Bad Spider-Man stories that you personally enjoyed?

[WebSlingWonder]

Well I did love the stuff with Virtue even if it did come off a bit mean spirited towards Superman.

That's good, but not the same Marvel Knights! The one I mentioned was the second volume, the five issue miniseries.

[JTHM]

I have a love/hate relationship with a lot of Dan Slott's arcs. Big Time, Ends of the Earth, Superior Spider-Man, All-New All-Different, Go Down Swinging. I heavily dislike Slott's characterization, especially how it evolved through the years, but at the same time I can't deny that the man took Spider-Man to new places and introduced interesting elements. He was not afraid to experiment, though he always went back to the status quo so that isn't a big praise. Still, I think it's a case where I like the outside of the house, not the outside. But I can't bring myself to entirely hate everything he made, or to not see the value of the things he introduced to the Spider-Mythos.

[Turlast]

Funny thing about Maximum Carnage is that there were many things I enjoyed about the story. I guess my biggest issue was that it dragged on longer than it should've. By the time I got to around issue #8 or so, I was ready for the story to just end. It took everything for me to finish it.

Mister Mets, you're the one that helped put me on to the Torment story. Oh, how I hated that one lol. Great artwork, but that story felt so weird to me.

[PCN24454]

I have a love/hate relationship with a lot of Dan Slott's arcs. Big Time, Ends of the Earth, Superior Spider-Man, All-New All-Different, Go Down Swinging. I heavily dislike Slott's characterization, especially how it evolved through the years, but at the same time I can't deny that the man took Spider-Man to new places and introduced interesting elements. He was not afraid to experiment, though he always went back to the status quo so that isn't a big praise. Still, I think it's a case where I like the outside of the house, not the outside. But I can't bring myself to entirely hate everything he made, or to not see the value of the things he introduced to the Spider-Mythos.

What about the arcs before those ones?

[Alan2099]

Maximum Carnage was loads of fun.

The Carnage family made for a great villain team and having Spider-man putting together all these small side characters and D-listers to try to fight it was a nice set up. These days you'd get some sort of Spider-Family crossover. I just miss the days when there were a bunch of minor superhero running around that Spider-man would gather together when he needed.

[primenumber101]

Funny thing about Maximum Carnage is that there were many things I enjoyed about the story. I guess my biggest issue was that it dragged on longer than it should've. By the time I got to around issue #8 or so, I was ready for the story to just end. It took everything for me to finish it.

Mister Mets, you're the one that helped put me on to the Torment story. Oh, how I hated that one lol. Great artwork, but that story felt so weird to me.

I definitely believe that Maximum Carnage storyline is one of Carnage's major arc. But I agree that the story seems repetitive and dragged on than it should be.

The whole story line was bascially...

1) Carnage and his gang wrecks the havok.
2) Spider-Man, Venom, and other heroes are came to stop.
3) Fight Scene! and Carnage got away
4) Heroes argue and blame each other for fail to stop Carnage.
5) Heroes reconcile and more heroes join in.
6) Repeat step 1)

[Spidey_62]

So far I've got Maximum Carnage, Torment, Quality of Life.

I'll add Spider-Man: Lifeline. I've seen some reviews rag on it but I love this mini-series very much. I don't think it's bad at all. It was an early story I read with the character but I think it really gives you a lot to chew on all in those 3 issues. It's a sequel to the original 60s tablet saga and refers to that continuity in an accessible way, but it stands on its own as a fun adventure romp totally tailored for Steve Rude's art. How can you not love seeing Steve Rude get to draw Spidey for 3 issues (those patented painted covers, man)? His Spidey moves with grace and everybody really has personality. Fabian Nicieza's got a good handle on the character as well, it's strange he never got more chances to write him. Spidey is snappy and astute, feels like a good update of Stan's 60s dialogue which is fitting as this was an early 2000s Marvel project coming right out of their bankruptcy and aiming to harken back to their past and just tell a simpler story in that fashion.

Steve Rude's Boomerang redesign is great here, too. His Lizard is also an underrated take, he's taaall and snakey. It took place during the era where MJ was presumed dead so he mentions it offhand once but spends more time grappling with the possibility of if he were given the choice to bring back Gwen, Captain Stacy, or Uncle Ben- what would he do? Just a fun book, wish more people talked about it and gave the Dude respect (that one review I saw complained about his art, come on!).

I have a love/hate relationship with a lot of Dan Slott's arcs. Big Time, Ends of the Earth, Superior Spider-Man, All-New All-Different, Go Down Swinging. I heavily dislike Slott's characterization, especially how it evolved through the years, but at the same time I can't deny that the man took Spider-Man to new places and introduced interesting elements. He was not afraid to experiment, though he always went back to the status quo so that isn't a big praise. Still, I think it's a case where I like the outside of the house, not the outside. But I can't bring myself to entirely hate everything he made, or to not see the value of the things he introduced to the Spider-Mythos.

I can understand that, I feel like I might be of similar mind. He had lots of new ideas but sometimes the actual characterization and things done to get things there didn't work for me a lot of times. Spider-Verse is one I don't enjoy. I was really excited for the event cause it seemed like a no-brainer finally teaming up tons of Spidey's in the comics but the whole thing was a drag with weird choices. It kinda bums me out seeing that story recommended so much on lists mostly from the basis that it's a big story and would influence things like the movie. Thankful the Spider-Verse movie exists to iron out the kinks and distill the comic story into a more airtight package that also simultaneously feels more joyous and appropriate for the character.

[PCN24454]

I liked Slott up until The Gauntlet storyline. It felt his work lost direction at the time.

[Mister Mets]

I definitely believe that Maximum Carnage storyline is one of Carnage's major arc. But I agree that the story seems repetitive and dragged on than it should be.

The whole story line was bascially...

1) Carnage and his gang wrecks the havok.
2) Spider-Man, Venom, and other heroes are came to stop.
3) Fight Scene! and Carnage got away
4) Heroes argue and blame each other for fail to stop Carnage.
5) Heroes reconcile and more heroes join in.
6) Repeat step 1)

I think there's potential in remaking it as a six issue mini-series or something. There are some good ideas and moments, but the execution often suffers.

A Spider-Man Blue type retelling could be nice.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Thankful the Spider-Verse movie exists to iron out the kinks and distill the comic story into a more airtight package that also simultaneously feels more joyous and appropriate for the character.

Into the Spider-Verse just borrowed the title but otherwise has nothing whatsoever to do with Slott in any shape or form. None of the characters in that story are created by him, nor are any plot elements borrowed from the Spider-Verse event. The version of Doctor Octopus there has nothing at all to do with his take on the character.

[Ozymandias]

Way back in the day (over 40 years ago) I liked Clifton Shallot's impersonation of the Vulture.

[Spidey_62]

Into the Spider-Verse just borrowed the title but otherwise has nothing whatsoever to do with Slott in any shape or form. None of the characters in that story are created by him, nor are any plot elements borrowed from the Spider-Verse event. The version of Doctor Octopus there has nothing at all to do with his take on the character.

I'm well aware. Like I said, I wasn't a fan of the comic story, as much as I wanted to like it going into it. I dropped ASM after Superior because I really didn't like the direction the book was going after Peter returned but I hopped back on months later with Spider-Verse. That's why I'm glad the movie took away all the fluff and made it feel more at home being a Spider-Man story (more science-based reasoning for the dimension hopping, Kingpin being the main villain and having human motivation to use the technology). It was more tight and on brand for the character's world than a million spider-people fighting for survival against mystical battles of endless side-quests with Morlun's family of energy vampires. Plus having Miles be the star of the story instead of Peter and combining it with elements the Spider-Men story was pretty genius and just better cuts to the core of what the franchise means than what the actual comic did with trying to make it about how Peter is so important yet he doesn't really shine in the book at all.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I'm well aware. Like I said, I wasn't a fan of the comic story, as much as I wanted to like it going into it. I dropped ASM after Superior because I really didn't like the direction the book was going after Peter returned but I hopped back on months later with Spider-Verse. That's why I'm glad the movie took away all the fluff and made it feel more at home being a Spider-Man story (more science-based reasoning for the dimension hopping, Kingpin being the main villain and having human motivation to use the technology). It was more tight and on brand for the character's world than a million spider-people fighting for survival against mystical battles of endless side-quests with Morlun's family of energy vampires. Plus having Miles be the star of the story instead of Peter and combining it with elements the Spider-Men story was pretty genius and just better cuts to the core of what the franchise means than what the actual comic did with trying to make it about how Peter is so important yet he doesn't really shine in the book at all.

That's an example of Slott not entirely grasping the meaning of the premise. The very fact that one can conceive of a story like Spider-Verse demands the existence of multiple versions of Peter Parker and many alternate versions of the character. It draws its value from the alternate versions of Peter Parker. If there had not been Spider-Man from the cartoons, Spider-Man from the newspaper strip, Spider-Man from Noir, Spider-Girl, Spider-Man 2099, and so on, what possible reason would there be for a Spider-Verse. You can't do a story that fundamentally depends on other versions of Peter and then tell the story that 616 Peter is truly special...that's not going to fly with the reader at all because the very concept and idea of the story weighs heavily against that premise.

Whereas Spider-Men, the original crossover, was fundamentally about Peter accepting Miles as Spider-Man and the idea that Spider-Man was a mantle anyone could claim. So that led to ITSV where "anyone can wear a mask". The fact that there's no real Peter Parker in the story emphasizes that.

[Scott Taylor]

Sins Past is an all around panned story, considered bad, bad, bad. It gets discussed regularly as one of the worst. And its imagery is quite heinous, from Norman's o-face to Peter stabbing Gwen's dead body to get a DNA sample. The timeline is way off and makes no sense with the published comic history. Its the absolute weirdest flex by a Spider-writer since the original Clone Saga came about.

But I like it.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

But I like it.

Can you tell me what you like about it? No jokes, and no bashing here. There are some parts of the story I find interesting (I think the opening issue is fine for the most part).