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

[8BitRedBeard]

Kraven's Last Hunt

[Ragdoll]

This seems like the best thread to ask this question:
I got into Spider-Man comics with the Superior Spider-Man book, and with the Spidey knowledge I knew from the films, I followed it just fine. But now that Peter is back in his body, I am finding myself frequently bored. If I went back and started reading Slott's run from the start, would I have a better appreciation for his current book? I feel like I am always confused about what all the characters histories are with each other. Like, the recent Black Cat arc I feel I would've liked more if I knew exactly what kind of past her and Peter had and felt an emotional attachment to the situation. Is it worth the investment to do the full Slott run?

[Mister Mets]

I think so. Slott's run as a solo writer began with the introduction of Horizon Labs in Amazing Spider-Man #648, also known as the beginning of the Big Time era. I'd check out the first few issues of that to see if it moves you.

[bonbon]

This seems like the best thread to ask this question:
I got into Spider-Man comics with the Superior Spider-Man book, and with the Spidey knowledge I knew from the films, I followed it just fine. But now that Peter is back in his body, I am finding myself frequently bored. If I went back and started reading Slott's run from the start, would I have a better appreciation for his current book? I feel like I am always confused about what all the characters histories are with each other. Like, the recent Black Cat arc I feel I would've liked more if I knew exactly what kind of past her and Peter had and felt an emotional attachment to the situation. Is it worth the investment to do the full Slott run?

You can start from Brand New Day. It's not exactly the start of Slott's run since there also other writers, but it's a good starting point. Plus, there are few issues written by Mark Waid which I think worth the read

[Mike]

The Essential Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 8
Written mostly by my second favorite Spider-Writer, Len Wein, and great art by Ross Andru.
I remember buying most of these issues off of spinner racks all them years ago.
61Q4ZYHelAL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[Scott Taylor]

Marvel Team-Up #1. This may be the first time Sandman was seen as a sympathetic character.

[JLS Comics]

Did anyone read Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do? I am curious what you thought of it and the subject matter therein

[oldschool]

Marvel Team-Up #1. This may be the first time Sandman was seen as a sympathetic character.

Great, great story and I agree; one of my favorite one-and-done Spidey tales of that era.

[oldschool]

Did anyone read Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do? I am curious what you thought of it and the subject matter therein

I did and it's a touchy one; it's pretty clear that Kevin Smith intended to have Black Cat the victim of a rape. The incredibly long ( a year or more) wait between that cliffhanger and the subsequent issues----to say nothing of the tonal shift as well---suggests that Marvel made him change the story to a convoluted and frankly unconvincing Plan B. FWIW, I met Kevin at an event and asked him about and he played coy/dumb expressing that ending was his plan all along; I suppose I can't blame him for playing it that way but the whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The Dodsons' artwork is, of course, magnificent and there is the seed of a decent story early on but it quickly derails.

[Kevinroc]

I did and it's a touchy one; it's pretty clear that Kevin Smith intended to have Black Cat the victim of a rape. The incredibly long ( a year or more) wait between that cliffhanger and the subsequent issues----to say nothing of the tonal shift as well---suggests that Marvel made him change the story to a convoluted and frankly unconvincing Plan B. FWIW, I met Kevin at an event and asked him about and he played coy/dumb expressing that ending was his plan all along; I suppose I can't blame him for playing it that way but the whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The Dodsons' artwork is, of course, magnificent and there is the seed of a decent story early on but it quickly derails.

I'll echo these sentiments. (I just never had the chance to speak to Kevin Smith about the story.)

[JLS Comics]

Thank you both. That is rather insightful. Stories such as this intrigue me and I really like the idea of using this platform to talk about difficult issues like rape, bigotry even landmines (Batman)

[Scott Taylor]

Evil that Men Do is my least favorite Black Cat story. Tonally it seemed really off, and a little bit icky. Maybe I'm a prude, but I really hate rape in comics and 99 percent of the time it appears I find it hurtful, unnecessary and a big slap to readers. This was well within that 99 percent for me.

[JLS Comics]

Evil that Men Do is my least favorite Black Cat story. Tonally it seemed really off, and a little bit icky. Maybe I'm a prude, but I really hate rape in comics and 99 percent of the time it appears I find it hurtful, unnecessary and a big slap to readers. This was well within that 99 percent for me.

It is most certainly an uncomfortable subject but it is one that needs to be discussed and talked about. Now I haven't read the story yet so I don't know how Kevin approached the subject but my inclination is to say that we can't ignore tough issues and difficult topics just because they make us uncomfortable. Maybe I will feel different in this case after I read it? I was on my hiatus from the comic world when this came out so I missed the conversations and reactions then but I wonder what the reception would be if this was released say as an ANAD title

[Kevinroc]

Rape stories are really hard to pull off in mainstream superhero comics for a variety of reasons. It is not helped by the really bad stories that stay in people's minds (like Avengers #200).

I always thought the reason people had a premature freak-out to the Superior Spider-Man/Mary Jane story was because of stuff like Evil That Men Do. Even Slott and Wacker saying it wouldn't happen beforehand couldn't assuage people's fears because of historical precedence regarding the subject.

[Scott Taylor]

It is most certainly an uncomfortable subject but it is one that needs to be discussed and talked about. Now I haven't read the story yet so I don't know how Kevin approached the subject but my inclination is to say that we can't ignore tough issues and difficult topics just because they make us uncomfortable. Maybe I will feel different in this case after I read it? I was on my hiatus from the comic world when this came out so I missed the conversations and reactions then but I wonder what the reception would be if this was released say as an ANAD title

Setting the rape element aside, the story still has some serious flaws with consistency and overall story arc. Probably due to the delays. Its worth reading to see for yourself, but I daresay if it were an ANAD title in its current form, most would find it a story they'd rather ignore than cherish.