Is Spencer's AMS worth reading or not?

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Hi all

So a bit of backstory, I have not ready any SM properly since JMS, I've picked up odd issues here and there but nothing really grabbed my attention to keep reading (and I gave up completely on comics in general around 2017) but Spider-Verse has got that passion of comic books back in me and from little I can tell about Spencer's run he retconned the Sins Past crap and got Peter and MJ back that automatically wants me check his run out. So figured I's get what the general opinion on his run was like?

(Also I am fully aware of what is happening currently is Wells' run and crap like that is why I quit comic books in the first place...)

[FFJamie94]

Honestly?!, It’s a mixed bag.
Spencer gets the Character, heart and relationships right, if anything, it feels like a natural progression from JMS’s run.
However, it does get rather messy, and instead of just trying to tell a story, Spencer tried to “fix” Spider-Man, only to have his plans changed at the last minute, resulting in a conclusion that feels rushed.
I will admit, by the time we got to issue 65, I was ready to move on from Spencer’s run.

Still, saying that, the first 25 issues are pretty fantastic, with a lot of really fun small adventures.
There are some great stuff afterwards through, like the Podcast issue and Last Remains is a pretty good read.
But overall, a mixed bag.

[Batman Begins 2005]

Yes more so the first half than second. Biggest strength of the run are the voices Spencer gives particularly Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson and Black Cat.

[Venomsaurus]

Having only read the first half that's in the current omnibus, I can't say for the run as a whole sadly.

That being said? I think that first half is some of the absolute, bar-none, without shadow of a doubt, BEST Spidey comics of the last 20 years. Yes. Fight me, nerds (except don't really I'm very weak and soft)

For me, it's everything I want in a Spider-man comic. Great balance of super heroics and real slice of life stuff. Peter and MJ are written fantastically, and Mary Jane might just be her best since the JMS days. Maybe even farther back like her Michellinnie years of being written. MJ feels like a vital part of the story, even when she's not really a major contributor to the plot she never feels superfluous or like a side-character. She's the 2nd main character, along with Peter. Until she sadly gets written out to go do her Amazing Mary Jane comic, which I've heard really good stuff about as well.

My biggest complaint with the first half is the art inconsistency. Ryan Ottley and Humberto Ramos are both amazing artists born to draw Spidey. But even having 2 main artists on ASM isn't really enough, especially with dumb gimicks like the .Whatever issues. .GRH .SMH whatever. It really muddies the run with so many varying artists of varying levels of quality alongside Ottley and Ramos. If it was just the two of them, I think it would be solid stuff altogether, but the Marvel grind machine never stops and no artist is allowed a month to breathe and let them catch up with finishing a comic. It's a real bummer and does affect some of the tonal stuff in stories like the Great Hunt arc.

I do know about the Kindred reveal, and yeah, it's a dumb rushed twist they didn't clearly get to play out. But that being said Kindred is legit terrifying in the first half of the series. Really seemed like a great villain in the works until Spencer had to leave.

Overall I can't say as a whole, but what I've read is more than well worth your time even if it doesn't stick the landing in the end.

[Tendrin]

Spencer had some nice writing but the entire focus of his run was completely wrong-headed.

[Xenon]

I lean yes but it depends on what you're looking for.

There's a big subplot that runs along the entire run that, quite frankly, takes too long and doesn't get teh payoff it seems to be building toward. It's a major problem as, with hindsight, most of that time spent is just wasted time.

But if you accept that part as kind of a dud, then it's good Spider-Man with some interesting stories that does a lot of work to "fix" a lot of the canon by undoing a lot of what was done in Slott's run and BND. It's not GREAT but it is good and it's the best run on the book since OMD for sure.

[PCN24454]

I honestly got bored by the time Kraven rolled in. It was a run of nothing but rehashes. You might as well just read the older comics.

[Jekyll]

As others have said, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The first few arcs were a breath of fresh air for the character and were light hearted/fun. I am not a Kraven fan so there was an arc in there that went on far to long for me to remain interested and then the ending was a mess.

[exile001]

I'd recommend it.

Lots of over the top Spidey nonsense that touches on a crazy number of characters and aspects from the mythos. He's definitely riffing on the David Michelinie in tone and pace. It is a ton of fun.

That said, I think we largely all agree that a big chunk of the core concept lands with a damp splat. That coloured a lot of opinion after the fact, but popular opinion was certainly wavering from the mid-point (that became the 2/3 mark).

[Mister Mets]

I would definitely recommend the first half (up until #41) and the later King's Ransom story.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Appreciate the responses!

The first Omnibus is relatively inexpensive so guess no harm in trying that out!

Looking at the rest of the tpb's for some reason Kraven one is hard to find, anyone know why? But judging from some comments it doesn't seem worth hunting down (pun unintentional lol)

[Mister Mets]

Appreciate the responses!

The first Omnibus is relatively inexpensive so guess no harm in trying that out!

Looking at the rest of the tpb's for some reason Kraven one is hard to find, anyone know why? But judging from some comments it doesn't seem worth hunting down (pun unintentional lol)

The Kraven's run is in the first omnibus.

It's a longer story (12 total issues) and comes later in the run, so that might explain why it's out of print. It's different enough from the other stories that it may be a bit complicated.

[Factor]

I enjoyed it until the Kraven arc. That was a bit messy. Then I dropped the book and heard things got way messier.

[Daibhidh]

Whenever MJ is on the page Spencer's run sings.
When she isn't on the page it's mixed. Let's see: I'm not a fan of the premise of the first story, but Spencer does it about as well as could reasonably be expected. Otherwise, I'd agree that the run works for the first twenty five plus issues until MJ is packed off to California and her own series (*). Then the run gets mixed up with a couple of crossover events - a Carnage event and a 2099 relaunch - which aren't good for it and it feels as if it's spinning its wheels. After that, it finally addresses the run's Big Bad who has been Lurking Ominously since issue one. I actually liked those issues up to a point, but I can see why other people wouldn't. Issue 60 is MJ-centric and a highlight. But otherwise, after 55 the run is trying to tie up all the threads it has set running in a rush. The finale is a mess, not helped by retconning the earlier reveal about the Big Bad in a way that is only forgiveable because it retcons Sins Past. It has good bits, such as the conclusion of Boomerang's character arc. The celebration of Peter and MJ's relationship in the final issue feels earned.

The run is trying to confront OMD and its legacy, which I think is brave, but in my view OMD is just too toxic to confront directly like that.

(*) I think MJ's own series is badly flawed: I remember about two things from it, one good, a cute moment between Peter and MJ, and one bad.

[Xenon]

Appreciate the responses!

The first Omnibus is relatively inexpensive so guess no harm in trying that out!

Looking at the rest of the tpb's for some reason Kraven one is hard to find, anyone know why? But judging from some comments it doesn't seem worth hunting down (pun unintentional lol)

Honestly i liked the Kraven story quite a bit. I was surprised to see the negative responses here.