Nick Spencers Run on Amazing Spider-Man Ending in September

[Spiderfan001]

Awful idea. Both characters have almost nothing in common. And Spider-Man fans want to read a book about Spidey, specially being the flagship title; not a team-up book with far less interesting characters.

Just make an Avenging Spider-man series again and do team-ups while having ASM as well.

[PCN24454]

Awful idea. Both characters have almost nothing in common. And Spider-Man fans want to read a book about Spidey, specially being the flagship title; not a team-up book with far less interesting characters.

So Spider-Man should be in his own universe?

[Chris0013]

So Spider-Man should be in his own universe?

Don't start that crap over here...

[RJT]

I would also note the fact they are almost dumping issues of Amazing like what happens to episodes of cancelled TV shows in summer. Those things make me believe that Marvel pushed Spencer out. I would note that if it is Zdarsky taking over, that gives even more credibility to the theory of mine that he got pushed out due to the length of Kindred and the opportunity to get Zdarsky back to Spider-Man.

I’ve seen people make this comparison before, but the nature of television production and comics production are so different that it doesn’t make any sense. TV networks order a set number of episodes from a production company. If they cancel the show before airing all of the episodes that have been produced and that they have already paid for, yes, they will air them quickly in succession over the summer. (I remember the 90s show Picket Fences airing a clutch of new episodes the summer after they canceled the show to “burn them off.”) But Marvel here is the production company—if they don’t like what Spencer is doing on the book, they can just fire him and replace him with a writer they like. They aren’t obligated to let him finish his story. And the nature of comic production means that they aren’t months and months ahead and have all these finished comics sitting around—I think looking at the art on the past couple of issues shows that they are likely having to rush things on the art side to get the books out on the accelerated schedule. In addition, network TV shows are free for viewers—comics cost money. So Marvel would not be “burning off” dozens of Spencer Spider-Man comics if they didn’t think they were good because if readers drop the book, it is so hard to regain those readers, even with a new creative team. The fact is that Marvel is publishing so many Spider-Man books a month because it *makes them money*. I don’t know if Spencer is getting to finish his run as intended, or if he’s choosing to leave early, or if Marvel is shoving him out the door. But the last one seems the least likely, since if they didn’t like what he was doing, they wouldn’t be giving him a heavily promoted event mini-series (Sinister War) and all these extra and double-sized issues. They would just take him off the book.

(There have been examples in recent history where a creative team met with fairly universal criticism. In the mid-2000s Chuck Austen and Ivan Reis did a run on Action Comics that was so reviled that DC fired Austen mid-story. The editor finished the arc under a pseudonym to buy them time for a new creative team to take over the book. They didn’t say “let’s publish a dozen more Chuck Austen Action Comics issues and just put them out weekly to burn them off.” )

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

Or Marvel could have Jessica Drew make a reoccurring guest appearance in ASM as Peter's ally who gets a major spotlight in a story arc. Peter Parker could make a guest appearance (in a non Spider-Man role) in Jessica's world creating equipment for her whose Venom Blast could be used to the fullest extent. I am surprised that Spencer never bothered to have Jessica Drew and Julia Carpenter as reoccurring allies of Spider-Man that could flush out their characters more so than current...

Keep Madam Web crap out please, I hate this mystic cosmic web nonsense. That and JMS mystic villains ideas are not well suited for Spider-Man.

So Spider-Man should be in his own universe?

Roger Stern disagreed with this position, and made two of the finest runs.

[charliehustle415]

And moving from speculation on the new writer to the new artist... I can't help wondering if John Romita Jr is involved, as the timing would work quite well with his return to Marvel.

If Romita comes back, I will lose it!

ASM will be on my pull list regardless of writer

[Somecrazyaussie]

I’ve seen people make this comparison before, but the nature of television production and comics production are so different that it doesn’t make any sense. TV networks order a set number of episodes from a production company. If they cancel the show before airing all of the episodes that have been produced and that they have already paid for, yes, they will air them quickly in succession over the summer. (I remember the 90s show Picket Fences airing a clutch of new episodes the summer after they canceled the show to “burn them off.”) But Marvel here is the production company—if they don’t like what Spencer is doing on the book, they can just fire him and replace him with a writer they like. They aren’t obligated to let him finish his story. And the nature of comic production means that they aren’t months and months ahead and have all these finished comics sitting around—I think looking at the art on the past couple of issues shows that they are likely having to rush things on the art side to get the books out on the accelerated schedule. In addition, network TV shows are free for viewers—comics cost money. So Marvel would not be “burning off” dozens of Spencer Spider-Man comics if they didn’t think they were good because if readers drop the book, it is so hard to regain those readers, even with a new creative team. The fact is that Marvel is publishing so many Spider-Man books a month because it *makes them money*. I don’t know if Spencer is getting to finish his run as intended, or if he’s choosing to leave early, or if Marvel is shoving him out the door. But the last one seems the least likely, since if they didn’t like what he was doing, they wouldn’t be giving him a heavily promoted event mini-series (Sinister War) and all these extra and double-sized issues. They would just take him off the book.

(There have been examples in recent history where a creative team met with fairly universal criticism. In the mid-2000s Chuck Austen and Ivan Reis did a run on Action Comics that was so reviled that DC fired Austen mid-story. The editor finished the arc under a pseudonym to buy them time for a new creative team to take over the book. They didn’t say “let’s publish a dozen more Chuck Austen Action Comics issues and just put them out weekly to burn them off.” )

Scripts are almost certainly months and months ahead. They need to be in order for there to be revisions (if necessary) and for the artist to have enough lead time. In the case of Amazing, this is equally true when it is double/triple shipping a month and has multiple art teams in rotation.

It really depends on the situation. However, they normally snuff a writer whenever whatever they are producing just isn't working at the script stage. In some cases, they may allow them to "tie up" loose ends if they can. The closest example of this is Tom King who initially said he had Batman plotted through until #100. But he was given the bums rush after City Of Bane wrapped in #85. A good 15 issues before time.

In this case, I feel Spencer may have left of his own accord. If Marvel wasn't liking what he was doing with Kindred, they would have had him wrap it up after Last Remains. So I don't think it was that and Marvel fully backed Kindred. It was one of the selling points they promoted prior to Spencer's run kicking off.

People really need to get over this Kindred identity business. It's okay if they don't like the direction (or who Kindred ended up being). But all the anger seems to boil down to is, "the writer isn't giving me answers when I want them! Grrr!" It is pretty silly. Especially when all the crap involving Hobgoblin took 14 years to finally clarify.

Imagine if a show like Lost was done now? People would freak if they didn't get the answers in the first season.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Just make an Avenging Spider-man series again and do team-ups while having ASM as well.

Market isnt built for those kinds of books anymore, sadly. Nor anthologies such as Marvel Comics Presents or stuff like What If....? (which sucks because I loved the latter two as a kid).

[RJT]

Scripts are almost certainly months and months ahead. They need to be in order for there to be revisions (if necessary) and for the artist to have enough lead time. In the case of Amazing, this is equally true when it is double/triple shipping a month and has multiple art teams in rotation.

That’s true, but editorial approves each plot/script, so the idea that Spencer has written a dozen scripts that Marvel doesn’t like but they are investing the tens of thousands of dollars to have drawn so they can “dump them” is ludicrous. An individual might not like Spencer’s run (I’ve been up and down on it myself) but Marvel editorial obviously does since they hired him and approved every script.

I feel like people have this image of Spencer scripts coming rapidly down a conveyor belt and Marvel editorial getting overwhelmed by them like on that episode “I Love Lucy.” That just isn’t how comic production works.

[Spidey_62]

If Romita comes back, I will lose it!

ASM will be on my pull list regardless of writer

I feel like that's a distinct possibility. He was a guest on the Amazing Spider-Talk podcast this year and the episode dropped the day his Marvel return was announced and on the show he said they might be talking to him again soon. At the time I assumed it just had to do with the Marvel return leaving him more in that toolbox again, but with the confirmation of Spencer's run ending and Romita Jr having been at work on Marvel stuff the last few months... it could line up. I think he was only penciling 1 Fantastic Four issue, the 60th anniversary one.

[PeterParked]

Scripts are almost certainly months and months ahead. They need to be in order for there to be revisions (if necessary) and for the artist to have enough lead time. In the case of Amazing, this is equally true when it is double/triple shipping a month and has multiple art teams in rotation.

It really depends on the situation. However, they normally snuff a writer whenever whatever they are producing just isn't working at the script stage. In some cases, they may allow them to "tie up" loose ends if they can. The closest example of this is Tom King who initially said he had Batman plotted through until #100. But he was given the bums rush after City Of Bane wrapped in #85. A good 15 issues before time.

In this case, I feel Spencer may have left of his own accord. If Marvel wasn't liking what he was doing with Kindred, they would have had him wrap it up after Last Remains. So I don't think it was that and Marvel fully backed Kindred. It was one of the selling points they promoted prior to Spencer's run kicking off.

People really need to get over this Kindred identity business. It's okay if they don't like the direction (or who Kindred ended up being). But all the anger seems to boil down to is, "the writer isn't giving me answers when I want them! Grrr!" It is pretty silly. Especially when all the crap involving Hobgoblin took 14 years to finally clarify.

Imagine if a show like Lost was done now? People would freak if they didn't get the answers in the first season.

Spencer had a good job opportunity and he took it. Now in order to complete his story they are publishing more issues per month than usual. It’s really the most simple and logical explanation .

[Tofali]

Well the way I'm reading this run. mostly in trade, I feel like the villains are getting their own solo movies lol! Don't get me wrong I love it but it is so hard to ignore.

[RJT]

Spencer had a good job opportunity and he took it. Now in order to complete his story they are publishing more issues per month than usual. It’s really the most simple and logical explanation .

I take issue with the idea that the accelerated publication has anything to do with "Marvel letting Spencer complete his story." Marvel is publishing more Spider-Man comics per month because publishing more Spider-Man comics per month makes them more money. There's no reason to rush out Spider-Man comics just to be done with Spencer. if they're really unhappy with his work (and he's leaving the company), they would fire him. They are under no obligation to let him finish his story if they don't like it. And they are under no obligation to get all the scripts they've approved from him published before he starts his new gig. If they really preferred publishing one or two issues of Amazing per month, that's how many issues they would be publishing. (Grant Morrison was well ahead on his New X-Men scripts when he decided to sign an exclusive with DC; his New X-Men issues kept coming out for 7-8 months after he left Marvel.)

Marvel has long had a practice of crowding the shelves--it's part of how they've maintained their dominance in the direct market. Amazing Spider-Man is one of their top selling books, and one of the top selling books in the DM, so putting it out more frequently means retailers have less money to order books from other companies. That's 100% the reason why we're getting so many Spider-Man and Spider-Man-related books this summer.

[Chris0013]

Market isnt built for those kinds of books anymore, sadly. Nor anthologies such as Marvel Comics Presents or stuff like What If....? (which sucks because I loved the latter two as a kid).

Which is a shame. I personally think an Marvel Fanfare or Marvel Spotlight type series for unappreciated characters would do well.

[Somecrazyaussie]

That’s true, but editorial approves each plot/script, so the idea that Spencer has written a dozen scripts that Marvel doesn’t like but they are investing the tens of thousands of dollars to have drawn so they can “dump them” is ludicrous. An individual might not like Spencer’s run (I’ve been up and down on it myself) but Marvel editorial obviously does since they hired him and approved every script.

I feel like people have this image of Spencer scripts coming rapidly down a conveyor belt and Marvel editorial getting overwhelmed by them like on that episode “I Love Lucy.” That just isn’t how comic production works.

Exactly. I agree. It goes through assistant editors, group editor and even EiC. If those in editorial at Marvel didn't like what was coming in, it would have been nixed at the script stage.

As it was stated by another poster, the increase is probably due to the fact Marvel want Amazing 900 out on Amazing Fantasy #15 anniversary next June. If it had kept at the previous pace, that issue wouldn't have dropped until late next year. Especially if the extra sized issues had just been regular issues in Amazing proper.