I understand why they updated the old stories. But the artwork is not as good as the originals, and neither is the storytelling. What really bugs me is the couple issues that are drawn anime-style. Spider-man is distinctly American. Plus, there was nothing wrong with the original art. They also change the story some (Betty is only Peter's friend not a girlfriend, and Betty's brother dies in a less violent way). These are ok stories, and I do recommend them to younger kids who want to read some of the classic stories. However, I'd definately recommend the essential paperbacks over these. Plus, I personally enjoy the later essential volumes more, once MJ, Harry, and Gwen become main characters, we get into multi-part stories with increased continuity, and the situations become less hokey (such as beating Sandman with a vacuum cleaner, and some of the more awkward dialogue that Stan Lee later improved on).