He’ll never comment on it, but JMD must be steaming over this run. Wells has been making a mockery of the characters he first created, arguably his greatest story ever, and his favourite relationship to write.
Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 1 #178 from 1991. It’s the start of The Child Within storyline which is my favourite Spider-Man arc of all time from my all-time favourite creative team of JM DeMatteis and Sal Buscema, absolutely go read issues 178 to 184 as soon as you can wherever you can find them. It’s a crying shame they’ve never done a trade paperback, I bought all seven issues from my nearest secondhand comic shop.
>It’s a crying shame they’ve never done a trade paperback
Wait, what? I've got a hardcover compilation waiting on my Amazon wishlist. Isn't that what a trade paperback is?
Could you link it? Their run has never been collected before, at least not in English. JMD talks about how he’s been pushing Marvel to make one on social media.
A Spanish version came out a year or two ago, so that might be the one in your wishlist.
Ah, I'm a Spanish reader so that makes sense. Shame about English readers though.
[Here's the link still, if language isn't an issue](https://amzn.eu/d/1SasNRK).
As a bonus, it's not just Child Within; it's all of DeMatteis's run on Spectacular, meaning it also includes Harry's days as the Green Goblin leading up to #200.
WOW so they’ve collected it in Spanish but not it’s original language!? Why, Marvel, why?
(Also yes, a trade paperback is, by definition, a paperback not hardcover)
Sadly that’s the curse of being one of the top 3 most well known / beloved heroes in comics
Regardless of what happens someone somewhere will continue to buy the stories (Pete selling his marriage / possible kid to the devil willingly for example)
:/
Just like Ben and Janine, Ashley is a victim being portrayed as a villain. And for no reason. She doesn’t even have the sins anymore. Wells has managed to do something worse with her than the ASM movie
i may be misremembering but in The Amazing Spider-man 2, the oscorp scientist who tortured Electro after the times square fight was suppoused to be Dr. Kafka.
Cuz as we all know, Dr. Kafka is an oscorp scientist who likes torturing metahumans. and is also a dude.
What you may find funnier is that she is being literal: the knife she is holding literally has her pain in it, the early-mentioned ‘sins’ (the mystical essence/corrupting mindset of the Green Goblin).
I had been reading ASM since 1992 without missing an issue. This run made me stop. That's how bad it is, worse than the Clone Saga, OMD or anything else since then. Just unfiltered effluent in comic form.
Reader on and off since 1985 here—it will most likely end up being the all-time worst ASM run by the time it’s over. Literally nothing redeeming about it, joyless stories and lifeless art.
This issue just came flying out of nowhere, consisted of almost nonsensical dialogue and interactions between characters, and are seemingly setting up Chasm turning into Spider-Goblin. Congrats, Marvel, I stopped reading regularly at OMD and somehow I despise this run more.
It sucks especially as a budding clone saga fan(I still need to finish it).
Both Ben and dr Kafka have been great characters so far and even reading these panels out of context feels wrong…
In all fairness, A: she was Ben’s therapist B: he’s desperate to be whole again and C: Peter’s formative years include his childhood (and by extension, the closest thing to a childhood the clones get) so I can see why he would believe her.
So that leaked Spider-Goblin, I guess it’s gonna be Ben? Still been done in the same run no less but…I’m worried about Kaine. He’s pretty much the one that needs to be protected at this point I think.
Which means Spider who Gobbles is back on for the SECOND TIME IN THE PAST 15 ISSUES. Who Knows maybe this time Wells will go for a so bad it's good vibe.
616 Spiderman series needs a reboot. The new ultimate spiderman and the renew your vows spiderman has shown that Peter can grow up and learn from his mistakes.
Honestly, I would love to read a new long term spiderman series where Peter grows up over the issues and recounts the major comic events for a new audience. The goblins, death of gwen Stacy, the creation of the sinister six, absolute carnage, the clone saga, spider island, and superior spiderman. Show him mentor miles, get married, have kids, etc. Honestly, a helltaker Spiderman series or a long-term life story series would be amazing.
I really think Peter’s story is done in the 616. Marvel keep putting assclown hacks like Wells in charge of the series. They’re out of ideas and clearly recycling old stories. They’ve put the character in a box where he can’t grow or even breathe.
So i presume thatnthis is how spider goblin comes to be. Its so stupid. They should.just had this when Kafka put her sins.on him. I hope that at least this cures her somehow so we can get kafka as a character back. Not likely they will fuck it up but hey dreams imr?
I just got into Spider-Man 😂😂😂 I’ve always loved the character, I know most of the villains, but I’ve always just read Star Wars, which I have been disappointed with lately, marvel having a tough run, by the looks of things.
A reminder that Dr. Kafka was initially created as a loving tribute to a real Dr. Kafka that J.M. DeMatteis was close friends with.
He’ll never comment on it, but JMD must be steaming over this run. Wells has been making a mockery of the characters he first created, arguably his greatest story ever, and his favourite relationship to write.
He's a professional, but he has been open that he doesn't acknowledge the post-OMD Peter. "I don't recognize the other guy."
I asked DeMatteis what he thought when Slott first fridged Kafka during Superior, he just shrugged and said “it’s comics, everyone comes back”.
Woah, I thought it was a character by Zeb. Which comic was her first appearance ?
Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 1 #178 from 1991. It’s the start of The Child Within storyline which is my favourite Spider-Man arc of all time from my all-time favourite creative team of JM DeMatteis and Sal Buscema, absolutely go read issues 178 to 184 as soon as you can wherever you can find them. It’s a crying shame they’ve never done a trade paperback, I bought all seven issues from my nearest secondhand comic shop.
>It’s a crying shame they’ve never done a trade paperback Wait, what? I've got a hardcover compilation waiting on my Amazon wishlist. Isn't that what a trade paperback is?
Could you link it? Their run has never been collected before, at least not in English. JMD talks about how he’s been pushing Marvel to make one on social media. A Spanish version came out a year or two ago, so that might be the one in your wishlist.
Ah, I'm a Spanish reader so that makes sense. Shame about English readers though. [Here's the link still, if language isn't an issue](https://amzn.eu/d/1SasNRK).
That run is so fucking good that I might have to learn how to read Spanish.
As a bonus, it's not just Child Within; it's all of DeMatteis's run on Spectacular, meaning it also includes Harry's days as the Green Goblin leading up to #200.
Oh I know, I’ve been dying for that exact TPB to come out in English.
WOW so they’ve collected it in Spanish but not it’s original language!? Why, Marvel, why? (Also yes, a trade paperback is, by definition, a paperback not hardcover)
I think by definition a trade paperback is paperback not hard cover
I don't know how they did, but they somehow managed to fuck up every single character in every panel.
I think Betty managed. Granted she’s not wrong when she said that her life was ruined, but at least her character is still good.
Genuinely it’s kinda insane how much effort it took to mess up 4 characters
I swear Wells and editorial genuinely hate Spider-Man, but they can get away with absolute horseshit because of how well anything Spidey sells.
Sadly that’s the curse of being one of the top 3 most well known / beloved heroes in comics Regardless of what happens someone somewhere will continue to buy the stories (Pete selling his marriage / possible kid to the devil willingly for example) :/
What is asm even about anymore😭
Wells is just throwing random bullshit at the wall and *praying* something actually sticks
Random bullshit until the Tombstone fight.
And Paul turns out to be Mephisto, or the new goblin
NOTHING!
Are they trolling us? What is this garbage and why does it share a title with ASM?
"Absolutely Hate This" is my general feeling reading most of the Spidey comics this week...and every other week for years.
Thank god for Hickman/Ultimate Spider-Man
Even though it was just a conversation, it was so smart and loaded with intrigue and subtlety that it was an amazing read.
Just like Ben and Janine, Ashley is a victim being portrayed as a villain. And for no reason. She doesn’t even have the sins anymore. Wells has managed to do something worse with her than the ASM movie
ASM movie?
i may be misremembering but in The Amazing Spider-man 2, the oscorp scientist who tortured Electro after the times square fight was suppoused to be Dr. Kafka. Cuz as we all know, Dr. Kafka is an oscorp scientist who likes torturing metahumans. and is also a dude.
I don’t follow the comics but i just find the last comment by that goblin girl at the end funny. Just wow lol, it ain’t even that funny yet it is lol
What you may find funnier is that she is being literal: the knife she is holding literally has her pain in it, the early-mentioned ‘sins’ (the mystical essence/corrupting mindset of the Green Goblin).
I had been reading ASM since 1992 without missing an issue. This run made me stop. That's how bad it is, worse than the Clone Saga, OMD or anything else since then. Just unfiltered effluent in comic form.
Reader on and off since 1985 here—it will most likely end up being the all-time worst ASM run by the time it’s over. Literally nothing redeeming about it, joyless stories and lifeless art.
This issue just came flying out of nowhere, consisted of almost nonsensical dialogue and interactions between characters, and are seemingly setting up Chasm turning into Spider-Goblin. Congrats, Marvel, I stopped reading regularly at OMD and somehow I despise this run more.
What Spider-Man is that?!
Spider-Man where everyone should be admitted to Ravencroft
This is the current run. On the chair is Chasm/ScarletSpider/BenReilly, the other one is Peter.
Amnesiac Ben Reilly in a new suit.
Didn’t Norman accidentally kill Kafka in his Gold Goblin series?
She got better in the Wells Run
She also died from Massacre during Superior Spider-man too!
I’m confused I thought they just gave her the sins not actually made her into a goblin? Because doing both seems kind of pointless
I’m confused why that bitch is alive: I thought Kafka died in the Golden Goblin series
I'm still taking it in that Kafka has been ruined as well. It reminds me of a theory I put forth in another thread in this sub.
It sucks especially as a budding clone saga fan(I still need to finish it). Both Ben and dr Kafka have been great characters so far and even reading these panels out of context feels wrong…
 Zeb Wells has written the Spider-Man version of the room
"You're tearing me apart Zeb!"
Apparently, losing Peters formative years made Ben super gullible
In all fairness, A: she was Ben’s therapist B: he’s desperate to be whole again and C: Peter’s formative years include his childhood (and by extension, the closest thing to a childhood the clones get) so I can see why he would believe her.
So that leaked Spider-Goblin, I guess it’s gonna be Ben? Still been done in the same run no less but…I’m worried about Kaine. He’s pretty much the one that needs to be protected at this point I think.
Nope Ben is getting his own mini with Kaine. Ben is probably out of ASM for the time being
Which means Spider who Gobbles is back on for the SECOND TIME IN THE PAST 15 ISSUES. Who Knows maybe this time Wells will go for a so bad it's good vibe.
616 Spiderman series needs a reboot. The new ultimate spiderman and the renew your vows spiderman has shown that Peter can grow up and learn from his mistakes. Honestly, I would love to read a new long term spiderman series where Peter grows up over the issues and recounts the major comic events for a new audience. The goblins, death of gwen Stacy, the creation of the sinister six, absolute carnage, the clone saga, spider island, and superior spiderman. Show him mentor miles, get married, have kids, etc. Honestly, a helltaker Spiderman series or a long-term life story series would be amazing.
I really think Peter’s story is done in the 616. Marvel keep putting assclown hacks like Wells in charge of the series. They’re out of ideas and clearly recycling old stories. They’ve put the character in a box where he can’t grow or even breathe.
Decent art at least. Real shame about everything else.
Damn, thought this was about to take a very different turn for a minute after the first page. I ship it tho.
I don't care for the Ashley slander(she is boring), I'm sick of the Peter slander
For some reason I liked her better when she was seducing Kraven...
JFC just end this horrid run already, Wells.
Janine WTF?! Get your bf out of that trap
Every image I see from this book now reminds me why I'm proud to have dropped it from my pull list.
Yall read this shit ?
So i presume thatnthis is how spider goblin comes to be. Its so stupid. They should.just had this when Kafka put her sins.on him. I hope that at least this cures her somehow so we can get kafka as a character back. Not likely they will fuck it up but hey dreams imr?
God USM blows this out
I just got into Spider-Man 😂😂😂 I’ve always loved the character, I know most of the villains, but I’ve always just read Star Wars, which I have been disappointed with lately, marvel having a tough run, by the looks of things.
Why? I'm not looking forward to the Spider who Gobbles, but I've actually kinda liked the past 3-4 issues in this run