
-Spider-Man being able to actually pummel any normal human being.
-Gigantic Spidey slug-fests where he is fighting multiple foes at once.
-Hobgoblin
-John Romita Jr. His artwork just comforst me at times. It makes a book feel like Spdiey, despite terrible writing.
-Peter Parker problems (money, job, etc.)

 

- Short & to the point story arcs. All this padding out for the sake of a trade get's a bit much sometimes.
- We don't see enough of the 'classic' villains in ASM these days. We saw a load in MK:SM during Millar's run but most where just cameos. More full on classic villain arcs please.
- Shriek. I just love that crazy b*tch. Don't know why, just do & she's been stuck in 'villain limbo' for far to long IMO.
- Bagley on ASM. As much as I love what he's doing on USM, I'd really love it if he came back over to ASM. Once his USM run is done of course.
- The Bugle. We don't see nearly enough of this place or the people inside these days IMO.
- P-lease! Go back to using mechanical web-shooters. F**king organic crap!

 

Ya know, some of what a lotta you have said goes back to what I've been sayin' about every Spidey evolution takin' 50 steps back into stagnation hell. Betcha if those things were STILL constant you'd all be *****in' they don't move Spidey forward enough.

Th' rest I can agree with.

 

A supporting cast (Like Betty, Ned, Liz, Flash, Harry, Robbie, Glory, Pete's neighbors and landlords, Mary Jane's friends, Felicia, etc) and all the drama with their lives. Yea, the soap opera stuff neatly woven around the action. I love it.

Peter progressing through life stages and lessons... you know, like most of us do. (A caveat would be: Don't kill Aunt May) He would naturally stay married to MJ (he IS after all a responsible, decent guy, who was marriage-minded early on) but someday let them have kids.

A strong, smart Peter, whose Spider-sense actually works, unless there is a reason given... you know, like his has the flu, etc.

A Peter who wholeheartedly loves his wife, sans mental obsession with a long dead girlfriend. Peter went through the stages of grief. Even though Gwen will always be special to him, he really moved on. He's completely into MJ.

Art on the realistic side, as opposed to the cartoony... I hate the freaky, buggy, scrawny Spidey. (JR Sr. was closer to a Deodato in realism than to Jrs. And has anyone else thought that JR Sr.'s Peter had a sight resemblance to Elvis?)

A more secret secret-identity. Finding out who he is should be a bigger deal.

Webbing that doesn't break. It used to be such tough stuff... now everyone and their dog seems to be able to snap it.

Continuity. Even references to past issues, so we know they are paying attention.

Shorter stories, at least now and then. I don't mind the 6-parters, but how about a stand alone now and then, or a TPB with two 3-part stories? Of course, there should always be the relationship threads that are on-going.

The Letter's page. I love reading these in the old issues.

 

Like most of you, I really miss attention to continuity...
but most of all I just miss Peter being an average, ordinary guy in his personal life.

Peter's life used to be really mundane. He always had money problems, problems with his girl-friends, even problems finishing his school-work when he was at university. In addition to all these problems that most of us can relate to, he had his responsibilities as Spider-Man. His life wasn't better because he was Spidey. It took alot out of him. His responsibility as Spider-Man seemed to be a burden that he couldn't quite carry and give his personal life the attention it needed.

It's been a while since it seemed like his life sucked. He's got a supermodel wife, no money problems. Heck, he doesn't even need to keep his identity as Spidey from Aunt May. (Or anyone else, it seems lately.)

As for Spider-Man being a burden on his life, he now lives in Stark Tower rent-free because he's Spider-Man.
What problems does he have? Oh right, he's got a mystical curse/disease because of the whole Spider-Totem thing. Good old mundane, everyday guy problems.

Oh, I also miss a sweet, innocent Gwen Stacy who was devoted to Peter and would never, ever cheat on him. (Seriously, did JMS get some help on that story from Jerry Springer or what? -- Sorry, I know that's been discussed ad nauseum, but it still drives me nuts!)

 

Nice list, Captivated!

You pretty much nailed it.

The thing is, alot of people seem to be hung up on Peter being single again...why? If you want to read abotu young, single, inexperienced and occasionally stupid Peter, read Ultimate Spider-Man.

 

Agreed. I'm hoping that Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man becomes the lighter, fun book after The Other ends. That kind of seems like the type of book it's going to be so far.

 

Mysertio because he could be a great villian if given the chance.

 

Robbie Robertson.