Originally Posted by
Garlador
The very first issue of Spider-Man involves a young boy suffering a catastrophic tragedy due to his own selfish behavior and the moralizing that "with great power there must also come great responsibility". The very foundation of Spider-Man is based on messaging, moralizing, and greater depth than the average comic, with a life lesson that is meant to be learned and applied beyond the printed page.
We're working with a sliding scale of depth here. In the realm of comics, we have ridiculous, breezier fare like Deadpool and Squirrel Girl, and then we have more serious, grounded, and thematic stories that tackle more adult themes and consequences. The regressive take that Marvel superhero comics are designed as mere "popcorn" stories is a discredit to the many mature storylines penned and printed, as well as the many adult-only tailored comics Marvel has produced over the years tackling legitimate high-concept themes and situations. Few would argue that Spider-Man is going to be held as the narrative equivalent of George Orwell or Ray Bradbury, but even the editors of this run are throwing out stuff like "Doctor Zhivago" as supposed influences and inspiration for their decisions (though I would dispute their understanding of that novel).
So, no, Spider-Man isn't the deepest ocean out there, but I could burn hours recounting the excessive number of stories with soul and depth that are far more than occasional "A Very Special Issue" fare. I'd even argue that Spider-Man, more than almost any other superhero, has been at the forefront of challenging the norms of this kind of shallow storytelling by being at the forefront of consequence-laden narratives.
If Spider-Man debuted and was written exclusively as shallow "popcorn" fare, he never would have endured these many long years, and individuals (like the majority on this board) would not be nearly as invested in who these people are and the direction their lives are going.
I've never had a problem or any difficulty defending why I follow a book I dislike and find frustrating. The answer is simple: because the book made me care about what happens under the pen of amazing writers over the course of decades of interesting, character-driven stories. Why would I not care? Spider-Man is the most popular Marvel superhero largely because the foundation of that character and his journey brought millions of people on-board with him. We watched him grow up, graduate, get a job, struggle to earn a living, fall in love, grieve losses, overcoming setbacks, find purpose, get married, plan out a family and a future... all over the span of decades, iterations of lore and history building upon itself into a fascinating tapestry of a hero unlike any other.
It's harder finding people who followed along that far who aren't interested in seeing where writers take him next, and it's fully understandable readers that have invested that much would want to check in on him and root for his success.
And, yes, I am not happy with the book, thus I dropped it and moved on, and I'm finding much more joy in countless other comics. My time and money is mostly spent reading USM, Nightwing, The Flash, Moon Knight, TMNT, etc.
...But that doesn't mean I don't check in on one of my dear ol' friends from time to time to see if he's made any permanent progress in the last 16+ years. He used to, and I would absolutely love the excuse to support a book like that again.