Add to favoritesEight volumes, including the immediate leadup.
Volume 1 (20) – Power and Responsibility
Spider-Man 45
Spectacular Spider-Man 211
Web of Spider-Man 113
Amazing Spider-Man 389-393
Spider-Man 50
Spectacular Spider-Man 215-216
Web of Spider-Man 117
Amazing Spider-Man 394
Spider-Man 51
Spectacular Spider-Man 217
Amazing Spider-Man 395
Spectacular Spider-Man 218
Amazing Spider-Man 396
Spectacular Spider-Man 219
Spider-Man: The Lost Years 0
-Start off with Pursuit. I debated including Lifetheft, but since the first three pages of Pursuit summarize it, I’m leaving that for another book.
-I skip most of the arcs between Pursuit and Power and Responsibility, because either they weren’t that good, they caused some continuity problems, or both. I am including the Ben Reilly pages from Spider-Man 48-49 between ASM 392-393.
-I included the first Peter Parker arc after P&R, to sort of wrap up the whole “Spider” subplot deMatteis had going.
-Lost Years 0 reprints the flipbook/backup features from the Power and Responsiblity arc, and ASM 400/Aftershocks. It is a better option to use, because it requires less copying of pages, and allows the binder to use the regular non-flip, non-cardstock version of P&R.
Volume 2 (16) – Life and Death
Web of Spider-Man 118
Spider-Man 52
Web of Spider-Man 119
Spider-Man 53
Web of Spider-Man 120
Spider-Man 54
Web of Spider-Man 121
Spider-Man 55
Amazing Spider-Man 397
Spectacular Spider-Man 220
Amazing Spider-Man 398
Spectacular Spider-Man 221
Spider-Man: Funeral for an Octopus 1-3
Spider-Man Unlimited 8
-I would have loved to make this book just Scarlet Spider, but I needed Web of Death in there, because of the baby subplot.
-I included the flip book features with the text stories at the end, just because i had nowhere else to put them, and needed to pad out the volume a little bit.
Volume 3 (23) – Smoke and Mirrors
Spider-Man: The Clone Journal (pg 1-26, 31-32)
Web of Spider-Man 122
Amazing Spider-Man 399
Spider-Man 56
Spectacular Spider-Man 222
Web of Spider-Man 123
Amazing Spider-Man 400
Spider-Man 57
Spectacular Spider-Man 223
Web of Spider-Man 124
Amazing Spider-Man 401
Spider-Man 58
Spectacular Spider-Man 224
Spider-Man Unlimited 9
Web of Spider-Man 125
Amazing Spider-Man 402
Spider-Man 59
Spectacular Spider-Man 225
Web of Spider-Man 126
Amazing Spider-Man 403
Spider-Man 60
Spectacular Spider-Man 226
Spider-Man: The Jackal Files
-The Clone Journal is a recap book. It probably goes best before ASM 400, but would look stupid in the middle of a book. Hence, the four pages I’m taking out, which recap the Smoke and Mirrors arc. I wouldn’t recommend making a special effort to obtain this issue, though, if you don’t already have it.
-Ideally, it would be cool to have Maximum Clonage in this book too, to collect the entire Jackal subplot, but the book is already too big as it is. This way, it does show Ben and Peter’s uneasy alliance, ending with the revelation about who is the clone, which pisses Peter off.
Volume 4 (24) – The Greatest Responsibility
Maximum Clonage: Alpha
Web of Spider-Man 127
Amazing Spider-Man 404
Spider-Man 61
Spectacular Spider-Man 227
Maximum Clonage: Omega
Web of Spider-Man 128
Amazing Spider-Man 405
Spider-Man 62
Spider-Man Unlimited 10
Spectacular Spider-Man 228
Web of Spider-Man 129
Amazing Spider-Man 406
Spider-Man 63
Spectacular Spider-Man 229
Web of Scarlet Spider 1
Amazing Scarlet Spider 1
Scarlet Spider 1
Spectacular Scarlet Spider 1
Scarlet Spider Unlimited 1
Web of Scarlet Spider 2
Amazing Scarlet Spider 2
Scarlet Spider 2
Spectacular Scarlet Spider 2
-I was going to make the 9 Scarlet Spider issues their own book, but in the interest of fewer volumes and saving some money, I put them in this one.
Volume 5 (16) – The Return
Sensational Spider-Man 0
Amazing Spider-Man 407
Spider-Man 64
Spectacular Spider-Man 230
Spider-Man Unlimited 11
Web of Scarlet Spider 3
New Warriors 67
Web of Scarlet Spider 4
Sensational Spider-Man 1
Amazing Spider-Man 408
Spider-Man 65
Spider-Man: The Final Adventure 1-4
Amazing Spider-Man ’96 (first story)
-The Final Adventure has those evil cardstock covers, but fortunately, the cover art for the next issue was included in each previous issue. So, I could discard the actual covers to 2-4, and just had to make a copy of 1.
-The ASM annual story is a flashback to the Gwen era. But the framing sequence takes place during the Clone Saga. Since I already used the second half of the annual in a Wedding volume, it seemed a waste not to bind the first story.
Volume 6 (18) – Blood Brothers
Spectacular Spider-Man 231
Sensational Spider-Man 2
Amazing Spider-Man 409
Spider-Man 66
Spectacular Spider-Man 232
Sensational Spider-Man 3
Amazing Spider-Man 410
Spider-Man 67
Spectacular Spider-Man 233
Sensational Spider-Man 4
Amazing Spider-Man 411
Spider-Man 68
Spectacular Spider-Man 234
Sensational Spider-Man 5
Amazing Spider-Man 412
Spider-Man 69
Spider-Man Unlimited 12
Sensational Spider-Man 6
-This volume is all about the skeleton in the smokestack. Originally split across two volumes, I felt that putting them all together in one would give the individual volumes some cohesion.
-Sensation 6 was Jurgens’ last issue, and parallels 0, so I felt it was a better idea to include in this volume, instead of leading off the next. After all, if it wasn’t for a new EIC and the Onslaught crossover, the Clone Saga probably would have ended here. Instead, it continues on, and you can tell that the next batch of issues were just the creators having a little fun with Ben.
Volume 7 (16) – Power Struggle
Amazing Spider-Man 413
Spider-Man 70 (minus last two pages)
Spectacular Spider-Man 235
Spider-Man 70 (last two pages)
Spectacular Spider-Man 236
Sensational Spider-Man 7
Amazing Spider-Man 414
Spider-Man 71
Spectacular Spider-Man 237
Sensational Spider-Man 8
Amazing Spider-Man 415
Spider-Man 72
Sensational Spider-Man 9-10
Amazing Spider-Man 416
Spectacular Spider-Man 238-239
-The biggest problem with this volume is that Spec 235 and Spider-Man 70 both continue directly into Spec 236. Instead of trying to keep Spec 235-236 before Spider-Man 70, and have to move upwards of 4 pages (which would involve copying pages), I have simply moved the last two pages of Spider-Man 70 in between Spec 235-236. Not 100% perfect, but close enough, and doesn’t involve the use of a scanner.
Volume 8 (14) – Redemption and Revelations
Spider-Man 73-74
Spider-Man: Redemption 1-4
Amazing Spider-Man 417
Spider-Man Unlimited 14
Spectacular Spider-Man 240
Sensational Spider-Man 11
Amazing Spider-Man 418
Peter Parker, Spider-Man 75
Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal
Spider-Man: 101 Ways to End the Clone Saga
-I was tempted to put Spider-Man 73-74 at the end of the previous volume, since the whole gang war subplot was brewing there. Plus, the last line of 74 would be very fitting for the end of the penultimate volume. However, that would make this last volume a little too short.
Issues left out:
-Spider-Man Unlimited 7: crap stories, and they interfere with the first two post P&R arcs.
-Spider-Man Unlimited 13: more of a Luke Cage story than Spider-Man.
-Lost Years 1-3: included in trade.
-Super Specials (Planet of the Symbiotes): kind of clunky to insert into the ongoing narrative. Also, I’ve been having a hard time finding the last issue anyway.
-any New Warriors issue except 67: I don’t really see any need to include them. Except 67, which is a direct crossover with Web of Scarlet Spider.
Alternate idea:
-end Volume 1 with Spectacular 216 or 217, and then include Lost Years 0-3. The remaining issues would be moved to the beginning of volume 2.