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  1. #16
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    Amazing Spider-Man Volume 5 #6-7:

    This two-parter is a Boomerang spotlight, and answers some questions about his reputation and what he's up to. Steve Lieber briefly provides tie-ins to the early Superior Foes mini-series which featured Spencer's debut on Boomerang (and might legitimately be Nick Spencer's best Marvel work; this is not a knock on his other work.) It's fun and sets up an interesting status quo in which Boomerang is on better terms with Peter and Spider-Man. His arc here is one of my favorites in the run.
    A-

    Amazing Spider-Man Volume 5 #8-10:


    This story brings the Thieves Guild to Spider-Man's world and it's accessible enough that it feels like a force that has been in the Marvel Universe for a while, and that is introduced in the pages of the comic (they've been in the Gambit comics before.) Their big return is a bit insulting given how easily they cause havoc for everyone in the Marvel Universe. And in another subplots that calls for various cameos, Carlie Cooper returns with a support group for friends and lovers of superheroes while MJ's trying to figure out what to do with their lives. It's a big Black Cat story, building on a previous cameo in "Back to Basics" where a new version of Spider-Man interacted with her, and it's fun to see them interact, where they have very different values, but it's also complicated by a realization of how she's been affected by some decisions of Spider-Man's, without being aware of it. Nick Spencer has a bit of a rep for trying to fix changes in the recent comics, and I think what he does what Black Cat is the most effective.
    B+
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  2. #17
    Extraordinary Member Jman27's Avatar
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    oh yeah the art was another problem I had with this run so inconsistent
    "He's pure power and doesn't even know it. He's the best of us."-Matt Murdock

    "I need a reason to take the mask off."-Peter Parker

    "My heart half-breaks at how easy it is to lie to him. It breaks all the way when he believes me without question." Felicia Hardy

  3. #18
    Astonishing Member your_name_here's Avatar
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    It’s a big shame that the run spiralled as bad as it did. It certainly felt like it wasn’t Spencer’s story by the end.

    Highlights were definitely Hunted, Sins Rising/Return of the Green Goblin and Last Remains.
    Then we had lows such as Sinister War, the 2099 stuff etc.

    But it was the first book that got me buying Spider-Man every issue since OMD. And since the run ended, I’ve not picked up one since. So it must say something for Spencer and this run….

  4. #19
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    I loved the first half, especially the "classic" stories with Mysterio, Lizard and all the famous villains. It had a '60s/'70s colourful vibe.
    The Kindred saga was great until Sinister War, then it became a complete mess. I was happy it retconned Sins Past, but the twist is so convoluted it became a joke.

  5. #20
    Really Feeling It! Kevinroc's Avatar
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    Spencer definitely fixed the Black Cat. He managed to put all the Queenpin stuff behind her. Thanks to that, Jed MacKay and co. were able to build off of what Spencer and co. did to launch a Black Cat series.

    I don't think that series happens without Spencer and what he and his artists did in ASM.

  6. #21
    Mighty Member scouse mouse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevinroc View Post
    Spencer definitely fixed the Black Cat. He managed to put all the Queenpin stuff behind her. Thanks to that, Jed MacKay and co. were able to build off of what Spencer and co. did to launch a Black Cat series.

    I don't think that series happens without Spencer and what he and his artists did in ASM.
    ASM 8-10 are my favourite issues of Spencer's run because he "fixed" Felicia. Pete re-revealing his identity was a wonderful moment.

  7. #22
    Spectacular Member hoth82's Avatar
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    It’s the run that got me back into reading Spider-Man again after having not read since around 1998-1999.

    Spencer did four things that absolutely make a good Spider-Man run for me.

    1. He got Peter and Mary Jane back together and treated them like a caring, loving couple that knew they needed each other. Every main writer before and after Spencer since OMD has done everything they can to keep them apart and make Mary Jane into an unlikable character.

    2. He repaired Peter and Felicia’s relationship.

    3. He didn’t make every waking moment of Peter’s life miserable. Even when Kindred gets to him, Peter had Mary Jane and the rest of the supporting cast to keep things from getting too dark.

    4. He tried to undo OMD and possibly restore the marriage. While that didn’t happen thanks to editorial, he was at least able to retcon one of the other most hated Spider-Man stories.


    It was one of my favorite runs since I first started reading in 1988. It was fun while it lasted.

    Since then, I’ve stopped buying again. I’m a lot older and I just don’t have the patience anymore for the constant misery that is Peter’s life and the constant damage done to Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship.
    Last edited by hoth82; 07-17-2022 at 04:52 PM.

  8. #23
    see beauty in all things. charliehustle415's Avatar
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    I just loved that Spencer brought in a new dynamic to the fold i.e. Boomerang

    I am surprised no one has done it before.

    Doc Ock got a bit tedious with his jackassery even though he was "friendly" with Peter, but with Boomy he was so fun and Peter's interactions with him were really good

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by scouse mouse View Post
    ASM 8-10 are my favourite issues of Spencer's run because he "fixed" Felicia. Pete re-revealing his identity was a wonderful moment.
    Agree. In fact that may have been the highlight of his entire run for me. Might have the most lasting impact of everything.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by hoth82 View Post
    I’m a lot older and I just don’t have the patience anymore for the constant misery that is Peter’s life and the constant damage done to Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship.
    I still have time for Spider-Man, either to enjoy it or to watch the train-wreck munching popcorn, but I don't accept 616 as the real canon anymore. Universes like MC2 are more 'legit' to me because Peter is much older, deals with the lasting effects of his superhero life, and has a believable job. 616 Peter is a continuous screw-up who sold out to the devil, it's blasphemous that he's supposed to be the 'chosen one' out of all the Peters in the Spider-Verse. He's no champion of good.

  11. #26
    Extraordinary Member Lukmendes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Rat View Post
    Again, I don't see a downside. I'm not one of those types that think Mephisto shouldn't be a big deal in Spider-Man's world or with his villains. He's very much the reason 616 is what it is now and that's down to his standing with Spider-Man. The attempts to play him down from fans and the company in general are dumb.
    It's ridiculous to make him be Mephisto's little bitch when they were independent threats from each other, also very fanfiction to do this lol.

    Either way, the best and generally most consistent thing about the run was characterizations, even when the writing became ****, the way characters reacted generally felt like they would react, and a constant highlight was characters talking about their lifes and motivations.

    The problem is that after the first 15 issues or so, the quality was hit or miss, Hunted was whatever, 2099 was bad, Sins Rising had a decent enough idea but eh, Last Remains was a mess, and stuff after Last Remains was back to hit or miss.

    Anyone reading this wanting weird gimmicks like Slott's run did probably won't like it, because Slott did plenty of those so that could make the plot more unpredictable, while Spencer's stuff was more about cleaning the mess previous writers made.

    I think it's alright, at its best it does feel like ASM is a world and not just a comic, but at its worst it's a convoluted mess for the sake of being a convoluted mess.

    I also wonder why the **** Spencer decided to resurrect Ned right before his run ended, near the end of Chameleon Conspiracy he does an evil smile which can give the impression he's a Chameleon, or Ned is evil, or whatever, but that was at the very end of his run, which it didn't get used since Sinister War came soon after, this is like when Slott's run randomly revealed Emily isn't dead... Is this gonna be a tradition now? Runs ending with Goblin-related character resurrecting? Will Daniel come back next in Wells' run? Or maybe Phil?
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCape View Post
    We all know that BND was a collective mid-life crisis from Marvel back then

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by charliehustle415 View Post
    I just loved that Spencer brought in a new dynamic to the fold i.e. Boomerang

    I am surprised no one has done it before.

    Doc Ock got a bit tedious with his jackassery even though he was "friendly" with Peter, but with Boomy he was so fun and Peter's interactions with him were really good
    Easily the worst part of the run

    This Spider-Man satire was extremely annoying with Spencer’s pet character

  13. #28
    see beauty in all things. charliehustle415's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PCN24454 View Post
    Easily the worst part of the run

    This Spider-Man satire was extremely annoying with Spencer’s pet character
    to each their own, i really enjoyed it and i love Boomy

  14. #29
    Extraordinary Member Lukmendes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charliehustle415 View Post
    to each their own, i really enjoyed it and i love Boomy
    Okay boomer.

    (ASM#41 vol 5)

    .
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCape View Post
    We all know that BND was a collective mid-life crisis from Marvel back then

  15. #30
    see beauty in all things. charliehustle415's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lukmendes View Post
    Okay boomer.

    (ASM#41 vol 5)

    .
    lmao, hell yeah


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