Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities The All Spider-Man thread!

Sounds like, at the very least, it has a secure spot on your pull then!

Meanwhile, still reading and enjoying the main book. I think, as much as anything else, it's for all the continuity porn/fan service Slott loads his scripts with. And the fall of the Hobgoblin was EPIC and most unexpected in the form it took!

Well, Superior Spider-Man ended, and Amazing Spider-Man started up again: and all that marketing stuff aside, Dan Slott continues to provide a career defining run that has been thrilling and amazing from start to present. (And may it never finish).

The ending of Superior, even when it was at its most foreshadowed, was awesome to behold. And the opening of Peter's return to the costume, with all the pieces of his life having to be picked up after Ock ran rampant with it, lays the ground work for so many interesting stories to come.

I have to say, in this modern era, there are very few series runs by a single creator that can compare to Dan Slott's Spider-Man. I'm hard pressed to think of a single one at DC or Marvel RIGHT NOW, in May 2014, that could challenge Slott for "single best comic book for a major superhero going on right now". Slott masterfully knows his character inside out, and he knows the exact perfect tone to the series, which he nails again and again, even as the series gets darker and lighter from issue to issue.

I've enjoyed it so much and its worth just taking a moment to sit back and recognize what a great era of Spider-Man we are in right now. Though Spidey may never regain the fans he lost because of the Mephisto stuff--just like he probably will never regain back some fans he lost as far back as the clone saga or the marriage in the first place--the series lives on, and is bound to have more highs and lows. This is clearly a very high, high. To me, its the best the series has been probably since the end of the Hobgoblin Saga the first time around in the mid to late 80's. There have been a hell of a lot of great runs since, and this one deserves a place among them, or above them even. I hope Slott has a few more years under his belt.

I haven't completed Superior yet (I last read Goblin Nation part 2), but I have to say that Dan Slott was pretty much born to write Spider-Man. Though I have some reservations about the length of the Superior arc and the unnecessary smokescreen regarding its permanence, I have to say that the quality has always been there and that I'm glad I stuck with it through Superior despite my initial inclination to jump off.

I think the best thing about the Superior era is that Slott kept the subplots and storylines going even as the protagonist changed. He basically didn't drop anything and used the new status quo to affect those storylines in a logical and entertaining manner.

Best of all, Slott has never been afraid to mine Spidey's deep history to give those of us who've been Spidey fans for a long time some extra juice. All the while, he gives us plenty of new spins and ideas so that we don't feel like it's all a retread of stories we've already read.

It's great to be a regular Spidey reader again for the last few years. It had been quite a lean decade or so of either buying and feeling underwhelmed at best or just not buying at all. I'm grateful that Dan Slott has given me a Spidey I gladly buy and read again. At his best, Spidey is the best solo hero in all comicdom, and it's great to see his adventures approaching that again.

And I can't help but grin when I remember how skeptical Cobie was about Slott taking the reins....

Yeah...man, it feels good to have been worried for no reason. In the opposite of what almost always happens these days, Slott totally proved me wrong and showcased the talent I thought I first saw back when he was doing She-Hulk.

It's funny because Slott and Waid were the two brand new day writers I was most negative about, and yet Slott has emerged as the single best Spidey writer of the bunch, while I've loved the last few years of Waid like I used to in the late 90's (especially his Daredevil).

Everything you say above is dead-on. His ability to mine Spidey's history is especially appealing to me and yet I love how he's kept things so fresh and new throughout the whole run.

It's funny how when you and I first met, we were basically collecting all of DC and Marvel's superheroes--among other things, sure, but that was the biggest part of it. And now, very few Marvel or DC superhero series can stand among the series we both recognize as the cream of the crop. Spidey is one of those select few.

I finally completed Superior and read the first couple of Amazings over the last week. And overall I'm very pleased with the conclusion and new beginning. I'm especially glad that Peter's return hasn't come with a complete reset button. Peter's still dealing with the consequences of what Otto did while he was in control. In particular it's cool that the Otto-founded Parker Industries is still around and that Otto's paramour Anna Maria is still a supporting character. The latter is especially great, as she has lots of potential and adds some things that no other Spidey supporting character has.

If there's anything to be disappointed about, I suppose I'd rather Otto had been part of the last issue of Superior. I appreciate Slott's approach there, but I think he should have been present in his own book's finale. Also, I don't like that Carlie Cooper has exited stage right. I know Otto will be back; I hope Carlie will, too.

So bravo again to Mr. Slott. Keep 'em coming, and keep entertaining!

Agree with all you said and also think both Ock and Carlie will be back sooner rather than later (Carlie being a character I think Slott likes a lot).

Love Ana Maria staying on, and I felt like those awkward moments between her and Peter to start the relaunch ranked up there with the best soap opera moments ever on ASM history! I was glued to my reading seat!

I almost want to see Pete and Ana Maria get together, but I can't help but think she and Otto will reunite when and however he returns. I also hope that whatever's next for Otto, that he doesn't just revert to exactly how he was. I'd like to see him learn something from all of this, maybe even reform permanently. I know I was very disappointed when Sandman was reformed (even becoming a reserve Avenger) and later was sent back to square one.

I agree totally. If Ock can continue to walk the line, or somehow show his status quo is truly changed and these stories mattered, that would be ideal. Hereafter, all MUST be different! I feel Ana Maria is his true love and I'm invested in their future.

And why not? Spidey has so many arch villains. But at this moment, Ock is wholly unique. Marvel would be stupid not to recognize that.

This week's Comic Book Legends Revealed is an All Spider-Man edition. All three entries are good, but the one that I really loved was this one, because it features some rarely seen John Romita Senior art:

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/08/22/comic-book-legends-revealed-485/2/

Thanks for the link, Fanfie! I've never seen the JR Sr. art before, and it's always a treat to see something "new" by him. Love the initial costumed Firestar page, especially the close-up.

Also, I love the camaraderie that Paul Jenkins and Howard Mackie show in the one right after.

You're very welcome, Cobie.

And, yes, it's refreshing to see creators being genuinely kind to one another.

So, if someone told me a few years ago that the most prominent members of Spidey's supporting cast would be all new characters, and they would be as interesting and well-written as the supporting cast had ever been in the series' past, I would have...well, I would have probably believed you, since I'm always optimistic about Spidey, but I would have given you a really big hug too. And probably a kiss with just the right amount of tongue, depending on who you were. But that is indeed the case, and I'm enjoying it!

Lardy, how great are the Peter / Anna Maria scenes? And how great of a character is Sajani? And so many other characters that are new, plus so many long-established supporting characters that Slott *still* has an excellent grasp on? Not to mention, how Slott somehow, someway, finds a way to make Jonah Jameson relevant and important in the series without feeling tired or worn out--which I feel is an absolute MUST for ASM?

Still loving the series. Also loving the 'hidden issues' of Superior Spider-Man we're getting too. I don't plan to pick up any supplementary issues of the upcoming major story but I don't think that will have much of an effect on my enjoyment of it.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/10...man-in-2015-marvel-comics-entertainment/

Might be interesting.

First Roger Stern, now Gerry Conway. Who could be next?

What's Stern writing?!?!

Stern guest-wrote a couple issues of Spider-Man in the late 2000s, during the rotating writers/3 issues a month era.

I hope it turns out a bit better than the JLA Detroit issue he went back to. That came across as a bit of a moan about how it had all turned out. The guy wrote so many comics, it seemed a bit of a shame that the shadow of that still lingered.

Oh, I was hoping you meant something more imminent.

He also did the great "Hobgoblin Lives" mini.....which, wow, was 17 years ago! The time, she flies, no?

Conway claims he can't remember why he let himself be pulled back into writing JLA, even though the Microverse arc guest-starring the Atom was originally supposed to be his farewell to the JLA. Whatever the reason, I think he'd have done himself good if he'd moved on.

Sorry, Lardy.

And, yes, Hobgoblin Lives was effing awesome! I had the first issue, inked by George Perez, signed by Perez himself.

Stern is easily a Top 5 all-time Spidey writer. I'd put PAD, Stern, Stan Lee and Slott in no particular order on that list. Number five, for me, would either be Conway or DeMatteis.

Had he left then, I may not have gone on to read tons of comics, including the Legion. Heck, I might not be posting here!


Please send all "You see what you've done! You see? emails to GerryConway@jadedcomicvets.com

Hmmm...who would my Top 5 Spidey writers be?

Defnitely PAD, Stern and Stan. Slott's work I'm not familiar with, but with all the praise that Lardy and Cobie are giving his run, I may just give it a go.

DeMatteis is someone I run hot and cold with, but his Spectacular Spider-Man run with Our Pal Sal was definitely hot, sizzling even.

Of the 70s writers, I actually like Marv Wolfman a bit better than Gerry Conway or Len Wein. Amazing 200 is a classic.

I'm tempted to offer David Michelinie at least an honorable mention, as Spidey seemed to be the only Marvel character he had any real passion for (I think Bob Layton did most of the creative heavy lifting on Iron Man.)

FYI, the Stern issues during "Brand New Day" were quite good! They aren't mind-blowing or life-changing, but in typical Stern form, are just good comics.

I remember my mind being blown when "The Hobgoblin Lives" was announced in the late 90's. As I'm sure I've mentioned a dozen times in this thread, the Stern / Romita Jr. Era, which introduced the Hobgoblin, was one of my favorite eras of any comic ever, and when I was a kid I would reread it dozens and dozens of times. (And the subsequent era that resolved the Hobgoblin mystery as well). The Hobgoblin was "my" Spidey-Villain; he was my favorite and remains so--especially when Stern came back with the Hobby Lives mini and reaffirmed the original Hobgoblin's awesomeness, including giving him the proper secret identity he deserved! I used to have a pact with myself from about age 11 to 20 that every year on Christmas Eve I would reread Amazing Spider-Man #238, which was like a lighthouse that meant warmth / family / safety for me during the chaos and confusion of my teenage years.

And if the above doesn't imply it, when Hobgoblin Lives actually came out, I was totally mesmerized.

Thus, Stern is one of my all-time favorite Spidey writers. The others Lardy mentions are all other Spidey writers I love. I don't really have a top 5, but one thing Spider-Man has never lacked is fantastic writers doing great work.

One thing I will say is: don't give Stan Lee too much credit which he may not deserve. As the decades have gone on, it's become clear that Stan Lee was the scripter for Spider-Man, but not much more. Particularly after around #16 or so. Ditko was the actual plotter with almost NO input from Lee, and then he'd draw (pencils AND inks!) and send it in for Stan to dialogue it and Stan Goldberg to color it. Lee was basically doing almost nothing by the time the greatest Spider-Man story of all time came out in ASM #31-33.

Likewise, there are long time rumors and a lot of verification that even after Ditko left, it was actually Johnny Romita Sr. that was plotting the book. Even, amazingly enough, when Gil Kane and other pencilers were drawing it! Stan's involvement was so little that even though he was credited as writer, it was often Romita Sr. who threw around ideas with the artist, who then plotted it / drew it (and with no specific direction, isn't penciling it basically plotting it like a director?) and then finally at the end Stan or someone else would script it.

That all didn't really change until Gerry Conway finally started to get some seniority, which wasn't until Gwen was dead.

Which, as I continue to digress, brings me to another topic: I actually really enjoy the Gerry Conway / Ross Andru era too. I think ASM #122-151 is a great run of stories, and a woefully underrated part of Spidey history. Conway was always a great Spider-Man writer on ASM and MTU, so when he occasionally returns to the series, it's usually quite enjoyable.

I also thought Len Wein did a pretty good job, and Marv Wolfman did a terrific job! So, truth to be told, Spidey didn't get a 'bad' writer until Denny O'Neil, who wasn't *that bad* (and was certainly fantastic elsewhere), and that only lasted a few issues. Then Roger came over from Spectacular, where he was already proving to be amazing, and we enter my favorite era post-Gwen.

I think Michellinie did a fine job but there is a lot to the comment that some thrilling artists propped that work up in a major way. McFarlane, Larson and Bagley were the stars of the Michellinnie era, not the other way around. Considering the dreck that was the adjectiveless Spider-Man series, DM clearly made those artist's work much better, so it was a symbiotic relationship (appropriate since this was the era when Venom was supreme).

And DeMatteis is hands down one of the best Spidey writers ever. He's come and gone from the title many times and he's always come back just as good as when he left off, even his most recent stories during Brand New Day. His run with Our Pal Sal was fantastic, and Kraven's Last Hunt with Mike Zeck is my Dad's favorite Spider-Man story ever outside of the first 38.

Which brings us to Slott, who is the first writer in many years to rise to the cream of the crop and be mentionable in such good company. The man is that fantastic, and it's a joy to read his Spidey.

(The less said about JMS the better. He can claim editorial interference all he wants but the guy comes off as sellout and a prick too much so I don't believe him. Besides, most of his "big" stories ended up starting okay and finishing like duds, so I couldn't wait for that shit era to end.)