Knowing it’s ending, how would you rate Spencer’s run?

[xpyred]

I found Hunted to be utterly pointless. I’m a world where fans complain about clones, Hunted gave us another Kraven the Hunter death and then he’s replaced… but a clone? Where is the uproar? Kraven’s story ended with Kraven’s Last Hunt. Marvel had a decent opportunity by using Kraven’s children and they squandered it all and then gave us a clone of Kraven.

To be honest, I actually had to go back and read Spencer’s run from the beginning a few days ago. I didn’t remember a single plot other than the dragged out Kindred story. Reading it all again, I can say I honestly don’t even remember a lot of this stuff. That’s pretty bad considering how much I do recall from everything between the 90’s Clone Saga and the end of Superior.

[exile001]

I'll wait 'til it's over to make a final judgement but overall it was fine. I enjoyed it enough without ever feeling like I was reading a classic.

What I will say is that everything that bugged me in the first arc were largely the same flaws prevalent throughout the run.

Focus on action over substance, everybody one-upping Peter/Spidey, unique/interesting ways to explore the character skipped over, lack of character depth in general, nods to lesser known parts of Spidery lore for no reason other than to reference them, Kindred talking to the audience and being vague.

It picked up other frustrating elements as it went, such as just dropping stuff for months at a time such as College, how Peter found money, huge sub-plots (the Time Tablet story and Kingpin endorsing Spidey).

Also, and this i Marvel's fault, cycling through artists is always dire. Especially in the same arc. They clearly had no plan for Ottley's exit and it really spoiled Last Rites for me.

[Celgress]

High points/low points?

I realise with the Kindred stuff, we can’t really tell how good and how much of an impact this run will have on Spider-Man going forward. But we can sure speculate. What do you guys think?

I think - if it sticks the landing with everything it’s promised (addressing OMD in some capacity, Peter/MJ relationship, satisfying conclusion to Harry) it really could be one of the best. But it literally comes down to the landing. If it falters in anyway, I fear it’s going to drop into being a forgettable run with a few high points.

High points -
Sins Rising. 850 was fabulous.
Low points -
Whatever the hell that 2099 story was trying to be.

I agree with you 100%. EVERYTHING will come down to the ending. Its conclusion will determine if this is an average run or an epic run, for me at least. My biggest fear is the "Lost Effect" (previously called the Chris Carter or X-Files Effect); Spencer doesn't get a chance to or bothers to resolve the Kindred mystery(ies).

Lost Effect -

"The Lost Effect happens when a work is wholly focused on twists or not building up to a satisfactory resolution, or the plot gets so bloated by nagging questions that there are no major payoffs"

[Batman Begins 2005]

Spencer got the voices particularly Peter, MJ, Norman, Kingpin and Black Cat. That's the biggest strength of the run. Spencer redeemed Black Cat from Dan Slott so that's another plus.

Back to Basics, Heist, the Gibbon story and Sins Rising, particularly #850 from that are the standout stories.

Pacing problems. OMD teases and Last Remains are key examples of that.

The events. Hunted and Last Remains had their moments. 2099 was truly terrible.

The build with Kindred was memorable unlike the payoff so far.

Too many supplementary issues: Hunted, Last Remains and added extra size issues to go with what was happening in ASM.

[FFJamie94]

It was fine.
The good parts where great and the low points where inoffensive. The only time the comic ever truly dipped in quality is the 2099 arc. And that was only two issues.
The comic had pacing issues during the second half of the run, but most of it was fine.

I don't think he did anything outstanding, but it didn't really need it. I do look forward to seeing what another writer can do now they are basically on a clean slate.

The issues I have are really down to the triple shipping and one shot issues the run had. One is fine, but it can get rather jarring at times. Especially if they are used to end a story arc.

Overall, it's fine. Enjoyable if unremarkable. I'll be likely to go back to it at some point.

Still, that Hunted arc was the best of the run.

[NC_Yankee]

High points/low points?

I realise with the Kindred stuff, we can’t really tell how good and how much of an impact this run will have on Spider-Man going forward. But we can sure speculate. What do you guys think?

I think - if it sticks the landing with everything it’s promised (addressing OMD in some capacity, Peter/MJ relationship, satisfying conclusion to Harry) it really could be one of the best. But it literally comes down to the landing. If it falters in anyway, I fear it’s going to drop into being a forgettable run with a few high points.

High points -
Sins Rising. 850 was fabulous.
Low points -
Whatever the hell that 2099 story was trying to be.

High points: Hunted ( especially Gibbon) Norman saving MJ and separating Peter from Spider-Man. Low points: Damsel In Distress, 2099 and Kingpin. Doom was a tremendous missed opportunity, so was not using Kingsley when he used everyone else. I am going for now with a “C” If he “sticks the landing” and OMD goes away a “B” if he teases and does nothing a grade of “D” (especially after Strange and Mephisto panel).

[Riv86672]

Don't cry that it's over, be glad it happened.

On the whole it's quite a solid consistent run, it's funny, action-driven, character-centered. It's got great single issues and great stories.
-- HUNTED
-- ASM#1
-- "Trivia Night" ASM#5-6
-- ASM#25, #29, #60 (what I'm calling "The MJ trilogy")
-- ASM#850 aka the greatest Green Goblin story since Paul Jenkins and Mark Millar wrote Spider-Man.

——————

Spencer's Run > O'Neill, Wein, Wolfman, The 2nd Clone Saga and Post-Clone Saga, BND, Dan Slott.
On par with = Tom Defalco.
More consistent (if not as great) than --> Lee-Romita, David Michelinie

^^^That’s a lot more concise than what I was just typing up.
Honestly, it’s the first time in over twenty years that I’ve really enjoyed Spider-man, much less collected his book regularly.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

^^^That’s a lot more concise than what I was just typing up.
Honestly, it’s the first time in over twenty years that I’ve really enjoyed Spider-man, much less collected his book regularly.

Same here, thanks!!!

[PCN24454]

I got bored during the Hunted story arc, so I'd rate it pretty low.

[bigstupidjellyfish]

Spencer’s run was **** trash. If I wanted to read 80’s Spider-Man, I’d read 80’s Spider-Man.

It’s worse than the Bob Gale issues of BND.

[Dinosaur Hulk]

Depends on the ending, but for me... it's 5/10. 6 max. A lot of boring staff, filler issues, few really great moments (the most of them at the very beggining). I enjoyed Superior Foes much, much more than I did Amazing.

Best issues for me: # 60 (MJ), issues with Gog and Jonah, Trivia Night, Black Cat and Gibbon one-shots during Hunted.

[Spiderfan001]

This run has gotten so much praise on other sites and most youtubers and commentators love it.
CBR is the only place people are hating on it and for no good reason.
Again he fixed Peter's character, gave him growth.
Gave us Peter and MJ.
Fixed Black Cat.
Killed Kraven in a way that was respectful to last hunt.
And all this is just the top of the tower.
People out here really defending trash like Slott and Superior and then saying this run is bad.

[exile001]

This run has gotten so much praise on other sites and most youtubers and commentators love it.
CBR is the only place people are hating on it and for no good reason.
Again he fixed Peter's character, gave him growth.
Gave us Peter and MJ.
Fixed Black Cat.
Killed Kraven in a way that was respectful to last hunt.
And all this is just the top of the tower.
People out here really defending trash like Slott and Superior and then saying this run is bad.

I don't see anybody really hating on it, and most of us who think it's okay or mediocre have given reasons.

Sorry we don't agree with the consensus of "other sites and most youtubers and commentators" but frankly I don't care to echo their opinions. I and others here have given their own opinions, good and bad.

[Morgoth]

It's the case when it mostly depends on its' ending. Spencer raised the stakes when it became clear that this was all about OMD, and many people had certain expectations and hopes. If they do not come true, then I'm afraid this will fail his entire run. At least in the eyes of the fans. So, we'll see.

[bigstupidjellyfish]

This run has gotten so much praise on other sites and most youtubers and commentators love it.
CBR is the only place people are hating on it and for no good reason.
Again he fixed Peter's character, gave him growth.
Gave us Peter and MJ.
Fixed Black Cat.
Killed Kraven in a way that was respectful to last hunt.
And all this is just the top of the tower.
People out here really defending trash like Slott and Superior and then saying this run is bad.

It’s not just this site that hates Spencer’s run. Reddit hates it, Twitter hates it, a lot of comic critics hate it, I’m in like five comics discords and in each one we all **** on it.

Let’s be real, Spencer’s run is Spider-Man for fake nerd boys.