Okay, i normally don't write long texts in my reviews, but i have a lot to say about this issue and this run as a whole. First things first: i'm a massive Nick Spencer fan, i absolutely ADORE Superior Foes, Morning Glories is amazing, The Fix is one of the funniest comics i have ever read, His Captain America run was really good(even though Secret Empire ended the way it did) and everything he did with Ant Man was awesome, i just love how much he takes advantage of canon to create his stories and i think he has a really unique sense of humor, and up until Last Remains i was REALLY enjoying this run, you can see my scores for this ASM volume to confirm that. I loved Back to Basics and it's simple but effective story, i loved how he handled characters like Black Cat and Jameson, i had tons of fun with Hunted and the nods to Kraven's Last Hunt, i loved the character arc for Boomerang and Janice from the original Superior Foes team, i thought the Absolute Carnage tie ins were Amazing, he and Ryan Ottley delivered what is probably my favorite fight between Spidey and Carnage(even thought it's Norman). I wasn't a huge fan of the 2099 story line but i quickly forgave that after the podcast story with JJ and the little arc with Gog. Sins Rising was awesome and Last Remains would be a perfect story if it wasn't for the lack of an ending. Up until this point i was absolutely in love with this run, i didn't care if the pacing was slow because every story beat was working for me, and i understand that a lot o people had problems with the pacing in specific even before Last Remains, but at least until that point i could feel that Spencer was telling the story he wanted to tell, whether we like it or not.

Having said that, i can't express how disappointed i'm with everything since the Mister Negative story. There were some VERY good character moments after it of course(Peter and MJ focused story on #60 for example), but that was just it, the big moments that we where supposed to get after years of seeds being planted for 50+ issues just weren't worth it, everything started to feel so rushed and everything Spencer was aiming for fell short of what it should've been the peak of his run. King's Ransom had the Boomerang twist, but it also had the Robbie and Tombstone rivalry, Randy and Janice relationship, Kingpin's pursuit of the tablet, Gog, Peter's new job as a streamer working with JJ and Norah Winters, the Defenders little reunion....oof. The arc felt so packed and convoluted that every payoff was deluded. It was also where the artist rotation started to become a problem, it doesn't matter if you have many good artists on a book if you can't keep everything consistent, 2 issues with Patrick Gleason(him and Ottley delivered the BEST visuals of this book), 3 issues with Federico Vicentini(a revelation, i loved his style) along with Sabattini helping him, we also had Neves, Antonio and Gomez doing the Giant-Sized conclusion, great artists, but it doesn't matter because everything felt rushed so the art(except from Gleason and Vicentini) was just okay. The Chameleon Conspiracy was even worse, 3 to 4 artists rotating in EVERY issue between 67-69 and the Giant Sized issue, not even Spencer was managing to write on his own and they had to bring Ed Brisson to help with the tight schedule, it was pretty clear that the Editorial was starting to compromise whatever direction the book was going and everything started to completely fall apart. But the absolute worst happened during Sinister War, it was so rushed that even Bagley who is know for being really fast didn't manage to pencil every page of every issue, and Spencer just wrote the 1st issue of the main event and went on to write the tie ins, which guess what? were also rushed and convoluted with 3 to 4 rotating artists. The big finale of this run, the big moment in the making for years, couldn't even have a consistent art team. I'm not even going to talk about the retcons, which although were VERY appreciated(Sins Past, not the Green Goblin one, that was a complete misfire) felt very convoluted, i felt very sorry for new readers of this book and the readers who haven't read every single one of the story's that were referenced between 72-73, it must have been a complete nightmare, i have read every issue of ASM, Spectacular, Friendly Neighborhood, Web Of Spider-Man, Spider-Man and every obscure miniseries you can imagine and i still had to re-read that issue at least 6 times to completely get every single change, and i probably still missed some very big details. And them we get to this issue, and not only we have all of the problems we had for the past 15+ issues but we also have rushed dialogue, lackluster conclusions, and questions that won't even get answered. What the hell did Kindred wanted Peter to Confess? What Happened with the Villains at the Graveyard after Sinister War #4? What about the Rose? Teresa? Did Boomerang even had a proper sendoff? Kindred literally killed Peter i don't know how many times during Last Remains for NOTHING? So Harry died(again) and we don't even get to see Peter Mourn for his best friend? If kindred died, wasn't Norman's Sins supposed to go back to him? What the hell happened with all of these plot points, did they simply forget or did i missed something? Wasn't it also implied that MJ knew what kindred wanted? So they referenced OMD, Had Mephisto and Dr. Strange on the sideline playing a game and they didn't have the courage to address that mess of a story directly? What all of the flashbacks of BND during Last Remains were for? I just can't believe all of this stuff was simply forgotten so that they could finish this run as fast as possible, every single person on the spidey office should be embarrassed by this, Spencer deserved better, WE DESERVED BETTER, this is NOT how you deliver a satisfying payoff to a long story. And last but not least, the book is called Amazing Spider-Man and i don't know if it's just me, but Peter felt like a side character on his own book since even before Last Remains, almost everything interesting that happened during this run came from the characters around Peter, but not him, and up until a certain point it was okay, but after King's Ransom it was starting to bother me A LOT.

So, do i absolutely despise this run like I've seen so many people say? no, is it the worst ASM run of all time? hell no, not even close, is it one of the most disappointing eras of Spider-Man and one of the worst long format storytelling of this book since the Clone Saga? unfortunately, yes. It started with so many promises, and it didn't deliver to many of them. And what's even worse is that I'm not even excited for what is to come, it doesn't matter if you have some of the best writers and artists in the business teaming up to tell a bold story if the people in charge of the editorial continue to mess everything up. If you enjoyed every single thing about this run, i envy you, cause i really wanted to like this finale. Having said all that, i will stop reading ASM for the first time in my life for a little while, at least until the book gets to the half of Beyond, hopefully i will be excited when i come back. more

It comes with a heavy heart that I have to give this final issue a negative score. This will not have spoilers. Thanks Afre, Batman, Federico Ligueri and Jeff Plaza for explaining your thoughts more effectively than me.

Lets address the elephant in the room. The Art. I understand how art is supposed to be "subjective" but when the art isnt CONSISTENT, then its a big problem. I dont know what HAPPENED to nick Spencer and Marvel Comics, but after Last Remains the art in this series just TANKED and went in the ocean. This art..... yikes it makes me want to look away in shame. Mark Bagley and Patrick Gleason's art barely shows up here. The best art in this entire run was Sins Rising.

Lets address the second problem with this entire issue. The Pacing and Theme of the run. This isnt Amazing Spider-Man. This is the Norman Osborn show. Everything this issue has been leading up to.... is just revising Norman Osborn's history. Oh gee, thank you Marvel! Thank you for misleading us and wasting our time. Honestly, I never expected Nick Spencer to erase One More Day from existence (since Aunt May would die, and nearly 14 issues of storytelling would be gone, reduced to atoms) but at least have a more entertaining story that substitues it. Sure, you cant remove One more day, but maybe have Peter Parker propose to Mary Jane and she says Yes. Have Peter Parker realize the truth that he was an idiot to erase his marriage with Mary Jane to save Aunt May (who would die literally in 5 years) from a gunshot wound (why couldnt Dr. Doom and Doctor Strange save her? Oh I know, its because of the PLOT).

Third, f*cking Kindred. I am going to be honest with you guys. Kindred is the lamest and boring Spider-Man villain I have ever read in my entire life. Oh no, Spider-Man ruined your life? Well DO SOMETHING YOU LAZY BASTARD. Kindred spent 90 percent of the run talking about sins, standing in the shadows being edgy, and just reacting. I dont hate Kindred because of Kindred's "genius and complex history". I dont like Kindred simply because Kindred is a boring character who gets defeated in an unsatisfactory manner.

Fourth, there are so many questions that I have in this final Nick Spencer run. When you are going to leave a popular superhero book, you need to have all your questions answered so it would be satisfying. What happened ot Aunt May realizing she has cancer? What was literally the whole point of Teresa going ot jail for fighting hte Chameleon? What f*cking purpose was the point of Nick Spencer's Hunted story? Nick Spencer killed off the original Kraven the Hunter, undoing Grim Hunt.... only to replace him with a clone of him. What's the point of Spider-Man losing all the time? Is it to make Nick Spencer sound smart? Because Spider-Man loses 80 percent of the time.

I honestly had high hopes. After Nick Spencer giving us a dissapointing Secret Empire story, I was willing to be more open-minded. I am a really die-hard Spider-Man fan. Spider-Man is the reason why I was exposed to entertainment. First tv show, toy, video game, pillow, pencil, backpack, bed, blanket, notebook, poster, movie I ever watched was all because of Spider-Man. Sadly.... due to sluggish pacing, inconsistent art, and mediocre stories Nick Spencer ends the run, with a pathetic whimper and limps to the finish line. As a Spider-Man fan, it really breaks my heart to see my favorite character get an unsatisfying ending thats almost as bad as City of Bane.
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This was massive massive let down. I was on board Nick Spencer story untill Marvel Editiorical High jacked his book and rewrote it leaving this massively unsatisfying.

THIS.WAS GARBAGE. No way he left this conclusion before he left marvel. THERE ARE LITERALLY.PANELS and dialogue in the comic that look like that were deleted. The main one is the last pages where it looks like peter says something important to Mj( Proposal???) But its scribbled out!

THIS WAS GARBAGE!!

I hope one day Spencer can let us know what happened because marvel just gave a BIG F you to.fans and OMD haters more

We waited this many issues for this?

I'm sorry but after all the hype Spencer built all these years, after all the convoluted storytelling he went after at times... this is the best he could come up with? No. I'm sorry, but no. He put all his eggs in this one basket and the omelette we got was terrible, nothing he did here helped any character in a useful way, maybe Norman because he's less of an ass but that's it. Art didn't help either. Hell, the other stories were actually better than the main one! more

Something is definitely amiss. Months ago Dr. Strange bursts into Mephisto's lair and asks "What have you done to Peter Parker?" Now, months later, he's concerned with Harry Osborn's clone? PP produced a wedding ring months ago. What happened with that? MJ starts to admit something to Peter, it's interrupted and never referred to again. Norman Osborn sells his son's soul to the devil and then cries - over his clone! - that he was always "enough" for him. WTF? For years there was one Kindred, and now suddenly there are two. Don't even get me started on trying to figure out who created Kindred or what all those "sins" were about - or why Kindred was so obsessed with them. Sooo many red herrings and months of build-up that went nowhere. more

I really am sad to say that after 3 years and about 100 issues (with events, tie-ins, etc.), Nick Spencer’s run really went nowhere. Things happened sure, and I am extremely grateful that he undid the Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn storyline — one of the most horrendous plot points in Spider-Man’s history in my opinion second only to One More Day. But the constant teasing, constant foreshadowing of “mind blowing” revelations, and constant retreading of the Kindred storyline made for a dragged out read with lukewarm payoffs. I hate to say, it even felt like a chore at times getting through a storyline. The initial reveal that Kindred’s driving force was to make Peter suffer for his sins ended up feeling flat after we learn that he didn’t really have a hand in setting the events in motion that led to the creation of Kindred.

Furthermore, appearances by characters closest to him like Miles, Cindy, Gwen (Spider-Gwen), and Doctor Strange always felt like they were relegated to nothing more than a backdrop or served to fill the pages. One thing, the only thing really, that I wanted for Spencer to give us was to finally return to Peter and MJ what they deserve most, their marriage. I would have looked past everything and even deemed his run a success if he could have delivered what Spider-Man fans have been rightfully asking for almost 15 years now. But alas, it became another unfinished thread only to be revisited at later date and unnecessarily dragged out for the sake of “build up”.

I don’t enjoy criticizing writers. I can only imagine the work that goes into building a story and bringing it to life. However, after spending hundreds of dollars, time, and good faith there comes a point where you ask for change, and change is coming. I’m very excited for the upcoming team of writers. Some of my favorite! I truly hope they give Peter and MJ what they were unjustly robbed of so many years ago. I don’t think we deserve being strung along any further.

Please, share your thoughts on this issue and Spencer’s run. Maybe I’m wrong and maybe you can help me see things in a different light! more

EDIT: After reading that bleedingcool article that confirms that this was rushed (not rewritten) by the editorial due to Beyond storyline, I get why this is so disconnected from the other storylines. I feel sorry for Spencer because he had to rush this, but my opinion on the comic doesn't change which is the following:

Okay. I had to triple check that I read all the pages. Because all I could think was "wait what? Seriously? That's it?".

Apologies for my language beforehand. Yes, it's childish, but I just can't help myself.

This is garbage. A shitshow. Is this because OMD wasn't undone? No. Absolutely not.

Let's start with that. OMD can't be undone anymore. It's been 14 years. How could they even undo OMD? Aunt May suddenly dies, Peter and MJ have been married and the last 14 years of stories are suddenly erased? So that means Harry never came back alive, May died due to that gunshot and Peter almost killed Fisk? Or how else? Because those stories just don't work if OMD is undone. So that was almost always the case. It was never going to be undone. It takes a lot of work to evenm address it. And Spencer did that. He even gave Mephisto some motivation to help Peter during OMD. I actually like that retcon. Since OMD is here to stay, at least make Mephisto have some kind of motivation. Spencer did that and I'm fine with that. And the idea to make Harry a demon because of OMD? Another good idea. Because Harry's resurrection was always kinda off.

So okay. This wasn't because of OMD not being undone. Why is this comic a 1/10? Because it isn't a culmination to anything nor is it an epilogue. So what happened with Kindred? After last issue, I thought it couldn't be possible to make it even more confusing, but here it is. So there were two Kindreds, who were kinda Harry, but not and were the Stacy twins, but not and who wanted what exactly? Break Peter? Make him confess? Confess what? That OMD happened? What sins MJ had? OMD? Kindred's motivation is different compared to even Last Remains. Everything here feels so off. This doesn't feel connected to anything Spencer previously wrote.

And that ending. THAT ENDING. So Kindred(s) suddenly lose? And Harry dies? A character we haven't really seen since #800 3 years ago? And he was a clone? Made by whom?

AND. HARRY DOESN'T GET A FUNERAL. HE IS JUST LEFT THERE WITH NORMAN. PETER LEAVES HARRY'S DEAD BODY TO NORMAN. LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. WHAT IS THIS. Flash got a funeral. But Harry doesn't? PETER'S BEST FRIEND? There isn't any epilogue to this Spencer's ASM! "What will happen with Peter and MJ, Mysterio, J. Jonah Jameson, Norman Osborn, Aunt May and Kindred?!" FUCKING GOOD QUESTION NICK LOWE. I WOULD BE GLAD TO READ THE ANSWER IN THE FINAL MASSIVE ISSUE OF ASM THAT IS THE CULMINATION OF THREE YEARS OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. ON THIS CONCLUSION TO NICK SPENCER'S LANDMARK RUN ON THE BEST FUCKING COMIC BOOK IN THE WORLD.

Like seriously. What the actual fuck. I've never been this mad for comic in my life. Not even King's Batman run. This comic cost 11€ and I'm so mad. What happens to May? Jonah? Randy? Teresa? Norman now that is free of his sins? Normie and Liz? When will they find out what happened to Harry? Stanley? His father is a clone, what does it make Stanley? Does Peter propose to MJ? I'm speechless. I have so many questions. And now we jump straight to Ben Reilly and Beyond Corporation? AFTER THIS? THERE ARE 35 VILLAINS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE GRAVEYARD UNCONSCIUS! WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM! SIN-EATER? MORLUN? Does Norman get his "sins" back, now that Kindred(s) are dead(?). Or does he stay like that.

There are some rumours that Spencer had some kind of fallout with Marvel or editorial, because he hasn't said a word leaving Marvel, nor did he give any interview after Last Remains. And that this comic wasn't completely written by him. That sounds stupid, right? Well I kinda want to believe it. Because this is just can't be the conclusion Spencer wrote. It can't...

Peter doesn't feel like Peter here. Nor does he feel like a character even. He gets so much beating from the two Kindreds it's unhealthy. But he is fine? Whaat? I really don't get how strong these two Kindreds are. In #52, Gabe(???) beat Peter easily. AND HERE PETER HAS JUST FOUGHT 36 OF HIS VILLAINS AT THE SAME TIME. AND IS STILL GOING. LIKE WHAT. WHO WROTE THIS???

So yeah. It's terrible shitshow. And don't even get me started on the switching artists. Why even have Bagley here if he makes like 4 pages? Like what? And Humberto Ramos' final pages feel so badly done. Like unfinished mess. Why was this comic so bad and badly done??? more

Let’s be clear. Spencer, Lowe and Co. needed over 80 issues to complete the Kindred arc. 80+ issues! Repeat that again to yourself and you begin to realize just how absurd this whole fiasco really was. Then to top it off it was completely incoherent storytelling. There are only two possible explanations…either it’s total incompetence by the editorial staff or a shameless cash grab. I’m not sure what’s worse, but I do know that without a complete changeover in editorial, we’re in for more of the same. This is Marvel’s flagship character. The fans and the Spider-man legacy deserve better. more

The simple truth is that Nick Spencer is producing a middling run on the Amazing Spider-man. He won't be remembered alongside some of the more influential modern age writers like J Michael Straczynski and Dan Slott; both of whom definitely made their mark on the character with new villains, interesting concepts, etc. The current run of Amazing can't even seem to get a consistent art team. Its a constant rotation of Ottley, Ramos, Gleason, and other random fill-ins. All you have to do is look at what other creative teams like Ewing/Bennett (Immortal Hulk), Zdarsky/Checchetto (Daredevil), and Cates/Stegman (Venom) are doing at Marvel. They are operating at an entirely different level, which is awesome...but is puzzling that Amazing can't seem to get that type of talent on what many people would describe as Marvel's flagship character. Nick Spencer is a gifted writer and Ottley is a talented artist, but they just aren't the right fit for this book. If you look at the reviews for this run from it's inception...it's averaging around 7/10. That's good enough for a b-level title, but not for a tier 1 character. Marvel needs to have Spencer finish up whatever he's trying to do with the 50 issue Kindred build-up and then usher him off in favor of some new talent. more

This is just bad. How can Marvel consider this writing and art okay for one of its premier characters. I'm dropping this book. I might check back in on it a year from now. I'm sure I won't miss much...Spencer will still be milking the Kindred mystery for all it's worth.

Nick Spencer's run on ASM is just plain bad. This latest Spider-man 2099 arc is unfocused and totally disrupted the Kindred story just when things were starting to get interesting. In contrast, take the Immortal Hulk. This book is also published bi-weekly and has maintained a consistently high quality since its launch. The Immortal Hulk has also had the same creative team (Al Ewing & Joe Bennett) on the book from the very first issue. It seems ASM can't have an artist pencil more than two consecutive issues without introducing some fill-in artist. If this were a B or C list Marvel character I could somewhat understand. This however is Marvel's flagship character. Expectations should be higher. After 35 issues of mediocrity, it's time to call this a failed experiment. more

One of the best individual issues of spider-man that I've read in quite some time. JJ and Henry Abrams are a great father/son writing team and Sara Pichelli's pencils are sublime. A new mysterious villain...check. Real stakes and a story that isn't a retread of the past...check. Top notch artwork...check. This one has it all. I urge everyone to check out this book.

Too many superior foes, not enough Spidey. It's clear that Nick Spencer likes to write D-list villains, but this schtick has gotten old.

Nick Spencer has gone back to the Superior Foes well one too many times.

This is a great series. Tom Taylor is an excellent writer with a great handle on character and dialog. This book also nails spider-man's humor with many laugh-out-loud moments. Cabal's art is impressive. In short, this team should be on Amazing Spider-man instead of Spencer/Ottley.

I'm really enjoying this book. Gage captures the voice of Otto Octavius perfectly. The art is pretty solid as well. I'm looking forward to seeing how the major sub-plot line plays out.

There is a ton of humor and heart in this series. In my opinion Taylor and Cabal should be on the flagship Amazing Spiderman book.

I was blown away. Great premise that hits close to home for me. Gillen and Hans have hit this one out of the park. Please check out this series.

Spencer and Ottley are a talented team and perhaps that's why I am so disappointed with their current run. We have yet to see a truly epic Spidey battle and every villain (usually C or D list) is treated as a joke. Major plot threads are left dangling without much buildup and each issue spends too much time recapping what happened in previous issues. On the plus side, Ottley's artwork is solid and Spencer has a good command of character and dialogue. 13 issues is a long stretch to perform middling work, especially on Marvel's flagship character. Here's hoping this team kicks it into high gear soon. more