Doing some research on a different topic and I came across the Spider-Woman series from 1999 by John Byrne and Bart Sears. I never even knew this series existed until today. Maybe there's a reason for that?
Anyway, I generally enjoy both Byrne and Sears so I was wondering if anyone here has read this series If so what are your impressions?
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I've not read the series, but here's some background. The Amazing Spider-Man was relaunched (and other Spidey titles ended and started) coming into 1999. Byrne worked across the titles just before the relaunch, and did the 1999 series with Howard Mackie for a year and a half and wrote and drew Spider-Man: Chapter One simultaneously.
The only one of these issues I have is The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1999). Peter had given up being Spider-Man, and people were noticing. He got a good science job, and was present when a new Spider-Man, posing as the original, fought the Scorpion.
The imposter was quickly revealed to be a teenage girl introduced in a Byrne-written storyline before the relaunch, and spun off into her own series, Spider-Woman. In her other identity she was Mattie Franklin.
(corrected)
This page on the character has images and synopses (with spoilers).
I read the series until it was cancelled. I liked Mattie, but she sure had some grotesque villains:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Woman_(Mattie_Franklin)
She got her powers from the Gathering of Five, presided over by Norman Osborn. She wound up with powers he wanted:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gathering_of_Five_and_The_Final_C...
I have mixed feelings about this time in the Spider saga. This is tied in with their dumping of Peter and Mary Jane’s baby May in favor of bringing back the dead Aunt May. We learned that the dead woman was the world’s most dedicated actress who kept up the ruse of being Aunt May up to her dying breath.
Thanks guys!
I loved Bart Sears when I first became a comics fan (on Invasion! and Justice League Europe), but now I would only see him appropriate for certain styles of books--in particular, Conan or anything about vikings, for instance). Looking back at how he used to draw Power Girl, she was hideous compared to now.