Man I remember reading all the trades of JMS's run like 12 years ago and just remember really enjoying it. Now I'm second guessing my own taste, haha.
Man I remember reading all the trades of JMS's run like 12 years ago and just remember really enjoying it. Now I'm second guessing my own taste, haha.
Coming Home is one of my favorite Spidey stories, I think it's the excellent grasp on Peter, putting him into a smart role teaching at his old high school, making him question his beliefs and come out on the other end stronger, the relentless fight between Spidey and Morlun... it's great. Plus the follow-up with Aunt May. I think that whole first year was a really different type of approach to the character that worked because it stripped things down to the bare basics, taking all of what Peter's gone through before and presenting him as a dude who's learned from all that and is just trying his best to move forward, and it tried new ideas like having new villains with a bit of a magical element. The work in Jenkins title at the same time pretty much also offered a similar perspective with Peter but had more of the classic villains showing up where Doc Ock was the only classic villain that showed up for years in JMS's run. Kinda funny actually how the b-title had more of the heavy hitting classic villain stories like Death in The Family at the time.
I think the run isn't as strong past #500 but it still sticks the landing by the time JRJR departs. Sins Past and onward I just do not care for at all, like a flip switches and it doesn't click for me. There's good moments in a lot of the stories from that point on still, but the stories just weren't going in good directions with the heavier editorial oversight. I hate The Other, the Avengers story is alright, don't care for the Civil War tie ins or Back in Black either. Crashed and burned by OMD, what a travesty there needless to say.
Personally, and I know its a somewhat unpopular opinion, but I've always liked the spiritual and mystic elements that JMS introduced in his run. A character as old as Spider-Man is always bound to step on the same threads, no pun intent, but also bound to eventually experiment in different areas and I think that stepping into more mystic territory outside of his comfort zone of low Sci-fi was interesting, I liked the Spider-Totem stuff and I don't feel it was meant to replace his normal, mundane origin but rather both co-exist. And I don't know, Shathra and Morlun were cool back then.
Aside from that, I liked his take on an adult Peter. Yes, I can understand the complains about how it wasn't continuity friendly. But I am a new reader, I was still crawling (or maybe not even alive) When the change happened, so I obviously wasn't following the book and I just read JMS in the vacuum that it is, and in that context I enjoyed his take. Peter felt mature and like a proper adult and, for me, that version should be the basics when you want to write an older Spider-Man. MJ and Aunt May were never my favorite characters, but I enjoyed them in this run nonetheless and they never felt bothersome, even if the dynamic of the trio felt a bit small to me.
Overall, I think it has great moments and concepts that speak to a lot of people, which is why is such a debated and popular run even to this day. I wouldn't say its my all time favorite, but I certainly enjoyed it and, again, I feel that JMS' takes on an older Spider-Man and his cast should be quintessential when someone is trying to write him that way.
I’ve never enjoyed JMS. I’ve not really liked anything he’s written. Spider-Man is no exception.
The 9/11 issue might be one of the worst and most tone deaf things I’ve read in comics.
*The above is my opinion and my opinion only*
Purple Monkey Dishwasher
Preach.
It absolutely was continuity friendly and JMS' Peter is totally in-keeping with the character written by Lee-Ditko, Romita, Conway, Stern, Defalco, Michelinie, and also Mantlo, PAD, DeMatteis and Jenkins in Spectacular.Aside from that, I liked his take on an adult Peter. Yes, I can understand the complains about how it wasn't continuity friendly.
Well that's what JMS was hired for. Wipe the slate clean of the stuff that clogged ASM until then and provide a new jumping in point for readers.When the change happened, so I obviously wasn't following the book and I just read JMS in the vacuum that it is, and in that context I enjoyed his take.
From a story perspective, it’s incredibly jarring and pretty much ignores the massive cliffhanger of the previous book.
Unfortunately, JMS and a lot of Marvel writers live and worked in/near New York. The attacks hit way closer to home than any other the writers were prepared to deal with.
It’s likely the reason why they had to make this sort of story, even if it’s out-of-place. It was their way of coping with the tragedy.
That’s what I tell myself whenever I feel like complaining about it.
The 9/11 issue opens with a card saying to the effect that "we interrupt our normal scheduled program". It's made clear that this is non-canonical, break-the-fourth-wall stuff.
That issue was super meaningful to many people at that time. Kids across America got a hold of that comic. As did many people on the ground and around that area to process what they are going with.
John Romita Jr. and the editor of the comic talks about that here. Apparently JMS just wrote the words to this, and didn't do a panel by panel breakdown. As such, as the editor and Romita Jr. make clear, JMS wasn't responsible for the panel with Marvel villains grieving.
OMD certainly, but Sins' Past is all JMS.
Quesada's involvement with that was vetoing the concept of Gwen being mother to Peter's children and he suggested Norman instead. But it was still JMS' call to take that and run with it, rather than simply spiking his story as it was becoming unworkable. Quesada is also responsible for not giving JMS a hard no to this concept as Shooter gave Mantlo in a similar situation. Quesada as EIC is a unique case of someone causing a mess by intervening beyond his job's confines and not intervening when he should be doing his job.
But ultimately, final responsibility rests with JMS and he himself has admitted that numerous times.
The Other was a story crossover that Marvel pitched and an ask to bring Morlun back which JMS didn't want to revisit at the time. But he still agreed to it, and since he didn't write every issue of that, you can't hold him completely responsible but you can to some extent. The concept of giving Spider-Man organic webbing which happened in Paul Jenkins' story, that was all Quesada, and not JMS.
So I blame Quesada for OMD and partial blame for The Other.
The story ideas may not be JMS, but the execution was all his, so he's in no way blameless.