Originally Posted by
Revolutionary_Jack
JMS' run has multiple parts:
Part 1 - The 38 issues with JRJR from ASM (Vol.2) #30-58, then ASM (Vol.1 original numbering)#500-508.
Interval - Sins' Past (ASM#509-512).
Part 2 - Spider-Man at Avengers Tower which ties into Civil War (lead-in and tie-ins), followed with Back in Black and terminating (and I mean all senses of the word) with OMD.
There is not a single bad issue in Part 1. Multiple classic issues.
-- "Coming Home"
-- The 9/11 Issue
-- "The Conversation"
-- "Doomed Affairs"
-- "ASM#500"
-- "The Book of Ezekiel"
-- The Digger Issue is also an excellent story. Likewise, the 2-Part Loki story with Fiona Avery probably did a lot to influence the modern Loki's conversion to cool anti-hero since Loki's characterization there is very much the ancestor to Hiddleston/Gillen's/Ewing's take on the character.
Then right after JRJR left, you had Sins' Past, which is bad all around.
Part 2 - Spider-Man at Avengers Tower is less consistent and less good as Part One. There are still wonderful good issues, like Spider-Man versus Hydra is an excellent story that basically works as "this is what Spider-Man can do for the Avengers". The lead-in issues to Civil War are also well done as is the Civil War tie-ins. I mean one of Captain America's all-time greatest moments comes in a Spider-Man comic (ASM #537), aka the 'you move speech".
And then there's BACK IN BLACK, which is a flat out masterpiece. It's JMS lashing out via Peter his anger at having to write OMD, his anger at him not being able to continue being as awesome as he is here, this is basically Spider-Man at his lowest ebb but also at his highest high at the same time. In that respects it's basically a long-extended version of ASM#122, and the fight between Spider-Man and Kingpin is awesome.
So on the whole JMS' run is one of the greats. I'd rank it above Michelinie's which also went on too long and got less consistent over time, over Defalco (which is also remembered largely for the character work). And most definitely way above BND and Slott's entire nosh. I still think it's better than Spencer's as well.
To me this is the last time Peter, MJ, and Aunt May were really Peter, MJ, Aunt May in an absolute real continuous to AF#15 sense.