Spider-Man 54 Discussion

[Hcmarvel]

Guys and gals...this was kind of a bad issue. I thought Spencer's run was really taking off during the Sin Eater arc, but I think Last Remains has been a big disappointment. I don't want to judge it too harshly yet, we need to see the conclusion, so to just stick to this issue - - it was decompression at its worst. Nothing was really advanced, nothing new was stated, just a, to be fair, quite brutal sequence that shows Harry means business. Well, we knew that. I usually don't whine about decompression because it's been the style of comics for almost 20 years now. It's a silly thing to complain about again and again. But for some reason it really bothered me here.

(changed Last Rites to Last Remains - thanks Vortex)

[Vortex85]

Guys and gals...this was kind of a bad issue. I thought Spencer's run was really taking off during the Sin Eater arc, but I think Last Rites has been a big disappointment. I don't want to judge it too harshly yet, we need to see the conclusion, so to just stick to this issue - - it was decompression at its worst. Nothing was really advanced, nothing new was stated, just a, to be fair, quite brutal sequence that shows Harry means business. Well, we knew that. I usually don't whine about decompression because it's been the style of comics for almost 20 years now. It's a silly thing to complain about again and again. But for some reason it really bothered me here.

Last Remains, not Last Rites.

[blackspidey2099]

Jesus Christ Spencer get to the damn point ffs... like I thought this issue as a whole was pretty decent but this arc as a whole is currently chasing down Spencer’s 2099 arc in terms of quality (or lack thereof). I don’t think I’ve been this annoyed and frustrated reading Spider-Man comics for years. The only thing holding my interest in this story are the possible OMD/Mephisto connections tbh.

[Vortex85]

Again, I am not frustrated by the pace since I've figured we wouldn't get a reveal until issue #55 as I stated multiple times now going back near the beginning of this arc. Further, if Harry's point is the deal then I am very glad the story is playing out this way. I've waiting for Peter to deal with the consequences of OMD for over 10 years. We only have one shot to show fallout from that bad decision, AND THEN IT'S OVER, YOU CAN'T GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN... so I don't want any of the gory details skipped as bad as that sounds. I think all those frustrated with the pace would have a very different opinion reading this arc all at once as opposed to waiting weeks between issues just wanting answers and nothing else.

If Harry had revealed what he wanted a few issues ago, then none of this brutal / tortuous sequence would have happened or had been necessary. Basically, Harry wants Peter to confess. He doesn't want to confess FOR Peter.

[asidx]

This had better have a huge payoff related to OMD....or I'm not buying another issue...Until the next one comes out

[NC_Yankee]

Again, I am not frustrated by the pace since I've figured we wouldn't get a reveal until issue #55 as I stated multiple times now going back near the beginning of this arc. Further, if Harry's point is the deal then I am very glad the story is playing out this way. I've waiting for Peter to deal with the consequences of OMD for over 10 years. We only have one shot to show fallout from that bad decision, AND THEN IT'S OVER, YOU CAN'T GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN... so I don't want any of the gory details skipped as bad as that sounds. I think all those frustrated with the pace would have a very different opinion reading this arc all at once as opposed to waiting weeks between issues just wanting answers and nothing else.

If Harry had revealed what he wanted a few issues ago, then none of this brutal / tortuous sequence would have happened or had been necessary. Basically, Harry wants Peter to confess. He doesn't want to confess FOR Peter.

I say maybe? It would be great if Harry was essentially “The Ghost of Christmas Future” and Peter is Scrooge ( we all know how they ended). But What if OMD remains and we went through two years of BS for nothing except being reminded of some of the worst issues in Spider-Man history?

[Jman27]

I say maybe? What if OMD remains and we went through two years of BS for nothing except being reminded of some of the worst issues in Spider-Man history?

you want another retcon? lets not be DC

[Webhead]

Come on, just get it over with.

[Vortex85]

I say maybe? It would be great if Harry was essentially “The Ghost of Christmas Future” and Peter is Scrooge ( we all know how they ended). But What if OMD remains and we went through two years of BS for nothing except being reminded of some of the worst issues in Spider-Man history?

I don't need OMD to necessarily be undone, not that I would complain if it was, but I do really need it acknowledged and I want the marriage referenced in canon again so the old stories all count in continuity in some way. For years Marvel acted like the marriage never happened. So to see it acknowledged by the characters and to see them dwell on it and take it into consideration for how to move forward would be extremely cathartic.

[Vortex85]

Just had a thought, I was thinking back on the solicits about issue 53 being "the most brutal Spidey fight EVERRR!!!1!!1" and after reading it I was like, what fight?

Well turns out they were referring to something in the story and it made me realize they were probably talking about issue #54. Ooops

Makes me wonder if there was some last minute re-ordering on the sequence of events in the story from what was originally planned when the solicits first came out?

[NC_Yankee]

I don't need OMD to necessarily be undone, not that I would complain if it was, but I do really need it acknowledged and I want the marriage referenced in canon again so the old stories all count in continuity in some way. For years Marvel acted like the marriage never happened. So to see it acknowledged by the characters and to see them dwell on it and take it into consideration for how to move forward would be extremely cathartic.

I have said it before and I will say it again: If OMD is not erased now then when? ASM 1000? The next writer? The primary reason I dropped ASM before ( although there were other issues) was the realization that Slott was not getting rid of that story. I am one person who has had it and am not willing to invest time waiting for OMD to finally end up in the trash can where it belongs.

[Hulkout42]

Harry is going to lose. You see so many stories in fiction where the bad guy ( or gal) decides to torture the hero instead of finishing them off once and for all ( you see that a lot in James Bond (especially Goldfinger)). What happens? They pay the price in the end. That will be Harry’s fate.

That's not really the out of the question so much that it is a natural conclusion, the real question should be if Peter also loses as well.

[Hulkout42]

I’ve really gotta wonder how Spencer can have that happen in some kind of believable manner. In this entire story, Harry’s been multiple steps ahead of Peter and has presented power beyond what Peter normally deals with, leaning more towards things that Doctor Strange would face. Peter hasn’t even presented his heroic resolve to rebuke the likes of what Harry or Sin Eater have been saying.

What if it's the case that it isn't Peter that beats him but rather that Harry proves whatever point he is making and end the game himself? Or what if this is just the set up for something else? Like it's revealed that Harry was really a servant of Mephisto all along and this was another way to keep OMD going? I mean Spencer has been alluding to it has he not?

[RyanParkerMan]

Another issue where nothing really happened. Halfway through the issue, the seeds for something other than OMD were laid which would be really disappointing. This was up there with the most gruesome and brutal issues of ASM I have ever read, but the brutality didn't connect with me emotionally. Peter didn't kill Flash, Harry's father did. Peter didn't kill MJ. Peter didn't kill Gwen. Harry's father did. So I didn't quite get what Kindred was getting at.

But again, no reveal to how Harry became Kindred, no OMD reveals, no MJ... the story continued to unravel this issue. Spence can still stick the landing.

[RyanParkerMan]

Guys and gals...this was kind of a bad issue. I thought Spencer's run was really taking off during the Sin Eater arc, but I think Last Rites has been a big disappointment. I don't want to judge it too harshly yet, we need to see the conclusion, so to just stick to this issue - - it was decompression at its worst. Nothing was really advanced, nothing new was stated, just a, to be fair, quite brutal sequence that shows Harry means business. Well, we knew that. I usually don't whine about decompression because it's been the style of comics for almost 20 years now. It's a silly thing to complain about again and again. But for some reason it really bothered me here.

You are spot on with this.

This storyline is decompression at it's worst. I'm not big into thinking writers write for trades now but that's really the only excuse for this many issues consecutively where nothing happens. Depending on how this wraps up, this storyline will read great in a trade, or not.