THE SPIDER’S WEB: Marv Wolfman’s otherwise excellent run had some hiccups toward the end… — Welcome to The Spider’s Web — an ongoing feature by novelist and Archie Comics Co-President Alex Segura that looks at Spider-Man’s development since his start in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15. (Alex has been re-reading from the beginning.) Each installment covers a specific period in Spidey’s history, with Alex giving you a kind of bouncing ball approach, as opposed to an issue-by-issue breakdown. Click here for the complete index of columns. — Dan — By ALEX SEGURA Hey folks, hope all is good. We’re covering a lot of ground here, so get in the car and bring some snacks. Last time we chatted, the legendary Marv Wolfman was stepping into the writer’s seat on Amazing Spider-Man, replacing the equally legendary Len Wein. While Len seemed to keep the status quo established by his predecessor, Gerry Conway, Marv came in loud and strong, shaking things up fast — jettisoning Mary Jane as Pete’s love interest, bringing back the separated Betty Brant, recalibrating Spider-Man’s public status quo (though this was quickly reworked), adding to Spdey’s supporting cast with DA Towers, switching Peter Parker’s place of employment, and seeing Pete graduate (sort of). Wolfman is a master when it comes to “perception of change,” which is a classic, elemental comic book trick — where things “change” but don’t really, in the long run. Pete gets a new job, but it’s at a newspaper competing with The Daily Bugle, so while it’s “different,” things are still essentially the same. Spider-Man’s criminal record is cleared, only to have his rep dragged through the mud soon after, making him more of a public menace than before. It’s smart, Comics 101 storytelling, and it gives the series a much-needed shot in the arm. (I’ve talked already about how underrated the Wein run is, and I think a big reason for that is Wein’s lack of a “Death of Gwen”-style moment. Click here for a more in-depth look.) Anyway, I’d forgotten how relatively short Marv’s run was, and it — like Wein’s — doesn’t seem to get the weight it deserves in the overall Spidey pantheon, for my money. Case in point: Marv’s slow boil that builds toward the big reveal in Issue #200 is sharp, A-list story construction, and never feels forced...