What could be possibly worse than killing the heros girlfriend? How about sleeping with her and creating demonic spawn that were hell-bent on killing Spider-Man? "Sins Past" may be the worst storyline to ever be published in a Spider-Man comic and this is coming from a series that has generated such classics as "One More Day" and the "Clone Saga." In this arc, Peter discovers that while Gwen and Norman were in Europe, Osborn seduces his girlfriend and has sex with her. Gwen manages to hide the pregnancy from Peter and then gives birth to twins, who become physically advanced thanks to being injected with Goblin Serum. The follies with this storyline are too many to count. Most simply, Sins Past tarnishes the legacy of one of the more benign (if not beloved) characters in Spider-Man history in Gwen. Part of what made Gwens death in Amazing Spider-Man #121 so shocking was the that fact she was legitimately innocent. By changing her story and showing her sleeping around with an older (creepier) man like Norman, Gwens character loses a lot of that innocence. Additionally, "Sins Past," whether it intends to or not, changes the dynamic between the Goblin and Gwen during her original death scene in the 1970s. As was originally written, the Goblin kidnaps Gwen in Amazing Spider-Man #121 as leverage against Spider-Man. When things go awry he knocks her off the top of the bridge, leading to her eventual death. With Sins Past, one has to wonder whether or not the Goblin killed Gwen because she was his baby momma. But beyond its impact on Spider-Man comics, "Sins Past" warrants inclusion at or near the top of any list like this because it potentially ruins some classic characters and storylines for fans. In essence, Normans sex drive not only manages to cause anguish for Peter, but for long-time readers of Marvels comics as well.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
What could be possibly worse than killing the heros girlfriend? How about sleeping with her and creating demonic spawn that were hell-bent on killing Spider-Man? "Sins Past" may be the worst storyline to ever be published in a Spider-Man comic and this is coming from a series that has generated such classics as "One More Day" and the "Clone Saga." In this arc, Peter discovers that while Gwen and Norman were in Europe, Osborn seduces his girlfriend and has sex with her. Gwen manages to hide the pregnancy from Peter and then gives birth to twins, who become physically advanced thanks to being injected with Goblin Serum. The follies with this storyline are too many to count. Most simply, Sins Past tarnishes the legacy of one of the more benign (if not beloved) characters in Spider-Man history in Gwen. Part of what made Gwens death in Amazing Spider-Man #121 so shocking was the that fact she was legitimately innocent. By changing her story and showing her sleeping around with an older (creepier) man like Norman, Gwens character loses a lot of that innocence. Additionally, "Sins Past," whether it intends to or not, changes the dynamic between the Goblin and Gwen during her original death scene in the 1970s. As was originally written, the Goblin kidnaps Gwen in Amazing Spider-Man #121 as leverage against Spider-Man. When things go awry he knocks her off the top of the bridge, leading to her eventual death. With Sins Past, one has to wonder whether or not the Goblin killed Gwen because she was his baby momma. But beyond its impact on Spider-Man comics, "Sins Past" warrants inclusion at or near the top of any list like this because it potentially ruins some classic characters and storylines for fans. In essence, Normans sex drive not only manages to cause anguish for Peter, but for long-time readers of Marvels comics as well.