Is JMS run actually THAT good?

[Batman Begins 2005]

JMS is an excellent writer, and he did so many great things with Spider-Man.

Having said that, I can't get over the awfulness of Sins Past and One More Day, even giving him the benefit of doubt that both stories were heavily influenced by editorial (especially in the case of OMD). It taints the entire run for me.

I said same thing. Those really taint JMS run and he did more good for Spider-Man than bad.

[Ozymandias]

It was. Same for Dan Slott.

Not exactly the same. The number of people who think his run was great will greatly decrease in a decade (it probably already has, a little).

[Flash Fan #1]

His run has a very special place in my heart. The first issue I got from his time on the book was part 3 of 'Sins Past'. By that point, I had fallen of comics for a long time and was excited to start picking up Spider-Man again. While I know that story rubbed people the wrong way, it was a big deal for me at the time. The idea of Peter's world being shaken like it was just grabbed my attention.

The art by Deodato Jr. was real, real good, too. It had a modern, yet classic style and feel to it.

[xpyred]

Currently rereading this run and honestly the first half is pretty good. Everything up to Sins Past isn't bad. But Sins Past and Skin Deep aren't good at all. I'm undecided on the New Avengers arc because I'm currently reading it. My only question is this - after all these years I have no idea what the hell Peter Was dying of leading to the events of The Other. Does any one know what he was dying of?

[Cyberstrike]

I think JMS' best work for Marvel was Supreme Power and The Twelve and those two IMHO were actually great series, his run on The Amazing Spider-Man was good but I do think after Sins Past, the rest of his run he had clearly overstayed his welcome and was dialing a lot of it in and a lot of it seemed boring or was having to deal with Marvel editorial meddling with his work but it's also my opinion tht even without the meddling of Marvel editorial Sins Past probably would've still sucked...just in a different way.

[Scott Taylor]

At the time when it was coming out, I didn't read it other than an issue here and there. So I came to the run mostly afterwards, during the BND era.

Personally I enjoyed all the chances JMS took with the character. He was allowed to do it because of the impending OMD reset, which overshadowed his whole run, so for that reason the run has a unique place in Spider history. Literally nothing he could do would end up sticking around except for, oddly, Sins Past. Guess editorial weren't paying very close attention that day!

The run holds up still in my opinion. Especially the early-middle stuff. I'd re-read the whole thing with pleasure anytime. But hey its art, its subjective.

[MyriVerse]

People who don't like the totem stuff generally misunderstand it. The point of it was that Peter's Spider-Man had become mythical. Whether or not it's true is irrelevant - the fact there are people who believe it to be true is what is relevant.

It is also meant to parallel Peter's life as Spider-Man to his life as a high school teacher. Point is that Peter has fully reached adulthood and there are now people looking up to him (younger people especially) the same way they look up to people in real life.

No, because the Totem stuff actually extends to before Parker and transcends Parker. The point was, and why it was so bad was, it removes Peter's importance.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

No, because the Totem stuff actually extends to before Parker and transcends Parker. The point was, and why it was so bad was, it removes Peter's importance.

In what sense does it remove Peter's importance? If anything, the idea that there are people in the MU who believe the Totem stuff and compare Spider-Man to Anansi makes Peter more important than he was pre-JMS. Anansi is a mythical figure that historically meant a lot to people.

It also makes Spider-Man feel like a DC character in the sense that he embodies a larger-than-life idea and isn't just another superhero. If Superman is Modern Zeus and Batman is Modern Hades, Spider-Man being Modern Anansi makes perfect sense.

[Scott Taylor]

By that logic, Peter's entire supporting cast removes his importance, as do his webshooters, costume, New York itself and the Spidermobile as well.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

In what sense does it remove Peter's importance? If anything, the idea that there are people in the MU who believe the Totem stuff and compare Spider-Man to Anansi makes Peter more important than he was pre-JMS. Anansi is a mythical figure that historically meant a lot to people.

It also makes Spider-Man feel like a DC character in the sense that he embodies a larger-than-life idea and isn't just another superhero. If Superman is Modern Zeus and Batman is Modern Hades, Spider-Man being Modern Anansi makes perfect sense.

The Spider-Totem does lend a mythical dimension to Spider-Man's story the same way Superman and Batman are modern myths. Superman embodies the mythical everyman and immigrant, a modern Moses. Batman is the modern Odysseus (as Justice League Unlimited confirmed), the cunning warrior who outsmarts and overcomes all odds and defies the gods. Spider-Man is the trickster and survivor who is both powerful and oppressed, but forever human.

By that logic, Peter's entire supporting cast removes his importance, as do his webshooters, costume, New York itself and the Spidermobile as well.

True that.

The point was, and why it was so bad was, it removes Peter's importance.

If you mean the nature of Peter Parker as the one true Spider-Man, and the only Spider-Man...well you are hankering at the docks at a ship that's set sail years ago and already docked the port of its destination a long time before you started hollering.

We live in the Age of Miles Morales, the time of Spider-Gwen, the indignity of Spider-Octopus. The most beloved Spider-Man movie in recent memory has the tagline "Anyone can wear the mask?" The idea of Peter as being the only Spider-Man, the importance of that isn't as definite and everlasting as it once was.

[PCN24454]

By that logic, Peter's entire supporting cast removes his importance, as do his webshooters, costume, New York itself and the Spidermobile as well.

Considering how often they get discarded, you could argue that it's true.

[Alan2099]

In what sense does it remove Peter's importance? If anything, the idea that there are people in the MU who believe the Totem stuff and compare Spider-Man to Anansi makes Peter more important than he was pre-JMS. Anansi is a mythical figure that historically meant a lot to people.

It also makes Spider-Man feel like a DC character in the sense that he embodies a larger-than-life idea and isn't just another superhero. If Superman is Modern Zeus and Batman is Modern Hades, Spider-Man being Modern Anansi makes perfect sense.

That feels like the exact opposite of what Spider-man has always been.

He's not a larger than life god-like icon. He's a more or less normal schmoe that's doing his best to do the right thing.

And yes, making him a mythic figure does remove some of his importance. It elevates what he does to a higher unreachable standard rather than letting it stand as the actions of a regular guy trying his best and not always succeeding.

If you want DC-like heroes, you should go read DC comics.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

He's not a larger than life god-like icon.

Check out the float on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

[PCN24454]

That feels like the exact opposite of what Spider-man has always been.

He's not a larger than life god-like icon. He's a more or less normal schmoe that's doing his best to do the right thing.

And yes, making him a mythic figure does remove some of his importance. It elevates what he does to a higher unreachable standard rather than letting it stand as the actions of a regular guy trying his best and not always succeeding.

If you want DC-like heroes, you should go read DC comics.

That feels like a toxic mentality that limits the choices of stories that Spider-Man can be involved in.

Look at Kindred. How many people are bothered by his obviously demonic nature? Not enough to hear complaints about it.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

That feels like the exact opposite of what Spider-man has always been.

He's not a larger than life god-like icon. He's a more or less normal schmoe that's doing his best to do the right thing.

And yes, making him a mythic figure does remove some of his importance. It elevates what he does to a higher unreachable standard rather than letting it stand as the actions of a regular guy trying his best and not always succeeding.

If you want DC-like heroes, you should go read DC comics.

To quote Grant Morrison, gods are just our eternal qualities.

Literally nothing about that contradicts Peter Parker being a regular guy.

Also, if Spider-Man being viewed as a mythic figure is problematic, we are decades too late now.