Archive Panic

I wanted to try and stick to his race-car/Ferrari roots which ended up working since there was one car Ferrari made in 1940:

the Auto-Avio 815.

Here's a few of the rough sketches that came up early on. I thought it best to nix the numbers on his door-arms:

Also, I got this idea into my head after watching a certain Nolan movie: Everybody's all over Barbieheimer, but I'd like to argument for...

WHEELHEIMER!

ROOSEVELT: Hey Optimus, we decided to pair that scientist-bot of yours with our top physicist so they can collaborate on this big bomb we're making.

OPTIMUS:

Which are your favorites?

Which are your least favorites?

So this is an interesting question because Peter was designed to be the lone teenage superhero juggling his own problems. Because of that, creating another Spider-character is weirdly both harder and easier than people think.

For me, there are three things every successful Spider-character needs.

They must be a normal person - I mean "normal" in the comic book sense. They can be smart, athletic, or talented, but they can't come from some chosen bloodline or special destiny. Peter didn't, and neither should anyone who wants to wear the mask. The whole point of Spider-Man is that he's an ordinary person put in an extraordinary situation. Anyone can wear the mask only works if they actually feel like anyone.

Being Spider-Man must affect their personal life - Spider-Man should never just be another cool identity they put on. Being Spider-Man has to cost them something, but it should also give them something in return. The mask creates problems, but it also gives him purpose, confidence, friendships, and a reason to keep moving forward. It's a constant give and take.

They need to grow because of it - This ties into the previous point. Being Spider-Man should change them. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. They should become someone they never would have become otherwise.

My favorite: Miles Morales

Make no mistake, I've been a Miles fan since 2012. I loved him from the moment I first saw him in Ultimate Spider-Man (the cartoon), and I'll stand by the opinion that he's Marvel's best legacy character. What makes Miles work is that he follows everything I talked about above without trying to replace Peter. He's just a normal kid trying to figure life out. Becoming Spider-Man fundamentally changes his relationships, his confidence, and the way he sees himself. His stories are about finding his own identity instead of living in Peter's shadow.

Most importantly, he feels like his own person. He has his own supporting cast, his own villains, his own relationships, and his own voice. So much nonsense gets spread online by people who clearly don't read his comics. Go read his books, and you'll see that Miles absolutely stands on his own. That's exactly what a legacy character should do.

My least favorite: Ben Reilly

I just don't like him. I understand why people do, and I actually think his original Clone Saga identity crisis had a genuinely interesting premise. But once you get past that initial question of "Who am I?", I lose interest. To me, Ben is just Peter Parker with a different haircut. He has Peter's personality, sense of humor, powers, history, and supporting cast, and often ends up in Peter's role. Once the novelty of his being a clone wears off, I don't feel like I'm reading a different character. I feel like I'm reading another Peter Parker book.

Underrated is a difficult term to use since what can be seen as underrated to one person is basic to others. But with that said, here's who I actually like to see in my Spidey books.

Peter Parker Picks His Pack of Peers

Steve Rogers — This is the easiest one for me since Steve actually comes into Peter's world nicely, and he isn't a jackass, so it's fun when he shows up. I love the childhood-hero aspect Peter has, and it's fun to see Steve respect Peter in a way no other hero does. I also think it's fun that Spidey team-ups usually let Steve loosen up a bit and joke more.

Ben Grimm — Despite hanging out with Johnny a lot, I think Peter and Ben actually have really funny chemistry. Ben will often point to Peter as what Johnny "should" be doing, and it's fun. I also like how Ben's calmer nature often acts as a barrier to letting Peter do stupid shit.

Jean DeWolff — This one is something longtime Spidey fans know, but Jean was fucking awesome. She was basically like Gordon for Spidey, but a little harsher, and often talked back to him, which made her more fun. I liked how she still had Peter's back in most instances, and it was a good way to showcase Peter growing up and becoming a fixture in the world. Yuri Watanabe was a thing too, until Marvel blew their load and turned her into a supervillain/vigilante.

Miles Morales Must Make His Choice of Mates

Rhino — Especially now that he seems to have reformed. He was in the latest Miles solo early on, and it was great seeing him work alongside the newest Spidey. Since he and Miles don't have the animosity Rhino has with Peter, it makes sense when they team up.

Blade — This one's just because Blade is cool. Also, in the most recent solo, and like, I don't know, man, I'm using the rule of cool here. Miles is cool. Blade is cool. Two cool dudes.

Week 2 → Favourite women-led project: Jessica Drew, Julia Carpenter, Mayday Parker, Gwen Stacy and Felicia Hardy

Spider-Man (2022) #1 Variant Cover Written by Dan Slott Penciller by Mark Bagley Art by Betsy Cola

Spider-Girl (Mayday) info page

Birthday sketch ft. Mayday Parker

Plus, some other sketches! 🌟 Special guest: Amandra, a lovely axolotl from my medical project “Ambys & Friends”, whose birthday is also today! Check my project's socials: @ambysandfriends on IG!

Are they mostly self-contained? Are they worth the time? Do they weave in and out of ASM like 1980s Batman/‘Tec or the Triangle Era? Is there a good guide or list of issues that’d help?

Thanks pal!

Ok, so I went ahead and checked some stuff to make sure I was right. Like you, I actually did have to double-check this before I started my own readthrough.

So the main title, ASM, stands totally on its own until, like the late 80s. Spectacular Spider-Man starts in December of 76 right next to ASM #163, but it operates the same way Action Comics does with Superman. Just a 2nd book for Spidey fans. I will say Spectacular does have some more character work, and I do recommend reading it. Same with Web, it's just more Spidey, but I also know that in some circles it is seen as the more "mature" Spidey book since it was given more creative freedom than the main books.

The first REAL crossover is Kraven's Last Hunt since you need all three books to get the whole story: Web of #31, ASM #293, Spectacular #131, Web of #32, ASM #294, Spectacular #132. All of these are collected in basically every trade and the epic collections (best way to get Spidey rn until Marvel stops acting like jackasses and makes compacts).

Now I've been clear on the fact that I hate 90s Marvel and ASM, and it's basically because it does a triangle era thing but kinda worse. Spectacular and Web of basically merge into one story split across two titles, especially once Gerry Conway is writing both at once and just running the same subplots through them. And once you hit Venom/Carnage and then the Clone Saga in 94-96, get ready to lock the fuck in for some bullshit since you can't just read ASM anymore. (Also, at some point, the book changes to Scarlet Spider since Ben takes over, but who asked, right?)

For an actual reading guide, Comic Book Herald's ASM reading order is the one everyone points to; it only pulls in the spin-offs where they matter and tells you flat out when you can skip. It does collect by trade, but the actual issue numbers are underneath each one, so you'll be fine. Just know that once the 90s hit, there are about 4 main Spidey titles which, as a Superman fan, you'll be ready for, but for me, it was awful.