I revisited some classic 1970s Spider-Man issues for a recent tribute piece I did on the great Ross Andru, https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/remembering-ross-andru-spider-man-artist . It turned into a months-long Spidey bender involving hundreds of comics. thats the web-slinger's secret sauce - it's the best soap opera in comics

The re-read reminded me of the jaw-dropping lineup of talented artists who have drawn Spidey - Andru, Keith Pollard, John Romita Jr (several runs), Ron Frenz, @Todd_McFarlane, etc - but also the writers. @gerryconway @marvwolfman, David Michelinie, Roger Stern, @DanSlott, JMS ...

and @NickSpencer7, who together with @RyanOttley have made the latest Amazing series so much fun. binging decades of Spidey history has been nostalgic, maddening & joyous. But the biggest thing I (re)discovered going through 500+ Spidey comics?

Mary Jane Watson is one of the great supporting characters in comics. MJ & Peter are hands-down Marvel's best couple. That's in part because she's often more likable than Peter! Her character arc is borderline miraculous considering her original one-dimensional portrayal.

The death of Gwen Stacy opened the door for MJ's big move. @gerryconway & Ross Andru made it happen. Andru's MJ was as gorgeous as Romita Sr's, but she was just a bit more...serious. Peter & MJ's 1st kiss in ASM #143. had forgotten how great a page this is.

Conway clearly liked MJ & her maturation evolved nicely after Gwen's death. The original Clone Saga really turned the tide on the perception of MJ. You couldn't read those issues & not cheer for MJ over Clone Gwen. Peter finally got the memo & made the right call.

Pete/MJ Vol. 1 lasted around 5 years...until Wolfman came on board & torpedoed the romance with Pete's ill-fated proposal. I love just about everything Marv has written, but his time on ASM (182-204) bordered on sadism. He tortured Peter over & over.

let's see - Pete got dumped by MJ, missed graduation, saw the Black Cat die (she got better), was decked by Ned Leeds & slapped by Betty, excommunicated by his friends ... and then Aunt May dies (not really). c'mon! I'd forgotten how joyless that era of ASM was.

Part of the problem w/that run is something that plagues other Spidey writers. To create adversity for Spidey, they undermine Peter to the point that you can see why he has trouble w/relationships. Anyway, aside from a cameo in #201, we don't see MJ for several years.

Peter's supporting cast got short shrift for awhile, but at least we had the Hobgoblin. Overexposure & silly retconning would kind of cripple Hobby's impact, but I'd forgotten how cool he was at the time. Roger Stern & JRJR finally brought MJ back in #243.

That began a slow-burn reconstruction of the MJ-Peter relationship. Then issue #257 changed everything. I remember reading that comic in 1984 & being gobsmacked. MJ revealing she knew Peter was Spidey was a BIG DEAL, the kind that would crack the Internet, if it existed.

I loved Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz's time on ASM. The Peter-MJ 'ship wouldn't be as popular as it today w/out this era, which established their friendship as the backbone of their relationship. Mary Jane's backstory gave her depth & let the character stand on her own.

That's enough rambling for now. I'll tackle post-wedding Spidey and what holds up and what doesn't in another way-too-long thread.