What Spider-Man Comics have you been reading lately!? Version 3.0

[Batman Begins 2005]

Currently reading Chip Zdarksy's Spider-Man run. It is arguably the best run on 616 Spider-Man since the OMD reboot. Couple of notes:

-Zdarky "gets" Spider-Man and character-wise this Peter is closer to his Pre-OMD level of competence.

-Zdarksy gets High School Spider-Man and connects the angry Lee-Ditko Spider-Man to the contemporary Spider-Man very well.

-Great take in The Tinkerer. Arguably one of the best Tinkerer stories and elevates him to be an entire MU threat.

-Great use of Spider-Man and Norman Osborn's integration within the larger MU. I would like to see more of this.

-I still don't buy Peter unmasking himself to Jameson, but I totally buy the Jameson of Nick Spencer's run now even if it isn't my cup of tea. Travelling to an alternate universe and seeing a world where Spider-Man quits and Norman Osborn takes over seems like a drastic enough event to change his mind. It was essentially Jameson's 'cave moment' like Tony Stark's.

-Still not a fan of Peter having a big-time spy sister (doesn't feel everyman-esque), but this was the best use of Teresa and she is a good character on her own.

-Liked whatever brief interactions Spider-Man had with Riri. To my knowledge this is the first serious (and best) example of Spider-Man coming off as a genuine role model to the new teen superheroes. The similarities between Teenage Spider-Man and the current new teenage characters is usually either not brought up or is played up too corny. Props to Zdarsky for tapping into new ground.

Great run. Finale from PP: TSSM #310 is an instant classic. Really rate My Dinner With Jonah as well in PP: TSSM #6.

[Matt Parker]

I recently reread most of Roger Stern's run on Spider-Man, including both Amazing and Spectacular. I have to say, it absolutely holds up as one of the best ever.

What I love about Stern is that he presents a Peter Parker who truly feels like he's grown up. He has the same self deprecating sense of humor and the same moral compass as his teen and college self, but he lacks the angsty self pity that he often had under Lee, Conway and Wolfman. He's learned to roll with the punches and has a much more mature outlook on life. This makes Stern so refreshing after so many angsty stories in the years prior.

I also loved how competent and badass Spider-Man is. He fees like a truly seasoned superhero who is often able to overcome most foes with a combination of power, smarts, and wits, and that too, was refreshing. Gone are the days of guys like Jackal and Tarrantula (two normal guys in costumes) giving Spidey trouble. This Spider-Man makes a complete fool out of Mr. Hyde, and Avengers level villain.

The run also has so many different stories instead of focusing all on one ongoing story. You have Beladonna, the Brand corporation, Cobra and Hyde, Hobgoblin, the Beetle, the Foolkiller, and so on. It. makes the run work more because if one of these stories is a little on the dull side (like the Beetle story, for example), you don't have to suffer through it for very long before it's resolved and a new story starts. I really appreciated that.

On the whole, Stern's run is wonderful and a much needed break from the non-stop angst of many other Spider-Man stories. He let Peter have a bit of a break and sent him through some wonderfully fun superhero adventures. This is a must read for any fan of Marvel comics.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I recently reread most of Roger Stern's run on Spider-Man, including both Amazing and Spectacular. I have to say, it absolutely holds up as one of the best ever.

What I love about Stern is that he presents a Peter Parker who truly feels like he's grown up. He has the same self deprecating sense of humor and the same moral compass as his teen and college self, but he lacks the angsty self pity that he often had under Lee, Conway and Wolfman. He's learned to roll with the punches and has a much more mature outlook on life. This makes Stern so refreshing after so many angsty stories in the years prior.

I also loved how competent and badass Spider-Man is. He fees like a truly seasoned superhero who is often able to overcome most foes with a combination of power, smarts, and wits, and that too, was refreshing. Gone are the days of guys like Jackal and Tarrantula (two normal guys in costumes) giving Spidey trouble. This Spider-Man makes a complete fool out of Mr. Hyde, and Avengers level villain.

The run also has so many different stories instead of focusing all on one ongoing story. You have Beladonna, the Brand corporation, Cobra and Hyde, Hobgoblin, the Beetle, the Foolkiller, and so on. It. makes the run work more because if one of these stories is a little on the dull side (like the Beetle story, for example), you don't have to suffer through it for very long before it's resolved and a new story starts. I really appreciated that.

On the whole, Stern's run is wonderful and a much needed break from the non-stop angst of many other Spider-Man stories. He let Peter have a bit of a break and sent him through some wonderfully fun superhero adventures. This is a must read for any fan of Marvel comics.

Cheers. Not a single bad issue there. My favorite is Stern’s own favorite: The daydreamers (asm#246)

[Agent Z]

Thoughts? It’s one of my favourites from the Copper Age of comics.

It's well-written and I found myself enjoying it even though I'd been spoiled the ending long ago. It's a well done mystery and Peter and Matt where characterized well.

If there is one thing I would have removed, it would be the implications of Jean having feelings for Spider-Man but that's not big enough to bug me that much.

[Matt Parker]

Cheers. Not a single bad issue there. My favorite is Stern’s own favorite: The daydreamers (asm#246)

That was a wonderful issue, and I was impressed on rereading it that it set up MJs backstory with her sister, which would obviously be revealed during the DeFalco run. Impressive foresight there. My favorite issues might be the Brand storyline. I liked the corporate espionage angle a lot, it felt very different from prior stories, and I liked how Stern used it to resolve the dangling mystery of Willow the Wisp and to retire the Tarantula, a character he clearly thought was lame (I like Tarantula but I can see how some would find him goofy and non threatening).

There wasn't a bad issue in the bunch. Stern is one of the best writers in the history of superhero comics for my money. On top of his Spider-Man, I adored his Doctor Strange: Triumph and Torment story and the original 4 issue West Coast Avengers mini is one of the best Avengers stories ever written, IMO. I am planning on picking up the Epic Collections of his run on the main Avengers title sometime in the near future (they are really pricey on Amazon so I have been somewhat hesitant to).

[Chubistian]

That was a wonderful issue, and I was impressed on rereading it that it set up MJs backstory with her sister, which would obviously be revealed during the DeFalco run. Impressive foresight there. My favorite issues might be the Brand storyline. I liked the corporate espionage angle a lot, it felt very different from prior stories, and I liked how Stern used it to resolve the dangling mystery of Willow the Wisp and to retire the Tarantula, a character he clearly thought was lame (I like Tarantula but I can see how some would find him goofy and non threatening).

There wasn't a bad issue in the bunch. Stern is one of the best writers in the history of superhero comics for my money. On top of his Spider-Man, I adored his Doctor Strange: Triumph and Torment story and the original 4 issue West Coast Avengers mini is one of the best Avengers stories ever written, IMO. I am planning on picking up the Epic Collections of his run on the main Avengers title sometime in the near future (they are really pricey on Amazon so I have been somewhat hesitant to).

I love the Brand storyline, I think it doesn't get the recognition it deserves when talking about Stern and John Romita Jr's Spider-Man. Then again, the whole run in ASM is so damn great, that there're many stories that get lost because The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man, The Hobgoblin Saga and Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut usually take the spotlight, but they deserve that attention, because they're freaking great too. I have read only a few issues of Stern's Spectacular Spider-Mand, sadly. But I plan to get more issues in the future if possible

[Revolutionary_Jack]

That was a wonderful issue, and I was impressed on rereading it that it set up MJs backstory with her sister, which would obviously be revealed during the DeFalco run. Impressive foresight there.

Stern was the one who created her entire backstory. He realized that nobody had given an origin for Mary Jane so he felt he could do it. His wife taught at university, and Stern based MJ's backstory on stuff she told him about many of her students at the time, which is why it's always felt so realistic. Stern wrote an outline for that and left it behind for Defalco to look at. When Defalco and Frenz started their runs, they referred to that and "The Daydreamers".

My favorite issues might be the Brand storyline. I liked the corporate espionage angle a lot, it felt very different from prior stories, and I liked how Stern used it to resolve the dangling mystery of Willow the Wisp and to retire the Tarantula, a character he clearly thought was lame (I like Tarantula but I can see how some would find him goofy and non threatening).

That's a great underrated story too, especially for how he uses the Daily Bugle cast. The finale of that, where Peter wonders if they won, and they watch news sponsored by Roxxon (the true bad guys) hits home at who Stern (a lifelong liberal) always believed were the real bad guys.

Stern is one of the best writers in the history of superhero comics for my money.

Oh absolutely.

On top of his Spider-Man, I adored his Doctor Strange: Triumph and Torment story and the original 4 issue West Coast Avengers mini is one of the best Avengers stories ever written, IMO. I am planning on picking up the Epic Collections of his run on the main Avengers title sometime in the near future (they are really pricey on Amazon so I have been somewhat hesitant to).

The Avengers run is quite epic. I recommend reading UNDER SIEGE (which is basically *the* Avengers story) which is usually published in a TPB. My favorite issue is a one-shot he did called "The Faithful Servant" which is a Daydreamers-like into the Avengers from the perspective of Jarvis.

[Ozymandias]

There wasn't a bad issue in the bunch. Stern is one of the best writers in the history of superhero comics for my money. On top of his Spider-Man, I adored his Doctor Strange: Triumph and Torment story and the original 4 issue West Coast Avengers mini is one of the best Avengers stories ever written, IMO. I am planning on picking up the Epic Collections of his run on the main Avengers title sometime in the near future (they are really pricey on Amazon so I have been somewhat hesitant to).

I personally liked the issues he did for the regular series, with Paul Smith. And yes, you should definitely get his Avengers, at least the ones drawn by Buscema. I recently bought the floppies, and they're still cheaper than a new comic. His Spectacular had several interesting story-lines, and introduced a couple characters he would carry over. As for his ASM... it simply got me back into comics, 'nuff said!

[Matt Parker]

Stern was the one who created her entire backstory. He realized that nobody had given an origin for Mary Jane so he felt he could do it. His wife taught at university, and Stern based MJ's backstory on stuff she told him about many of her students at the time, which is why it's always felt so realistic. Stern wrote an outline for that and left it behind for Defalco to look at. When Defalco and Frenz started their runs, they referred to that and "The Daydreamers".

That's pretty cool. Remember when creators used to care about continuity? Now we have Captain America revealing himself as alive to the New Avengers two separate times before Siege .

That's a great underrated story too, especially for how he uses the Daily Bugle cast. The finale of that, where Peter wonders if they won, and they watch news sponsored by Roxxon (the true bad guys) hits home at who Stern (a lifelong liberal) always believed were the real bad guys.

I liked that ending a lot. The idea that there was a "Roxxon news corporation" (or whatever it was called, I forget the exact name) made me laugh and go "that's ridiculous". Then I realized that a channel called Fox News exists.....

The Avengers run is quite epic. I recommend reading UNDER SIEGE (which is basically *the* Avengers story) which is usually published in a TPB. My favorite issue is a one-shot he did called "The Faithful Servant" which is a Daydreamers-like into the Avengers from the perspective of Jarvis.

I really want to read it. The trades are just so expensive on Amazon right now. I've been buying my fair share of comics during Quarantine and just want to save up for it. Maybe I'll dig for some of the floppies the next time I'm in my LCBS.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

A bit of both...sportsmen in real life tend to plateau by their 30s after all. And those are the most physically active professionals outside the military. Zdarsky was using it to explain why Peter would start stocking up gadgets and special suits. Does it make total sense from world-building, no, but I get the emotional logic...Peter's in mid-life crisis mode in Issue 3 and Issue 4, and people overreact in that period.

Perhaps. As I said he had 6 issues and had to do a snapshot so he needed to rely on some shorthand to indicate to the audience. That might come off as too on-the-nose.

The key word being 'plateau' and not actually experiencing a big drop. Plus, if it was an emotional overreaction, that doesn't explain why Peter's doctor would recommend him to not lift something heavier than a car in Issue 4. That makes it sound like over 50% of his physical strength was actually gone by his 40's, which wouldn't make sense in either a superhero world or in real life (in real life, some studies show that weightlifters reach their peak strength in their late 30s-early 40s and can still hold on to most of it throughout their 40s if they continue training).

But you may be right that I'm being too unfair to Zdarsky. Maybe there was literally no other way to communicate what he was going for with how short the book is.

[babyblob]

I just read Amazing Spiderman 23 The Goblin and The Gangsters. I have the cd rom with 500 Spiderman comics. I have read up to the mid 70's. But I just keep coming back to the early 60's. That is my favorite Era of Spiderman. I just cant get enough of them. I like them because the stories arnt very dark. I mean they are serious but not the dark and edgy stuff that comics seem to be going for.

May be I yern for a simpler time of Buggie rides and barn dances and light hearted comics. A time when the Goblins biggest goal was being a crime boss and there was no Serial Killing villain named Carnage.

[TheCape]

It's AU time, first Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis, i reread some arcs and went farther than the last time, 65 issues to be exact from the origin until Carnage. I definetly get why is so popular, but is really not my thing.

On the positive side the supporting cast is good and their dynamic is entertaining enougth, Bendis quirks are there, hut they aren't as annoying as they would eventually become (thougth there was a scene that really pushed it), Bagley's artwork is very good (still think that hid 90s stuff is better) and there are some pretty funny moments. I understand now why this Aunt May is so liked, Bendis push it a tad too far but is definetly better than most of her 616 counterparts.

For the negative, most of the villains suck or are at best aceptable, they do job for the most part. Some of the changes feel unecessary, like making MJ Peter's childhood friend, or the lack of focus on Flash and Harry (instead with get Kenny Kong *roll eyes*) and Venom is a cure for cancer gone hairwire?!....yeah somehow i found the alien more plausible lol. Many of these change feel less like a modernization and more as Bendis being different for the sake of being different.

Overall, is a solid title and is clear why is the most influential run on Spider-Man in the 2000s, but i still take The Spec cartoon over this as a modernization of the characther.

[TheCape]

The other AU is Renew Your Vows, more specifically Jody Houser's run and the Spider-Girl mini for Spider-Geddon.

This AU, never took the direction i wanted, my wish was an Spider-Man when he hapened to be a father and husband but i got Spider-Family instead and then mostly became an Annie book, plus how the screwed over what Conway wanted to do. Dissapointing, but in spite of that i did enjoy Houser's run, as i said i think that she put too much focus on Annie, so the dynamic stopped being Spider-Family and more Annie and Peter/MJ as supports, but it was still fun, Annie's arc for issue 13 to the mini was good and satisfying, i love that they confirmed that the Clone Saga happened and that Mayday sadly died in this reality (wich led to some good scenes in the Spider-Girls mini) and in spite of their reduced importance Houser's take on Peter and Mary Jane was pretty good, issue 19 was my favorite and i actually wouldn't mind seeing her writing 616 Peter. Plus in spite of the really weird premise i feel that the title did have the Spider-Man spirit overall.

As for the bad, the artwork was a downgrade, is not terrible but is not that good, especially after being Stegman's sucessor, Mister Sinister being the bad feels really weird no matter how foreshadowed it was, the last arc not being about clones (can't believe than that as negative lol) wich mean very little exploration about Peter and MJ (again too much focus on Annie) and Houser acting like Annie's spider-sense is secret or something, i'm pretty sure she told then about it at some point before this.

Also Spider-Girls, nice moments between Mayday and Annie, love the scene of MJ breaking down after seeing hee dead daugther alive and well, sucks that Peter didn't have a similar moment. Outside of that i don't care about whatever was happening, never read Spider-Geddon, probably never will.

[PCN24454]

I always loved the miniseries "Spider-Man: With Great Power...".

It has all the trappings of a Spider-Man origin story without requiring Uncle Ben to die which I feel has become a crutch for a lot of writers that want to be serious.

Spider-Man_With_Great_Power..._Vol_1_1.jpg

[babyblob]

I have just started the John Romita Sr era of Spiderman. I am very happy about that as I always liked him more then Ditko.