With Slott's run coming to an end, I'm curious about thoughts on what worked in his run. It has consistently been the Marvel Universe's best-selling ongoing for the last few years. Presumably, he's doing something right.
Some of my guesses...
- He started out strong. The first 11 issues shook up the series in a big way, with Peter getting a job at Horizon Labs, a new Hobgoblin, the death of a supporting character, Flash Thompson becoming Venom, the introduction of Massacre, the silent opening and amazing dream sequence of "No One Dies" and a follow-up to Slott's first big Spider-Man story with the Human Torch spotlight.
- He worked with great artists. Humberto Ramos, Marcos Martin, Ryan Stegman, Stuart Immonen, Giusepe Camuncoli, and company all do impressive work.
- Superior Spider-Man was a hell of a mega-arc.
- He introduced new heroes with staying power: the Flash Thompson Venom, Spider-Gwen, Silk
- He had a good mix of villains. We had big stories with A-listers like Doctor Octopus, the Roderick Kingsley Hobgoblin, Norman Osborn, the Lizard, and the Sinister Six, as well as new bad guys and obscure types. One of his best stories involved the Spider-Queen!
- He planned for the long term. Superior Spider-Man was seeded in ASM #600 one hundred issues earlier. The Parker Industries plot lasted about fifty issues. Norman Osborn's been part of two long-term stories, with Superior Spider-Man, and the current set-up to "Go Down Swinging." This is a guy who knew he was sticking around for a while, and took advantage of it.
What are you thoughts? What did he do well, or do you think any of the things I mentioned are actually weaknesses for his run?