I think some of these suggestions are a little extreme. Everything after Ditko ? Just before Gwen's death ?

I've already decided to pick up the title again when Slott starts and give him a try. I enjoyed his Free Comic Book Day story.

The one fix in story you need is Peter's identity being a secret. A lot of other stuff - spider totems, Gwen's kids with Norman - can just be forgotten.

I'm not the target reader but I don't care. I'd still read it if they knew when to say no to their stupid ideas in the first place. I was gonna try Peter David's title. Unfortunately that's when it started being involved in all those cross overs.

I'm also confused, because I read the Humberto Ramos series (Spectacular Spider-Man?) and Peter and Mary Jane were apart in it.

Solution A: reboot.

Solution B: Peter is in his bed. He awakes. Then, he wears his costume and web shooters and goes around the city. J. Jonah Jameson insults him from a Bugle window. Spider-Man stops a couple of thieves, then, as Peter Parker, he goes at Aunt May's home. Yep, a normal day, like the recent years hadn't happened. It's the "it's stupid, just ignore it" solution.

Just to clarify, my idea is not to erase everything since Gwen's death -- it is to prevent Gwen's death and cause everything between then and now to become different (offscreen) in a way that is not shown or explored. Current readers can keep what they want from those unseen years, or mentally discard the stories they did not like. That is up to the reader.

We are left with a fresh start for the whole Marvel Universe where the characters are defined by their core elements and not 40 years of confusing continuity. New readers can certainly read back issues and TPBs and enjoy them, but that background is no longer necessary to enjoy the new stories.

We are left with a fresh start for the whole Marvel Universe where the characters are defined by their core elements and not 40 years of confusing continuity. New readers can certainly read back issues and TPBs and enjoy them, but that background is no longer necessary to enjoy the new stories.

***

 I wish that could happen for both Marvel and DC...and stay that way, instead of building a new 40 years of confusing continuity.

It would require a company mandate and a strong editorial hand. Also, it could alienate some of the current base of readers, so the company would have to be willing to weather a year or two of iffy sales in order to rebuild the base of readers.

<<If it can be done, how would you fix Spider-Man to restore him to his former glory?  Any plot devices can be used such as time travel, magic, mindwiping, killing off supporting characters, etc....>>

You know...I've always been partial to CLONES!!!! Its worked wonders for my career so far.

Howard

I dunno if I'd like the cosmic reset to the marriage at this point - the marriage never happened? That's 20 years of stories! Anything and everything I've read since I was 7 is now what? Kaput!

This is why I dropped Spider-Man back in the 90's - when they said Ben Reilly was the REAL Spider-Man. Then, when JMS had him give birth to himself out of his own skin, and had Goblin Gwen babies, I said that was it for me a second time.

Why WHY WHY FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS PETER PARKER must they keep telling us what did and didn't happen? BECAUSE THEY LET ALL THE ^#$^&* GET WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PLACE! The could have told JMS NO. They could have told the marketing guys NO to more Clone Story. They could have, they could have...

THEY COULD HAVE JUST WRITTEN PROPER SPIDER-MAN STORIES TO BEGIN WITH! #%^#$&^$&^$&^$^()*^#%@$#*!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHH!

I just want a good Spider-Man book to read! One! Sons of bitches can't they see that? I just want to strangle the people in charge of this garbage. Vote with my wallet? I haven't bought a Marvel comic in 6 months and this $^&$%&* is still happening? WHY?

AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!

No reboots, no magic wands, no undoings.

Run with what has been done (wrong or not) and work hard for make interesting adventures in the Spider-man tradition and write the characters as they are intended. What about some new villains? And a good stablished supporting cast for Peter Parker (kept away from the more fantastic aspect of the title).

It would require a company mandate and a strong editorial hand. Also, it could alienate some of the current base of readers, so the company would have to be willing to weather a year or two of iffy sales in order to rebuild the base of readers.

***

 True. But if they actually learned how to market the books outside the LCSs, it would be a perfect time to attract new readers. Also, if there are many old readers who feel the way I do, and I know there are many here on the JBF, it might bring a lot of us back.

 Right now, I'm only reading 3 or 4 Marvel titles, but if they managed to pull off a fresh start and, as Brendan said, get back to defining the characters by their core elements, I'd probably give most of the titles a chance again.

Honestly, I don't feel Spider-Man is all that "broken."  Some dismal stories being told lately sure, but you fix that by getting a better writer.  Get away from trying to Change Spider-Man's Life FOREVER every few months and get back to just telling Spider-Man stories.  Bring back the supporting cast, introduce new ones and have them do stuff.  Have subplots.  Fight villains.  Find something for Mary Jane to do.  I think there's a lot of untapped mileage in the "off broadway actress" thing.

For the most part, anything I didn't like, I'd just ignore.  No rewinds, no reboots, nothing.  Even if I may not like them, every story has its fans so I'd only mess with the ones that I think needed to be messed with for the long term benefit of the character (or that I felt messed with classic stories that should be left alone).  

*******************

Dave, I couldn't agree more. I've grown to hate the "cosmic reset button" approach - I think it drives away more fans than it attracts. People don't like being told the stories they read before somehow don't count anymore.

So rather than retcon/reboot everything, just write around the stuff you don't like. Let others worry about the continuity contradictions: just get back to telling good Spider-Man stories in the classic style and everything else takes care of itself.

I do have a few suggestions on what this should include:

1. Bring back the supporting cast. Spider-Man has one of the best civilian supporting casts in comics - perhaps the best. But since JMS took over, Aunt May and Mary Jane are about the only two non-superhuman characters we see. Bring back the old gang! Oh, and the Daily Bugle should be a big part of Peter's life.

2. Bring back the traditional villains. It's fine to introduce new baddies, but Spider-Man has a fantastic rogues gallery. Use those guys - the Vulture, Mysterio, Electro, Dr. Octopus, the Shocker, etc.

3. Put a moratorium on bad news. In the last decade or so, Peter Parker has been through the wringer a little too much. He's gone from being a sympathetic figure to a tragic one. Sure, Spider-Man always had a healthy dose of pathos, but the book can't - and shouldn't - be gloomy all of the time. Which leads me to....

4. Bring back the humor. Every now and then, it's okay to interject some out-and-out belly laughs into the pages of Spider-Man. Stan Lee, Len Wein, J.M. DeMatteis and Darwyn Cooke have done a particular good job of incorporating humor into the Web-Slinger's world, in my opinion.

3. Put a moratorium on bad news. In the last decade or so, Peter Parker has been through the wringer a little too much. He's gone from being a sympathetic figure to a tragic one. Sure, Spider-Man always had a healthy dose of pathos, but the book can't - and shouldn't - be gloomy all of the time. Which leads me to....

***

Yes! A large part of the appeal of Peter Parker has always been that he has problems, but they were usually problems that we, the readers, could identify with, such as being broke, love-life confusion, Aunt May's illnesses (not DEATH), etc. He should always have problems, but there is no need to have him undergo a constant barrage of absolute TRAGEDY! Making tragedy a constant takes away the impact of the occasional serious tragedy, like Gwen's death.