Rank the Decades

[manymade1]

With the decade coming to an end, I'm curious to know where the 2010's will stand in regards to previous decades.

For me, from worst to best:

6. 90's - Eh, I mean there was some good, I guess with Todd McFarlane's art really solidifying and defining the 90's, but this was just a bad era, and the only decade where I think there was more bad than good for the character. Clone Saga, Maximum Carnage, McFarlane's solo run, etc.

5. 00's - Definitely a noticeable step up from the 90's, although the quality of stories was pretty half and half. The decade started off pretty strong with JMS's run and BMB doing some innovative stuff with USM; As the decade went on, though, things started getting choppy. The 2nd half of JMS's run gave us two of Spidey's worst stories, with Sin's Past and OMD; BMB's USM really started losing steam; The Brand New Day streak wasn't terrible but we really didn't get anything noteworthy, which is shocking considering how long that era was. Overall, not a terrible decade but far from great.

4. 10's - I'll precede this by saying I haven't read Zdarksy or Spencer's runs, which I hear are great. This decade was pretty much made by Slott, and Slott's run is pretty divisive, for good reason. The run definitely had some great moments, with stories like Big Time, Ends of the Earth, No One Dies; Then you get to Superior, which though some will argue had some great writing, the decision was definitely out there. The biggest problem was mainly that Slott's run went on way too long. He wrote practically 80% of the stories, this decade. This decade definitely had more good than bad, but it also had some pretty noticeable bad moments.

3. 70's - Very noticeable step up from the previous three entries. The 70's was just a blast for the character. Writers had a lot of fun utilizing the character and putting him up against his colorful cast of villains. Besides Amazing, we saw Peter in Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular. The stories were a bit more mature, with The Night Gwen Stacy Died marking a shift, but this was before the cynicism of the late 80's/90's; the tone was optimistic but in a way where the stories could be enjoyed by everyone. The only thing really holding this decade back is the fact that it didn't really do anything notable, outside of the Night Gwen Stacy Died. There weren't any huge status quo shifts, although that's arguably what made the time so fun. Overall, a really good decade but not a very memorable one.

2. 80's - Oh boy, was this a time. Roger Stern's legendary run is by far the best collection of stories besides the original Lee comics. This decade was very innovative; the writers took some real big risks, adding to the status quo and shaking up Peter's life. Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut, the Wedding, Kraven's Last Hunt, the introduction of Venom and Hobgoblin. The stories were even more mature than the 70's but without going the dark and edgy route of the 90's. Spidey was still an optimistic superhero, first and foremost. I would argue that Stern's run has aged even better than the Lee/Ditko/Romita comics (More on that in the next paragraph, though), and Michelinie and McFarlane's run was nothing to sneeze at. A really good and memorable decade, with some of the best Spider-Man stories and some of the best comic stories, period.

1. 60's - I mean, do I really have to explain myself? Spider-Man is pretty much still defined by the stories from this period, moreso than any other hero that debuted in the silver age. The idea of an "Everyman" superhero seems so common, nowadays, but was a pretty novel concept during this time. While some would argue that the stories are dated, I would argue that these stories are jsut as relatable now, as they were meant to be back in the day. This is thee decade for the character.

[blackspidey2099]

I think this is a pretty definitive list; I may or may not switch the 70s and the 80s but other than that mine would be pretty much the same.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

As far as 616 Spidey goes...

60s>80s>2000s>70s>90s>2010s

[K7P5V]

From Best to Worst

1. 1960's - Lee/Ditko & Lee/Romita Sr. are still the best.

2. 1980's - Stern/JRJR; DeFalco/Frenz & PAD made this decade great.

3. 1970's - Still a fan of Superman VS. Spider-Man (crossover with DC).

4. 1990's - Untold Tales of Spider-Man is still a favorite.

5. 2000's - This decade had a pretty decent start, but OMD ended it.

6. 2010's - OMD still dominates this decade.

[Electricmastro]

1. 60's - I mean, do I really have to explain myself? Spider-Man is pretty much still defined by the stories from this period, moreso than any other hero that debuted in the silver age. The idea of an "Everyman" superhero seems so common, nowadays, but was a pretty novel concept during this time. While some would argue that the stories are dated, I would argue that these stories are jsut as relatable now, as they were meant to be back in the day. This is thee decade for the character.

I'd favor the 80s over 60s myself with how much compelling depth the 80s offered. As fun and dramatic the 60s stories could get, it never really hit the top spot for me.

[Prof. Warren]

With the decade coming to an end, I'm curious to know where the 2010's will stand in regards to previous decades.

For me, from worst to best:

6. 90's - Eh, I mean there was some good, I guess with Todd McFarlane's art really solidifying and defining the 90's, but this was just a bad era, and the only decade where I think there was more bad than good for the character. Clone Saga, Maximum Carnage, McFarlane's solo run, etc.

5. 00's - Definitely a noticeable step up from the 90's, although the quality of stories was pretty half and half. The decade started off pretty strong with JMS's run and BMB doing some innovative stuff with USM; As the decade went on, though, things started getting choppy. The 2nd half of JMS's run gave us two of Spidey's worst stories, with Sin's Past and OMD; BMB's USM really started losing steam; The Brand New Day streak wasn't terrible but we really didn't get anything noteworthy, which is shocking considering how long that era was. Overall, not a terrible decade but far from great.

4. 10's - I'll precede this by saying I haven't read Zdarksy or Spencer's runs, which I hear are great. This decade was pretty much made by Slott, and Slott's run is pretty divisive, for good reason. The run definitely had some great moments, with stories like Big Time, Ends of the Earth, No One Dies; Then you get to Superior, which though some will argue had some great writing, the decision was definitely out there. The biggest problem was mainly that Slott's run went on way too long. He wrote practically 80% of the stories, this decade. This decade definitely had more good than bad, but it also had some pretty noticeable bad moments.

3. 70's - Very noticeable step up from the previous three entries. The 70's was just a blast for the character. Writers had a lot of fun utilizing the character and putting him up against his colorful cast of villains. Besides Amazing, we saw Peter in Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular. The stories were a bit more mature, with The Night Gwen Stacy Died marking a shift, but this was before the cynicism of the late 80's/90's; the tone was optimistic but in a way where the stories could be enjoyed by everyone. The only thing really holding this decade back is the fact that it didn't really do anything notable, outside of the Night Gwen Stacy Died. There weren't any huge status quo shifts, although that's arguably what made the time so fun. Overall, a really good decade but not a very memorable one.

2. 80's - Oh boy, was this a time. Roger Stern's legendary run is by far the best collection of stories besides the original Lee comics. This decade was very innovative; the writers took some real big risks, adding to the status quo and shaking up Peter's life. Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut, the Wedding, Kraven's Last Hunt, the introduction of Venom and Hobgoblin. The stories were even more mature than the 70's but without going the dark and edgy route of the 90's. Spidey was still an optimistic superhero, first and foremost. I would argue that Stern's run has aged even better than the Lee/Ditko/Romita comics (More on that in the next paragraph, though), and Michelinie and McFarlane's run was nothing to sneeze at. A really good and memorable decade, with some of the best Spider-Man stories and some of the best comic stories, period.

1. 60's - I mean, do I really have to explain myself? Spider-Man is pretty much still defined by the stories from this period, moreso than any other hero that debuted in the silver age. The idea of an "Everyman" superhero seems so common, nowadays, but was a pretty novel concept during this time. While some would argue that the stories are dated, I would argue that these stories are jsut as relatable now, as they were meant to be back in the day. This is thee decade for the character.

When it comes to ranking Spidey decades, as long as the '60s are at the top and the '90s are at the bottom, you're set.

The '60s will never be topped. That IS the definitive Spidey.

The '90s are, well, the '90s. They're the closest thing to a bad decade Spidey's ever had. Reading issues from that era today, it's easier to appreciate the junky fun of some of them but those were not great years for the web-slinger.

Everything in-between is open to debate but the order of this list seems dead on to me.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I'd favor the 80s over 60s myself with how much compelling depth the 80s offered. As fun and dramatic the 60s stories could get, it never really hit the top spot for me.

I can agree with this. I put 60s on top myself but the 80s were maybe more diverse and interesting. At the start you had Wolfman and Pollard at the tail end of their run and then you go to Stern and then by the end you have KLH and Venom. In terms of leap forward in kinds of stories that could be possible with Spider-Man that decade can’t be beat.

Think of all the writers on Spidey in the 80s alone: Stern/Defalco/Michelinie/Mantlo/PAD/JMD and also Secret Wars and Parallel lives, Conway’s second run on Spectacular at the end.

The only other patch that I’d comparable is 2000s with JMS/Jenkins/Millar/PAD/Bendis/Sacassia/Fraction.

[manymade1]

When it comes to ranking Spidey decades, as long as the '60s are at the top and the '90s are at the bottom, you're set.

Lol pretty much. With the exception of the X-Men and Hulk, I would say the 90s was the worst decade for almost every Marvel hero.

As for the #1 spot, it'd be a bit surprising if it wasn't the 60's or the 80's.

I can agree with this. I put 60s on top myself but the 80s were maybe more diverse and interesting. At the start you had Wolfman and Pollard at the tail end of their run and then you go to Stern and then by the end you have KLH and Venom. In terms of leap forward in kinds of stories that could be possible with Spider-Man that decade can’t be beat.

Yeah life for as much innovation as the 60's had, the 80's had almost as much innovation but with an even higher quality of writing. While I still find the 60's era to be enjoyable, the writing almost objectively shows its age in certain spots, wheras many of the 80's runs have writing thats even better than what we've gotten in the past few decades.

[Johnatellodi]

It's hard for me to rank the 60's among the others. It deserves the #1 spot, of course. Everything else is just striving to live up to it's legacy. That said, it's probably the last one I'd pick up to read right now.

It's actually hard for me to rank the series in general. My favorites stories are all over the map.

[Hugo Strange]

80's, 60's, 70's, 00's, 90's and 10's.

[PeterParked]

I would save McFarlane solo, the story were nothing to write home about it, but the art was really innovative for American super hero comics of the time. And a big jump in quality from his Amazing run. Probably it’s best work, Spawn wasn’t at that level either in my opinion. Comics are a visual medium after all. But yes, the 90s is where I’ve stopped reading super hero comics they were too bad.

[Mister Mets]

There have a few similar discussions in the past.

Favorite decade?
Favorite decade aside from the one you started reading?
What are the best stories by decade?

[Mister Mets]

As for me...

#6. The 1990s: There's some good stuff (Dematteis, Untold Tales of Spider-Man), but probably less than any other decade. And then we've got the bad stuff.

#5. The 1970s: It might have the best Spider-Man story (The Night Gwen Stacy Died) but it's also when the series started spinning the wheels. A lot of the writing has dated without Stan Lee's cleverness.

#4. The 2010s: Largely defined by two lengthy runs: Dan Slott's Amazing Spider-Man and Bendis's Miles Morales. The defining feature of this decade seemed to be the addition of spinoffs (Spider-Gwen, a new direction for Venom.)

#3. The 1960s: The decade that made the character has the best batting average by story so far. I don't think there's any other superhero whose first two runs succeeded to the same degree.

#2.The 2000s: Ultimate Spider-Man is incredible, but it was pretty solid for the classic Spider-Man as well. You had JMS's run, some great satellite runs (especially Millar and Jenkins) and some decent material in the first two years of Brand New Day. With mini-series and anthologies like Tangled Web, there were also more self-contained Spider-Man stories than ever before. And that's before considering the bulk of

#1.The 1980s: Stern/ Romita's Amazing Spider-Man, DeFalco/ Frenz's Amazing Spider-Man, Michelinie/ McFarlane's Amazing Spider-Man, Mantlo's Owl/ Octopus war, DeMatteis' Marvel Team Up (just came across it now), Peter David's Spectacular Spider-Man, Kraven's Last Hunt, the debut of Tombstone, and Spider-Man VS Wolverine. Years ago, I did a ranking of top ten stories by decade. The 80s were the only period where I was compelled to do a list of ten honorable mentions.

[NC_Yankee]

From Best to Worst

1. 1960's - Lee/Ditko & Lee/Romita Sr. are still the best.

2. 1980's - Stern/JRJR; DeFalco/Frenz & PAD made this decade great.

3. 1970's - Still a fan of Superman VS. Spider-Man (crossover with DC).

4. 1990's - Untold Tales of Spider-Man is still a favorite.

5. 2000's - This decade had a pretty decent start, but OMD ended it.

6. 2010's - OMD still dominates this decade.

I would certainly agree with your order:"he best is a very easy choice. Almost every character that really matters to Spider-Man readers with a couple of exceptions like Felicia, Venom and Carnage happened in this era. After that from worst to best. The worst is 2010-2019 (thank you Dan Slott), but not to the extent most people think. Why? In 2000-2009 you got the Other, Sins Past, OMD and BND..Then the 90's maybe the least important decade good or bad. Then The 70'. I know ASM 121-122 plus 129 ( Punisher) and Felicia occurred, but so did Clone Saga. Next and second best: 80's Peter and MJ Wedding, Juggernaut, Kraven's Last Hunt, Kid Who Collected Spider-Man and Death of Jean DeWolff. Finally the 60's.

[Chubistian]

1-80s: Stern made this my favorite. But overall, I like what other writers were doing in satellites titles too and the successors to Stern were fine. And, there was Kraven's Last Hunt of course
2-60s: Ditko, Romita Sr, Stan Lee. Nuff Said
3-2000s: I really like Straczynski in ASM and Bendis in Ultimate Spider-Man. I can forgive The Other and OMD thanks to so many great stories done before and after. And it gave us Spider-Man Blue, by Loeb and Sale
4-2010s: I really like Slott and the whole Superior stuff. Afterwards, the run went down with some exceptions. Spencer has been fine thus far
5-1970s: I haven't read much of it, some stories I do like a lot, others not that much. But nothing that I hate yet
6-1990s: Clone Saga. Not even The Osborn Saga saved this one. And I really do love the Osborn Saga