How long is too long with the Kindred mystery?

[Mister Mets]

With the discussions about who Kindred is, there is also speculation on when the mystery will be resolved.

At what point do you guys think the mystery is going on too long?

There do also seem to be two views. One looks at how many issues the mystery is taking, so it doesn't really matter than the book's coming out twice a month. The alternate view is that the mystery can take up more issues, since what matters is how long it takes to solve.

My cutoff would be either Amazing Spider-Man #50, or a TPB-length story that kicks off with that issue (IE- If the first part is #50, and Kindred is revealed in the fourth part in #53.)

[bob.schoonover]

It really depends on how front-and-center Kindred is to the main story. I'd say certainly by the time he and Spidey have had three real throw-downs (either face to face or at least Spidey knowing that Kindred is the one pulling the strings). That could be soonish (say, issue 35) or later (50 or so, as Mets suggests). To an extent, I think the longer the mystery lasts, though, the more important the execution is.

If you think back to Venom, we knew something sinister was coming for Pete (and may have strongly believed it was symbiote related) for 2-3 issues before he appeared and was revealed as Eddie Brock (unknown at that time). No one freaked out that Venom wasn't, you know, Harry Osborn or something. However, as we get to 30+ issues of waiting to figure out who Kindred is, expectations are becoming more set-in that he'll be a bombshell reveal and that'll lead to disappointment if he's not.

[Vortex85]

I am in no hurry for the Kindred reveal and am enjoying the mystery. Peter doesn’t even know he exists yet really except for a dream so I feel it’s too soon for a big reveal. I read somewhere the Kindred plot could span Spencer’s whole planned run possibly. Whether that ends up being true or is a good or bad thing remains to be seen. I wouldn’t expect a resolution to the Kindred story any time soon.

It’s possible the identity of Kindred will just lead to new questions or new plots as well, so maybe the reveal is just one step further into Spencer’s plans and there is more to it than that.

[AdventureBliss]

I see no issue wiith it taking years to be resolved. People today just want everything striaght away.

[Kurolegacy]

I see no issue wiith it taking years to be resolved. People today just want everything striaght away.

Last time they took years on a mystery the whole thing came apart. Just look at the Clone Saga.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Green Goblin's first appearance was 1964, Norman Osborn's reveal happened in 1966, two years later. Between ASM #14 to ASM #40, that's 27 issues published per month. So 27 months is the standard for a mystery and payoff.

Roger Stern said that had he completed the Hobgoblin mystery as intended, he would have revealed the identity with one issue more than Norman's reveal, i.e. he intended 28 months. As it happened it took more than 10 years by which time people had practically forgotten Hobgoblin by then.

Nick Spencer is publishing comics twice-a-month, so it's been 25 issues in his first 12 months. So if he wants to go for the Norman record, it should be 27 months at least so it could be December 2020 or Jan 2021 at latest.

[KangMiRae]

It can go on for as long as it has to, just as long as the reveal is good and shocking!