Your Favorite Spider-Man (Spider-Family) Runs From The Last 10 years

[The Whovian]

So, I'm curious to see what everyone's favorite Spider-Man or Spider-Family (Gwen, Miles, etc.) runs are over the last 10 years since OMD ended. I know after reading that horrific issue/story, that I stopped reading Spider-Man comics (Peter) for quite a while. I didn't start reading Peter stories until I heard about Superior Spider-Man and loved it. I then went back and read Slott's entire Spider-Man run up to that. Needless to say, it's been great.

That being said, if you had to choose only five runs from either Peter's books or from the other Spider-Books like Miles or Gwen, what would be your five favorite runs and why?

Here's the thing, you can include a run in your list if it started before the last ten years, but it had to be still ongoing within the last ten years. For example, I'm choosing to include Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis because the run was still ongoing up until 8 years ago. So it counts.

You can also either choose an entire run from one creator on a book or just a part of it but it has to hold the same title name. Completely up to you. I'm choosing to include 'Slott's Amazing Spider-Man' as one complete run because the title 'Amazing Spider-Man is the same, and then also Superior Spider-Man as well, but they count as two different picks because the titles of the book are different.

Here's my list:
Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott---Just an incredible story and it doesn't hurt to feature my favorite Spider-Man villain with the responsibility, body and powers of Peter.
Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott---I know there's fans here who don't care for Slott's Spider-Man and that's okay, but I love his work on Spider-Man. He's taken Peter to a whole new level both in maturity and tech. The only thing that bothers me (and it's not his fault, but editorial) is that Peter and MJ are not a couple. If they were, this book would be absolutely perfect, IMO.
Ultimate Spider-Man (Peter) by Bendis---About 140 issues of pure fun. Not only features great artwork by Bagley and Immonen, but has action, humor, perfect dialogue and amazing interaction between characters.
Renew Your Vows---I think it's okay to include both runs, but if we have to choose, then I'm taking the Conway/Steegman run. Both are fantastic though. I love the whole family dynamic and the stories are great.
Ultimate Spider-Man (Miles)---Probably the best new character Marvel has introduced over the last 20 years or so. Great personality, cool new powers in addition to all of Peter's and a good cast of supporting characters.

Honorable Mention:
Spider-Gwen by Latour/Rodriguez---A neat twist on an alternate universe Gwen. Very, very good book with a plethora of potential, some of which has already been delivered on. This would have been in my top five if not for RYV. It's that good.

[Miles To Go]

1. Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis-From Peter to Miles, Bendis has taken us on a journey of how one hero's journey inspires another. This has been the definitive template for 21st Century Spider-Man, Miles' relationship with 616 Peter is one of the only guaranteed means of making me care about the latter these days, and that's only because we haven't heard much from Ultimate Pete.

2. Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows by Gerry Conway, Ryan Stegman- Peter's relationship with Mary Jane is a lot of things in this run, but boring is never one of them. MJ and Annie's flaws get them into some tight scrapes, and Peter is always there to deliver a stern lecture or to give them the encouragement and support they need to overcome their obstacles. This is the maturity that Slott's run with the mainline take on the characters completely lacks, and is one of the more essential Spider-reads.

3. Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Comic Strip by Stan Lee (or Various)-Often criticized for it's irreverence and corny style of storytelling, I've found this to be the perfect breezy read to wake up to in the morning. Simple and uncomplicated, it's storylines are often bizzare, but endearing. It also has one of the best depictions of Peter and MJ's marriage you can find, and has done plenty to involve MJ in Peter's life over the years, doing more with her than the last ten years of her mainline counterpart. Aunt May has also been given a new lease of life in recent years through her relationship with Mole Man.

4. Spider-Man/Deadpool by Joe Kelly and Various- Making use of classic villians like Mysterio and even containing call backs to One More Day itself, Spidey/Deadpool continues to fuel my interest in irreverent off-kilter Spidey lore with some fun, and occasionally touching stories dealing with the ups and downs of Wade's personal life and the battle for Peter's very sense of being and morality, and there's lot of bromantic quips along the way

5. Silk by Robbie Thompson: Robbie took two fan derided notions (Cindy Moon and crime boss Felicia) and both became into endearing, fun, approachable characters. While Thompson would ultimately abandon Felicia to the mercies of other writers (who just made her turn worse), Cindy went from stregth to strength, ditching her pheromones and pursuing the FACT(s) of Life under Jameson's employ. Also did some wonderful things with Mattie Franklin. Gone too soon.

Honorable mention:

Web Warriors by Mike Costa- Yes, I really enjoyed this when it was out. Did interesting things with the concept of the multiverse's Electro legion, gave a version of Mayday something to do even if she got written out early and wasn't promoted as heavily as a member. One thing I didn't like at the time was too much attention was paid to Spider-Gwen and the run had to rush out a conclusion due to cancellation.

[blackspidey2099]

1. Scarlet Spider by Chris Yost: a short run, but every single issue was a lot of fun and well written IMO. This run made Kaine one of my favourite heros (only behind Peter, Miguel, and maybe Flash) and it did wonders for his character.

2. Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott: while the last few issues haven’t been up to par, overall this run was a lot of fun, had extremely varied moments, touched on almost everything that is good about Spider-Man’s history, and really elevated the character with some good progression in Horizon Labs and Parker Industries.

3. Spider-Man/Deadpool by Joe Kelly: I’m just including the Kelly/McGuiness issues here, because these were so awesome with pitch-perfect characterization, an interesting plot, real stakes, and even using PI better than Slott ever did.

4. Venom by Rick Remender: This is the run that made Flash one of my favourite heroes, and it also hits basically all the bases - cool new concept, great characterization, a climatic finale, and consistent quality IMO.

5. Avenging Spider-Man/SSMTU by Chris Yost: While I really liked Slott’s take on SpOck, I think Yost edged him out a bit by writing a more nuanced character, and also giving us a greater variety of adventures. Overall, Yost nailed it once again on SpOck here.

6. Spider-Man 2099 by Peter David: While the majority of these 2 volumes were very well done, the story on Volume 3 kinda lagged a bit during the middle of the Volume, which is the only reason I’m docking points. Other than that, Peter David did a great job with the character he created, giving him a bit of a modern repaint for the new era.

7. Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott: While initially controversial, this run ended up being a highlight of the past 10 years due to the new concepts. However, and anticlimactic ending and some wonky logic throughout prevent it from getting a higher ranking, despite the sheer fun of much of it.

8. Carnage (+USA) by Zeb Wells: An unexpected hit, these books reinvented Carnage and showcased why he is such a threat, while also featuring amazing artwork and a captivating storyline. I think they are woefully underrated.

9. Renew Your Vows by Gerry Conway and Ryan Stegman: This book has featured (for the most part) consistently good storytelling, which places it ahead of the pack. The fact that it also featured a return of Peter and MJ as a couple is just icing on the cake.

10. Spider-Gwen by Latour/Rodriguez: Bursting out of nowhere with psychedelic art, a wild reimagining of major characters, and interesting twists on the main Marvel universe, this book has been very interesting, but hasn’t been the most consistent. Overall, it’s still been an awesome ride.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order): Ultimate Spider-Man, Silk, Venom: Spaceknight, Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine, and Amazing Spider-Man (BND) (omitting Amazing Spider-Man: O.M.I.T. )

[RD!]

5. Osborn 1-5 by Kelly Sue Deconnick.
This was a fantastic mini series, thrilling and well told, great use of Spider-Man’s newest supporting cast members and a look at Norman in a post OMD world. If you haven’t read this and like modern Spider-Man you really need to.

4. Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott.
I view Slott’s whole run as a single story, but if I had to pick one run it would this. A lot has been written about it, so I’ll just say it’s very, very good.

3. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis.
This is probably the best run of any comic ever in my opinion, but the stuff produced from 2007 was not as good as the stuff before then, with exceptions. The post Ultimatium reboot started slow but picked up with the Death of Spider-Man.

2. Scarlet Spider by Chris Yost.
A well illustrated, well written story about a character who up until that point wasn’t very well respected. This is such a fantastic run that words can’t really do it justice, not my words anyway.

1. Renee Your Vows by Ryan Stegman and Gerry Conway.
Beat Spider run of the last 10 years, easily. A real breath of fresh air considering we hadn’t had a ‘classic’ Peter since ASM697, and a return to the original status quo. Peter acting like Peter, MJ acting like MJ, great use of the supporting cast, great use of Spider history while being fresh and accessible and just good story telling. I can’t praise this highly enough, even with its fault it is unrivalled in excellence. If I could only read one run of the last decade it would be this

[blackspidey2099]

5. Osborn 1-5 by Kelly Sue Deconnick.
This was a fantastic mini series, thrilling and well told, great use of Spider-Man’s newest supporting cast members and a look at Norman in a post OMD world. If you haven’t read this and like modern Spider-Man you really need to.

I haven't actually heard of this, but it sounds intriguing from your description. Is it on like Comixology/Marvel Unlimited?

[comicscollector]

1-Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott.(This includes Dan Slott stories during Brand New Day,Superior Spider-Man and the new volumes of Amazing Spider-Man) The stories to me range from good to great.Thus my vote for the first place.I included Superior Spider-Man because Dan Slott stories besides being writen in line with previous Marvel continuity they are a ongoing narrative,so i dont see Superior Spider-Man as a separated run because it is a continuation of Amazing Spider-Man.

2-Amazing Spider-Man by Mark Waid.Scanvenging and Origin of Species are cool story arcs.I am giving Mark Waid second place due Unsheduled Stop.A two part story featuring Shocker and illustrated by Marcos Martin.One of the best stories of Spider-Man writen in years imo.Thus my vote to Mark Waid despite having writen few Spider-Man stories.

3-Venom by Rick Remender.Just a fun series with a cool and interesting new direction to the Venom stories.

4.Amazing Spider-Man by Joe Kelly.Especially because the two part stories of Rhino and because of the story with the return of Black Cat.

5.Amazing Spider-Man by Roger Stern.It were few stories that Roger Stern wrote in the last ten years.But the continuation of the classic Nothing can stop the jugernaut story arc from the 80s is made of win.From the art,characterisation,plot just a awesome story arc of Spider-Man in three issues.

[RD!]

I haven't actually heard of this, but it sounds intriguing from your description. Is it on like Comixology/Marvel Unlimited?

You should, it’s very good.

I did a search and found it on comiXology, there’s five issues in the series or a trade paperback called Osborn: Evil Incarcerated.

[blackspidey2099]

You should, it’s very good.

I did a search and found it on comiXology, there’s five issues in the series or a trade paperback called Osborn: Evil Incarcerated.

Awesome, I'll definitely check it out. Thanks!

[Mister Mets]

One complicating factor is that the last ten years have been dominated by two writers who have been on books for some time with multiple relaunches (Bendis on Ultimate/ Miles Morales, Slott on ASM/ Superior). So there may be different standards of what counts as a run.

Honorable Mention. Scarlet Spider (Yost/ Stegman/ co.)
It's a well-told superhero series with a lead who has the powers of Spider-Man but a different ethos.

5. The Superior Foes of Spider-Man: Fun series about some minor Spider-Man players with some inventive storytelling.

4. Brand New Day (Amazing Spider-Man)
I'm counting the Brand New Day era as one run, since there was a consistent approach even if there was some turnover. It wasn't perfect, with a supporting cast that was a bit unwieldy, and flawed issue to issue continuity. But it was often very very good (Unscheduled Stop, Gauntlet: The Lizard.)

3. Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 3: This would be the first Miles Morales volume. It may just be the most artistically successful Spider-Man spinoff ever, setting up Miles as a hero worth promoting in films and TV, while taking some bold steps in piling on the tragedies (the fate of his uncle, the one year jump) and addressing the legacy of Peter Parker.

2. The Big Time (Amazing Spider-Man #648-700): Slott takes advantage of a new status quo for Peter, with some stories that rank among the all-time best (No One Dies, Spider Island) and a clear sense of purpose.

1. Superior Spider-Man: One of the best mega-arcs in Spider-Man history, and a fun subversion of what we're used to, as the worst person gets their hands on Peter's power.

[MASTER-OF-SUPRISE]

Superior Foes of Spider-Man: For my money one of the few good ideas that came out of Superior. This was really funny and made me laugh about how insane it was. I think keeping it away from the main title at the time was a good decision IMO as it let the characters grow. It was interesting to see villains acting like your average joe more or less between thier crimes.

Ben Reilly the Scarlet Spider: I am enjoying this run for the most part. I'm not going to say it's flawless but it is a fun journey so far. Wether it will remain that way I'm unsure but it should be interesting.

Scarlet Spider by Christopher Yost: Now this was awesome. It had not only humor and action but best of all great characterization. The protagonist was sympathetic, The supporting cast was likeable, and I think it was a travesty it got canceled. There are so many plot threads left that would've been awesome to see play out. I really wish it had continued but I am happy for what it got.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows: This is another title I'm greatly enjoying. This is IMO the best Spider-Man book out there right now. The characters are likeable the plots are interesting. The Conway run is great and I'm waiting to see what Steggman is going do with it.

[jackolover]

The New Avengers Hydra run before Civil War. The Road to CW arc by JMS. Perhaps the Clone Saga, and the Story arc about the 4 Identity Crisis costumes. (The Norman Osborn stories always creep me out, because you can never get rid of him). Secret Wars ASM Renew Your Vows.

Everything after CW has been a downward spiral spitting out Peter Parker from the bad place they took him in CW. I don’t think he has recovered fully from that. Kill Aunt May, dissolve the marriage, visit a nostalgic place that went by the by long ago, then a What If? Spider-Man realised his potential. Peter has been in limbo and his real life has been hanging tantalisingly just out of reach. It’s like Peter is living a false existence as a result of the unmasking in CW.

[JTait]

Superior Spider-Man was patchy, and ended poorly, but when it was good it was very very good.

Remender's run on Venom, and Ultimate Spider-Man would be close runners up.

[Mister Mets]

This has been a decent era of Spider-Man comics, given all the contenders (Spider-Gwen, the final third of the Peter Parker issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, Remender's Venom, Stegman & Conway's Renew Your Vows, the final year of DeFalco/ Frenz's Spider-Girl, Tobin's Marvel Adventures Spider-Man) that might avoid making the cut for some.

[blackspidey2099]

You should, it’s very good.

I did a search and found it on comiXology, there’s five issues in the series or a trade paperback called Osborn: Evil Incarcerated.

Okay, so I finally read through the series, and it was quite awesome. Thanks a lot for the recommendation!

[RD!]

Okay, so I finally read through the series, and it was quite awesome. Thanks a lot for the recommendation!

That’s ok I’m glad you enjoyed it