Finally, I have completed my retro read of Amazing Spider-Man. Over 700 issues later (including .1 issues, a couple tie-ins and a bit of re-reading Superior Spider-Man) I must say that I have a much better understanding of my favorite hero. I intend to do a full retro review in a coming The Panel Scanners podcast but felt that I should at least touch on a few things here.
First, it was a great time. Don't get me wrong, there were definite down points (see Clone Saga in the 90's) and there were moments that is was insanely difficult to only read the flagship title without the others, but it was good. I never felt completely lost and I really cared for Peter by the time he fell off the building in 700 trapped in the body of Otto. I suppose the real question though is, was it worth it?
I felt like it was a worthwhile read. Sure, it was a lot of material and it took me a bit over a year to complete, but it was good. I can honestly say now that I am one of Spider-Man's biggest fans and be able to back up my love with knowledge of the title. If you aren't a major fan, it would be insanely easy to jump onto the Spider-Man bandwagon at the start of Brand New Day (ASM #546-564). I am sure this will illicit a lot of groans from Spidey readers because BND is a touchy subject. BND was basically a retcon of Peter's life after a certain point to make everyone forget that he was Spider-Man to protect his family. This, of course, messed up the continuity of the Spider-Man lore and it took a while for it to be clear as to what from the past held true and what didn't. Regardless, this is a fairly easy place for newer readers to jump on without running the 700+ issue gamut.
Anyhow, I will dive deeper into this when I get the chance to chat it up with Jonny and Darren. For now I suppose I will just list the seven book I picked up this week:
Guardian of the Galaxy #6
Sex Criminals #1
Scarlet Spider #22
Superior Spider-Man Team-Ups #3
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #27
Uncanny Avengers #12
Wolverine and the X-Men #36
I have to say that I am happy with all seven of the books and if you notice, there is a wild card in there. I have decided to try to pick up a new book every once and a while and force myself to drop something that I am not really enjoying anymore. I will have a few openings appearing soon (Venom, Scarlet Spider, Superior Carnage and Six-Gun Gorilla) and I have also decided to pull the trigger on Cable and X-Force. I looked back at old reviews and have never really enjoyed the book. I will also be dropping Uncanny X-Force after this arc is complete IF it doesn't do something incredible (I am not holding my breath).
With that, I am off to write the review for my seven books this week. Until next time, happy reading comic book fans.
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