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Post by Reptisaurus! on May 10, 2014 15:18:40 GMT -5
Yeah, Jez, the Romita issues are great, too. I've probably read about half of them over the years. I just prefer the crazed, inventive energy of the Ditko years. Me too, but it's worth pointing out... The Romita stuff (starting with AMS # 39) is a lot more brighter, closer to a traditional superhero book, and more accessable. The Ditko Spidey is pretty much my favorite superhero comics run ever, but it's dense (lots of words!), claustrophobic (small panels)!, and really fairly dark. (Ditko is basically a horror artist!) And the early Peter Parker is kind of an angry, unlikable jerk to boot. I definitely liked the Romita stuff more my first couple read-throughs. |
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Post by crazyoldhermit on May 10, 2014 16:05:53 GMT -5
It's kind of funny giving the circumstances of the replacement but it really is a perfect transition. Ditko drew Peter's high school years and they were really rough on him, then when he got settled in at college he really came out of his shell and grew socially. The change in art from quirky an offbeat stuff to romantic and heroic meshed perfectly. It was as if our view of the world was changing right when Peter's did.
I think the trade-off was the actual superhero stuff isn't as exciting in the Romita era as it is in the Ditko era, but the Peter Parker side of things got very interesting. And Mary Jane just set the book on fire. I never had an appreciation for that character until I read the second omnibus.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 10, 2014 16:18:24 GMT -5
Don't forget Mary Jane was a big part of the Ditko years. Remember, Aunt May and her friend Anna Watson mere always trying to set up Peter with Anna's niece, Mary Jane. And Peter would find a way to get out of it.
And despite that famous "You've hit the jackpot" panel in Spidey #42, Mary Jane had already appeared on-panel! Peter didn't meet her and her face was covered by a rain scarf (I think), but she was there in Spidey #25!
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Post by crazyoldhermit on May 10, 2014 16:26:55 GMT -5
I love that Mary Jane mystery. It's a lot of fun. Same with the Green Goblin mystery. How cool is it that Ditko drew Norman into the background as early as #23 (I think)?
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Post by Jasoomian on May 10, 2014 16:55:21 GMT -5
I have read a lot of PPSSM Vol 1 ... usually seemed better than what was going on in AMAZING at the time, no?
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on May 10, 2014 18:15:14 GMT -5
I am sure these have already been mentioned but regardless, here are my favourite Spidey stories/runs
5. Death of Kraven (Amazing Spider-Man 293, 294, PPTSS #131, 132, Web of Spiderman 31, 32)
Great story, great art. Some people say it is overhyped, I say balderdash!
4. Spectacular Spider-Man 100-111.
Contains the death of Jean DeWolff, again a great storyline and I love the art and stories in this era of Spec Spidey
3. Amazing Spider-Man #238-275
The entire run here with Hobgoblin really was well done in my opinion. Went through a couple different hands but I liked the overall ending and reveal at the time.
2. Amazing Spider-Man 100-150.
For me, the best rotation of villains, stories and artwork comes in this block. Excellent run with key moments in the Spidey verse.
1. Spec Spidey #178-200
Best of Buscema's run and art in my opinion. Great fun and one of my favourite stretches
Now you cannot go wrong with any Spidey pre 1990. Classic Ditko and Romita is also recommended but that is a given. I tried to go a little outside the box. Not much but hey, check it out and hope you enjoy!
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Post by comicscube on Jul 8, 2014 3:14:37 GMT -5
For most of the icons, there are other starting points than the beginning, but I think Spidey's a rarity in that sense. The best place to start IS at the beginning. And if you're the type (I can't imagine there'd be many here, but you don't know) who finds it difficult to read Silver Age stuff, Ditko really is, for me, the guy to go to, even more than Kirby (not by much).
I'll be honest and say I found the post-Ditko stuff bland, BUT, man, in the first 150 issues alone you have three possible endpoints: Master Planner, the Death of Gwen, and the End of the Clone Saga. Start from the beginning, end at any of those, and it's like a fully story, with closure. I don't really think you can say that about many of the other icons.
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Post by DubipR on Jul 8, 2014 7:58:31 GMT -5
One of my favorite issues are ASM #2269-270 I remember receiving these issues in the mail when I had a subscription. Spider-Man vs. the Firelord. What's not to love when a former herald Galactus tussles against Peter Parker. A great 2 parter from Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. And speaking of Frenz, there's an artist who doesn't get enough credit for putting out amazing artwork. I love his run on ASM.
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Post by comicscube on Jul 8, 2014 11:11:43 GMT -5
Frenz probably did the best combination of a Ditko riff (on Spidey) and a Kirby riff (on Thor) at around the same time.
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