How would you rate the JM Dematteis/ Luke Ross run of Spectacular Spider-Man?

[ngroove]

Anyone know what issue it was when they finally outed / revealed Macquire Beck as Mad Jack? Pretty sure it didn't happen when DeMatteis was writing.

A Spider-Man / Daredevil mini, running about in year two or so of the bland 1999 Spider-Man reboot peroid.

Thanks a lot for ruining that mystery, Spider-Man / Daredevil mini. The only other appearance afterwards from that Jack O' Lantern I could think of, was that Spider-Girl vignette in an issue of Spider-Man Family.

[Pav]

I thought the Chameleon, Mad Jack and Aloysha Kraven issues were great, as was the work he did with post-Clone Saga return Norman Osborn. DeMatteis really knows how to build intrigue into the story that keeps the reader engaged.

But that Spectacular Spider-Man run was among one of my favorites, most fond, I've read. Chameleon, Jack O' Lantern, "Kraven the Hunter", the Legion of Losers ( Kangaroo, Grizzly, Gibbon, Spot), White Rabbit, Norman Osborn, and his buying of the Daily Bugle. Even some, on the supporting cast subplots, Flash Thompson, his on/offs with Betty, and facing his drunken father. Mary Jane batting Chameleon, and turning Ashley Kafka into a BABE!

Just echoing what others have said: I really enjoyed this run. I was buying all the titles at the time, and Spectacular was often my favorite of the month for the reasons others have already listed.

I think that Mad Jack might have turned into an all time great if Dematteis had been able to finish the story but the new writer botched it and Jack faded into obscurity again.

What a bummer, right? I loved the Mad Jack persona, the mystery that was built up in terms of his relationships with others (Osborn, Conundrum, Aunt Anna, the Jameson family) - it was all great.

Somehow, having Jack making Spidey hallucinate, that he would scoop him up, and drop him into his flaming maw, works pretty spookily.

Exactly! He was creepy as heck, but also funny.

I think the reason this run isn't brought up that much is because it came just after the Clone Saga and before the reboot, and neither of those periods is fondly regarded. Plus, there were three other titles at the time.

It's a shame that this era doesn't get the love it deserves. I understand that it wasn't earth-shattering, but all four of the monthly titles were consistently enjoyable, and I appreciated even then how each had a distinct feel/tone to it.

Thanks a lot for ruining that mystery, Spider-Man / Daredevil mini.

Ugh, I know. But it could've been worse: at least Mad Jack wasn't a "genetic construct/NOT A CLONE YOU GUYS".

-Pav, who hopes nobody finds out he's just a genetic construct...

[Metamorphosis]

Just echoing what others have said: I really enjoyed this run. I was buying all the titles at the time, and Spectacular was often my favorite of the month for the reasons others have already listed.

I know you're going to find this upsetting Pav, but I think by the end of the run, JMD's contributions to the "Identity Crisis" story were the weakest. I just didn't so much get into the Prodigy persona, or the stuff with Conundrum. I found DeFalco's Ricochet issues insufferable too.

Dusk and Hornet were both pretty awesome, though.

[Mister Mets]

A Spider-Man / Daredevil mini, running about in year two or so of the bland 1999 Spider-Man reboot peroid.

Thanks a lot for ruining that mystery, Spider-Man / Daredevil mini. The only other appearance afterwards from that Jack O' Lantern I could think of, was that Spider-Girl vignette in an issue of Spider-Man Family.

The mini-series was Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto.

Daredevil appeared but that was because Mysterio was killed off in Kevin Smith's Guardian Devil arc of that title.

I don't want anyone to mix up Mysterio Manifesto with the Spider-Man/ Daredevil mini-series by Jenkins and Winslade, which seems to have come out at the exact same time (both first issues were cover-dated January 2001.)

[Vortex85]

Just about everything JM DeMatteis has done on Spider-Man is a favorite / highlight for me, and this run is no exception. I like Luke Ross's art too. So I voted great.

[David Walton]

Really enjoyed this run, it was the best at a time when all the books had something good to offer.

Probably accurate to say it's not as great as the JMD/Buscema run, but there might be a significance bias, as there isn't any event on the level of Harry's Osborn's death to speak of. Still, I think it might be JMD's most balanced Spidey work. A nice mixture of humor, drama, and absurdity.

[Mister Mets]

Really enjoyed this run, it was the best at a time when all the books had something good to offer.

Probably accurate to say it's not as great as the JMD/Buscema run, but there might be a significance bias, as there isn't any event on the level of Harry's Osborn's death to speak of. Still, I think it might be JMD's most balanced Spidey work. A nice mixture of humor, drama, and absurdity.

I like the term "significance bias." It definitley applies to many of these kinds of discussions.

The Buscema run had a few other advantages. There was a larger story with a complete beginning, middle and end. There weren't any cowriters to speak of. Events in other titles weren't as important (although the return of Peter's parents was part of the story, and the last three issues were part of the Maximum Carnage crossover.)

Ross's art is solid, but I'd also rate Buscema as also one of the top ten Spider-Man artists ever. That run with Spectacular is his peak.

[Pav]

I know you're going to find this upsetting Pav, but I think by the end of the run, JMD's contributions to the "Identity Crisis" story were the weakest. I just didn't so much get into the Prodigy persona, or the stuff with Conundrum. I found DeFalco's Ricochet issues insufferable too.

Dusk and Hornet were both pretty awesome, though.

Oh, not really. Actually, I tend to agree. Of the four personas/costumes, I liked Prodigy the least. Conundrum wasn't amazing either; I was mostly just curious about Mad Jack, and JMD hinted at a prior history between the two.

Honestly, I think my favorite Identity Crisis storyline was Howard Mackie's. Dusk was cool, what Peter did with the costume was fun, and at the time I was hoping we'd also learn more about SHOC.

But in general, I loved the Identity Crisis comics. They were all pretty fun, and I especially liked when Peter was switching between the costumes during his fight with Roughhouse and Bloodscream in Amazing.

And then we got Slingers, my favorite series to this day. (It still amazes me how much more awesome the Prodigy costume looks with a red cape added.)

-Pav, whose only letter to Marvel was published during the Identity Crisis storyline...

[RD!]

A plus - every bit as good as the previous one

[Metamorphosis]

Off topic, but I rented the animated Batman vs Robin DVD last night. It blends together a few story threads from several recent years of Batman comics (in a very smart way). I was surprised to learn who the screenwriter was at the end: JMD.

It also features Weird Al as the voice of the villain the Dollmaker. :-)