New Goblin to be born in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #51 and #52

[Coop]

What if the main idea to get to this point in the run was because Wells found this toy in a bargain bin somewhere?

I'll go to my grave leaving that a certain Spider-Man story arc was inspired by Netflix poster

[Hurricane Billy]

Oh for the love of…

You’re reading too deep into this. Beyond the spin-off stories, I literally keep praising JMS’s handling of Aunt May, and most here will agree he wrote a phenomenal MJ. Are they not THE two most important supporting cast members in the book?

In the current run, the problems with how MJ has been handled have been enumerated endlessly (and she never consistently appears), and Aunt May is barely in it either. So, yes, I say again JMS handled the supporting cast better. Quality over quantity.

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.

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.

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).

[Lee]

Oh for the love of…

You’re reading too deep into this.

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.

[Celgress]

No I'm not, there is no deep reading necessary.....

A perfect summation of this run, bravo.

[wleakr]

A perfect summation of this run, bravo.

If you're reading comics for "deep reading", prepare to be disappointed...

[Garlador]

If you're reading comics for "deep reading", prepare to be disappointed...

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.

[Celgress]

If you're reading comics for "deep reading", prepare to be disappointed...

I can safely assume you've never read "God Loves, Man Kills", "Kraven's Last Hunt", "The Killing Joke", "All-Star Superman", "Superior Spider-Man" or similar comic book stories. Nice try, but this is a reductive argument that falls apart under examination.

[wleakr]

We should expect these comics to matter, have something to say, and have more depth than a mud puddle.

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.

[Celgress]

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.

But this run has also failed to entertain the majority of readers and I know this because of the extremely negative reaction both online & offline (from friends and family members).

[wleakr]

I can safely assume you've never read "God Loves, Man Kills", "Kraven's Last Hunt", "The Killing Joke", or similar comic book stories. Nice try, but this is a reductive argument that falls apart under examination.

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.

[Celgress]

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?

[wleakr]

But this run has also failed to entertain the majority of readers and I know this because of the extremely negative reaction both online & offline (from friends and family members).

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.

[wleakr]

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 seems rather deep to me.

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!

[Celgress]

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.

Based on what I know and see & hear I highly doubt you are in the majority, just saying.

[Celgress]

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!

OMG, you really think that the "most shocking issue in fifty years" wouldn't be thought-provoking meaning "deep"? Sorry, I can no longer take your arguments seriously.

It has been fun.