Amazing Spider-Man #601 – Review

By Mark Waid (writer), Mario Alberti (pencils, inks), Andres Mossa (colors)

The Story: It’s the morning after M.J.’s return and Aunt May’s wedding bash, as Peter wakes up from a hangover with the woman he least expected to be having breakfast with. As per Peter’s usual straight-edge ethical self, he has a mini-meltdown over his illicit behavior and his upcoming date with M.J. The problem is he can’t remember where and when he is supposed to meet her. But in the course of saving lives and busting crimes, he remembers, only to hit another unforeseen obstacle.

What’s Good: I guess whenever the Spider-Man editors need a soap-opera, personal Spidey story they have Mark Waid’s number on speed dial. He’s the go-to-guy for good reason as he basically seems to deliver whenever he has to tell a story free of major villains and adventurous plots.

In this issue, Waid must present M.J.’s reappearance in a way that doesn’t set off any Brand New Day haters or come-off as too ridiculous. As many readers already know, in the controversial Brand New Day arc, Peter traded away his relationship with M.J. for Aunt May to survive a fatal gun-shot wound. He also regained his secret identity which he willfully compromised during Civil War. So, in this issue we have both of these dynamics return and finally enter into post BND and for the most part, both elements are handled skillfully and satisfactorily. Waid takes a low-key approach to M.J.’s return and for the most part, like Harry’s return, the explanation is sufficiently adequate for readers to forget the garbage in the past and just tune into the current story.

Waid always takes a pragmatic approach to Spidey that I enjoy. For example, when Joe Public is hating on him, it is always for a good reason like webbing keeping crooks encased while cops have to wait around for the webbing to dissolve or store owners suffering property damage from a skirmish. These details keep the story interesting and relatable. Also, perhaps besides Joe Kelly, Waid is the funniest writer in the Spidey Brain Trust.

Mario Alberti is on art in this issue and he does a solid job. The fire scene he depicted was particularly memorable, while some of his character work, especially the flashbacks, were much more forgettable.  Over all, I like his work here a ton. His take on NYC is quirky and the decisions he made on how to present certain dialogue scenes with novel perspectives made them very interesting.

What’s Not So Good: If you were expecting fireworks between Pete and M.J. or any real fall-out from Doc Oct’s return last issue, you’ll be let down here. Also, we only get a tiny clue about the return of a major villain, yet it wasn’t enough to even really spark any interest.

The whole reason why Pete and M.J. didn’t meet was also a little sloppy. How could it be that on one hand M.J. waited all night for Peter to talk to her, but when she realizes she missed the date she doesn’t even care but instead watches TV? Wouldn’t she at least call him? Additionally, her monologue was some of the worst I’ve read in a long, long time. Why would she refer to herself in the third person as “Aunt Anna’s favorite niece” to herself upon waking up? Was she channeling the Thing?

Conclusion: It’s amazing that since the horrid Character Assassination arc a few months ago, ASM has been pretty much on top of my pull list. There is a ton to enjoy in this issue and in this series as a whole lately. It is indeed a big investment, as to stay on board you need to buy three issues a month, but as long as Marvel keeps up this quality, it is money well spent.

Grade: B

-Rob G.

Amazing Spider-Man #600 – Review

By Dan Slott, Joe Kelly, Mark Waid, Zeb Well, Stan Lee, Bob Gale (writers) John Romina Jr, Marcos Martin, Mario Alberti, Derec Donavan, Max Fiu mara, Coleen Doran, Klaus Jansen (art)

The Story: It’s the comic book event of the decade as Aunt May gets married to JJ Sr.! Well, not really, but they finally tie the knot in this six centennial issue of Amazing Spider-Man. Behind the wedding is a extremely solid Spidey story that reintroduces Doctor Octopus and features a who’s-who of marvel heroes taking cameo roles. Additionally, there is several back-up stories that are all good, especially a tear-jerker by Mark Waid featuring Uncle Ben.

What’s Good: This isn’t a comic; its a novel. Seriously– its the size of a small town phone book. And here is a shocker: its worth the 5 bucks! Every story here is good and features great writing and artwork by a slew of creators. Plus, there is a fake cover gallery paying homage to different eras of ASM that was actually funny. But the best part is that there are no reprints of “memorable” past ASM issues.

Let’s start with the art. I wasn’t a big fan of John Romita Jr.’s last showing on ASM during the tepid Character Assassination arc, but here, in a 65-page story no less, he is spectacular. First of all, he draws the best Human Torch I’ve ever seen, which is an infamous and common character to botch. But that is just one gem in his outing here as everyone and everything looks stellar. Thought Doc Ock was lame, cheesy-looking villain? Not anymore.  JRJR has recreated him into a powerfully evocative villain.

Dan Slott crafts a great story here and you can tell he’s loving the extra pages afforded to him to tell this tale. There is a lot happening and the story develops at a great pace. He made Doc Ock into a truly menacing and dangerous villain that your heart will break for. There was one scene when he was watching Spidey and the Torch on a security camera as they were busting on him where I instantly started to root for him. I don’t want to give too much away, but he is a victim in a certain sense.

Last point on the Slott/JRJR tale is that the wedding scene was surprisingly very good. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed so it’s not saying much, but I was genuinely surprised with the surprise arrival at the end of the story.

As for the other tales, the best of the lot was Mark Waid’s Uncle Ben story. Not often do I fill-up during a comic (read: I Kill Giants), but Waid pulled the tears out of me in this one. Stan Lee actually writes a decent story in the collection too. However, the one I found least satisfying was Joe Kelly’s. I know it was supposed to be a collage of what’s to come in ASM, but perhaps it was too mysterious. However, seeing him re-team with the great Max Fiumara was awesome. Also, Zebb Wells writes a really funny story that busts on all of Spidey’s campiness.

What’s Not So Good: Nothing of note. This is the way an over-sized, 5-buck special should be.

Conclusion: I came into this with high expectations and they were all surpassed. If you’re looking to get back into Spidey after the Brand New Day debacle, get in now. Creatively, everything seems right in the new ASM continuity and I’m looking forward to see what the “brain trust” is going to do with all this momentum.

Grade: A

-Rob G.

X-Men/Spider-Man #1 – Review

By Christos Gage (writer) and Mario Alberti (art)

The story: Kraven the Hunter makes an appearance on national television and claims that Spider-Man is a mutant menace. Concerned for Spider-Man’s welfare, the X-Men track Peter Parker to a local hangout for teenagers, where they are promptly attacked by Kraven and the Blob. After a brief scuffle, Kraven flees the scene only to reveal that he outed Spider-man as a mutant in order to draw out the X-Men and steal their DNA for Mr. Sinister.

What’s Good: All in all this is a pretty good issue for nostalgia buffs. It’s nice to see the founding members of the X-Men together again without the baggage of  recent continuity. It is also good to see Kraven once again since I’ve always felt that he was one of the better Spidey villians. I’m not at all familiar with Mario Alberti’s work, but he seems to be a very competent artist. His version of the Blob was gloriously obese and disgusting, great stuff.

What’s not so good: Whilst I feel that the issue is pretty solid all around, I had to ask myself if it was really necessary. I’m pretty sure that this story could have been told in the pages of X-Men: First Class, saving me the trouble of having to add yet another comic to my pull list.

Conclusion: This is a pretty decent comic at the end of the day. I’m interested in finding out if  the theft of the X-Men’s DNA has any impact on current continuity. I kind of doubt it, but it would make this series all the more worthwhile. Not essential but well worth adding to your collection, if you can afford the cost of yet another comic book.

Grade: B

-Conrad Flanigan