Not named Peter Parker.
5. Pete Ross
When Spider-Man and Superboy combine in the Amalgam Universe the result is a floppy haired, leather jacket wearing, gun-toting piece of pure 90s beauty.
4. Mac Gargan
Honestly, Mac’s only on here so I can get by without mentioning Ben Reilly who sucks worse than a bad guy pretending to be a superhero under the direction of that superhero’s arch-nemesis who is drawn to look like Tommy Lee Jones.
3. Miles Morales
We haven’t known him for long, but we’re already enjoying his company. We meaning me. Sometimes I’m feeling royal.
2. Miguel O’Hara
The first interracial Spider-Man and the first one not named Peter Parker who achieved widespread acclaim and popularity. His holographic aide Lyla is what I hope Siri will one day be.
1. Peter Porker
As a kid I loved these Spider-Ham comics. I collected as many as I could get my hands on and I especially loved when he teamed up with other heroes, like Captain Americat.
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When you listen to Conor over time- you realize he just doesn’t care for Spidermun that much.
It’s no wonder he would hate Ben Reilley.
Many consider Ben to be a complex interesting character that is the victim of the overwrought cycle of close story line.
But no- the leading proponent of the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon and Peter Porker wants you to believe he sucks.
Sure Conor- you seem like a fair and unbiased critic.
Hah! Ignoring the Conor bashing and moving on to this:
Well, then you get into the whole Scarlet Spider thing… which there have been like 5 of them. Maybe more.
To be fair, there are A LOT of people who hate Ben Reilly. I hated him for a long time myself and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who loves Spider-man more than me.
Why is it meant to be fair and unbiased. How in any possible way could anything ever written be interpretated as anything but opinion and bias. Which is fine. I’m not saying I agree with the list but, to paraphrase a…phrase, ‘poorly worded and badly executed sarcasm is the lowest form of wit’.
So yeah I wouldn’t have minded seeing Ben but I’d put him at number 5.
lol calm down, bro, obviously this is a list of Conor’s fav spider-men not a critical list trying to objectively pick out the 5 best spider-men.
And at no point does the article state that Ben Reilly sucks
i’m not sure there’s such a thing as a truly unbiased critic. we all love and hate what we want.
it could be suggested that someone with the username benkilreilley can’t be unbiased on the topic of spider-men.
but, seriously, that whole clone saga business was gawd awful. i almost quit comics altogether over that one. thank goodness for joe mad’s uncanny xmen. ben reilley is at best…ok.
@wangman
actually, it does say he sucks. the paragraph under the number 4 spot clearly states.
haha oops, my bad.
I’m just surprised that another one of Eric’s trolling accounts got so much traction so fast without being deleted. Discussing the fact that a favorite character didn’t get on someone’s list is one thing, but to insult them because of it? That’s low for even you. Looking forward to your next account.
It all makes so much sense now. How have I never noticed this before?
Ben Reilly was my Spider-Man at first. I started reading comics at that point in Clone Saga II when Reilly was revealed to be the “real” Peter Parker. I read all the books, and I loved the character, even understanding that I also loved Peter Parker. I had 2 Spider-Men there, what wasn’t to love. And then when it was all said and done, Marvel had resurrected Norman Osborn as the puppeteer and Ben really was the clone the whole time, and Peter had retaken his rightful place as Spidey.
So, because of that, I really don’t get the hate people have for him. He was a complex guy, looking to make a new life for himself, thinking he was the real deal the whole time. I can dig that.
Amalgam was my favorite thing to happen to comics as a kid. Loved Dark Claw (I think that’s what it was called). Hyena was freaking scary looking. I think Spider-Boy may have been the worst part of it… no wait, Magneto and the Magnet Men (I think that’s what it was called) was pretty damn awful too.
Anyway, the best part of this is the Mac Gargan caption. Shit made me laugh.
I loved Amalgam as a kid. Bruce Wayne Agent of SHIELD, Spider-Boy, Doctor Strangefate…actually, as a Marvel fan growing up, Amalgam really helped me learn about a bunch of DC characters, trying to figure out who they combined characters with. Some of it was pretty ridiculous, but there are some gems in there. I remember the art on Dr. Strangefate in particular being pretty good.
Better than me. I say they all suck in comparison to Peter Parker haha.
I soooooooooooooo want to read Spider-Man 2099! It pisses the fuck out of me that there’s videogames with him in it that are successful and Marvel still doesn’t put the trades out!
I only have issue #1 and I loved it so fucking bad that I want to read the rest, I’ve found it easily on ebay for… 400$ (in my city, so I could skip shipping) or for a measly 100$ in the USA but with like 150$ of shipping… GGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! /nerdrage mode off.
I know its a long shot, but you should check thrift stores and such. I recently found the majority of X-men 2099 for a buck each.
That *is* weird, I figured the title would be out digitally at least if they were putting Miguel in games. On the plus side, you get to experience the joy of collecting back in the 80s and early 90s! Diving into your LCS’s back issue boxes and hitting the quarter/dollar bins! Going to conventions with a print out of the issue numbers you’re looking for!
Living in Montreal is an impediment to collecting back-issues… My LCS is freaking great and that’s where I got Spider-Man 2099 for 0.85$ but aside from eXpert Comics which is at the other end of the city and that look more mainstream that back-issue bins oriented like the LCS I go to, there’s no more (that I know off and google too). So for me, the joy that some fanboys like you have of back-issue bin diving, is something I might never experience! 😉
And aside from the Montreal Comiccons which has almost nothing to do with comics (Marvel/DC/Image) all ignore it, it’s more like a celebrity fest and a reason to make some quick bucks on geek culture. So, I dunno, paying 80$ for “maybe” the chance of browsing through some back-issue bins, I dunno… Might as well just go the ebay route with that! 😉
I’m crossing my fingers hard on the hopes that Marvel, if they get asked enough, might bend and finally put Spider-Man 2099 out in trades or at least digitally through their app. I don’t really care, I just want to read them! 😉
issue’s 1-3 are available on mdcu. i wish i still had copies of any of that stuff. i remember it being really great
One other thing you might shoot for, back in the pre-eBay days, one of the ways I’d fill out missing issues was to hit comics shops in towns that I’d visit. Trip to Grandma’s? Break out the yellow pages. Family vacation to the beach? Same thing.
Oh and if you’re interested in the other great thing going on in the 90’s for Spider-Man, you should really check out Untold Tales of Spider-Man. It just got collected into an omnibus and even though I’ve got all the individual issues, I’m still thinking about picking it up because it’s INSANELY cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/Untold-Tales-Spider-Man-Omnibus-Busiek/dp/078516247X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341341854&sr=8-1&keywords=untold+tales+of+spider-man+omnibus
Best of luck in filling out your collection!
If you’re just wanting to read it, I think situations like these are where piracy is totally justifiable.
loved Spiderman 2099
Man, those 25th anniversary covers were great. I think I had only been buying comics for about three months when they started and I tried to get them all.
Peter Porker gets funnier the more I think about him. I mean, Spider-MAN is already an animal/man hybrid, but then you throw a pig in there and it gets brilliantly silly.
Under Peter David, Spider-Man 2099 was a really fun book, glad to see some love for it.
Please, don’t put salt in my wounds….
@pyynk – word. out of the whole 2099 series, i thought that spider-man was the keeper. certainly better than ravage anyway.
@mark Yeah, I ended up getting most of the first issues of the 2099 books and wow. I love Stan, but Ravage 2099 was freaking *horrible*.
Spidey 2099!!!
Meh, I loved Ben Reilly… I’m not ashamed to admit it. He got caught up in a huge mess of a storyline, but once they made the switch and temporarily made him Spider-Man, I really came to enjoy his characterization and the supporting cast members they introduced for him.
Now, however, after less than a year, I think Miles Morales is already my new favorite non-Peter Parker Spider-Man!
I was hoping to see Spider-Ham on this list, glad to see him in the #1 spot!
So do they have to have gone by the title Spider-Man? I am digging the new Scarlet Spider, though I was very disappointed in #1 when he shaved off the beard. Not enough beards in comics.
Think Spider-Ham and Spider-Boy suggest not. I think its more of a list of Spider-Man esque parody/homage/emulators.
As a guy with a sometimes gnarly beard who has also worn a luchadore mask with it, I can say that if Kaine had kept the beard, he’d be even more surly. It is not fun to be bearded and wear a full face mask.
Just wanted to heap on the praise for Spidey 2099. I was like eight when I read an entire issue in which Miguel O’Hara argues with his bi-polar mother. At the time I had no idea why I liked the story so much, even though it was just people talking at each other. Even then I must have been drawn to this little oasis of character development and humanity amidst the guns/tits/pockets of early 90’s super-hero books.
Seeing a lot more love for Spider-man 2099 than I realized existed. I personally thought that book was the best thing out of the 2099 bunch, with Ghost Rider 2099 a close second. The back stories for both of those books were interesting and it really felt like a fresh, exciting version of the Marvel Universe at the turn of the 22nd century.
This is a good list.
I am really enjoying the praise that Spidey 2099 is receiving. When i showed it to some of my friends when it came out (I was/ am still the only one of my friends who is a comic fanatic) thier first comment was not “this is awesome” or “his costume is badass” it was “Why is Spider-man mexican?”
What a good comic
Also just want to quickly agree with most people’s sentiments about Ben Reily. Clone Saga was definitely a little silly and I always have fun trying to explain it to people. I usually just skip to the end where Ben Reily is actually a dust monster in a human’s body and will scatter into the wind if you hit him hard enough with a glider.
1) The new Scarlet Spider series is great. Better than it should be, really. So, I’ll give Kaine the nod as one of the best Spider-men over Mac Gargan.
2) At the time, I was very glad that Ben Reilly died. I was upset that Marvel attempted to push Peter off the stage. “Peter Parker is the one, true Spider-Man!” But, in hindsight, I have come to appreciate the relationship that Peter and he shared. I honestly miss him.
3) Peter Porker, Spider-Ham is comic genius.
4) Never read any of the 2099 books.
So, my list:
5) Black Spider (Young Justice Cartoon) http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Spider_(Earth-16)
4) Miles Morales
3) Kaine / Scarlet Spider
2) Peter Porker
1) Ben Reilly
Yeah I feel the same way about Ben Reilly….I liked him as the Scarlet Spider but the I hated him when he became Spider-man. Now that he’s been gone a while, I wish they had just put him in a title like Kaine has now.
SPIDER-MAN 2099! one of the all-time best spidey-esque stories. it’s spider-man meets star wars.
david/leonardi did a fantastic job on that series. too bad it started sucking harder than a toothless crack head at mardi gras after about 30-something issues. it started out so strong.
fun list. 5/5
forgot to mention that i really like number 4, too. mac gargan was the perfect, pychotic addition to osborn’s team of sociopathic misfits. fuckin’ love dark avengers. bendis’/deodato’s, of course. not that rebranded thunderbolt crap.
I’ve always wished for another Spider-Man 2099 comic or at least an appearance by Miguel O’Hara
Did you read the Timestorm mini from a few years back? He played a fairly big part in it.
I enjoy spider-ham with fava beans and a nice Chianti… Delicious!!!
Great list. Was hoping to see the new Scarlet Spider / Kaine on the list. It is truly a great comic and the art is amazing.
Phil Spiderman! Friends from outta nowhere!
Spider-Ham rules!!! I didn’t care for the spider clone war saga either but w/out that there would be no Kaine Scarlet Spider right? I read the 1st few issues of that and really liked it. 2099 is a really cool costume, I still have the 1st issue but don’t remember anything about the story.
Spider-Ham…hmmm
Disney ownes Marvel
Disney ownes The Muppets
…
Why the hell haven’t they done this yet?
the scarlet spiders from avengers initiative are pretty cool too
Fun fact, all of these guys – and Ben Reilly – managed to get by without Devil-dealing.
Were any of them erroneously married by an aging editorial and creative staff that wanted to write about things in their own lives?
Erroneously married? I started reading Spider-Man in 6th grade when he was married to MJ and never felt alientated from the character because he was married. I miss married Spider-Man…I’m ejoying the current book but I miss the marriage too
No. More. Reilly.
Ever.