"From what I can see there is a lot of very non-spidery hokum connected to this story. Spider-Man/Parker can now shoot out Wolverine like claws. Also webbing from his wrists. Under pressure and a high speed. Lots of it. He spins a cocoon. He devours his victim "starting with the head". Where does all this come from? Is there something in this title, "The Other" which is, in fact, refering to Spider-Man? Saying that this is not Spider-Man, but some "other", and all these outlandish wanderings away from anything to do with reality are actually clues to this fact?"

Boy, it would be nice if that were true.  But that would imply that JMS came onto the book wanting to "fix" certain things about Spider-Man but that the "fixing" would span several years and involve writing some absolutely horrible stories that only really make sense after the big "fix".  I suppose it's possible, but...

Mike 

"but at the core of it, Spider-Man was still Spider-Man -- even when he wasn't Spider-Man or even the original Spider-Man anymore."

I think it's legitimate to differentiate between the current mess and the Clone Saga.  There may have been a lot of things wrong with the Clone stuff, but it was mostly about putting the character in inappropriate situations and circumstances.  Through most of the Clone stuff, Peter Parker was still recognizably Peter Parker.  That's not the case now.

Mike

Yeah, I keep thinking that this current mess is worse than anything with the Clone Saga.

It's real simple.  If you don't feel comfortable handing an 8 year old a Spider-Man comic, then that Spider-Man comic should never have seen the light of day.

At least with the Clone Saga, you didn't feel apprehensive letting your kids read it because it wasn't suitable for their age.

Sadly, the only Spider-Man book I read these days is the one I originally expected to like the least - ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN.  At least the Peter Parker there is on model and relatable.

I started reading Spider-Man comics during the "I am the spider" era (which lasted a little bit longer than "The Other") and I think I'm fortunate in that, because I have no nostalgia for those stories. I believe that helps me better appreciate good Spider-Man stories from the past and the present, better than someone who started reading during one of the best times in Spider-Man's history (I can imagine people who started reading while Roger Stern was on the book would be more likely to prefer his run to the Lee-Ditko run.)

Apparently, the next issue is about the "aftermath" of Peter's death -- not a great idea, as we all know Peter is dead. I liked the funeral for Superman in the Silver Banshee issue of Action Comics from way back, along with the JLA's and (especially) Luthor's reaction to his death, but it was never presented as the thrust of the issue (and of course, the bad guy was caught at the end of it).

Moreover, it's bad enough, I think, that JMS had Aunt May discover Peter's identity and not die from the shock (she did have a weak heart, right? Did that just change overnight?) but to have her actually deal with Peter's death (and again not die from the shock) is, to me, a complete betrayal of the character. Fine, let Peter appear to be dead but why not contrive a way to *not* have Aunt May know about it since we know it's temporary? And while I'm on the subject, doesn't anyone else think it's odd that Aunt May has clearly gotten *younger* over the years while Peter has gotten older. Marvel has repeatedly stated that Peter is pushing 30 (which I hate, by the way) but if Aunt May was already elderly when he became Spider-Man, then she should be well into her 80s yet she hasn't been depicted as such in years.

Finally, this issue seems to be another fine example of decompression: The cover of the damn book has Peter in a cocoon. And the last page of the book... has Peter in a cocoon. What is someone supposed to gain by reading this? What actual advancement of the plot was made? Honestly, the past eight issues of this storyarc could have been done in about three issues tops.

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Aunt May's age is officially 72-73, according to Marvel Knights Spider-Man #12 (set about ten months before the current issues.) While you make think "we all know" that Peter is dead, I believe that he'll somehow recover. I don't mind seeing such plots any more than cliffhangers which put characters we know will survive in danger.

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My favorite Spider-Man story ever is the Death of Gwen Stacy, and I'm not sure I'd give that (or another fan-favorite Kraven's Last Hunt) to an eight year old. However I know that Mark Millar (who I believe is currently the best writer in the industry) was introduced to Spider-Man at age seven by a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #122. And I would not try to introduce anyone to the Spider-Man comics VIA the clone saga (not sure if Web of Carnage was appropriate for eight-year olds).

There was nothing wrong with post reboot pre JMS Spider-Man stories.   They were the most consistently good Spidey stories since he got married.  

Though really the post clone saga books were pretty good, in paticular Amazing and Peter Parker.

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I will have to disagree. I've enjoyed the Spider-Man stories by JMS/ Jenkins/ Bendis/ Millar/ Slott more than I have the post-Clone Saga- pre-reboot/ post-reboot pre JMS/ Jenkins material. I'm not sure if anyone's ever going to care about any of it (aside from Dematteis's run of Spectacular, the Roger Stern Hobgoblin stories & Webspinners arcs) in twenty years. I do see people buying Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man/ Human Torch, & "Down Amongst the Dead Men" trades twenty years from now.

QUOTE: Y'know, there is absolutely nothing I've read on this thread that makes me interested in reading about this all-new, all-horrible "Sp*d*r-M*n" that M***** is publishing. I can only hope that this non-spider abomination is not Peter Parker at all. Ben Reilly, anyone?

I hope not, didn't poor Ben get shit on enough when he was alive. 

QUOTE: I will have to disagree. I've enjoyed the Spider-Man stories by JMS/ Jenkins/ Bendis/ Millar/ Slott more than I have the post-Clone Saga- pre-reboot/ post-reboot pre JMS/ Jenkins material. I'm not sure if anyone's ever going to care about any of it (aside from Dematteis's run of Spectacular, the Roger Stern Hobgoblin stories & Webspinners arcs) in twenty years. I do see people buying Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man/ Human Torch, & "Down Amongst the Dead Men" trades twenty years from now.

What does that have to do with anything?  I said those stories were better, which they were.   Spider-Man never went out of character.  The supporting cast was rebuilt, villians were created while the classic ones were revitalised.  

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the  "I am the Spider" period meant to make Peter less liked by the readers so that Ben could be better recieved during the clone storyline? (I'm guessing it wasn't planned to be a "Saga")

Edited since I'm not Dr Strange's servant.

QUOTE: If you can tell how well a book's going to be received by the entire audience prior to its actual publication, I'd suggest that you go to Las Vegas as soon as possible and start placing some bets.

Thats common sene that most readers don't want to read a story where Spider-Man's eyeball is eaten.  

Thats like saying "I don't think we should publish a story where Superman rapes Jimmy Olsen".  Thats not being psychic, but having a brain that works.