Is JMS run actually THAT good?

[From The Shadows]

I didn't like it at all, or that Spider God stuff and didn't realize it was so popular.

[WebSlingWonder]

This is a good time for me to pretty much exit superhero comics for a while. If all it devolves into is pettiness and squabbles, then I don't think I want to be a part of it. This thread has honestly disheartened me and I don't wish to speak to any of you again.

[Doctor Know]

I was fortunate enough to buy both volumes of JMS’ run in omnibus format before the price scalpers on EBay took root. I haven’t opened them yet but man... Reading this thread, what am I in store for?

Haha

[PCN24454]

I was fortunate enough to buy both volumes of JMS’ run in omnibus format before the price scalpers on EBay took root. I haven’t opened them yet but man... Reading this thread, what am I in store for?

Haha

You should always form your own opinion on things even with recommendations.

[PCN24454]

I didn't like it at all, or that Spider God stuff and didn't realize it was so popular.

It's not popular, even by people who accept that it happened.

[Batman Begins 2005]

I split JMS' run into two parts, those with JRJR (38 issues) and after. The former, great stuff in Coming Home, The Conversation and Doomed Affairs. Three of the best Spider-Man stories ever. Post JRJR isn't as good, I liked the New Avengers story and Back in Black. JMS tainted his run with Sins Past and OMD. Those are the two worst Spider-Man stories ever.

Overall I liked JMS Spider-Man run with the three standout stories I referred to and how well he wrote a mature Peter Parker, Mary Jane and especially Aunt May. This is a divisive run, same goes for Dan Slott's time on the title.

[Ozymandias]

Answering the OP's question, I'd say that nearly 70% is either interesting or good. That said, it's not as if I bought them off the racks and later sold the 30% I think is just "regular" stuff. I had quite a bumpy and difficult relationship with his run, but in the end, I bought 52 comics, which makes it the longest Spider-Man run in my collection.

At first, my main complain was how much it resembled what Alan Moore had done with Swamp Thing: replacing "science" with magic, the "Parliament of Spiders", his connection with spiders (the green)...

Shortly after he came too strong on selling Morlun, which was a nice character, but would've been more so without the whole "I've never been hit that hard" nonsense.

And last but not least, the 9/11 issue. Even though Jack explained to me how come "Doom" was the crying type all of a sudden, I still don't find it interesting. It's not as lame but not something I'm invested in.

At the time, I was trying to limit my monthly shopping, so ASM didn't make the cut. Later I would come to regret my decision, because no other writer has done anything interesting with the character, but I still debated for years about which issues where worth tracking down. The lockdown finally gave a chance to reflect on this and I came to a final buying decision.

[shooshoomanjoe]

The only good that came out of one more day is undoing the mysticism crap JMS brought.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

The only good that came out of one more day is undoing the mysticism crap JMS brought.

Have you read Spider-Verse by Dan Slott? The entire story, its many spinoffs and so on, all revolves on the Spider-Totem. Not only is the mysticism not undone by OMD, but Slott made the Totem far more central to the mythos and far more literal than JMS' ever did.

So yeah, JMS' Spider-Totem and Morlun are now a central part of Spider-Lore far more than ever before.

Deal with it.

Mad Max FR I live meme.jpg

[Frontier]

Have you read Spider-Verse by Dan Slott? The entire story, its many spinoffs and so on, all revolves on the Spider-Totem. Not only is the mysticism not undone by OMD, but Slott made the Totem far more central to the mythos and far more literal than JMS' ever did.

So yeah, JMS' Spider-Totem and Morlun are now a central part of Spider-Lore far more than ever before.

Deal with it.

Mad Max FR I live meme.jpg

...Not that I would say Spider-Verse is a glowing recommendation of the concepts.

[Alan2099]

Have you read Spider-Verse by Dan Slott? The entire story, its many spinoffs and so on, all revolves on the Spider-Totem. Not only is the mysticism not undone by OMD, but Slott made the Totem far more central to the mythos and far more literal than JMS' ever did.

I don't even think the totem aspect was central to the Spider-Verse story.

The central idea was that there was the Spider-men in different realities getting together because something was hunting them down. The actual totem part of that felt like a minor detail at best. It certainly wasn't as in your face with the idea as JMS was.

[Jekyll]

I split JMS' run into two parts, those with JRJR (38 issues) and after. The former, great stuff in Coming Home, The Conversation and Doomed Affairs. Three of the best Spider-Man stories ever. Post JRJR isn't as good, I liked the New Avengers story and Back in Black. JMS tainted his run with Sins Past and OMD. Those are the two worst Spider-Man stories ever.

Overall I liked JMS Spider-Man run with the three standout stories I referred to and how well he wrote a mature Peter Parker, Mary Jane and especially Aunt May. This is a divisive run, same goes for Dan Slott's time on the title.

My feelings as well. I really enjoyed this run, especially the new avengers and Civil War parts. I also loved the fact we finally got to read a grown, mature Peter Parker and not the idiot man child that so many try to write him as now a days. In addition I thought the science teacher was an interesting role to see Peter in and this run gave me one of my favorite moments, where Kingpin finally got what was coming to him.

I have never and will never read OMD and yes, sins Past, is awful..........but overall I still really enjoy this run. To anyone on the fence give it a try!

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I don't even think the totem aspect was central to the Spider-Verse story.

What was central to the story was Morlun and his Inheritors hunting down beloved AU versions of Spider-Man. So yeah, the totem was central to that story. Each Spider-Man in different AU had a totem that Morlun and his inheritors ate up and consumed.

It certainly wasn't as in your face with the idea as JMS was.

Slott created an entire storyline populated by AU versions of Peter taking place on an interdimensional realm connected by the totemic energy. It's not in-your-face...no. It's all over the place, it's literally the place of Spider-Verse.

Whereas JMS set his story entirely in Marvel 616 reality and connected the struggle against Morlun and the Mystery of Ezekiel to Peter's lived everyday which was totally mundane to contrast against his magical realist element.

...Not that I would say Spider-Verse is a glowing recommendation of the concepts.

Neither would I. But the fact is that OMD didn't remove any mystical elements from JMS. Slott went ahead and double and tripled down the totem and created an entire sub-franchise based around it.

The idea that OMD and BND somehow created a more grounded real version of Spider-Man is ludicrous. JMS did that with Peter as a high school teacher, but in BND he was a paparazzi reporter (which yeah, that's plain relatable Pete there) before signing on with Horizon Labs and working for Neo-Garid, and then having his body hijacked and then Parker Industries. Not to mention again, the entire Spider-Verse story.

[Spidey_62]

JMS definitely benefited from having the Spidey DNA artistically with him for the first 38 issues with JRJR. I think that's JRJR's best work on the character, probably from being energized by the freshness of JMS' scripts and the combination of Scott Hanna inking him pretty tightly with the slick digital coloring. JRJR was pretty much working on Spidey books consistently since 1995 after his 80s stint with Stern and O'Neil. I think it's pretty fun seeing how deft his work was with JMS writing, like he got new passion all over again for drawing the character. I don't quite get the decision to put JRJR with looser inkers like when he would return to the title for the three BND stories, it just doesn't look as good on Spider-Man when he's inked by somebody who isn't tightening up his pencils and is being colored by someone who makes it all look muddy and painterly on top of it.

Just in general the concepts of the totems were pretty restrained in JMS' run compared to Spider-Verse. I gotta agree there, that really left nothing to the imagination and just threw it all on the plate.

[Frontier]

Neither would I. But the fact is that OMD didn't remove any mystical elements from JMS. Slott went ahead and double and tripled down the totem and created an entire sub-franchise based around it.

And arguably emphasized how out of sorts that stuff is from mainline, traditional, Spider-Man.