What Went Wrong With Web Warriors?

[Kevinroc]

Web Warriors #11 has been solicited as the "Final issue." This was a series spun-off from a major ASM storyline, with the red hot Spider-Gwen in a leading role, that fell to Earth incredibly quickly.

What went wrong with Web Warriors?

[Frontier]

Focusing an entire arc on fighting Electro's?

Costa's writing?

The whitewashing that, fortunately for Marvel, was not made into a big deal?

That, for some reason, putting multiple fan-favorites in one book didn't lead to successful sales?

Spider-Verse just wasn't popular enough to sustain a concept for a new book?

[oldschool]

It was one of the few Spidey titles I never picked up; the concept and creative team honestly just didn't appeal to me and---while Spider-Gwen was a hot commodity there for awhile----I never felt her book took off. It just seemed she had a great costume design and initial concept but, unfortunately, I feel the promise of that concept went unfulfilled. Also, there may have been an oversaturation of new Spider titles with Spider-Gwen, Silk, 2099 and even the Carnage and Venom: Spaceknight titles dominating in readers' minds and wallets. Probably safe to say WW was the weak link.

[Webhead]

I liked it, but I gotta admit the execution was sloppy. The art was hit-and-miss. The Electroverse arc went on for too long and there was little development for the characters involved. Having new stories with alternate Spideys still seems like a good idea, but perhaps the writing and cosmic setting aren't a good match.

[Highland Chicken]

Over reliance of Gwen
Lack of Kaine
Whitewashing meera and pavatir
Lack of Kaine
Mediocre art
Lack of Kaine
dragged out plot
Lack of Kaine

[cyberhubbs]

While the first arc ran long, I don't think they made a mistake using the Electros. Personally, I loved the art despite the occassional hiccup. They even had a lot of the Electros sporting their own specific twist on being an Electro. It's a shame it didn't last.

[David Walton]

I've always had trouble wrapping my head around a multitude of Spider-people running together as an official team.

I love Ben Reilly, Kaine, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Girl, but I don't necessarily want to see them running around together for long stretches. (Really, I don't want Mayday anywhere near 'our' universe, because it runs so counter to the spirit of the MC2.)

The best stuff from the 90s Clone Saga focused on Ben and Peter individually or having them at odds.

There's just something about having that many Spider-themed characters in one room that starts to undermine Peter's unique qualities IMO, at least if they're working as a team instead of individuals. It makes Spider-Man seem more like the Green Lantern Corp. than the guy who was cursed by fate with power and responsibility.

[Scott Taylor]

Never read it personally, because I didn't really care about any of the characters in it. Other than Spider-Gwen, a little, and she had a solo title out that I bought if I wanted to read about her (written by the guy who invented her)...so nothing really there in Web Warriors for me that couldn't be found elsewhere I thought.

May was there, I heard, but it just broke my heart what they did with her in Spider-Verse. So again, no love there for me.

[CrimsonEchidna]

The first arc wasn't exactly interesting and the actual character chemistry fell into the "Show, Don't Tell" camp.

That and Costa's shilling of Gwen backfired. It was a not so subtle attempt to get Spider-Gwen readers to jump on board, but for the most part they didn't.

[Prof. Warren]

Web Warriors #11 has been solicited as the "Final issue." This was a series spun-off from a major ASM storyline, with the red hot Spider-Gwen in a leading role, that fell to Earth incredibly quickly.

What went wrong with Web Warriors?

I never read it myself but I will say that the team didn't appeal to me. Spider-Ham is on that, right? Cool in small doses but a little corny as a full time member of a book.

The other thing, too, is that some books just don't cut it. It's not always that something went "wrong" per se, it's just that the market couldn't support it.

[MJS]

The first arc wasn't exactly interesting and the actual character chemistry fell into the "Show, Don't Tell" camp.

That and Costa's shilling of Gwen backfired. It was a not so subtle attempt to get Spider-Gwen readers to jump on board, but for the most part they didn't.

This.

Someday, certain Marvel editors and writers will remember the best stories tend to be those that put characters first and build the plot around them and their reactions, rather than coming up with a plot and shoehorning the characters into it whether they fit or not.

And yes. Gwen the super speshul snowflake got old very fast.

[Rob London]

Over reliance of Gwen
Lack of Kaine
Whitewashing meera and pavatir
Lack of Kaine
Mediocre art
Lack of Kaine
dragged out plot
Lack of Kaine

I don't think the presence of Kaine would have saved the book. Remember, he was in the Yost/To New Warriors book, which sadly only made it to issue 12.

[Kevinroc]

The other thing, too, is that some books just don't cut it. It's not always that something went "wrong" per se, it's just that the market couldn't support it.

I used "What went wrong" in the title mostly for alliteration.

I don't think the presence of Kaine would have saved the book. Remember, he was in the Yost/To New Warriors book, which sadly only made it to issue 12.

Do you think having Peter, the main Peter, would have helped this book?

[Mister Mets]

I think one problem was that there was a lot of competition for dollars.

Spider-Gwen, Silk, Spider-Man 2099 and the Miles Morales Spider-Man showed people with spider-powers who weren't Peter Parker.

[Pav]

Speaking only for myself here obviously, but I don't necessarily have a problem with the existence of some kind of Spider-People book. That being said, I'd rather see a book of mostly 616 characters (and maybe a couple of extra-dimensionally stranded Spiders) rather than a multiverse team. I don't hate the idea; it's just not what I'd prefer from an ongoing team comic based in Spider-Man's world. I think there are other options that would sell better and matter more to the fans - just stronger ideas than a comic featuring Spider-Ham and Spider-Man: India. It's only a matter of time before someone strikes gold.

-Pav, who would go about it one of a few different ways...

EDIT and PS: I think Costa's writing is kind of boring. Formulaic, maybe? I dunno. Just don't love it.