Endings of Runs

[Mister Mets]

With Dan Slott leaving Amazing Spider-Man, it's worth looking at how other Spider-Man writers ended things. There isn't much of a pattern. Sometimes it's planned and it's good. Sometimes it's planned, and not so good. Sometimes it's sudden and terrible. Sometimes it's sudden and works out well.

Stan Lee left with a cliffhanger in Amazing Spider-Man #100. And then he did it again with Amazing Spider-Man #111.

Gerry Conway was the first Spider-Man writer to tell a big story tying up all of his loose ends. So he probably set the gold standard.

Len Wein kinda did the same thing with the Bart Hamilton Green Goblin saga.

Marv Wolfman left in the middle of a two part story, meaning others had to resolve plot points he was setting up.

Roger Stern left in the middle of a story, but DeFalco took the pass pretty well concluding a Hobgoblin three-parter, and then telling the Alien Costume saga.

Mackie appeared to have some advance notice he was off the title, although his final arc wasn't that good.

JMS also had advance notice, although there were quite a few changes to the story he was planning to tell (Back in Black was greenlit well after One More Day; his script for Parts 3-4 was different than what was delivered.)

One interesting conclusion is Paul Jenkins, whose run on Spectacular Spider-Man was poorly regarded, but who did get a decent final issue.

So it's going to be interesting to see what happens with Slott.

He's been in a position where he could prepare for some time for a big finale, and he's also doing 801 as a one-off with Marcos Martin. It does not appear that he's getting any big mandates on setting up a particular status quo for his successor.

Do you guys have any thoughts on the conclusions of the Spider-Man runs, and what it might augur for Slott?

[Digifiend]

#801's probably going to be a nostalgic showcase of his run, before the new creative team demolish everything and create a new status quo in #802.

[Miles To Go]

It's kind of weird, but I always picture the JMS era ending with "To Have and To Hold", a story he didn't even write.

[oldschool]

I always thought Marv Wolfman should have bowed out after #200; that was a perfect ending point and the handful of issues he wrote after that are forgettable at best.....

[Scott Taylor]

Conway didn't wrap up his run quite that cleanly. Even though the clone and the Jackal were killed at the end, and the Gwen Stacy clone left, there were alot of questions that his Clone Saga left hanging. As it turns out, almost a whole decade of questions!

[David Walton]

I always thought Marv Wolfman should have bowed out after #200; that was a perfect ending point and the handful of issues he wrote after that are forgettable at best.....

ASM #200 is one of those rare issues that could function as an ending for ASM. (I'm not saying that it should, mind you, only that it wraps things up beautifully and could work as the last time we see Spidey on the page.)

I could easily see The Burglar Saga as the series finale of a Spidey television show.

[oldschool]

ASM #200 is one of those rare issues that could function as an ending for ASM. (I'm not saying that it should, mind you, only that it wraps things up beautifully and could work as the last time we see Spidey on the page.)

I could easily see The Burglar Saga as the series finale of a Spidey television show.

100% agreed; really, so much of the Spidey mythos was resolved at that time if one thinks about it: Norman was dead, Peter proposed to and was turned down by MJ; Kingpin had just walked away from his vengeance on Spidey out of love for Vanessa; Spidey finally convinced Aunt May to accept him and not be afraid of him; Peter had recently graduated and was focusing on his graduate studies. Really, it would have been a very tidy final chapter if it had to be.

[David Walton]

Conway didn't wrap up his run quite that cleanly. Even though the clone and the Jackal were killed at the end, and the Gwen Stacy clone left, there were alot of questions that his Clone Saga left hanging. As it turns out, almost a whole decade of questions!

If Conway had thought to definitively answer the question of how Peter Parker knew he was the real deal and not the clone, the 90s would have been a lot different.

Or if Archie Goodwin hadn't 'resolved' the question by having Peter tear up Connors' test results because he was convinced his feelings for Mary Jane proved his identity.

[David Walton]

100% agreed; really, so much of the Spidey mythos was resolved at that time if one thinks about it: Norman was dead, Peter proposed to and was turned down by MJ; Kingpin had just walked away from his vengeance on Spidey out of love for Vanessa; Spidey finally convinced Aunt May to accept him and not be afraid of him; Peter had recently graduated and was focusing on his graduate studies. Really, it would have been a very tidy final chapter if it had to be.

It ties up every important thematic element from the series, but also leaves a lot to the reader's imagination with regard to where Peter goes next.

Does he quit being Spider-Man and settle down? Does he finally feel freed from the curse of his guilt and embrace being a hero for its own sake? Things can pretty much play out however you'd like them to.

[David Walton]

A few more notes about ASM 200:

--Peter inverts the scenario with the security guard from AF #15. The first time they met, Peter had the power but didn't accept the responsibility. This time around, Peter takes responsibility even though he's lost his powers.

--I tend to think ASM 200 accomplishes what Stan Lee was trying to with the SHIELD parents retcon in ASM Annual #4, but without taking away from Spider-Man's 'everyman' appeal. Stan had Peter save his parents' (newly invented) reputation and the Parker legacy, while Wolfman has him save Aunt May and bring the burglar to justice.

[Lukmendes]

--I tend to think ASM 200 accomplishes what Stan Lee was trying to with the SHIELD parents retcon in ASM Annual #4, but without taking away from Spider-Man's 'everyman' appeal. Stan had Peter save his parents' (newly invented) reputation and the Parker legacy, while Wolfman has him save Aunt May and bring the burglar to justice.

Just a small correction, it's Annual 5 where the SHIELD parents is revealed, Annual 4 is a Spider-Man/Human Torch story.

[David Walton]

Just a small correction, it's Annual 5 where the SHIELD parents is revealed, Annual 4 is a Spider-Man/Human Torch story.

Ah, thanks! And cool avatar. That's from the story where Hobby blackmailed Harry Osborn, right? Or from around that timeframe.

[oldschool]

A few more notes about ASM 200:

--Peter inverts the scenario with the security guard from AF #15. The first time they met, Peter had the power but didn't accept the responsibility. This time around, Peter takes responsibility even though he's lost his powers.

--I tend to think ASM 200 accomplishes what Stan Lee was trying to with the SHIELD parents retcon in ASM Annual #4, but without taking away from Spider-Man's 'everyman' appeal. Stan had Peter save his parents' (newly invented) reputation and the Parker legacy, while Wolfman has him save Aunt May and bring the burglar to justice.

Excellent points, David! Makes it even more frustrating that Marv didn't bow out after #200 and makes me wonder what he might have had planned had he finished his Black Cat story and what may have come afterward. As it was the Punisher 2-parter was just ok and the Dazzler issue was awful. Such a shame that his otherwise very solid run ended on such a low note and then ushered in pretty uninspired Denny O'Neill era but such c'est la vie.....

[Lukmendes]

Ah, thanks! And cool avatar. That's from the story where Hobby blackmailed Harry Osborn, right? Or from around that timeframe.

I'm surprised anyone was able to tell where it's from lol.

Yeah it's from that story, Spectacular #130, by that point Macendale had become Hobgoblin, but this story happens before Ned got killed, so it was still Roderick, and a crippled Hobgobling looked too funny to not use it as an avatar .

[oldschool]

Anyone else think Norman may be killed off (again) in ASM #800? I can easily see it happening....Dan needs a big flourish and, frankly, Norman appears to be played out since his return nearly 20 years ago. I say it happens.