I'm currently going back and reading the MU from the beginning using a chronological reading list. One thing I've noticed is that while I like reading characters like Thor, Cap, Hulk, Iron Man, the Avengers, etc. right off the bat Spider-Man just became really readable. I always look forward to reading the next issue because the quality is that good. He didn't stumble like some characters did in the beginning. He had good villains and good stories from the get go. But it also could have gone horribly wrong. My question is, what was that X-factor? The reliability? I mean Ditko and Lee, sure. But once you get past them how does the momentum keep going? And I'm curious, how was Spider-Man doing during Chris Claremont's 17 year run on X-Men?