written by Nick Spencer
illustrated by Patrick Gleason, Mark Bagley and various
This is my first post on this site in over a year, which strikes me as somewhat ironic considering that for several months of that year I was on lockdown with little else to do but write. I guess the pandemic has done an even bigger number on me than I thought.
Having just finished reading the last issue of "Last Remains" or Amazing Spider-Man #57, I have to weigh in on this saga considering how long I've been waiting for Nick Spencer to finally pay this particular story thread off. It's been equal parts disappointing and intriguing, I must say.
The first major story thread Spencer paid off was "The Hunted" nearly two years ago, in which Spencer and a gaggle of artists tried (and, in my opinion, failed) to craft a follow-up story to the legendary story "Kraven's Last Hunt," and more importantly, to undo the mistake that Marvel made of resurrecting Kraven some ten years ago. It seems undoing editorial mistakes is something of a personal mission for Spencer. In "Last Remains," he pulls at arguably the most controversial stories of the Spider-Man mythos over the last several years: the unmitigated disaster that was "One More Day."
In this story, Spencer finally reveals the identity of the mysterious, supernaturally powerful villain, known up until this point only as "Kindred." He digs deep into Spidey's history, literally resurrecting the 80s villain Sin Eater to help Kindred fulfill his unholy mission, which, of course involves inflicting untold amounts of pain on Spider-Man, perhaps more than he has ever known. Kindred, after all, is not just any villain, but one whose hatred for Spider-Man runs deep because apparently, a decision Spider-man made has caused him great suffering. To get back at him, Kindred is willing to strike at just about everyone Peter loves.
The revelation of Kindred's identity was, I confess, slightly disappointing because the character in question was not someone who had been out of circulation for years but who had been quite visible during Dan Slott's run, just before Nick Spencer took over.
What makes the story intriguing is how Spencer seems to have intimately tied it into the events of "One More Day," a story dreamed up by the idiots at Marvel editorial for the express purpose of "unmarrying" Spider-Man without "aging" him through something as mundane as divorce. Now, it seems, that Peter's decision to sell his marriage to the devil (which sounds even stupider now than when Joe Quesada and his gaggle of morons dreamed it up) has had a severe unintended consequence for a major member of his supporting cast. While "Last Remains" does not deliver the payoff I had hoped for, it features, in at least some of the issues, some of the stronger writing Spencer has shown since he took over this book two and a half years ago.
Like "The Hunted" this story is quite sprawling and takes place over two story arcs, including a prologue featuring Sin Eater. It also features "LR" supplement issues. I haven't really been keeping count, but all told, I'd estimate that the story covers about twenty-four issues or so.
Of course, that's where the problem lies; having to stretch out a story over such a long period of time inevitably diminishes the effectiveness of Spencer's twists and turns, and the fact that so much is left unresolved also dimishes the effectiveness of the story. Also, the fact that Spencer still hasn't retconned "Sins Past" out of existence continues to irk me.
While the crew led by Humberto Ramos did a disastrous job trying to recapture the moodiness of "Kraven's Last Hunt," this story, led by relative newbie Patrick Gleason and long-time Spidey veteran Mark Bagley, has a stronger, more consistent look even though the story spans as many issues as it does. In particular I rather liked the style of newcomer Federico Vincentini, who illustrated the supplemental "LR" issues and who deserves to be seen more. Still, having at least three different art styles weave "Last Remains" has a jarring effect on the storytelling.
I miss the days when Spider-Man writers could tell stories in four to six issues. Some of the very best Spider-Man stories were six-issue affairs, whether it's J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck's "Kraven's Last Hunt" or J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.'s "Coming Home." I could even get into stories that lasted eight to twelve issues, but what mattered was how the storytellers managed the pacing. Suffice it to say, I am not a fan of this super-sized, "event" approach to storytelling, even though I get its commercial appeal, because when stretched out over too many issues, stories inevitably suffer.
What's sad, for me, is the fact that Spencer knows how to tell short and sweet stories. He knows how to tell four to six issue stories. These are not only easily digestible, but they also manage maximum impact without meandering, which is something that has happened time and again withn these mega-arcs, first with "The Hunted" and again with this story arc.
I'm still sticking around, though, because I really want to see how this all pays off in the end, and in that, I suppose, Spencer's writing is ultimately successful.
6.5/10
