Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a winner. The Rotten Tomatoes reviews were off. 0

[ChrisInBaltimore]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

I think plenty of creators have proven that continuity can really way down a character. Do you take away from Frank Miller's run on Batman because he wrote it outside of continuity? Same thing with a lot of what Jeph Loeb has done? The new Snyder Batman has been good, but again it has been written free of continuity. Is that a strike against Snyder?

 

I'm sure there are other examples. It sort of sounds like you don't like Bendis though…

[Prince Namor]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

I think plenty of creators have proven that continuity can really way down a character. Do you take away from Frank Miller's run on Batman because he wrote it outside of continuity?

 

No because it occurred AFTER Batman was retired.

 

Same thing with a lot of what Jeph Loeb has done? The new Snyder Batman has been good, but again it has been written free of continuity. Is that a strike against Snyder?

 

It has? That sucks.

 

I'm sure there are other examples. It sort of sounds like you don't like Bendis though…

 

I don't much care for a lot of his work, but I'm sure USM is good, as people who's opinion I respect say so, it's just not my cup of tea. Imaginary stories about imaginary stories seem like a waste of time.

 

Geoff Johns is a good, solid, mainstream writer who gets inside a character, understands them and there universe and expounds on it just enough to make it entertaining without off the company. He's not spectacular, but he's consistent.

 

A lot of those other guys write cool stuff outside of canon and I'm sure it's great, but it's a shame, because really what we need is comic book companies that let their characters grow and expand through quality writing. Not... this junk we have now...

[ChrisInBaltimore]

I'm not a huge DC reader, but weren't people pissed at Johns when he came onto Green Lantern because he all over the continuity and put Hal back in? I know it ended up being good (like Ultimate) but didn't he perform a giant retcon to put Hal back?

[ChrisInBaltimore]

Yea and he did the same thing with The Flash as I read Wikipedia. He didn't use the current characters and wrote huge retcons to return the old characters.

 

Oh yea and Johns wrote Flashpoint which was the huge retcon that reset the entire DC universe and created The New 52.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Official Chris S.

[Prince Namor]

I wish he'd come and do the same thing to ASM, and make it all make sense.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

When was the last time you read ASM though? I'm not saying it is gold or outstanding, but it seems like you don't read a lot of moderns. Have you ever even read an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man?

[kagenish]

When was the last time you read ASM though? I'm not saying it is gold or outstanding, but it seems like you don't read a lot of moderns. Have you ever even read an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man?

Ultimate spiderman is the only the book i been reading outside of the Avengers and New Avenger whhich i'm still behind.

[kagenish]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

I think plenty of creators have proven that continuity can really way down a character. Do you take away from Frank Miller's run on Batman because he wrote it outside of continuity? Same thing with a lot of what Jeph Loeb has done? The new Snyder Batman has been good, but again it has been written free of continuity. Is that a strike against Snyder?

 

I'm sure there are other examples. It sort of sounds like you don't like Bendis though…

i think the only New52 book that was writing freely from continuity was wonder woman and not not batman. the batman books were the only ones that mostly staid the same from pre-flashpoint.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

I think plenty of creators have proven that continuity can really way down a character. Do you take away from Frank Miller's run on Batman because he wrote it outside of continuity? Same thing with a lot of what Jeph Loeb has done? The new Snyder Batman has been good, but again it has been written free of continuity. Is that a strike against Snyder?

 

I'm sure there are other examples. It sort of sounds like you don't like Bendis though…

i think the only New52 book that was writing freely from continuity was wonder woman and not not batman. the batman books were the only ones that mostly staid the same from pre-flashpoint.

 

Did they? It always confused me what was actually in continuity. It was one of the things I didn't like about Batman Zero Year.

[Comicopolis]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

It was for the kids - not old farts.

[Prince Namor]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

It was for the kids - not old farts.

 

That's what I always figured.

 

Bendis knows what he's doing and Bagley is very, uh... good, qualified, whatever, just not my preference. I'm just too close to source material to enjoy a rewrite by someone I think is overrated in the first place. To me, it's almost like doing a cover of a Beatles tune. WHY?

 

The first 100 issue of the Amazing Spider-man are the best 100 consecutive issues of any comic ever made, rivaled only by the Fantastic Four (and a case could be made that IT is the best 100 consecutive).... there's plenty of other comics that NEED to be rewritten... I wish they'd chosen one of them.

[Prince Namor]

When was the last time you read ASM though? I'm not saying it is gold or outstanding, but it seems like you don't read a lot of moderns. Have you ever even read an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man?

 

I read issue 698, 699, and 700 and it wasn't horrible. My standards are a bit higher than that though. I can see why a younger audience would enjoy it. It's entertaining in it's own way. And I don't mean that in a bad way.

[Comicopolis]

What they should have done with USM is take it into completely new directions but they bottled it.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

Ultimate wasn't trying to replace Amazing (except for the brief stint where Quesada made some stupid comments about it being the "Gold standard"). In one of the forwards, Bendis even mentions how it was all an ode or something to Stan and Steve.

 

And I'd agree the first 100 issues are the best. I might go a little further out to 122 though.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

What they should have done with USM is take it into completely new directions but they bottled it.

 

I thought Spidey went a pretty different direction. I think the problem was books like X-Men just started to feel like 90s X-Men.

 

 

I'm a bit disappointed they brought Peter back, but I'm curious what they are going to do with him. It almost looks like they are setting up a Lost Years type book with him and MJ on the run. That would intrigue me.

 

[Comicopolis]

All X-Men books seem the same.

 

Because they are.

[jsilverjanet]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

It was for the kids - not old farts.

 

That's what I always figured.

 

Bendis knows what he's doing and Bagley is very, uh... good, qualified, whatever, just not my preference. I'm just too close to source material to enjoy a rewrite by someone I think is overrated in the first place. To me, it's almost like doing a cover of a Beatles tune. WHY?

 

The first 100 issue of the Amazing Spider-man are the best 100 consecutive issues of any comic ever made, rivaled only by the Fantastic Four (and a case could be made that IT is the best 100 consecutive).... there's plenty of other comics that NEED to be rewritten... I wish they'd chosen one of them.

my next thread

[chrisco37]

I'm not a huge DC reader, but weren't people pissed at Johns when he came onto Green Lantern because he all over the continuity and put Hal back in? I know it ended up being good (like Ultimate) but didn't he perform a giant retcon to put Hal back?

 

As Chuck said, Johns is good and has a great grasp of the source material (I think Mark Waid is another guy that's good at that).

 

What he did with GL was outstanding. He cleaned up a big mess with a retcon that worked really well, fit into everything that happened before and still made you

[chrisco37]

I think if most people read Ultimate Spider-man they would be pleasantly surprised how good it really is. I was pleasantly surprised. Probably the best Spider-man stories in the modern era.

 

This is true.

 

Yup. The first 40 or so issues of the Bendis/Bagley is really fun stuff. I thought it stayed very true to the spirit of the original material(s) while updating it to a more modern setting (which is exactly what I think they were trying to do with the Ultimate line at first).

 

It's one of the books that got me back into collecting. It's the last Spidey title that I bought new regularly.

 

It's sales rivaled and sometimes equaled ASM at certain points.

 

My problem with it was always, 'why rewrite the series?' If you can do Spider-man THIS good, why not write the regular ASM, and go all out like this.

 

 

I get where you're coming from. So much has happened to Spidey over the years, it's pretty tough to come up with something truly original AND good.

 

The original Ultimate line was a great way to introduce new(er) readers to the essence of the character (what made him great in the first place). They

"borrowed" from the classic stuff (the stuff "we" all love) and put a little spin on it. I thought it was brilliant. I love the old SA Spidey stuff, but I'll still roll my eyes at some of it. It's great, but it's goofy too. Ultimate Spidey was more "realistic" (yeah, I know, it's comics).

 

Same with Ultimates Vol. 1 & 2. Just great, fun stuff.

[Comicopolis]

Ultimates Vol 3 - Jeph Loeb