Ressurection of What Spider-Man Comic Have You Read Lately? -- Possible Spoilers

[matthewaos]

I lost contact with (new) comics for almost a year, so right now I am catching up with what I lost. I recently read Carnage, Carnage USA, Scarlet Spider #1 - 4 and I am now reading Spider Island and Fear Itself.

The Carnage minies were enjoyable, not essential reading in any way though. I have kind of lost the point why we need a new symbiote in every mini we get though. Though I love Crayn drawing stuff like that, he is great in doing symbiotes and stuff like the Ghost Rider minis with Ennis.

Scarlet Spider was a good surprise. For one I do not like the covers, and I did not know the artist, though I discovered that I like the interior art much, even though it's the same artist. Strange... I am curious to see where this is going and I hope that is a good title that lasts quite some time. Kaine was always a very interesting character.

[Xenon]

Didn't study as much as I should have, but I got through a lot of books.....

Amazing Spider-Man 360-369
Spectacular Spider-Man 186-193
Web of Spider-Man 90-94
Spider-Man 24-28

That's.....26 books.

In Amazing....

I really do like Micheline's run for the most part. There's nothing truly amazing, but it's all fun and still manages to have some heart. The Invasion of the Spider-Slayers issues I've read so far are really good, too, and Carnage was appropriately menacing and taken out in an amusing fashion. If there's one complaint to be made, it's still with the awkward handling of Venom. Trying to make him a sympathetic Anti-Hero was a bad idea, even if it was profitable. Trying to force it working just makes the story feel more awkward.

DeMatteis has been doing some back-ups in the last couple issues, and they've been very good, course, after reading Spectacular, I'm not surprised.

The 30th Anniversary issue was pretty good all in all. An appropriate mix of a new story and stories that recap his history with a bit of a twist from different perspectives (and being Jonah and Mary Jane to get opposite extremes) so that the long-time reader still gets value when he reads it in the form of new character insights.

Also, this Bingham guy? Does not work at all. Looked terrible.

In Spectacular....

So, I'd see DeMatteis rated highly on various lists, but I didn't think much of it. I read Kraven's last hunt, and found it mostly to just be ok. But a funny thing happened. Much like the original clone saga, I actually found myself liking it more after I gave it some space, but I still didn't think much of it. But Now I've gotten to DeMatteis' Spectacular run and....wow. So, not only does he write the best Kraven story, he write the best Green Goblin II story, the best Vulture story, and a Puma story that's....good? Hot damn. He has successful shot up my list of the best Spider-Man writers to land near the top. Most impressive. Most impressive indeed.

I really don't have that much else to say about those stories. They're just Spectacular.

In Web...

Web stumbled a bit in its 30th Anniversary issue. While a good tribute to the past, it was hard to follow. Part of this is due to the illusion nature of he story, but I was never sure that the illusion ever ended. Still not bad.

The story that followed was an interesting way to follow up on Foreigner and Betty. Though honestly, Betty Brant Commando isn't exactly a great development from where I'm stitting. It seems like another situation where they don't know what to do with her so....

Interestingly, looking back I notice this is the firs bit of Howard Mackie I've read (at least of any signficiant milage, I think I noticed his name once in a while earlier. Not too bad. He seems to be working hard to set Macendale up as a legitimate threat on his own (though still kinda inept).

In No Adjective....

This is an obviously lost book. The Spider-Phoenix was an ok if kinda random story, followed up by a good 30th anniversary issue for 26, followed by a badly drawn perils of gun issue that we already did better fifteen years ago in Spectacular. I don't understand honestly why, if they didn't want to cancel it (and I have to assume it still had a lot of readers), they didn't put it on hiatus or do a better job of finding the next writer. Admittedly, at the time they were devoting three writers to Spider-Man, but this haphazrd randomness...I don't know what this book IS anymore, and what it was was taken over by DeMatteis in Spectacular (and better, I might add).

[matthewaos]

DeMatteis handled some stuff amazingly, like Peter's relashinship with Harry. He is one of my all time favorite writers and he has writen some pretty good stuff. Go read some issues more till you reach #200.

[Aziz Abbasi]

Spider-Man 2099: I skipped the Man-Spider special cause it was written by another writer, and it's probably lame, like this filler issue about 3 bored rich bit*s killing and now one is allowed to spank them for that (Spidey handling them is awesome)
Series is lots of fun, I love almost every moment written by PAD of it (revealing Father D'Angelo being the Goblin is a turn off), then Kavanagh took the rein and wrote issues 45-46.
I usually don't find Kavanagh a bad writer, think his work is solidly tolerable, some of his work is rather fun like this issue, so I didn't mind his story in issue 45 until he revealed Gabriel as the Goblin, and I was wondering what the Goblin doing when Father Goblin drowned in the flood, that was downright sickening and maddening , Gabriel is the brother I favor more, and he did this to him? And it doesn't even match with what he was doing in the church in the previous issue, NOT-AT-ALL!!!!!
I skipped issue 46 since I glimpsed it ends with a cliffhanger, and it was co-written by Kavanagh

And then I read some of Lee & Ditko's issues, and can't help but being bothered at how everyone suddenly views Spider-Man as a villain out of the blues, in issue 17 everyone in town went to see his show, including Storm and his girlfriend, in issue 18 e was deemed a coward, in 19 he made his comeback and was with the Torch after releasing him from his cage. There was nothing else with Spider-Man in that month or the one after to make Spidey a villain, what made him a villain to people in ASM 021? Even to Torch and his girlfriend who went together to see his show in issue 17? What?

Issue 38 is a silly issue, and not a solid way for Ditko to end his very strong run on the character. Lame villain, meh story
---------------------------
*Fill in the blank

[Xenon]

Sooooo.... since my last post, I've read....

Amazing Spider-Man 370-377
Spectacular Spider-Man 194-200
Web of Spider-Man 95-100
Spider-Man 29-34

Amazing Spider-Man Annual 26
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 1992
Web of Spider-Man Annual 1992

That's....29 books.

In Amazing....

The ending to Venom is stupid. Back when I read "Life of Reilly", I honestly didn't quite understand the big objection to Spider-Man making a deal with Venom. Now that I've read 900 Spider-Man comics, I completely get it, and it's completely bunk. It'd be one thing if it was approached as a character growth moment, where Spider-Man finally learns he can't take responsibility for every single thing that happens, but that's not the case. He makes the deal on a whim, without much thought, and then Venom leaves. Truly, now that I've seen the entirety of the first Venom "saga" (so to speak), I think I can safely say that he was a victim of his own popularity, because those attempts to make him an anti-hero were misguided and weird. Eddie Brock is not a likeable enough or cool enough human being to carry his own series. He's completely insane, to the point where I honestly think he really could get off on an insanity defense in real life (not like Batman villains who are all "insane", I'm talking real world legal testing insanity). But he's not insane in a funny way or anything, just insane.

And where did the whole cannibal thing come from? WHYYYYYY? What purpose did it serve? Especially if you're trying to make this guy redeemable, why would you do that? I assume it's cause they were trying to make him scary, but he was way creepier in his first appearances. The brain eating thing just took him over the top into comedy land.

Has Michelinie ever talked about his intentions with the parents at the beginning? I know how it ends, of course, but I wonder if that's what he always intended it to be, or whether that was just some plot idea that was jettisoned after it didn't take. It seems like it could go either way, and when you consider that it took so long to sort itself out (I think I heard two years), it doesn't seem like something that was intended to go like that. But maybe that was always the plan. I know this is a subplot I wish I didn't know the answer to, though, since I wish I was getting into it without preconceptions and with the analysis I'm doing.

Mary Jane's smoking, which is intertwined throughout the books, seems like a decent idea that was not handled well. I was pretty down on it until in one issue Spider-Man saw her lighting up as he swung off and began to think of the reasons behind it. It could have been a clever thing, but they turned it into just another character trait and made her do it all the time (which lessens any dramatic meaning it could have had) which just made it seem kinda dumb. If they'd just done little things, like have her put it out as soon as Peter got back form being Spider-Man, it would have gone a long way to making the point.

I really liked the invasion of the Spider-Slayers. It was a good way to revamp Alistair Smythe and a much better winter event plotline than last year's should be in Moon Knight story. The various enemies were fun, and Felicia played a good role in it (though her totally 90s super V costume kinda made me role my eyes), even though her new "powers" are kinda meh. Again, they're seems to be a whole bunch of different ideas of what to do with Felicia, but no one idea seems to be winning out. And this has been going on for five years worth of books now.

In Spectacular....

Death of Vermin was a good tale, though being focused on Vermin was still kind of a let down. The X-Men story wasn't bad either, though it's nothing to write home about.

Spectacular 200.....was not as great as I was hoping. It's still a good story, but it very much feels like he's taking what was gonna be four to six issues and condensing it into what is essentially two (yay for large anniversary issues). It just seems like he ran out of time before 200 and they wanted to do something big for 200, so they fit the whole plotline there. And while he was sick before, I think they could have telegraphed him dying a bit better, maybe they coul have had Spdier-Man discover that the formula was flawed. I know if I hadn't known he died, I would have been surprised and confused, though that may have been part of the point. That it's surprising. It's still a well-written tale though, and I enjoyed it (though this is one time I wish it hadn't have happened in the middle of the smoking subplot. seeing her walk around with a cigarette is distracting).

In Web...

A Ghost Rider crossover....crap. That means I only read half of this story. I did like how it started right from where the end of the last story left off, and everyone fighting down in the sewer was interesting enough, but missing half the story kinda kills it for me. =p

So...I don't know what to think of the whole Blood Rose part two thing. Like, it seems like it was a retcon story, but based on how you never saw the Blood Rose's face before, it was planned that way? So Alfredo was always Richard Fisk? maybe that explains his dramatic differences, but it doesn't explain how "Richard Fisk" was acting before. This...probably goes in the bad column.

In No Adjective....

Meh. Return to the Mad Dog Ward was ok if nothing like the first one, though Mary Jane's sudden feminist fit (that is immediately forgotten) is a little weird, especially considering who she is. And they still manage to work in some guy trying to get her naked. The Vengeance plotline was pretty good, and Bob McLeod is a very good artist, so I got a good tale with some great art. Also Spider-Man was appropriately dismissive of Punisher's threat level.

In the Annuals...

I miss the old style annuals, where it was a big story that sort of acted like the movie to the monthly's TV Episode. This stringing the story across all the annuals doesn't sit well with me, but what makes it even worse is that they do it with about four stories. Each book contain a third of four stories. -_- A shady way to sell the others is all that is. And what caps it off worst of all, of course, is that the ending of the main story is in the New Warriors Annual. Meaning all that and I still don't know how it ends. BAH!


So, astute readings keeping track will notice my stopping point for all the books matches up. But only two of them end in 00s, you say? That's not the thing I'm talking about (though that's cool too). Nope. It's time for...Maximum Carnage.

As soon as I find a Spider-Man Unlimited #1. -_-

[chicainery]

Sooooo.... since my last post, I've read....

Amazing Spider-Man 370-377
Spectacular Spider-Man 194-200
Web of Spider-Man 95-100
Spider-Man 29-34

Amazing Spider-Man Annual 26
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 1992
Web of Spider-Man Annual 1992

That's....[b]29[b] books.

....

So, astute readings keeping track will notice my stopping point for all the books matches up. But only two of them end in 00s, you say? That's not the thing I'm talking about (though that's cool too). Nope. It's time for...Maximum Carnage.

As soon as I find a Spider-Man Unlimited #1. -_-

Excellent commentary, as always, Xenon. I can't wait until this semester is over so I can dig into some Spider-man comics, but reading your thoughts is a pretty good cliff notes version.

[Aziz Abbasi]

So, astute readings keeping track will notice my stopping point for all the books matches up. But only two of them end in 00s, you say? That's not the thing I'm talking about (though that's cool too). Nope. It's time for...Maximum Carnage.

As soon as I find a Spider-Man Unlimited #1. -_-

You have SMU 2?
Maybe you should find the trade

[Aziz Abbasi]

DareDevil v2 #020-025
There's a lot of babble there, but I can endure it, story is solid and enjoyable to read, and now that I finally read it a second time I think this feels like a good prologue to the second try in reinforcing the Superhuman Registration Act

Spider-Man is a guest star in this story and he dresses up as DareDevil while Matt & Foggy defend the other end, quite the luck for Matthew huh?

[oldschool]

Didn't study as much as I should have, but I got through a lot of books.....

Amazing Spider-Man 360-369
Spectacular Spider-Man 186-193
Web of Spider-Man 90-94
Spider-Man 24-28

That's.....26 books.

In Amazing....

I really do like Micheline's run for the most part. There's nothing truly amazing, but it's all fun and still manages to have some heart. The Invasion of the Spider-Slayers issues I've read so far are really good, too, and Carnage was appropriately menacing and taken out in an amusing fashion. If there's one complaint to be made, it's still with the awkward handling of Venom. Trying to make him a sympathetic Anti-Hero was a bad idea, even if it was profitable. Trying to force it working just makes the story feel more awkward.

DeMatteis has been doing some back-ups in the last couple issues, and they've been very good, course, after reading Spectacular, I'm not surprised.

The 30th Anniversary issue was pretty good all in all. An appropriate mix of a new story and stories that recap his history with a bit of a twist from different perspectives (and being Jonah and Mary Jane to get opposite extremes) so that the long-time reader still gets value when he reads it in the form of new character insights.

Also, this Bingham guy? Does not work at all. Looked terrible.

In Spectacular....

So, I'd see DeMatteis rated highly on various lists, but I didn't think much of it. I read Kraven's last hunt, and found it mostly to just be ok. But a funny thing happened. Much like the original clone saga, I actually found myself liking it more after I gave it some space, but I still didn't think much of it. But Now I've gotten to DeMatteis' Spectacular run and....wow. So, not only does he write the best Kraven story, he write the best Green Goblin II story, the best Vulture story, and a Puma story that's....good? Hot damn. He has successful shot up my list of the best Spider-Man writers to land near the top. Most impressive. Most impressive indeed.

I really don't have that much else to say about those stories. They're just Spectacular.

In Web...

Web stumbled a bit in its 30th Anniversary issue. While a good tribute to the past, it was hard to follow. Part of this is due to the illusion nature of he story, but I was never sure that the illusion ever ended. Still not bad.

The story that followed was an interesting way to follow up on Foreigner and Betty. Though honestly, Betty Brant Commando isn't exactly a great development from where I'm stitting. It seems like another situation where they don't know what to do with her so....

Interestingly, looking back I notice this is the firs bit of Howard Mackie I've read (at least of any signficiant milage, I think I noticed his name once in a while earlier. Not too bad. He seems to be working hard to set Macendale up as a legitimate threat on his own (though still kinda inept).

In No Adjective....

This is an obviously lost book. The Spider-Phoenix was an ok if kinda random story, followed up by a good 30th anniversary issue for 26, followed by a badly drawn perils of gun issue that we already did better fifteen years ago in Spectacular. I don't understand honestly why, if they didn't want to cancel it (and I have to assume it still had a lot of readers), they didn't put it on hiatus or do a better job of finding the next writer. Admittedly, at the time they were devoting three writers to Spider-Man, but this haphazrd randomness...I don't know what this book IS anymore, and what it was was taken over by DeMatteis in Spectacular (and better, I might add).

Once again, nicely done, Xenon. And, again, I largely agree with your assessment though you (and most) seem to enjoy Michelenie's run a wee bit more than I did/do. I found his run to be a pretty average run which would not be a bad thing at all except that he was on the title for so long. Overall, his style/legacy reminded me a bit of Len Wein who only stayed for 2 years or so; ok, Michelenie had Venom but beyond that....pretty similar to me.

Anyway, I though both adjective-less Spider-Man and Web were absolute crap during this period (and, let's face it, for most of their respective runs). Spectacular was the Champ of the family of titles for me.

Overall, the era you are wading through was the beginning of the Era of '90's Excess; more titles just to flood the market as the speculator boom geared up. Unfortunately, the talent/ideas just weren't there to sustain such a strategy.

[Aziz Abbasi]

Spider-Man vs Wolverine (Owsley & Bright)

Why the heck was Spider-Man scared of professional killers? He dealt with many during Lee's run alone, but here he was acting like a dumb novice

[matthewaos]

DareDevil v2 #020-025
There's a lot of babble there, but I can endure it, story is solid and enjoyable to read, and now that I finally read it a second time I think this feels like a good prologue to the second try in reinforcing the Superhuman Registration Act

Spider-Man is a guest star in this story and he dresses up as DareDevil while Matt & Foggy defend the other end, quite the luck for Matthew huh?

Dude, this run is golden!!

[Xenon]

You have SMU 2?
Maybe you should find the trade

I didn't know there WAS a Spider-Man Unlimited #2 at the time. I was hitting all the "Maximum Carnage" headers, but there were parts 3 and 4 and 2 and such, but it wasn't until I reached the end of the Amazing Spider-Man issue right before Maximum Carnage that I learned such a book existed. I was trying to avoid the trade because I don't like those collected trade styles, for the most part (I like them by series in chronological order with no gaps =p).

Fortunately, I had an idea it MIGHT be on the digital service (because Maximum Carnage is both popular and despised), and checking there I lucked out. It was indeed. So I gotta spend four more bucks for the first and last part. Meh. I can handle it.

Once again, nicely done, Xenon. And, again, I largely agree with your assessment though you (and most) seem to enjoy Michelenie's run a wee bit more than I did/do. I found his run to be a pretty average run which would not be a bad thing at all except that he was on the title for so long. Overall, his style/legacy reminded me a bit of Len Wein who only stayed for 2 years or so; ok, Michelenie had Venom but beyond that....pretty similar to me.

Anyway, I though both adjective-less Spider-Man and Web were absolute crap during this period (and, let's face it, for most of their respective runs). Spectacular was the Champ of the family of titles for me.

Overall, the era you are wading through was the beginning of the Era of '90's Excess; more titles just to flood the market as the speculator boom geared up. Unfortunately, the talent/ideas just weren't there to sustain such a strategy.

Thank you. To chicanery too.

Web has a pretty awesome Peter David run, but, well, that's PAD for ya. No Adjective Spider-Man has gotten better from the pit that was that Sinister Six arc, but, well, one story before dropping into MC isn't enough to really judge them on.

I think, a a whole, I am enjoying Michelinie's run more than most, at least slightly. He's never done anything spectacular for me, but he hasn't made a huge amount of missteps either, and I think he's got some good core ideas, even if his execution is sometimes a let down. I think he's in the top ten at this point, but the bottom half of it. (and really there's only about a dozen contenders, so....)

[Kevinroc]

Xenon, before you go into Maximum Carnage, I once again want to apologize to you for that story. It was the 90s.

[One More Day]

Xenon, before you go into Maximum Carnage, I once again want to apologize to you for that story. It was the 90s.

I really enjoyed it. I think it's one of the greatest and most epic Spidey stories of all time

[Xenon]

Xenon, before you go into Maximum Carnage, I once again want to apologize to you for that story. It was the 90s.

Tooooo laaaaatee....