NOTICE: After receiving numerous comments and messages about the exclusion of Life Story by Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley, I finally decided to give it another read. After doing so, I can happily say that you were all right. Life Story is a great tale more than worthy of a spot on my list…which sadly means Back to Basics ended up being removed, but sacrifices must be made. Regardless, enjoy my updated Top 10!
As 2019 begins winding down while we approach The Big Two holidays, the 2010s as a whole are also concluding. That’s right, fellow Crawlspacers, another full decade of Spider-Man has come and gone. So what better way to cap off this year than by taking a look at the wall-crawler’s best and worst stories of the entire decade?
I won’t lie, the 2010s have been a very rocky decade for the ol’ webhead in my opinion. I’ll go into more depth on that particular matter when I get to the “worst of” list, but for now let me just say that the 2010s have quite possibly been my least favorite decade yet where the web-slinger’s comics are concerned. That being said, the 2010s still had their ups, some really high ones at that, so we’ll be taking a look at what I personally consider to be the ten best of the decade first. Please keep in mind that this list is strictly my own opinion and if you don’t agree with it or feel I left out some of your favorites, feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Let’s begin!
10.) Heist
by Nick Spencer and Humberto Ramos
While the main plot with The Thieves Guild is entertaining, it’s really the superb (and much needed) characterization that makes Heist one of the best stories of the entire decade.
After being turned into a psychotic crime boss hell-bent on getting even with Spider-Man for something she even acknowledges wasn’t his fault by the previous writer, Nick Spencer finally gives readers the old Felicia Hardy they know and love back. The scenes with her and Spidey teaming up to infiltrate The Thieves Guild’s fortress are good fun as both the wall-crawler and the readers aren’t sure if The Cat can be trusted.
But the real highlight is the arc’s conclusion, when The Black Cat opens up to Spider-Man about how difficult it is to have her memories of the person she cares about most in the world ripped from her. Spidey’s response to this display of emotion is nothing short of touching.
Many fans were skeptical going into this arc, but it ended up affirming that the days of misconstruing Felicia Hardy’s character and her relationship with Spider-Man were finally over (at least for now).
If this wasn’t enough, Heist also contains what is easily Mary Jane Watson’s strongest portrayal in at least a decade. Much like Felicia, Mary Jane’s character had been consistently mishandled for years, acting cold, rude and generally unlikable towards Peter Parker because she “can’t handle his life as Spider-Man”. Well this arc finally reaffirms why Mary Jane is Peter’s true soulmate and one of the best supporting characters in comics. Her joining a support group for the loved ones of superheroes could have been incredibly silly, but Spencer absolutely makes the material shine.
Even Carlie Cooper’s unwanted return in this story is made surprisingly tolerable. That takes skill.
09.) Life Story
by Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley
Life Story finally answers a question that many webhead fans had been asking for a long time: what if Peter Parker aged in real time? The results are both surprising and engaging.
Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley take us on a roller coaster of a journey from the 1960s all the way to the 2010s as they place brand new spins on classic moments in Spider-history such as:
Peter Parker and Norman Osborn’s first encounter…
…Harry Osborn taking up his father’s mantle…
…Kraven The Hunter “killing” Spider-Man…
…the infamous Clone Saga…
…the wall-crawler’s first battle with Morlun…
…Peter mentoring Miles Morales…
…and others that I won’t dare spoil here. Instead of simply rehashing past stories with an older Spidey, Zdarsky completely re-imagines the web-slinger’s timeline and keeps readers guessing the entire way through.
Above all, Life Story expertly portrays the hardships an aging superhero is bound to face while also establishing the immense impact a such a figure would have on the world around him after being around for so long. Zdarsky and Bagley have succeeded in crafting what is easily one of the most unique Spider-Man stories we will ever see.
08.) Lifetime Achievement
by Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley
Ever since J. Jonah Jameson learned Spider-Man’s identity (more on that particular story later), he has gone from being his most clamorous critic to his most ardent advocate. However, Jonah’s past crusade against the web-slinger finally comes back to haunt him as both he and Spidey are captured by a mysterious figure who seems all too familiar with the pompous publisher’s past and isn’t particularly happy about his 180 degree turn on the “Spider-Menace”.
Lifetime Achievement strongly serves to demonstrate just how far Jonah’s character has come from his Spidey-slandering days. It ironically does this by highlighting Jonah’s many mistakes as his frequent attempts to destroy Spider-Man have led to far worse threats such as The Scorpion, The Spider-Slayer and The Human Fly—not to mention the tragedies his blind hatred caused like the deaths of his second wife and of course, Frederick Foswell.
This all culminates in a sad confrontation with the mysterious mastermind and a heart-to-heart exchange from Spidey and Jonah that leaves the two with more respect and understanding for each other than they’ve ever had before.
Jonah has always been a fantastic supporting character (when written well) and this arc provides him with what is easily some of his strongest development in his 55+ year existence. Gone is the foul-tempered fanatic who blindly hates Spider-Man and in his place is a much more layered and complex character.
Oh and the scene where Jonah tells off The Kingpin is pure gold.
Seriously, that scene alone is almost enough to make Lifetime Achievement an instant classic.
07.) Amazing Fantasy
by Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones
A Spider-Man story featuring time travel could have been a mess, but Chip Zdarsky managed to pull it off in spades. Seeing Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson interact with their past younger selves was a huge highlight and provided some very fun, nostalgic callbacks at the same time.
The Green Goblin really ends up stealing the spotlight here though as he completely flips his lid when his identity is exposed during one of his earliest capers.
This all leads to a very intense conclusion between him and the past and present Spider-Man as he holds Aunt May hostage on the George Washington Bridge—technically years before it would become a cliche.
Props also go to artist Joe Quinones whose pencils add that special Steve Ditko-esque touch that is so fitting for this story. This all serves to make Amazing Fantasy both a fun nostalgia trip and an exciting story in general for Spidey fans.
06.) Rage of The Rhino
by Joe Kelly, Max Fiumara and Javier Pulido
Let’s be honest, The Rhino has never been among Spider-Man’s more compelling adversaries. Usually portrayed as little more than a simple-minded brute, The Rhino was a character in desperate need of some depth. Luckily, writer Joe Kelly ended up being just the man for the job.
Aleksei Sytsevich is released from prison but decides to reform and go straight for a change.
However, he soon finds that making an honest living isn’t the easiest thing for someone with his record.
Aleksei is about to give up and revert to his criminal life when he meets a waitress named Oksana.
The two soon fall in love, marry and live happily ever after. That is, until a new Rhino comes to town and wants to challenge the old one in order to “ascend”.
Although Aleksei has absolutely no interest in battling it out over his old life, the new Rhino isn’t about to let him off the hook so easily.
Tragically, this all leads to Aleksei’s life being turned upside down and him reverting to form.
While the outcome of the story isn’t exactly surprising, it is no less tragic and effective. Never before has The Rhino been portrayed as such a conflicted, sympathetic and layered character. Joe Kelly, Max Fiumara and Javier Pulido have all succeeded in crafting what is easily the best Rhino tale to date.
05.) No One Dies
by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin
For such a cheery, optimistic do-gooder, several of Spider-Man’s most popular stories are actually quite dark and revolve around death. Writer Dan Slott uses the recent murder of Marla Jameson at the hands of Alistair Smythe a.k.a The Spider-Slayer to explore the wall-crawler’s sorrow over all the people he has lost to great affect. The opening of the story sets the somber tone perfectly as everyone attends Marla’s funeral in total silence.
The aftermath of the funeral sees Peter falling asleep and suffering a nightmare about all of the people, whether they be his loved ones or his many enemies, who have died in his life.
The first issue expertly delves into Peter’s guilt and insecurities as we witness the massive emotional burden he carries inside him every day.
This all leads to our heart-broken hero making an impossible vow: when he is around, no one dies (title drop!). This promise is really put to the test when a brand new villain called Massacre, a psychopath incapable of feeling any kind of remorse, takes a group of hostages while committing a bank heist.
Spider-Man’s resolve, determination and compassion are on full display here as he does every conceivable thing within his power to prevent any more lives from being lost. Marcos Martin’s superb artwork manages to convey a surreal, otherworldly quality that is perfect for the dream sequences and the incredibly grim situation at hand. While Slott did have a few standouts before and after this, I think No One Dies is easily the highlight of his near-decade long run on the character.
04.) Finale
by Chip Zadarksy
This comic follows an unseen interviewer who goes around asking random New Yorkers what their opinions of Spider-Man are. As you might imagine, they range from positive to not so positive.
It is through these interviews that we see the various ways Spidey has impacted people’s lives.
This proves to be a fascinating study of the webhead’s character as we see just how much of an impression he has left on the people of New York City, whether it be good or bad and just what a larger-than-life figure he truly is.
The stories told from the civilians range from humorous…
…to touching…
…to tragic.
But through it all, readers are reminded of what makes Spider-Man one of the greatest superheroes of all time: behind all of his fantastical powers and abilities is a human being just trying to do the right thing.
What could have been a forgettable throwaway issue instead ended up being one of the best examinations of Spider-Man as a character that I’ve seen in years.
03.) My Dinner with Jonah
by Chip Zdarsky and Michael Walsh
When this issue was first announced, I didn’t exactly have the highest expectations. Chip Zdarsky’s run on Spectacular Spider-Man had honestly been pretty poor up to this point and I expected more of the same from this issue. Thankfully, what I actually ended up getting was one of the single best examinations of the Spider-Man/J. Jonah Jameson rivalry that I’ve ever seen—as well as a massive improvement and upward trajectory in Zdarsky’s writing.
After making a deal with Spidey for an interview, Jonah and the wall-crawler engage in a heated back and forth highlighting their years-long feud and what exactly makes them both tick.
As Jonah grills Spidey for his admittedly illegal vigilantism…
Spidey grills Jonah over the chaos his irrational hatred of him has caused.
Their intense debate eventually leads to Jonah breaking down and finally admitting that his twisted vendetta against the webbed-wonder has cost him everything, but it’s all he has left at this point.
This sad admission results in a turning point in the two mens’ relationship that will change them both forever.
Rarely has the Spidey/Jonah antipathy been explored so well and given so much emotional weight. My Dinner with Jonah is not only one of the best stories of the decade, it’s also one of the most important.
02.) Death of Spider-Man
by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
When it was announced that Marvel was going to be killing off the long-running Ultimate universe’s Peter Parker, fan skepticism was naturally underway. Killing comic book characters, especially immensely popular ones, is a risky (though usually not permanent) move that can easily backfire if it isn’t handled with care and respect to the character in question. Luckily, Death of Spider-Man delivers on the promise of its title in excellent fashion.
Much like the famous Death of Superman arc, the plot for this story is incredibly simple. The Green Goblin breaks The Sinister Six (or five) out of jail and they all head after Peter Parker for revenge.
If this wasn’t bad enough, Spider-Man himself is critically injured after taking a bullet for Captain America.
But like the true hero we all know and love, he doesn’t let this stop him from rushing to his loved ones’ aid.
What follows is an insane, no holds barred, action-packed slug-fest all culminating in the title’s promise.
Again, while relatively light on story, the action and emotion emanating from this story’s pages are unprecedented. Spidey is badly wounded and outnumbered, but not once does he back down or even consider fleeing. He is going to stand his ground and protect his home no matter the cost. This boy truly is a hero and is given a hero’s death.
Excellent characterization, frantic action, pulse-pounding tension and an absolutely psychotic portrayal of Norman Osborn all serve to make this one of the greatest sendoffs a superhero has ever received.
Ultimate Spider-Man truly went out in style with this story.
01.) Hunted
by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Humberto Ramos and various other artists
A sequel to Kraven’s Last Hunt, easily one of the greatest Spider-Man stories ever created, had absolutely no business being this darn good, but here we are.
Hunted sees Spider-Man and all of his animal-themed adversaries captured by Taskmaster and The Black Ant who have been hired by Kraven The Hunter and his cloned son so they can be hunted like beasts by business moguls using advanced machines for a perverse thrill.
The premise alone is awesomely crazy and the execution is equally as great. This arc literally has it all with huge spectacle…
…intense action…
…great character bits…
…gripping cliffhangers…
…and a satisfying conclusion!
It’s also worth noting that after nearly a decade of meandering, Nick Spencer finally does something interesting with Kraven! The once-mighty hunter is having a bit of a second-life crisis as he has struggled to find something worth living for ever since his family resurrected him from the grave against his wishes.
Spencer finally manages to justify Kraven’s return (which is ironic if you read the entire arc) by crafting a story worthy of the character’s legacy.
But what is most impressive about Hunted and really lands it at the top spot is a true rarity for event comics: the tie-ins are actually good! Instead of being pointless filler, the tie-ins actually serve the main story and provide strong character arcs for The Black Cat, The Lizard, The Vulture and even The Gibbon of all people!
Whatever Nick Spencer does in the future, he is going to have a tough time topping this.
So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Did I leave any out? Sound off in the comments below! And stay tuned for my “10 Worst Spider-Man Stories of the Decade” list!
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Andrew he included life story on this list. And Ai, it is his list so if he wants to include dinner with JJ that is his right. It is his list not yours!
If you personally enjoy it that’s cool. I’m not saying you shouldn’t like it, I’m talking about objective problems with it. I like Phantom Menace but I recognize the bad aspects of it.
@Al I understand and respect your opinion, but I still love “My Dinner With Jonah” and am standing by my choice.
@Joshua Nelson:
This is strange. I can see you replied to me in the sidebar on the front page but not on the article page in question. Regardless…
Peter unmasking to Jonah is OOC (not merely questionable) because he has refrained from giving his identity to other people who’re at worst less untrustworthy than Jonah and at best definitely more trustworthy. Betty, Aunt May and Robbie all knew who he was and were loyal to him, he knows this. Jonah upon learning the truth betrayed him in HUGE way (even manipulating the vulnerable Deb Whitman), we’ve seen that before. Jonah is also psychologically unhealthy when it comes to his issues with Spider-Man. You could tell just through observation, but even if that wasn’t enough for you his origin story in Tangled Webs outrights states that.
For Jonah’s part again, realistically he wouldn’t react that way. Some people would argue it’s because he’s lost everything but that’s not true as he still has his son, his riches and his own stubbornness is the roadblock preventing him from connecting to his friends at the Bugle.*More poignantly him losing ‘everything’ again realistically wasn’t going to mean he’d be more open to Peter’s unmasking, quite the opposite. If hating Spider-Man was all he had left, and now he didn’t even have that, and one of the people he regarded as a friend had in fact been lying and deceiving him for years, then it would’ve made him feel worse not better. Not to mention Peter reaching out to him was something he easily could’ve done without risking his identity.
It was a contrived story that people praise for reasons that are beyond me.
*We might argue that in light of his downfall the Bugle staffers (like Robbie) would’ve contacted him, thus their failing to do so is a sign of them abandoning him. But if that’s the case then it just makes the situation more contrived to justify the direction Zdarsky wanted to go. Robbie of all people WOULD’VE been there for Jonah as a friend, even whilst he did his journalistic duty in covering his downfall. And Jonah would’ve been respectful enough of his integrity to understand that.
@Al I strongly disagree with you on My Dinner With Jonah. While Peter unmasking to Jonah is questionable, he did it for the right reasons. Jonah was clearly broken, distraught and empty and unmasking to him was the only thing Peter could think to do to ease his pain. Plus, it allowed for some terrific growth between the two going forward.
As for the other titles you mentioned, I honestly have little to no interest in Miles Morales, 2099 and Silk, hence their exclusion from this list. The first arc of Renew Your Vows was pretty good though.
My Dinner with Jonah and USM shouldn’t be on the list.
My Dinner With Jonah because it’s hardcore out of character for both Peter and JJJ and USM because if we’re going to be including Aus then that opens up a can of worms because then shouldn’t Miles, Silk, 2099 and Renew Your Vows count?
@Franz29 It’s funny how half of the comments here have become a discussion of Life Story. I may have not liked it, but it’s definitely got people talking.
But yes, in order to narrow my worst of list down to ten, I’m combining an entire volume into one story. You’ll see what I mean when I eventually publish it.
“Rest assured though, the ten worst list will be a lot easier to make.”
@Joshua Nelson I think you underestimate the task of whittling it down to just 10.
Solid best of list. I was underwhelmed by Life Story too. Some issues were great, others just “meh” so it brought the story down as a whole.
@Metamorphosis If not for Nick Spencer, I might not have had enough stories to make a ten best list. Rest assured though, the ten worst list will be a lot easier to make.
@Adam B Parker The main reason Heist made the top 10 is because of its last issue. The character moments with Felicia and Mary Jane were great and made for some long overdue fixes. It’s sad because said fixes wouldn’t have been necessary if their characters weren’t so badly botched in the first place.
Unscheduled Stop unfortunately came out in 2009, so it didn’t qualify for this list. If it had been released just a year later, it would have been placed towards the top spot for sure.
I think other posts have said similar, but wow, it really shows how bad the last 10 years have been that The Heist made the top ten. I liked The Heist, I do, but one of the best stories of the decade. Wow.
I think Back to Basics, Finale, Life Time Achievement and Rage of the Rhino are fantastic stories, I would also add Unscheduled Stop. Though that might be older than I think.
It’s pretty bad when a lot of the AU stories were better than the main 616 Spidey most of the time.
2010-2019 was a whole lot of garbage, terrible decade for main universe Spidey comics.
@Andrew C I was initially afraid that there wouldn’t be enough great stories from this decade to do a ten best list, but the 2010s thankfully picked up steam in its final two years. And this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I wasn’t that fond of “Life Story”. The whole arc felt rushed, disjointed and a bit sloppy to me. It had its moments, but I honestly disliked it more than I liked it.
@Hornacek As much as I disliked Slott’s run as a whole, I will concede that he had a few winners under his belt. That being said, we’ll be seeing far more of Slott when I eventually do my ten worst list…
@William Sinclair “Superior Spider-Man” was a very mixed bag for me. It had some great moments and some terrible moments. While none of the good ones quite cracked my ten best, one issue in particular is going to appear on my ten worst list. And I agree with the panel that “Dying Wish” was really good. Also, I’m very glad to come across another fan who shares my love for Hunted and agrees that “Life Story” wasn’t that great.
It’s very telling how almost all of the Amazing Spider-Man entries are Spencer-written, even though he’s been writing it for a relatively short time next to Slott’s massive run this decade. To be completely fair to Slott, the one you listed of his is very, very good, and even though I didn’t like Superior Spider-Man, it is probably the most famous Spidey story of the decade, for better or worse. When my non-comic reading friends know about it and can even quote lines from it, I can see it’s hit the mainstream in a way that’s sadly quite rare for comics.
Even though Hunted definitely had its flaws, I think I have to agree with the #1 ranking, it felt epic and well-structured in a way Spider-Man stories hadn’t in a long time. As for Life Story, I’d give it an honourable mention personally, but I feel like some of it was too rushed to meet the high standards of those on this list.
I like how you included *one* Dan Slott story in this list. It would have been too obvious to have no Slott stories – for all his terrible writing he *did* write some great Spidey stories in his run – ASM 698 got A/A+ from the panel, and everyone gushed over Spidey/Human Torch before he was hired for ASM. Even his Renew Your Vows was great, despite the boring Regent. I tend to think of him as the “broken clock” type of Spidey writer – twice a day he’s correct, the rest of the time he’s wrong.
Agree with Andrew C that Life Story’s omission is a crime.
There were actually 10 great Spidey stories in the 2010s??? I keed…. I keed… 😛
I see Chip Zdarsky dominates this list, and yet you somehow left off ‘Life Story’, which imo is one of the best Spidey stories of the past 20 years or so.