CrazyGirl17 said:
First off, happy 200th episode Bob! Second, it's nice to see you finally tackling this milestone event... which apparently isn't as good as everyone thought at the time.
Personality, I didn't get into comics until the late 90's/early 2000's, so I missed out on the crap comics of the 90's. Yet I have a bit of curiosity about those comics and how they turned out (But seriously, fuck comic book speculators).
The 1990's wasn't as universally blowful as it seems in retrospect. One of my favorite Spider-Man stories is the Clone Saga (or at least the later parts of it). Unlike the other replacement heroes on the video, Ben Reilly didn't reflect "the Spider-Man people wanted", but rather, "the Spider-Man the editors wanted". Unmarried, unshackled by guilt and responsibility, and so on. Ultimately, several retcons later, the editors finally got the Peter they always wanted.
Reilly's most interesting effect, though, was on Peter himself. I remember very vividly how the two developed a brotherly relationship that both had always wanted (seeing as Peter was an only child). Fascinating and heartwarming stuff for a time. But the "official story" is that no one liked Ben Reilly or the Clone Saga. Baby boomers and Gen-Xers froth at the mouth if anyone suggests there was merit to the Saga or that it deserves to be considered for adaptation. Oh well.
As for speculators, the speculation bubble directly led to Marvel selling off movie rights that ultimately kindled the comic book movie renaissance we currently enjoy, so I wouldn't be so harsh.