I couldn't agree more. Would I have preferred for JMS to feature other members of the classic supporting cast in his run more frequently? Yes, but at the end of the day, MJ and Aunt May are the heart of it and JMS nailed their relationships with Peter.
There's a reason his run is far and away the most popular Amazing Spider-Man run since the turn of the century, even with stories like Sins Past and One More Day being in there. He got the soul of the core cast down pat in a way that I personally think only a few other Spidey writers have really nailed, such as J.M. DeMatteis.
It's very tempting to speculate that Wells and Lowe originally intended for that first Spider Who Gobbles turn to be something that'd span over more storylines in Wells' run and then pivoted back to be safe after other aspects of the run were already drawing heavy fire from critics and fans. But for all we know, it could also be that Wells' idea here was to explore the idea that overcoming temptations or destructive impulses within yourself isn't a one-and-done deal and can instead be an ongoing struggle (even if they aren't inherently part of who you actually are and are instead implanted from your psychopathic arch-nemesis).Even if they pull it off, this is going to be a wildly inconsistent run when someone gets these as trades. I don’t envy anyone who’ll check out the trades of this run to binge-read. The pacing is going to be so wild and off. It already has been one of the most strangely-paced runs I’ve ever experienced before we got the reveal of Goblinized Peter II: The Revenge.
No I'm not, there is no deep reading necessary. I said a specific writer's run on Amazing Spider-Man was lacking when it came to the civilian supporting cast. You argued against my statement with examples of supporting cast spotlights from a different comic by a different writer.
I don't wish to get dragged into an endless "I like pancakes"/"So you hate waffles?" conversation.
I find this reductive. Yes, these are ultimately funny books with colorful men in spandex and wacky fantasy powers. But that doesn’t mean they lack deeper insight or meaning under the pen of talented writers. Some of the most thought-provoking works of literature are from comics, and the messages a comic espouses can be powerful, resonate, and timeless. “A comic without a message is like a man without a soul”, Stan Lee once said.
And even with Spider-Man - particular as I revisit older stories - there are really powerful ruminations on life, death, love, responsibility, purpose, sacrifice, happiness, family, and destiny that transcend the printed page.
Should we expect every issue to be insightful philosophy? No. But I see nothing wrong with asking for and even expecting a certain level of sophistication and substance to this character and his books.
Spider-Man comics have tackled child abuse, drug abuse, suicide, terminal illness, religion, racism, sexism, class inequality, sexual identity, homelessness, school shootings, terrorism, disabilities, miscarriage, rape, antisemitism, etc.
We should expect these comics to matter, have something to say, and have more depth than a mud puddle.
Join the "Spider-Fam" Community! - Celebrating Love and Advocating for Our Hero to Beat the Devil! - https://discord.gg/VQ2mHzBBFu
Last edited by Celgress; 04-15-2024 at 01:05 PM.
"So you've come to the end now alive but dead inside."
I would disagree with that idea of "expect".
We should expect to be entertained by these books.
It's nice if they can do more, be deeper, tackle issues, etc.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for that or pushing for that.
But I wouldn't expect it or be surprised if all a book does is entertain.
Last edited by Celgress; 04-15-2024 at 01:12 PM.
"So you've come to the end now alive but dead inside."
I've read Last Hunt and Killing Joke.
TBH, I don't hold Last Hunt in high regard as most do. It was ok.
I don't have an issue if a book gets dark or serious or decides to tackle a social, political, or economic issue.
But that's not why I read comics. I read them to be entertained and that can be accomplished in various ways.
I'm not trying to make an argument or "win", I'm only stating if you are going into comics expecting this "deep" reading experience every issue, you WILL be disappointed.
Some books will give you that, until they don't, and some books won't give you that, until they do.
I don't think you understand our point. Our point isn't that comic books should be great groundbreaking literature in every issue but rather that this run is an incoherent gimmicky low-quality mess. That is why I quoted this statement -
"there is no deep reading necessary."
Also, they did promise something "deep" by heavily prompting the "most shocking issue of Amazing Spider-Man in fifty years!" which they never delivered, not even close. Or has everyone forgotten?
Last edited by Celgress; 04-15-2024 at 01:23 PM.
"So you've come to the end now alive but dead inside."
It's too bad we can't see actual sales figures.
Regardless of how many copies ASM sells, it does sell.
If the majority of readers are just buying ASM to keep their collections intact, that's on them.
If I'm not entertained by a comic, tv show, etc, I keep it moving until I find something that does.
I find current ASM entertaining and doubt I'm the only one.
That is not deep, it's just marketing to interest a consumer to purchase a product.
Just like everyone is "#1" or "the best" at whatever product or service they offer.
How many times have we heard "this changes everything" or "wait until you see the end of this issue"?
Heck, they were doing that on the covers of the books back in the '60's!