I do like The Daydreamers but Confessions is much better, IMO.
Confessions
I'm surprised Confessions isn't getting more love. IMO, The Daydreamers is a nice story. It's not mindblowing that Jameson wants to beat up Spider-Man or that Black Cat wishes Spider-Man would blur the moral line. It was okay. Confessions set the tone for next 10 years of ultimate Peter/MJ.
Confessions!
"The Daydreamers" is a practically forgotten issue compared to "Confessions" so it's bizarre to treat the latter as needing more love. The former is the underdog.
Confessions is an excellent issue but what it amounts to is converting the status-quo in Ultimate Marvel and Ultimate Spider-Man into the one that's been in 616 Marvel since the mid-80s.
"The Daydreamers" is about a lot more than the stuff you mention. It's got a lot of intricate psychology in each of the sketches featured there, and how each sketch works in parallel and counterpoint to one another. It's the kind of stuff that if it happened in indie comics it would get praise but because it happens in Spider-Man in an issue focusing on characters' interiority and psychology it passes unnoticed.
Daydreamers isn't an underdog in this contest. I'm not big on Ultimate Spider-Man threads and I didn't know Confessions is such a landmark issue. So not sure it's bizarre for me to question why everyone is going for a run of the mill story like Daydreamers.
Given your comments I'll definitely go back and read it.
"Anyone can win a fight when the odds are easy! It's when the going's tough - when there seems to be no chance - that's when it counts!" - Spider-Man
Confessions wins 4 - 2
Stage 1, Round 8:
Spider-Man: Big Time #10 - The Choice by Frank Tieri and Javier Rodriguez
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Synopsis: Magnetic Man makes his ferociously charged debut! What does he have in store for our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?
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The Amazing Spider-Man #39 - Meanwhile... by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.
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Synopsis: Okay, Aunt May knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man... now what?! The wall-crawler continues to reel in the aftermath of the startling revelations in issue #35!
"Anyone can win a fight when the odds are easy! It's when the going's tough - when there seems to be no chance - that's when it counts!" - Spider-Man
I love the 'Nuff Said issue for how well JMS utilized the creative concept, and since it followed the stellar previous issue (The Conversation - which is gonna be part of this contest very soon!) very well. However, I do feel like it's a step down from the previous issue while still covering a lot of the same ground. On the other hand, I think The Choice is a brilliant look at Peter from another perspective that we don't often see - the villain's. What makes this story so special to me is that it's one of the few times we see Peter actually taking a major role in rehabilitating a villain rather than just taking them down and walking away. So, I'm giving it my vote.
"Anyone can win a fight when the odds are easy! It's when the going's tough - when there seems to be no chance - that's when it counts!" - Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man #39 - Meanwhile... (J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.)
The Amazing Spider-Man #39 - Meanwhile... (J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.)
This issue was very special to me at the time and will always be one of my favorites.
The Amazing Spider-Man #39 - Meanwhile... (J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.)