So I'll be dropping Amazing Spider-Man tomorrow. It feels odd to be doing so, since it's one of those rare titles I've been reading throughout my comics-reading times. Late '80s with DeFalco/Frenz, '90s with Michelinie/Larsen/Bagley, even some of the Mackie/Byrne stuff. But, it's time to part ways, and Spider-Man dealing with Kingpin is a better place to do it than next issue, when it looks like someone dies.
But what I was really thinking about with this is how I've been reading the book for JMS' entire run, and just how long that is. It's been 71 issues now, almost six years worth (in 73 months). It should be more issues, but, well, Civil War delays.
It's been a weird run. Or maybe it's a typical run: starting well, so full of hope, only to stumble badly somewhere down the stretch. I didn't mind the possibility of mystical interference in Spidey's origin, because initially, it was just that: a possibility. Unconfirmed. And besides, Peter didn't care about the "whys" or "hows" of his getting spider-powers, because what matters is how you use those powers (power = responsibility, after all). And messing with magical foes could make a nice contrast for science-minded Peter Parker.
Yeah, Composite Gangster-Hulk was odd, but I still like the Loki story, and the issue with Dr. Doom in the airport, and the Doc Ock story, and some of the other small ones about Peter interacting with his students. I liked the idea of Peter being a science teacher, though I wish JMS hadn't felt it necessary to toss Peter's supporting cast out the window to do that. Jenkins and Mackie had used Glory Grant, Randy Robertson and Jill Stacy to good effect.
But things fell apart the way they often do. Maybe JMS stayed on longer than he should have. Maybe he'd finished the big character arc he wanted to tell, but Marvel showed him the cash and he stuck around, but without a clear idea where to go next. That's how you get the hammering of Spidey's powers being mystical, which removes ambiguity that let fans choose which origin they preferred. Then there's giant spiders devouring people, and the Parkers living in Avengers Tower, and The Other, and Gwen's kids. I know, JMS wanted them to be Peter's, not Norman's, but I'm not sure it was a good idea either way. If you want Pete to have kids, then bring back baby May Parker (except that would limit his stories even more, right Quesada? Already grown kids don't do that, they just provide some quick angst, right? Bugger).
The run helped me gain an appreciation for John Romita Jr.'s artwork, since I'd thought he previously drew Spider-Man too broad in the shoulders. I know, it's a little thing, but I thought it made Spidey look chunky. I wasn't as much of a fan of Deodato's artwork, but that might also have been the stories associated with it. I think Len noted, Deodato's work goes best with darker stories, so did they bring him on to match the tone of the stories, or did his art determine the tone? Ron Garney's done a good job the last year plus, especially given he had to draw Peter in that stupid Iron Spider costume for several issues. I think he could have been a good artist for some brighter, happier Spidey stories; maybe he'll get to draw some one day.
I'm not sure what aspects of the JMS Amazing run I'll remember most. Hopefully it'll be how awesome I thought the Morlun fight was, and how funny the hot dog scene with Loki was, as opposed to the whole The Other thing. I'm also curious as to what from his run is going to carry over and become part of Spider-Man's mythos. Is there something he introduced that won't just get brushed aside in a few years, something that has real staying power?
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I'm trying to remember when I dropped Amazing Spider-Man. I started collecting Amazing with #234 (which meant that I was just in time for the introduction of Hobgoblin a few issues later) and ended with #377 (scant moments before Maximum Carnage), though admittedly, my heart wasn't in it for about forty issues or so. I saw the marriage of Spider-Man, Kraven's Last Stand, the Death of Jean DeWolfe, and the Birth of Venom. Kraven's Last Stand was awesome. Venom wasn't.
I got some scattered issues after that. I noted that JRJR had returned to the book and was vastly improved over what he was doing circa #234.
I finally returned to the book with #443 (i.e. volume two's first issue), hoping that it had improved over the '90s tripe (I knew I was happy to have skipped the era seeing that there were things like Maximum Carnage, a Clone Saga, and the resurrection of Norman). From that point I stuck with it until sometime after Gwen had sex with Norman. I'm not sure if I dumped it immediately at that point or if I hung on for a few issues, but by the time Gwen had kids, I was already losing faith in the franchise again.
Though I thought the PP/MJ separation was lame, I did like the robust supporting cast. I liked Randy and Jill and even that weird big guy. And I loved the cat. JMS came on and dumped all that. Fair enough. I liked the teaching job. I liked Morlun and Elijah and the mumbo jumbo. I liked that Aunt May found out. I liked that Pete and MJ were back together. I liked Loki. But then...
It started to lose steam for me. Then there was Gwen's kids. Then the lame story about the science rival govered in crap. Then Avengers??? Then Hydra. Hm... looks like I did hold on for awhile. I guess I can thank Marvel for The Other and allowing me to drop Amazing. I saw that there was a crossover and I just wasn't willing to buy more Spider-titles. So I figured I'd skip The Other and pick it up after. And then...
I realized a couple months later that I wasn't missing Spider-Man. I mean, sure, I was missing Spider-Man, but only because he really wasn't in the stories any more. So I quit.
With issue #524. All told, that's 224 issues of Amazing with scattered pick-ups between my two runs. I got pretty good for a while...
I really loved JMS' run up until Sins Past. I know that's a cliched thing to say, but I think that that arc signified the run losing some of the wind from its sails. Maybe it was the story itself, or maybe it was the fan reaction, or perhaps it was the loss of JR Jr. In any case, the book never really recovered, creatively. There have been some decent issues and arcs since then (I think the "New Avengers" arc has been the best one since Romita left).
I've been debating dropping Amazing for a while now. It's getting towards the breaking point; with the ancillary titles being cancelled and Amazing going thrice monthly, it seems like the perfect time to do so. At this point, I think I'm holding out for the end of Friendly Neighborhood and Sensational, and to see how "One More Day" turns out. Depending on how JMS bows out, I may find myself saying goodbye to mainstream Spidey for the time being.
-M
I applaude you dropping the book. JMS's run started off with such promise and even the elijah/Morlun/Spider Totem stuff seemed like a good turn for a while. The fight with Dr. Doom in the airport was easily a high-point, reuniting Peter and MJ. It really fell apart once they hit Sins past. I just don't understand why they felt the need for that story, I can't see writing hte outline for that story and thinking that it was any good.
I understand the business reasoning behing making Amazing the sole Spidey book, but it strikes me that eventually, we're going to see the quality of that book start ranging wildly between who's writing it. Also, I have a feeling the schedule will be a problem eventually. Oh well, hopefully we'll still get some good stories out of it.
to answer your question, I have a feeling that this relaunch is pretty much hitting the reset button, as they pretty much have to do every 6 to 10 years in order to re-establish the character for a new decade. that said, it'll be interesting to see how the unmasking genie gets shoved back intot he bottle (and it will be, I have no doubt). If it involves Skrulls, well, at least they're better than clones...aren't they?
I never actually collected Amazing, but I'd pick it up occasionally. However I must admit that the entire Gwen/Osborne baby thing just made me want to retch...and that was that.
I actually like Ultimate Spiderman best at the moment.
the dane: That's some pretty impressive runs. The JMS run is actually the longest consecutive run I've got. Most of my others are in the 350s-400 (for the Bagley art, natch). You were very wise to flee before Maximum Carnage. What a debacle that was.
matt: I kind of think Sins Past is the point where JMS felt he'd gone as far as he could with the mystical stuff, and tried something different, with disastrous results., which sadly porbably sent him back to the mystical stuff for THe Other, with possibly more disastrous results. The wheels really came off in a hurry it seems.
jason: I think as far as Spider-Man goes, Skrulls are better than clones, because they haven't been used before (that i remember). For a book with more Skrull history, say FF, clones would probably be the preferable genie just because it wouldn't have been as often.
I'm also kind of curious to see how 3 times a month Amazing works out. Just not curious enough to shell out for it. There are other books that can use my money more, I'm certain.
sallyp: It's either Ultimate Spider-Man or Amazing Spider-Girl right now for me. It's funny; I think Bendis is a better (or maybe "smoother") writer than DeFalco, and Bagley a better artist than Frenz (though I like them all), but Amazing feels like it adds up as more than the sum of its parts, while Ultimate, not so much. Certainly, there's more forward movement per issue in Amazing Spider-Girl.
Your joy for Spider-Girl almost has me convinced I should check it out. The strange thing is that It looks like the ninth volume of the Spider-Girl digest is coming soon (which takes readers up to #50), but then a couple months ago, they released the first volume of the second series, collecting #s 0-6 of that series. So if I get everything available I'm still missing a full fifty chapters of stuff. Strange.
Incidentally, you're obviously pretty fantastically into Annihilation so I'm curious how you think someone who's not very familiar with the players would receive the series. I keep seeing the three hardcover collections for sale and reading your gushing has made them pretty attractive to me. So I'm wondering how much of your love for the series is based on characters that you already loved and how much is based on pure storytelling verve.
I have the original 1968 Silver Surfer series and about the first fifty issues of the late-80s Surfer series with Ron Lim. I obviously know Galactus. And I have Byrne's Annihilus issues of FF. But I don't really know much of anything about Quasar or Nova or Ronan or Drax (wasn't he dead?). I think the fact that I never really read or liked the Avengers is hampering me here.
So then, do you think (with the little you know about me as a reader) that I'd like Annihilation?
Unfortunitly for the whole "quitting" thing:
Slott may be a writer on Spidey.
And Fraction too.
the dane: Re: Spider-Girl, if you enjoyed the DeFalco/Frenz run on Amazing Spider-Man in the '80s, you would probably enjoy the Spider-Girl stuff, since I don't think DeFalco has changed his style too much.
As to Annihilation, I think you can enjoy it without knowing much about the characters. I knew a little, but outside of Nova I wouldn't classify any of them as characters I felt strongly about. The advantage is that the mini-series tend to focus on the characters, showing who they are, and where they're at as a person right now, and how they react and change in response to the situation. I think making the minis moer character based really helps invest you in the story.
They're supposed to be coming out with the trades soon, which ought to be a little less of an investment. I would suggest giving the first one a try. It has the Prologue, the Nova mini, and a Giffen written Drax mini that I've heard explains why he's very little like the Drax we used to see in the Ron Lim-drawn Silver Surfer comics. Since Drax and Nova are probably the major players in Annihilation, that would be a good gauge for whether you'll like it.
anonymous: True, and that is tempting, but I decided I can't justify the expense of three issues of Amazing Spider-Man a month, not unless a lot of the books I'm buying now go in the toilet.
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