"Part of the problem with the controversy behind One More Day is the understanding of what was retconned overstates the extent of what was done. Everything that happened in the last twenty plus years of comic book history happened! The only difference is that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson weren't married. They still dated. They still lived together. They still love each other. They just weren't married. Judging from the letters and death threats we received, I think some people were confused. It all still happened. Here's my attitude, [b]if anyone is upset about the marriage going away, then they must all be pro gay marriage. Because if you're pro gay marriage, you understand the distinction between a marriage and a civil union -- that a civil union is not equal to a marriage. We downgraded Mary Jane and Peter to a civil union. If that bothers you, then you're pro gay marriage."
[/b]
These writers just don't learn.
Don't reply to fans on the internet, you only make it worse. Or in the case here, say something extremely stupid and make it much worse.
I don't get why Dan Slott, Mark Waid and so many others feel the need to defend themselves, or in this case, Joe Q's decision. Its basically an unwinnable arguement--they can only hope it goes away over time.
"New Ways to Die" kind of reminds me of a late 80's/early 90's plotline. Kind of like Maximum Carnage, actually. Tons and tons of fighting, lots of different characters, but not really all that much happening. JR Jr's art is great though.
I agree about the Spider-Tracer subplot. Other than an off-handed mention here and there, next to nothing has been done (by Spidey; ipso facto, by the writers) to address this.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: JR Jr's art is great though.
...I don't, and never have, got this. Seriously, here's a couple of near-direct comparisons from WWH [Okay, the mini-marvels one is kinda silly, but I still prefer it ]:
My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
All subjective I guess. But I really do love his art, especially on Spider-Man, Daredevil and other 'street level' things. I did like it on Thor too.
Can't really explain why, though . Artists with similar styles I really don't like.
I read an interview with him where the person asked him about all the usual critques he gets on his work (generally the same stuff over the last 15 years) and he said "hey I draw and that's how it comes out" or something like that. He's JR Jr., y'know? I'm being partially facetious, I wonder sometimes if I like his art because knowing he's around provides me some level of comfort as to what's happening at Marvel.
But he's probably my favorite artist to do Spider-Man actively working right now. Him and Bagley actually (who took me years to like).
All that being said, I wouldn't mind seeing JR Jr. on something he's never done before. I really liked his Hercules covers.
[EDIT] - first time I ever really took notice of his art when I was about 11 and bought "Punisher War Zone" off the stands with my brother. Chuck Dixon writing, Romita Jr. on art, featuring the Punisher. If you don't like one of those three things, talk about not liking this entire series! But I actually thought it was awesome. I reread around age 18 and still thought so...wonder what I'd think now?
Composer Ray Ellis dies at 85 Arranged 'Chances Are,' 'Splish Splash'
By Mike Barnes
Oct 31, 2008, 08:30 PM ET Composer Ray Ellis, who arranged such classics as "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis, "Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin and "Standing on the Corner" by the Four Lads, died Monday in Encino of complications from melanoma. He was 85.
During a career that spanned almost 65 years, the Philadelphia native also arranged for acts including Tony Bennett, Doris Day, the Drifters, Connie Francis, Judy Garland and Ray Price.
Ellis, in collaboration with his son Marc, wrote original music for many of the animated series produced by Filmation Studios, along with the original "Spider-Man" cartoon, "The NBC Nightly News" and "The Today Show." Father and son also created music for game shows including "Sale of the Century."
In the late 1940s and early '50s, Ellis played tenor sax in the Gene Krupa Band and the Paul Whiteman Band and performed on live TV with jazz combos on WCAU in Philadelphia.
He was discovered in 1955 by Columbia Records producer Mitch Miller, and under the famed bandleader's guidance, Ellis arranged a string of top 10 records for acts including the Four Lads, Mathis, Bennett, Darin and Chris Connor.
Ellis also recorded instrumental albums under the Ray Ellis and His Orchestra banner for Columbia and RCA Records.
With Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records, Ellis arranged R&B classics for the Drifters ("Under the Boardwalk"), Brook Benton ("There Goes My Baby"), Ben E. King ("Spanish Harlem") and Etta James ("C.C. Rider"). He did arrangements for Billie Holiday's last album, 1958's "Lady in Satin."
Ellis became A&R director at MGM Records in 1959, creating hits for Connie Francis ("Where the Boys Are"), Frankie Laine and Clyde McPhatter ("Lover's Question"). Later, he worked with such artists as Lena Horne, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Anthony Newley, Michelle Lee, Liza Minnelli and Maurice Chevalier.
Most recently, Ellis worked on projects with Adam Sandler, Barry Manilow and Bette Midler. During his retirement years, he was involved in fundraising efforts for the Ojai Music Festival.
Among Ellis' survivors is his wife of more than 60 years, Yvette.
Well, another one of the greats gone. It seemed to me about the time the DVD set was coming out that most of the people involved with the show were already gone or dropping like flies. And STILL no original recordings have turned up. (sigh)
When I started learning about Ray Ellis a few years ago, I commented that there seemed to me to be a heirarchy when it came to composers doing film soundtracks. You had those who did feature films. Then you had those who "only" did tv shows. And then you had those who did tv CARTOONS. This does not diminish the people or the work they did in the latter 2 categories. Let me put it this way: I love John Williams' work on LOST IN SPACE more than anything he's done since. Really! (The scores for the 1st 2 STAR WARS movies were wonderful, of course.) A lot of GREAT tv music from the 60's-- and I consider the 60's to be quite possibly the best-EVER era for tv music (seriously, can ANYBODY name ANYTHING since that measure up??) has taken decades to show up on LP, CD, whatever. We're still waiting for SPIDER-MAN.
It was wonderful to read of the various things Ellis was involved in-- "Spanish Harlem" is one of the all-time greats (though even I have to wrack my brain sometimes to remember exactly what it is an "arranger" does). Mitch Miller, a favorite of mine when I was a little kid (no really) turns out to have had a big impact on who worked for Columbia, bieng their R&D man (he also signed Bob Dylan-- ain't that a kick?).
Several months ago, with my help, another fan put together a comp with as many instrumental covers of Ellis' SPIDER-MAN music as we could find in one place. We did this because, apart from it being a cool idea, the original recordings have still not turned up anywhere. I'm playing the SPIDEY COVERS disc right now. I suggest anyone who hasn't gotten a copy yet go do it! They may not be his recordings, but they are his songs.
"New Ways to Die", which I referenced above, was 'okay'. It wasn't terrible and was relatively fun, but it didn't have much substance. My above correlation to Maximum Carnage is a good one I think, for what its worth. Mindless fun with no real point. I love JR Jr's work so I enjoyed it from that angle. Reboot would hate this arc, trust .
One annoying thing is that Harry is obviously involved in some shady stuff and is possibly Menace (my prediction). Ugh. I hope not. Why bring him back if you're going to retread that nonsense. Harry had his Goblin-esque story in #136-137 back in 1975. Then it was redone in the late 1980's, and Harry died, because the only way to top the 1975 version was to take it to that level. It doesn't need to be done again. Or why bring him back at all?
Next is the Flash Thompson single issue. WHOA. That caught me off guard--Marc Guggenheim, who is generally hit or miss with me has delivered what I would consider one of the best stories of 2008. Certainly the best single Spidey story in a long while. A very powerful story that at long last references Flash's nearly 50 year history of growing as a character and showing the heroism in which he admired so much in Spidey. Kitson's art was fantastic. It definitely left me feeling some emotion, much like All-Star Superman #6 and #10.
Next is the Joe Kelly Hammerhead story with Pacheo art. I generally find Pacheo's art impenetrable and it takes away from my overall enjoyment, and its much the same here. But Joe Kelly's writing I actually kind of like (his JLA the one exception), and he does a really great job here. I've always liked Hammerhead but recognize his generally silliness (which was silly even when he first appeared way back in like ASM #116 or something); so amping him up to be more ruthless and scary is a good thing. Kelly also writes a genuinely funny Spidey, as opposed to Dan Slott and Mark Waid, who kind of force it too often (you've got to let it flow, Spidey doesn't need to be annoying or crack jokes 24/7). Kelly also introduces a new supporting character, Norah, who works with Peter at Front Line, and I'm glad to see her.
Some general comments:
- Spider-Tracer subplot still *dragging* on
- I don't really like Lily Hollister all that much. Its for a variety of reasons: (1) the Harry / Lily / Peter possible love triangle reeks of a retread of the Gwen/Harry/Peter and MJ/Harry/Peter stuff of the past and feels too nostalgic. If Peter has a thing for Lily, and she's the first girl since MJ, then we're all inclined to hate her I think (so I wonder if its no accident and they figured we'd hate her anyway). And so far she hasn't shown much characterization other than the cliches and typical shallow 'rich girl with a conscience trying to do some good in the world'.
- The Front Line transition has been great. Now all they need is Gloria and Betty over there with Robbie and Ben Urich. I miss Gloria and don't like Betty working for the DB.
- Need more JJJ.
- One thing JMS did really well was scenes with Aunt May and Peter. One More Day's 2nd biggest crime was perhaps reducing Peter and May's relationship not to what it was pre-JMS, not even to what it was pre-marriage, but to what it was pre-ASM #200. In other words, no one is writing it the right way. Its not only annoying, its distracting. Man, May should never have been brought back after #400. Its had so little positive effect.
So, keeping up with my continual reviews, I figure with Brand New Day kind of not that new anymore (a year later already, wow) I'll keep trying to review stories and give an honest review about whether they're good or not. Two posts above I mentioned I thought New Ways to Die was 'meh', while the Flash Thompson issue was really good, and the Joe Kelly Hammerhead two-parter was superb.
Picking up there:
(1) Mark Waid and Marcos Martin offered a two-parter featuring Spidey & a group trapped underground and the Shocker. My thoughts? Wow, what a really great story! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. A few more specific things: - Marcos Martin! Where did this guy come from? I buy like a gazillion comics a month and the name didn't ring a bell. He's excellent! Seriously, he might be my favorite Spidey artist since BND started. Great, great stuff, with different characters to draw, cool settings and some really fluid Spider-Man action that reminded me a little of Ditko while also a little of the guys working on Jonah Hex these days whom I LOVE: Darwyn Cooke, Jordi Bernet and others.
- Mark Waid: I love him, and yet sometimes he leaves me stone cold. Its no secret I didn't like the threeboot at all once the final product was delivered, his FF run I hated and his recent Flash run left me super-cold. Yet, the Mark Waid I know has given me some of the best comic book runs I've ever read in my lifetime! Waid's Flash, Ka-Zar, Captan America...hell, *so* many great stories I've just found to be excllent. And his Spidey story? Great! A very solid, excellent read. Good characterization, plotting, action, and the typical Mark Waid beginning - middle - end of character change that have always made his stories so good. Probably my favorite Mark Waid story in the last 2-3 years (I'd count 52 but that's a whole other animal).
- Two-parters: the best thing about the current Spidey set-up is the different story lengths there giving us, with big 6 parters, one-shots, three-parters, etc. Like the Joe Kelly Hammerhead story, a nice solid two-parter is refreshing and nice. I like it. I like the entire set-up.
- Shocker - I love the Shocker, one of my favorite Spidey villains. Not to say he's one of the toughest (he ain't), scariest (he definitely ain't) but also not one of his corniest (hay, the Shocker isn't a total loser, he's pretty groovy in his own right). I also like that his motivation is generally making some paper (that's money to uncool people). Today's hip-hop fans can relate to the Shocker.
So yeah, it was good.
(2) Roger Stern & Lee Week's story. WHOA, WHOA, <span style="font-size: 17px;">WHOA!</span>. Roger, where have you been? Please, please, please write more Spidey stories! What a terrific standalone issue! Great super-hero action with so many elements of what makes Spidey great! Sure, its not the most important comic of the month but its sure one of the best scripted / paced / action-packed deliveries I've seen in awhile. Typical Roger Stern, every story he writes is like he's teaching a class on how to write comics.
And Lee Weeks is great as usual. He should get his own ongoing title. His style seems to be suddenly be back in vogue at Marvel these days after years of it not. The artists Bendis and Brubaker work with seem to evoke bits of Lee Weeks IMO.
(3) Part 1 of the Molten Man / Harry Osborn story. And here's where I can't give every issue of Spider-Man a gold star. Oh Marvel...oh Dan Slott...when you take it to the level of continuity, you better know we fans will use our microscopes and we are a tough bunch to get some generosity out of. I really want to love Dan Slott's Spider-Man work because I loved his She-Hulk and other stuff. But its been hit or miss with me. And here...it feels like a miss thus far. Granted, he can still save it with Part 2, but I'll tell you why.
- the explanation for why Harry's still alive. It makes sense sure, but it lacks any real drama, its overly simple and it feels like "okay, lets just get this out there and over with and move past the issue forever." UH-UH. I know Harry's history like I know my own. I experienced everything that happened to him. Spider-Man fans want answers, so you better be prepared to give them to us. Sure, I like the use of the villain who helped out and it made sense, but couldn't it have been even a little more dramatic and appealing in delivery?
- But the part that irks me is the treatment of Liz Osborn (or is it Allen again?) and young Normie. Now Harry looks like a deadbeat Dad, which if thats the case, why the hell even bring him back? Harry is troubled, we get it, stop beating me over the head with it but do you really need to drag him through the mud *again* to show us? And Liz is a part of Spidey's history for even longer than Harry, so surely she deserves an equal amount of respect. I can only hope she ends up in a good position at the close of the second part.
I like the Molten Man too, so good to see him. Young Normie I find highly annoying but its not like you can just wish him out of the series, right? (oops!)
So 2 out of 3 right now. Good solid Spidey stories like we've been promised but when continuity is a factor its just too difficult to tackle still, and that's only Harry Osborn, not even MJ.
Continuing the review of recent issues of Spider-Man:
#1 - the Second Part of the Molten Man story - like the first part, this was 'okay'. I like the Molten Man, as a classic Spidey villain with some great history, and I love seeing Liz Allen again (even if her name was mispelled within the issue ). But this story felt like a retread--it was like rereading the classic Molten Man visits Harry & Liz in New Jersey story from the early 1980's, except this time they are divorced. I'm sure most readers won't remember that story (from Spectacular #63 to be exact), but I read that issue several times as a kid and its pretty similar. Once again, Dan Slott is showing that while moments Post-OMD have been stellar, some parts are still too much of a retread.
#2 - the Barrack Obama issue - isn't really much to do with Obama after all. That six page story at the end was pretty 'blah', so not much going on there. Much more important to me, as a major Spidey fan, was the Betty Leeds (Brant) story at the beginning by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson. And once more, post-OMD, WOW! What a great story! Terrific, absolutely terrific. Like the Flash Thompson story several months ago, this was an excellent, well done story giving insight to Betty, one of Peter's most imporant supporting cast members after all these years. Mark Waid provides yet another spectacular story (he's on a roll for Spidey stories), while Kitson's art is incredible as usual. This is another contender for best Spidey story thus far in this new era. I love Betty, and seeing all these long time cast members get some much needed screen time without rehashing old plots is the bonus I've been waiting for all along with this new focus on the thrice-monthly ASM with rotating storylines and writers. This story proved once more that the new format can give us what was promised. And as spoilers for anyone reading--no fear, there is no Betty/Peter romance, Waid is much too smart for that. Instead he establishes the great friendship she has with Pete after all these years, and enures readers will remember why they like her rather than hate her if she dares take MJ's place.
#3 "Character Assassination" - by Marc Guggenheim and JR Jr. I've said before I love Romita Jr's art, and this is no exception. Its utterly fantastic here, and those of us who love it will really enjoy it. Those of you who hate it--bah! As for the story itself, I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit! Other than the rather weak "New Ways to Die" this one is actually loaded with great character sequences, a steadily moving plot and some very good revelations. I like Guggenheim's pacing and tension-building here; he's always been hit or miss with me but lately is impressing the hell out of me on Spidey. The Spidey being hurt / having his arm in a sling is a classic Spidey scenario that has appeared every 40+ issues of ASM for about forty years, but he makes it work here.
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">In regards to the two big Spoilers:
(1) Lily Hollister as Menace was something I was suspecting these last few issues. While it works plot-wise it also makes sense from an outside perspective in that (a) Harry as Menace is far too obvious and (b) readers naturally would hate Lily in a post-MJ world and so what better way really hammer that home than to make the new 'bombshell' potential love interest slash problem for Pete and Harry be a screw-up super-villain. I've found her annoying thus far; now I actually am interested.
(2) The Spider-Tracer killings are suddenly a much more interesting plot. Several police officers behind it all, possibly killing crooks? Thats where it seems to be leading so far and that's pretty interesting twist. I'm looking forward to further resolution. I do hope Vin Gonzales isn't a part of it though because having him as some fresh blood in Pete's life has been nice, and his character lends well to Spidey stories. I also like Carlie Cooper's role.</span></span>
Essential Amazing Spider-Man Volume 9 came out this week, and it is a must-buy, as it collects what I consider the most underrated of all the Spidey runs -- the Marv Wolfman era, #186-204. Wolfman, of course, introduced the Black Cat, but he did so much more -- he excelled with the supporting cast, tied up loose plot threads, moved the book in new directions, and overall pulled ASM back from the self-parody it had IMO been wallowing in during the Conway and Wein eras.
The standout issue is # 200, Spidey's confrontation with the burglar who killed Uncle Ben. Keith Pollard, the Wolfman era's semi-regular penciller, had been constricted on earlier issues by Jim Shooter's squeeze-in-as-many-panels-as-you-can philosophy. But the double-length of # 200 allowed Pollard to stretch out and really strut his stuff, proving himself every bit the equal of John Romita Senior, and superior to Gil Kane and Ross Andru.
The Marv Wolfman era is only a few issues shorter than the Roger Stern era, and there is no reason why it shouldn't receive just as much praise.
#200 is one of my favorite issues of all time. I reviewed Wolfman's run way back when I first joined LW, but most of posts back then are a little embarrassing for me to read. I need a post editor
Wolfman did several things that really kind of 'picked the book up and restored it as Marvel's flagship'.
- Introduction of the Black Cat, and her earlist stories were some of the best.
- Exit Mary Jane from the series. By this time, MJ really had to leave the series because fans (including me when I read them) couldn't stand her. She still was stuck in the 'taking Gwen's place before we had a chance to mourn her syndrome', and was as selfish as ever--particularly under Len Wein's writing. Her turning down Pete's first marriage proposal was the last nail in the coffin. I think her exit actually saved her character...it led to a 'cooling off period' that allowed Stern to bring her back in a great way.
- Spidey cleared by the police / Spidey graduates college / etc. Marv began or continued a series of things that helped Spidey move on from several longstanding plot elements that definitely had become too 'status quo'. He therefore helped give the title a much needed jumpstart again, even if it wasn't noticable right away. But by the time Roger Stern came on about two years later, he had a lot more to work with without retreading longstanding plot elements. The best one of these is Aunt May finally thinking better of Spider-Man after all those years (two decades really). Marv helped put some closure to that tired old bit and in a way that seemed natural.
- Best Spencer Smythe story of all time. Its also one of the best Jonah/Spidey stories too. I'd say its actually so good that there was no need to ever go back to the Spider-Slayers again (too bad that didn't last).
- Marv also did a few things with the supporting cast that helped move it forward too. He introduced some new characters, like Deb Whitman (who would suffer after his departure). He included some characters he didn't create but helped firmly establish within Spidey's lore, like Sha Shan and Marla Madison. He helped move Harry past all the Goblin craziness so he was just normal again (Len Wein wrote him as very weird). He returned Betty Brant to the series and although she wasn't exactly normal, he at least made her interesting again. He wrote one of the best Joe Robinson's ever, and in fact, I think its Marv who wrote what I consider to be Joe's best scene in the history of the character. I'll have to find the issue so I have the number right.
- The build-up to #200 with issue after issue having something terrible happen to Peter is one of the most dramatic and painful experiences to read as Peter's life crumbles around him. And the ending of #200 in which it all works out is one of the best. Its all a tribute to Marv's writing. When Peter thinks Aunt May is really dead, and Harry and Flash finally learn about, its so subtly and powerfully done. They are both angry at him and then suddenly realize the pain their friend is in...really good stuff.
- And #200. Like I said, one of my favorite issues of all time.
As you know Stealth, my first three pages of posts here are reviews of Spidey's past. But be easy on me...I was rushing through, and it was when I first came to LW...I wasn't as used to writing on the internet at that time. I also focused a lot less on creators, and I'm generally 100% positive about every era of Spidey's history.
I first read Marv's run when I was 12 years old and have read it literally about 25 times since. I used to read all the Spider-Man comics non-stop throughout my pre-teen and early teen years.
I'm not a big Spidey reader, but I halfway remember something I saw in a solicit or mentioned in an interview about current day Spidey teaming up with either or both Human Torch and Iceman.
Has that already seen print and I missed it? Or is it still to come? Or did I dream it up?
I've enjoyed moments of Spidey in NEW AVENGERS-- in fact, he's probably the best thing about that title. But he doesn't seem to me to have formed the slightest real connection with any of the other characters.
Not the way he did with Johnny Storm or Bobby Drake.
I'd love a non-team kind of team featuring those three with maybe Crystal taking frequent breaks from cosmic royalty via Lockjaw.
And maybe somebody deadly serious, just for leavening. Not a mutant. Hmmm. Drawing a blank.
Todd, since I'm still reading all things Spider, I'll try to answer your questions. If anyone is wondering why I haven't given updates on latest issues, its because I still haven't gotten to them in my stack of comics yet.
Anyway, Spidey teamed up with the entire FF in a recent storyline where they re-learned his secret identity. It was okay. Not anything to get excited about.
I don't remember anything about a solicited Iceman / Spidey story coming out though.
Spidey and the Torch's rivalry/gradual friendship is one of my all-time favorite in comic books--actually, it probably is my #1 favorite. I've grown up reading that growth of a bond between them my whole life. Its done so well and in several stages: (1) Early/Mid Silver Age where they have a pure rivalry and don't like each other yet The Torch unknowingly inspires Spidey to beat Doc Ock early in his career; (2) Late Silver Age / Tablet Saga where they by now have a mutual respect for one another yet still easily fall back into battling one another (over the Lizard's fate here); and (3) by the Gerry Conway / mid-70's when they had really begun to be friends and the Torch helps him build his spider-mobile, which is ridiculous but retains a certain humorous enjoyability. They're friendship has only gotten better since, including several other eras, notably when the Torch always helped him battle Venom in the 80's.
Iceman and Spidey, on the other hand, have not had nearly that many encounters with one another. The classic is the one in #91-92 after Captain Stacy dies and Spidey is blamed for the murder and Iceman comes to stop him. They've met a few times after that, but not that often. On a similar note, Torch and Iceman have that classic Silver Age team-up in Strange Tales but also haven't had that many team-ups besides their classic Marvel Team-Up issue. I think Iceman fits perfectly into the dynamic, especially because he's not the easiest person to be around either (like Spidey and Johnny).
So to answer your question, I'd buy a Torch / Spidey / Iceman "non-team" team-up book in a heartbeat. Agree about Crystal and as for who to add in: the Black Knight, who would almost automatically not get along with any of them.
Okay, following the above post, I caught up on some Spidey stories (thought I'm probably two weeks out of date already). Some thoughts:
American Son by Joe Kelly and various artists. Joe Kelly remains the strongest of the Spider-Man Web Heads (re: writing team / brain trust) these days and this was a good effort. The story basically serves two purposes: (A) do a story about Harry Osborn actually making a little character progression regarding his father and (B) have Spidey's interaction with Norman Osborn and the Dark Avengers firmly established, hopefully so he can move on. The story does a good job on both, though I can't say any new ground was really covered regarding the long Green Goblin/Spider-Man saga over the decades. All in all, it was pretty solid but nothing to rave about. I've read great Goblin stories and weak ones and this falls somewhere in the middle. What he does succeed at is presenting a Norman Osborn story that doesn't feel another stupid Dark Reign crossover. Kudos for that.
The real twist that shows just how vicious Norman is the revelation about Menace/Lily. Whic was okay but I don't really like the character all that much. I'm predicting here and now she'll be dead within the year. Kelly continues to make Norah an interesting part of Spidey's life and that is welcome.
That leads to Amazing Spider-Man #600; which I'd rank as probably better than #500 was, but nowhere near as good as #400 (Death of Aunt May), #300 (first Venom) or the legendary #200 (Spidey versus the Burglar round 2). The main story involves Aunt May's wedding to Jameson Sr., which is a plot thread I can do without. Running parrallel to that is a Doc Ock story I really didn't like as it really makes Doc Ock look very poorly. I checked the writer and its Dan Slott, who continues to lose value in my eyes as he proves time and time again he's the weakest of the Spidey writers. His dig at Doc Ock lessons the character after Marvel has done several good things to restore him to his greatness (including the excellent second film).
For every good thing Slott does, like the great banter between Jonah and Peter, or the inclusion of all the various cast members, he does a bunch of bad ones like having Johnny Storm at Aunt May's wedding (as ridiculously stupid as the Spider-Mobile but without the charm). Out of the huge main story, I probably only enjoyed about five pages of it.
The ending and surprise return of Mary Jane isn't much of a surprise--this one is something we all saw coming.
The issue jam-packed with back-ups, with essentially everyone pitching in. For the most part...they aren't that memorable, which is a shame. The good:
(1) Marcos Martin's artwork continues to shine but it was with a ridiculous Stan Lee script which I've seen too many times over the last 20 years.
(2) Hilarious "Spidey covers you'll never see"
(3) Mark Waid has a really good back-up with Uncle Ben, again showing how Waid really knows how to use the back-up format to his advantage, something most other modern writers fail to do.
Meanwhile, stories by Guggenheim, Wells, Gale, etc. left a lot to be desired.
I also have ASM Annual, which I haven't read yet and will review since I'm trying to get every comic.
One of the most enjoyable parts of Spidey is the Letters Pages by Steve Wacker and Tom Brennan. Out of all of the editors in comic books right now, I think Wacker is probably the best, or certainly the most fun. From 52 to Spidey, he really is a funny guy who knows how to keep things interesting. Sometimes the letters pages are much better than the stories. In a way, he's kind of the modern age equivalent of Stan Lee in that respect. Kudos to him for that.
I am looking forward to seeing the growing supporting cast continue to have stories and subplots. I just hope they're good ones, like Kelly and Guggenheim do, rather than ridiculous ones like Slott does.
I’ve caught up with ¾ of the Spider-Man comics since I last reviewed so I’ll give my latest here (which should also address ‘Boot and Nighty’s above comments).
ASM #601 / Return of Mary Jane / Michele Gonzales Following #600, Mark Waid follows-up on Mary Jane’s return and shows the scene which has caught a lot of heat on the internet in which Peter wakes up after an apparent night of drunken debauchery with Michele and they’ve slept together. Well, that’s a pretty good way to make the detractors of Spider-Man pretty angry. All in all, the issue is actually pretty terrible throughout so I can’t defend it. In fact, while Waid’s first few Spider-Man stories were pretty good, everything he’s done with Spidey from this issue forward has been pretty weak in general. He’s not as bad as Dan Slott but certainly on the lower echelon of Spider-Man writers. The one bonus is he remembered to bring back Gloria Grant, a character I love, though she’s really not doing anything and is only appearing every so often.
To make matters even weirder, Waid strikes again 10 issue later (I’ll get to the actual story later in my review) as he returns to the Michele subplot and reveals Peter wasn't really drunk at all! This actually makes the whole thing even harder to take as he then slept with Michele when he was sober and was stupid enough to convince himself he was drunk, which really only happens in the movies and not in real life. Ugh. The thing is, Michele isn’t that bad a character when written by Joe Kelly or Fred Van Lente and Peter having a roommate he doesn’t get along with but has some weird sort of flirtation with *could* be fun. But Waid just had to go there. And apparently he’s the only one who wanted to. Of course, people might point out the 25 year debate on if Peter slept with a married Betty Brant in the 190’s of ASM, but part of the reason that debate is amusing is because its all subjective and no one can prove anything, and most fans and writers would assume “no, that couldn’t have happened”. Here though, nothing is left to the imagination.
ASM #601 back-up by Bendis / New Avengers Bendis has a quick back-up that is really a New Avengers story in which Jessica Jones and Peter discuss their old high school days. If you like Jessica Jones, you’ll enjoy it. It doesn’t really have too much effect on Peter himself. The whole idea of Jessica knowing Peter from high school was one I wasn’t exactly thrilled with when I learned of it but its grown on me over time.
ASM #602-605 / Red-Headed Stranger Following Waid’s awful issue, Fred Van Lente reminds us why his issues are generally the best of the bunch, as he gives a really solid Chameleon story while at the same time reimbursing MJ into Peter’s life but showing her interact with everyone. This is probably the best Chameleon story since DeMatteis in the late 90’s (probably even better than that to be honest) and showcases how Van Lente is firing on all cylinders as of late on everything he writes. He also deals with Harry following American Son, but in a way that seems natural and not as over the top as Dan Slott. This was an all-around great read. One other thing I liked is the reappearance of the ultra-obscure Slyde, and the fact that Van Lente realized he is now dead so had the costume be someone in disguised as Jonah tries to catch Spider-Man.
Jonah as Mayor / Married Aunt May Jonah as Mayor of New York is working for me. Married Aunt May is definitely not.
ASM #606-607 / Black Cat returns Joe Kelly comes back on with Mike McKone as the Black Cat returns (naturally) just as MJ is back in his life. Anyone else could have botched this but Kelly proves he really knows how to write awkward romance scenes as these issues showcase the various women in Peter’s life: MJ, Black Cat, Norah Winters (who I love), Michele Gonzalez (who when not written by Waid you love to hate) and even Carlie Cooper who they pulled a bait & switch with and make Harry’s love interest. I thought this was a pretty solid effort and balanced each woman nicely. Kelly obviously has a soft-spot for Winters who he created, while the focus seems to make readers agonize over MJ and Peter not being together. Something else else that didn’t seem to catch the fan’s ire was that at the end, the Black Cat and Spider-Man are basically ‘hooking up’ again in a non-exclusive way. I wonder why that didn’t garner fan outrage? Because of some precedent? For me, I hope that ends pretty quickly. I really like the Black Cat but I hate the idea of her being with Peter.
ASM #608-610 / Who was Ben Reilly? For some odd reason the clone saga seems to be getting more a following these days so Marvel thought it would be interesting to return to some of the aspects of it. Being generally a fan of the Clone Saga, I’d agree. Unfortunately, this story didn’t really add all that much to it, other than showcasing Kaine again (who once and for all is alive and well) and introducing Raptor, a new villain who is a bit derivative of the traditional Spidey-villains. The Reilly family of cousins are big players here and while they were kind of amusing a few months back, their continued presence in the Spidey titles isn’t really all appealing to me. This was the last Marc Guggenheim story in ASM; he was always right in the middle of how I’d rank the writers, sometimes showing some good stuff and sometimes being more bland. Here falls into the more bland category. And is it just me or do Adi Granov’s covers seem really boring to anyone?
ASM #611 / Deadpool I never read Joe Kelly’s Deadpool but have always heard all kinds of praise about it. Reading this, I’m not sure it would have been my cup of tea. Only becoming more familiar with Deadpool myself in recent months, I’m still on the fence about the character in general. Here, he’s amusing at times but annoying at others. While Kelly has been knocking it out of the park on ASM, this is probably his weakest issue to date. Artist Eric Canete seems to fit right in with Deadpool rather than Spidey.
ASM #612-614 / Power to the People Mark Waid returns for a three issue Electro story that kicks off “the Gauntlet”. Electro is one of my favorites and I think he’s been woefully misused for about 25 years, so I have high hopes this is rectified. And with this story, aside from the aforementioned awful Michele Gonzalez sequences, Waid actually provides a pretty solid Electro story. Its very topical given the current economic climate (which means 5 years from now it will feel dated) but uses Electro very well. The Mad Thinker also appears briefly in a cool way. The major problem with the issue is the destruction of Dexter Bennett and the “DB”. This is something I mind, actually, since I find Bennett annoying as all hell and the DB plot to be getting pretty damn old and stale at this point—if anything, this was way overdue. But it’s the way in which its done that is another Waid misstep. It looks like because of Spidey and Elecro’s fight, Bennett is basically crippled. And throughout it, Spidey seems oblivious or unaware. In the old days, he’d at least try to help Bennett and they’d make sure he was heroic but here it almost is written in a way that makes Peter seem a little negligent. I don’t like that at all—the entire final issue of this arc felt all wrong writing wise. Lately Waid has been doing a great job on his own Boom! Comic books but here at ASM, he just can’t seem to get it right.
Being Thrice-Monthly Coming out three times a month is something I’m enjoying quite a bit being a huge Spider-Man fan but it does come with one problem: what you get is a mixed bag. One week you might get a really awesome Fred Van Lente or Joe Kelly story while the next you might get something awful by Dan Slott or a Mark Waid ‘head-scratcher’. I wish Slott and Waid would quietly leave the ‘Web-Heads’ and Van Lente, Kelly, Wells and Stern were joined by one or two other great writers. The art, on the other hand, is almost consistently excellent. They really do get some top talent producing stories here. Marcos Martin has emerged as my new favorite, though Barry Kitson’s art has been spectacular here too. I think all around Editor Steve Wacker and Assistant Editor Tom Brennan do a great job.
Letters Page Every issue has one and they rock. Better than visiting a Spidey message board.
Web of Spider-Man In addition to the thrice-monthly ASM, there is now the monthly Web of Spider-Man comic, which features three stories in an anthology format. Usually it will focus on a character that is important to ASM that month, a monthly installment of Spider-Girl and a back-up on the supporting characters. I like that Web exists and hope they can use it to their advantage to fit in some great stories, particularly with the supporting cast. I hope Betty, Gloria, Flash and others (besides MJ and Harry) are featured eventually.
Thus far the lead stories have been a Kaine story (okay), an Electro story by Van Lente and Barry Kitson which was excellent and a Rhino story by Van Lente which was also excellent. Specifically, the Rhino story did a great job at reintroducing the character, reaffirming he’s a menace not to be trifled with rather than the joke Marvel let him become but also not take anything away from previously established characterization.
The Spider-Girl stories I only breezed through because I never followed the series. I hope fans of that series are happy its continued in some form.
The back-ups have also been a mixed bag thus far. The Jonah Jameson one by Tom Peyer in #2 was pretty good, as I love Jonah and when they get him right its always a solid story. The Aunt May / Jameson Sr. story in #3 wasn’t my cup of tea because I don’t like that storyline.
Subplots of what’s to come The subplots leading up to the Gauntlet, with Kraven’s family seems interesting thus far and I’m curious as to how Arana and Madame Web play into it. As for the Mary Jane marriage stuff they’ve hinted at in the recent ‘puzzle piece’ press releases, all I can say is Marvel better be careful. If they are really going down that route they better not screw it up even worse, which they could very well do. People *still* have a lot of anger at Marvel for eliminating the marriage (as Legion World can attest)…I can easily see Marvel trying to resolve this once and for all and then not reinstating the marriage, which would only anger those people even more. But I’ll curiously watch as it all unfolds.
What I forgot to mention is there is this weird sequence in #601 where Waid hints that maybe Peter didn't sleep with Michele and it was actually MJ he spent the night with. I wonder if the internet caught that, and mentioned it?
Its really hard to understand what the hell it means and Waid didn't return to it. Really weird.
But don't be surprised if 3 months from now Waid reveals Peter really slept with MJ and Michele has just been lying to him all along that they slept together. Waid will point to this scene as his evidence (which is a completely non-sensical scene BTW). He's given himself an easy out, though if he goes that route its just more bad writing.
Previous Thread
]:
. Artists with similar styles I really don't like.
