What was the worst year of the Spider-Man Comics?

[RD!]

Easy. 2010. Any other answer is wrong.

We lost the marriage in 2007, but there were other good stories that year. 2008 was fun, 2009 looked promising, but 2010 disappointed on all of the year before's promises. The boring Carlie relationship, that woeful piece of crap OMIT and then the lackluster Origin of the Species. The book then became Marvel team up for the rest of the year. Few trades out that year, too. Not an awful year, I can find some Spidey goodness in every year he has been out but 2010 certainly had the least.

[RD!]

Also, there is no comparison between Superior and OMD. OMD sucked, Superior didn't.

I don't understand how people can still hate Superior now that it's over. Peter came back so you can stop your crying. If you don't want to read something that wasn't about Peter don't read it, you're only screwing yourself by missing out on the best the book has been since the early 00's.

[Keeper of the Crows]

If I'm going too be brutally honest I don't think making Kaine more like his original self would be a good idea. I think overcoming his inner demons would be much more interesting even if they did bring Reilly back. If they did that I'd like too see Ben trying too keep Kaine from going back too his old roots.

So would you say this is a case of a generational gap? I personally never got a chance too read Ben Reilly's adventures. The first time I saw him was in the Fox series. Most of what I know comes from other sources and back issues.

If you’re a fan of Kaine, I think you’d really enjoy his earlier appearances in the series during the clone saga—especially anything written by JMD. If you prefer Kaine as a hero, it’ll be even more powerful to see how far he’s come. I think you’d love those stories because even at his lowest, Kaine still did things like surrendering to the authorities to prevent Peter from revealing his identity, or trying to protect Mary Jane from danger.

I get where you’re coming from about not wanting Kaine to regress back to who he was. Even though I think that character was pretty fascinating, he’s still awesome the way he is now. But I wouldn’t mind seeing his premonitions return, for instance, or other altered abilities that made his powerset unique.

A little while ago there was a thread for fans to speculate how Peter’s story should end. Applying that to Kaine, I could see his path ending in two ways. He could finally evolve from an anti-hero to an outright hero, escape the demons of his past, and take the up the mantle of Spider-Man to allow Peter to retire and raise a family with Mary Jane. Or, the regeneration could return, and he would be faced with a “Flowers for Algernon” type slow and painful descent into madness. One would be a triumphant story, the other a tragic one, but I think they would both be powerful in their own ways.

I’m really just happy to read anything with the character, so it’s a win-win for me.

[boots]

If you’re a fan of Kaine, I think you’d really enjoy his earlier appearances in the series during the clone saga—especially anything written by JMD. If you prefer Kaine as a hero, it’ll be even more powerful to see how far he’s come. I think you’d love those stories because even at his lowest, Kaine still did things like surrendering to the authorities to prevent Peter from revealing his identity, or trying to protect Mary Jane from danger.

I get where you’re coming from about not wanting Kaine to regress back to who he was. Even though I think that character was pretty fascinating, he’s still awesome the way he is now. But I wouldn’t mind seeing his premonitions return, for instance, or other altered abilities that made his powerset unique.

A little while ago there was a thread for fans to speculate how Peter’s story should end. Applying that to Kaine, I could see his path ending in two ways. He could finally evolve from an anti-hero to an outright hero, escape the demons of his past, and take the up the mantle of Spider-Man to allow Peter to retire and raise a family with Mary Jane. Or, the regeneration could return, and he would be faced with a “Flowers for Algernon” type slow and painful descent into madness. One would be a triumphant story, the other a tragic one, but I think they would both be powerful in their own ways.

I’m really just happy to read anything with the character, so it’s a win-win for me.

definitely pick up 'lost years' and 'redemption'. kaine and reilly written at their best.

[PeterAvenger]

Also, there is no comparison between Superior and OMD. OMD sucked, Superior didn't.

I don't understand how people can still hate Superior now that it's over. Peter came back so you can stop your crying. If you don't want to read something that wasn't about Peter don't read it, you're only screwing yourself by missing out on the best the book has been since the early 00's.

We don't hate it because it didn't have Peter. We hate it because, in our opinion, it wasn't a good story. At all.

And here's my personal reasons for why: not only did it kill off Peter in pretty much the worst, insulting, shark-jumping excuse of a superhero's send-off I've ever seen in a comic, the run of SSM feels like it's trying to sabotage the Spider-Man name in its entirety. The way Otto acts and ruins both Peter's and Spider-Man's reputation, the way he talks about how his way was better. The series makes it sound like Peter SHOULD'VE died, like he somehow deserved it. And don't say he did deserve it after what happened in OMD. That was a writer's flaw, not Peter's, and either way, Peter did it to save a life, like he always does.

Even at the end of SSM, when Peter comes back, it's so rushed and contrived, it makes me wonder why they even killed him off in the first place. The comic doesn't even do a good job in telling the reader that it's actually Peter who's back; with all the technical mind-swapping that happens, it could be a mind clone for all we know. And the idea that Peter's mind somehow found its way under Otto's right after he died in Otto's body is absurd.

And it's not just the comic itself; Dan Slott's attitude during the run was reprehensible. He would go on websites and forums shouting "Peter Parker is DEAD, long live 'Superior'!". Considering that he's the one that killed Peter in the first place, that's beyond insensitive, it's just.....heartbreaking. Whether he meant it or not at the time, hearing that from the writer himself is inexcusable. And yea, Peter came back (at least I hope it's him), it was all a ruse, blah blah blah, but fans didn't really know it at the time. Between the writer's words, Miles Morales replacing Peter in the Ultimate comics, and Andrew Garfield being open to the idea of being replaced by MM in the movies, anything could've happened.

Nowadays, every time I look at a picture of Spider-Man, I think to myself, "Dying Wish and SSM happened. Spider-Man was tortured in a cancer-ridden body and everyone was glad that it happened. Who knows, maybe something worse will happen to him, others can only hope". I used to think "Hey, it's Spider-Man. Awesome, he's my favorite superhero ever.", but that's long gone. I wish those thoughts would come back, but they never do. It haunts me to this day, all thanks to this one little story.

I really don't mean to offend fans of SSM, but after so much time and so many issues with the comics, I honestly can't understand why ANYONE would be a fan of this series. In fact, after all this time, I don't think I'd want to understand. I feel like if I understood why so many people like a book that kills a hero, dances on his corpse, and just welcomes him back like nothing ever happened, it would actually make me a worse human being.

In short, my vote's still December 2012-2013.

[boots]

the snideness on this board is intense at times. "no offense to you guys but here's an underhanded insult. byyyyeeee"

I'll balance it out by saying people are allowed to like things I don't and are probably still better people than me.

[PeterAvenger]

the snideness on this board is intense at times. "no offense to you guys but here's an underhanded insult. byyyyeeee"

I'll balance it out by saying people are allowed to like things I don't and are probably still better people than me.

I'm not trying to be snide. Hand to God, I hate this storyline THAT much.

[boots]

I'm not trying to be snide. Hand to God, I hate this storyline THAT much.

well pete, i really don't mean to offend you, but i honestly don't want to understand what you were trying to be. i feel like if i understood it, it would actually make me a worse human being.

[PeterAvenger]

well pete, i really don't mean to offend you, but i honestly don't want to understand what you were trying to be. i feel like if i understood it, it would actually make me a worse human being.

I'm not "trying" to be anything; I'm being honest. The only thing I've tried to do is understand why people like this storyline, and it's exactly why I'm coming off as "snide" or "sarcastic". It has no moral value, no outstanding characters, no decent plot whatsoever. It's a story that humiliates and bashes a great character, and I simply cannot support it.

Come to think of it, it's not even Peter himself that takes the hardest punch in all of this: it's his morals. Take a look at Spider-man's iconic quote for example: "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility".

At what point does Otto show this? Ever?

He tries to commit genocide on humanity, kills Peter, and uses lies and deceit to further his own goals. What the hell kind of message is that? "Lying and murder is good, as long as you get away with it."? That's horrible. And the fact that Otto is spreading this message while posing as Peter.....no, no, as a "Superior" Spider-Man is just.....awful.

[Username taken]

Whatever year Sins Past took place.

Then 1999.

[Xenon]

My infinite hate for Sins Past makes me want to say 2004, and keep in mind that Queen Storyline was also that year, but that was also the year of the Spider-Man 2 movie, JRJR's last bit with JMS, and some good Jenkins comics, so probably not.

My next thought was 2007, becuase OMD was that bad and damaging for the franchise, but again, the Back in Black stuff that happened that year was actually kind of worthwhile. So probably not that just because of one comic.

My THIRD thought was 2014, because not only did Superior land with the predictable thud, we're back to Slott butchering Peter's character, adding more crap onto MJ's character, and freshly ruining Felicia's character, on top of an unnecessary and dumb retcon of the origin story. But 2014 isn't over yet so that's not really fair, plus this year featured the return of PAD on a Spider-Man comic. Spider-Man 2099, but still. So for now, no. wait until Spider-Verse also under delivers on its ending.

So my vote is 2013, because that was the year without a Spider-Man, really. Ultimate has been dead since 2011 and 616 Peter was dead and yet somehow managed to get killed again. The adaptation of the TV show had a 'real' Spider-Man in it, but if you've seen that show you know why I put that in quotes. It features one of the worst Spider-Man issues in years and doesn't have any thing to counter balance it.

Oh yeah, and 1999. Er...Mackie is boring. Shrug. Just doesn't get the blood boiling.

In summary....

1. 2013
2. 1999
3. 2007
4. 2004
5. 2014
6. 1995

Probably not. It was well-received.

Rhetorically, it seems a bit strange to see the phrase "as much as the next guy" in reference to something that is, at worse, divisive.

It's a phrasing that only works, unless you're being funny about it, if you share a majority opinion. IE- I like ice cream as much as the next guy, or I hate homelesseness as much as the next guy.

Yes, it's a phrase that DOES only work when you share a majority opinion.

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In all seriousness I thought of this as well but couldn't convey it properly at the end of my day right before bed. Though I think Superior is not as popular in general as you may think it is....but it's certainly more popular than it deserves.

Also, there is no comparison between Superior and OMD. OMD sucked, Superior didn't.

I don't understand how people can still hate Superior now that it's over. Peter came back so you can stop your crying. If you don't want to read something that wasn't about Peter don't read it, you're only screwing yourself by missing out on the best the book has been since the early 00's.

Superior not being a Spider-Man book is only the tip of it's problems, it's still bad because it falls apart if you think about it at all. There are plot contrivances everywhere, characters lug around the idiot ball like it's their wallet, and the central character's motivation isn't even internally consistent, as he regularly jumps between foiling supervillains and then just committing outright acts of villainy. He never confronts his actions or feels conflicted about his past or even shows much concern that he's doing the right thing, he just does the superhero thing for no discernible reason.

[exile001]

I'm going to have a go at answering your points without being aggressive or taking offense (different tastes and all that).

And here's my personal reasons for why: not only did it kill off Peter in pretty much the worst, insulting, shark-jumping excuse of a superhero's send-off I've ever seen in a comic, the run of SSM feels like it's trying to sabotage the Spider-Man name in its entirety. The way Otto acts and ruins both Peter's and Spider-Man's reputation, the way he talks about how his way was better. The series makes it sound like Peter SHOULD'VE died, like he somehow deserved it. And don't say he did deserve it after what happened in OMD. That was a writer's flaw, not Peter's, and either way, Peter did it to save a life, like he always does.

You do realise the ultimate villain of SSM IS Doctor Octopus, right? That's the point? Also, the book is narrated BY Ock, from his perspective, so obviously, he's going to believe he is superior. He even still has his animosity towards Peter for all the years they were enemies. He is a biased narrator.

Ock didn't just become 'good', and change into Peter. Ock understood Peter, understood his own life better, so decided to try to be better. He saw being a 'hero' as a challenge, so undertook that challenge as Doctor Octopus would do.

Even at the end of SSM, when Peter comes back, it's so rushed and contrived, it makes me wonder why they even killed him off in the first place. The comic doesn't even do a good job in telling the reader that it's actually Peter who's back; with all the technical mind-swapping that happens, it could be a mind clone for all we know. And the idea that Peter's mind somehow found its way under Otto's right after he died in Otto's body is absurd.

The rushed ending to SSM I can agree with, it really didn't feel like this HUGE moment that peter was back. But we now know we're getting that resolution in Spider-Verse, when Peter comes face to face with SpOck.

Also, Peter is back. It's that simple.

And it's not just the comic itself; Dan Slott's attitude during the run was reprehensible. He would go on websites and forums shouting "Peter Parker is DEAD, long live 'Superior'!". Considering that he's the one that killed Peter in the first place, that's beyond insensitive, it's just.....heartbreaking. Whether he meant it or not at the time, hearing that from the writer himself is inexcusable. And yea, Peter came back (at least I hope it's him), it was all a ruse, blah blah blah, but fans didn't really know it at the time. Between the writer's words, Miles Morales replacing Peter in the Ultimate comics, and Andrew Garfield being open to the idea of being replaced by MM in the movies, anything could've happened.

I think you're being too thin skinned here, particularly towards Slott whose job it is to sell the comics he writes. He was trying to sell the fact that Peter was gone. And, to be fair, this is the guy who received death/rape threats towards himself and those he loves. Over a comic book. I think that'd add some snark to me.

If you didn't know Peter would be back eventually, then you're much less cynical than me. Slott and Wacker often said this was a ride and Peter would be back eventually.

Nowadays, every time I look at a picture of Spider-Man, I think to myself, "Dying Wish and SSM happened. Spider-Man was tortured in a cancer-ridden body and everyone was glad that it happened. Who knows, maybe something worse will happen to him, others can only hope". I used to think "Hey, it's Spider-Man. Awesome, he's my favorite superhero ever.", but that's long gone. I wish those thoughts would come back, but they never do. It haunts me to this day, all thanks to this one little story.

I don't think anyone was glad at what happened to peter, we just took it as an exciting part of the story. It was horrific.

As to it haunting you, I don't know what to say. There are parts of Spider-Man's past that I detest, but I just put it out of my mind and get on with it. It doesn't bug me reading, say, Spider-verse, knowing that in an annual it was revealed that peter's parents were spies (my single most hated part of SM canon).

I mean, maybe give Spider-Verse a miss (even though I'm sure we will see Peter give SpOck a massive beating) and come back after when every SSM plot point will probably have been resolved.

I really don't mean to offend fans of SSM, but after so much time and so many issues with the comics, I honestly can't understand why ANYONE would be a fan of this series. In fact, after all this time, I don't think I'd want to understand. I feel like if I understood why so many people like a book that kills a hero, dances on his corpse, and just welcomes him back like nothing ever happened, it would actually make me a worse human being.

Because it's a comic, dude. It IS NOT REAL! It's not like SSM fans sit about laughing at the actual news.

It's based on the ludicrous premises of a dude with radioactive Spider-powers (and let's just add, sticky skin, heightened jumping, super-strength, harder skin, and spider-sense aren't even things spiders have!), mind-swapping (or "mind-swapping" depending on your take), and a complete lack of 'real world' logic (example: he wasn't arrested immediately for shooting Massacre).

If you think enjoying fiction based on the merits that it is so utterly unbelievable that it's just ridiculous could make you a worse person, then I think you need to stop taking a moral stance on fun.

[exile001]

It has no moral value... It's a story that humiliates and bashes a great character, and I simply cannot support it.

Come to think of it, it's not even Peter himself that takes the hardest punch in all of this: it's his morals. Take a look at Spider-man's iconic quote for example: "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility".

At what point does Otto show this? Ever?

He tries to commit genocide on humanity, kills Peter, and uses lies and deceit to further his own goals. What the hell kind of message is that? "Lying and murder is good, as long as you get away with it."? That's horrible. And the fact that Otto is spreading this message while posing as Peter.....no, no, as a "Superior" Spider-Man is just.....awful.

But all the negatives of Ock are supposed to prove WHY Peter is better. Ock doesn't show having great power gives great responsibility because he doesn't care. Ock understands why this had such an effect on Peter, but his uncle didn't say it in those circumstances.

It's like if a good friend of mine were relating the story to me. I'd understand his pain, and by association of it happening to someone close it would change me in some way, but it still wouldn't be my pain.

It's not in a religious text, it's not meant to have some important moral message to the reader.

Also, Ock doesn't get away with anything. He fails and fails and ultimately gives up everything to have Peter fix things. SSM only gives the illusion of success, and obviously does it damn well.

[magnum]

I'm not "trying" to be anything; I'm being honest. The only thing I've tried to do is understand why people like this storyline, and it's exactly why I'm coming off as "snide" or "sarcastic". It has no moral value, no outstanding characters, no decent plot whatsoever. It's a story that humiliates and bashes a great character, and I simply cannot support it.

Come to think of it, it's not even Peter himself that takes the hardest punch in all of this: it's his morals. Take a look at Spider-man's iconic quote for example: "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility".

At what point does Otto show this? Ever?

He tries to commit genocide on humanity, kills Peter, and uses lies and deceit to further his own goals. What the hell kind of message is that? "Lying and murder is good, as long as you get away with it."? That's horrible. And the fact that Otto is spreading this message while posing as Peter.....no, no, as a "Superior" Spider-Man is just.....awful.

PeterAvenger man oh man. Look I get you don't like what happened is ASM #700, I was not a fan of it either. I get you were not a fan of "the story" of SSM, it did not do much for me but it was ok as a story.

But man you are taking this way to seriously. Almost as if Peter, Doc Ock, MJ, etc are real people and their reputations are being soiled. Look I get it, I overreacted and I wanted Slott to write something else other then my favourite character but I got it together and gained some perspective as it is just a comic book story. I gave the story a chance read every issue and did my best to enjoy the ride. Guess what it turned out to be an okay to story IMO.

I am not trying to be mean but you have to gain some perspective as it is just a comic book story and that story is over.

[LifeIsILL]

1994 until now

every year has been bad