Has anybody been reading Amazing Spider-man?

[detourne_me]

I just chose to forget a lot of the retcons and stuff, and i kind of view the title as a stand-alone.   it really has an 'old-school' vibe to it and...
[spoiler]who else thinks Vinnie is going to become a badguy before the end of the year?[/spoiler]

[Previsionary]

I read it on and off at the store. It's not old school to me only because...well...it's not. :P I didn't look at the latest issue because spider-girl came out and I hold that book higher than mainstream spidey lately. I'll probably try to buy it regularly when the kraven and venom arcs come up because most of the new villains suck hard, rotten eggs and they stink...hardcore.


*see, I can be somewhat positive about it...I didn't say one thing about anything in the series that irks me. ^_^*

[Podmark]

I've been buying it during back issue sales (I'm cheap I guess :P) and I like it alot. It's got all the things that I like in Spidey that were missing during JMS's reign. Ongoing sub-plots, large supporting cast, mysteries, some neat villains (sorry Prev), a great stable of artists, and at least two writers I really like (Slott and Gale).

I thought One More Day was the dumbest thing ever, and there's no good reason the new format couldn't have included the marriage and still been successful (probably would have done even better). But I always thought the 3 issues a month, multi writers/artists format was a great idea. Plus I can't say I'm unhappy that JMS's totem stuff has been retconned out, and I like having Harry back. I never realized how much I missed him til he came back.

[Previsionary]

I've been buying it during back issue sales (I'm cheap I guess :P) and I like it alot. It's got all the things that I like in Spidey that were missing during JMS's reign. Ongoing sub-plots, large supporting cast, mysteries, some neat villains (sorry Prev), a great stable of artists, and at least two writers I really like (Slott and Gale).

I thought One More Day was the dumbest thing ever, and there's no good reason the new format couldn't have included the marriage and still been successful (probably would have done even better). But I always thought the 3 issues a month, multi writers/artists format was a great idea. Plus I can't say I'm unhappy that JMS's totem stuff has been retconned out, and I like having Harry back. I never realized how much I missed him til he came back.

Pod...I can never look at you again. From this day forth...you are my enemy. :P

The thing that keeps me from embracing BND other than I disliked over half of the new villains is that I liked the supporting cast in Friendly neighborhood much better (Flash Thompson + Peter = Nice old school touch) and there were some stories set up there that were dropped because of OMD/BND. In BND, they have subplot upon subplot upon subplot going on at the same time and they're advancing slower in a 3 times a month pacing than they would in a 1 time a month + two side books setting. I would be much happier with it if Peter (who I see as a rookie/amateur now) would stop being...current him and actually set about to figure out some of the things going on like: A) his wallet is still out there with a criminal B) The politician/Menace issue  C) He has a clone out there blaming him for killings and he's yet to take the initiative to actually work on figuring that out D) he constantly letting down people lately...I've already experienced those stories so they don't draw me in E) The whole Jackpot issue which I know will be tied up soon...but they introduced her and then stopped using her only to give her a skrull tie in  F) They introduced Freak and Parkour girl...that's a complaint, but totally valid! SHUTUP! :P

But other than those things, and if I turn off my brain and forget/ignore things, it's an ok (read: C) series. I'm just not a "fan" of it anymore as it hasn't enticed me or fulfilled some of the requirements it set out to meet which could be simply stated as: "New" and it's really more of a "Re-telling w/ some new situations/events", imo. BUUUUT, I'm glad you guys enjoy it. I just don't like you anymore is all. *nods wisely*

edit:

G) I can't believe I forgot to mention this...but they haven't been advancing/keeping up with JJJ very well at all. I had some type of interest in his recovery and how he would deal with his wife/new owner of the DB whose name I JUST forgot...grah

[Podmark]

The subplot thing half the fault of the alternating writers, and part purposely. I don't mind it that much but I also read the book in bunches rather than as they come out. Actually I tend to write that way regarding subplots, it's the way I like my series.

Also I agree with you about Flash. They need to get him back in there. I'm glad Betty's around though.
I never really liked JMS's run all that much but there is one thing that I really wish they kept (other than the marriage) and that was Peter's job as a teacher. That was a really respectable job that matured the character but also kept a degree of youthfulness. There was also tons of plot potential in the setup. You even could have still had the photo thing as a side job if need be.

Anyway its a Spidey I can enjoy. JMS's just wasn't my thing. Ultimate Spidey is too talking heads and slow pacing (but I do pick up issues off and on). PAD's was good, but it was too side title for me. His stuff was too easily overwritten by JMS and Marvel's higher ups. I kinda wish PAD had been invited as one of the BND writers.

[Silver Shocker]

I've read some of BND and I think it's fun. It's got a good deal of the stuff I'd been missing in the Spider-Man books for a while. There are some things I don't like, the one that comes to mind is having Peter living with his Aunt with no money in his, what 20's or 30's? It made him seem really lame. But I like that the book has subplots and uses a lot of the classic Spidey supporting characters that showed up less and less in the years since JMS took over Amazing (although Civil War seemed to make Johah et all more prominent for obvious reasons).

JMS's run, I kinda enjoyed it a bit at first, guess cuz it was something different and made kinda bold changes and such, but after a while I kinda got sick of it. A lot of it was putting mystical elements into a book that's not well suited to mystical elements, and making new villains, many of whom didn't seem "Spidey-esque" and very few of which stuck around or were particularly memorable (there was this one guy called the Shaker, who was I think was more of a subplot in a POV story or some such, and he was clearly a Shocker ripoff with a much blander "costume"). It was clear JMS was better suited to write Doc Strange cuz the guy kept showing up in the book and JMS kept making jokes about some egregious Dr Strange mini that may or may not have eventually came out, I wasn't sure about that. Loki showed up on one occasion and Dormammu as well.

I really liked Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man when it was going on, mostly because of subplots and supporting characters and because PAD's a kinda fun writer with a quirky sense of humor and I thought it was all well-suited and fitting and good for a Spidey-Book though. It was treated as pretty low profile though. At least that's how I felt to me, and a lot of the arcs seemed to be designed as three issue arcs that needed a familiar Villain who they use in it and put on all the covers. But I really enjoyed Flash being in it and how he interacted with Pete. I kinda wish they hadn't gotten rid of that book, and I think Peter David would have fit right in with the "Spidey braintrust" in terms of writing style if he was involved with the book.

[Previsionary]

what's the consensus on the latest spidey story (female Kraven vs. Spidey)? I've only read the first few pages and plan on finishing it tomorrow.