Amazing Spider-Man #666 – Review

by Dan Slott (writer), Stefano Caselli (art), Marte Gracia (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Life is good, and very busy, for Peter Parker, but unbeknownst to him, more and more people in New York City are gaining spider-powers.

What’s Good: Apparently, Dan Slott and the rest of the crew in the Spider-office take that $3.99 price-tag really seriously.  This is a lot of comic book.  It’s 30 pages of dense storytelling, packed with characterful dialogue and narration that’s entertaining, regardless of the exposition.  It’s also amazing quite how many bases Slott touches upon in these 30 pages.  Not only does Slott set the stage for Spider-Island in ever conceivable way, he also gives us an update on more or less every nook and cranny of Peter Parker’s world.  As a result, the number of characters in this book is pretty damned massive, but because Slott keeps it, for the most part, tightly focused on Peter, Spider-readers won’t get lost.

What’s even more remarkable is what a firm grasp Slott has on this immense cast.  Obviously, his Peter Parker is great, but everyone elses’ dialogue is fun and energetic and every character has his or her own distinct voice.  With so many characters on hand, here, that’s pretty impressive.

All in all, this is just a really big, well-rounded package.  It sets up the state for Spider-Island quite well and will leave you ready and willing to dive in, but more than that, you get a little taste of literally everything and everyone relevant to Slott’s run on ASM thus far.  No stone is left unturned, and as a result, you get a Spidey comic that really feels like a Spidey comic.  With so much in this book, this is a pretty immersive experience, one that really brings you into Peter’s world.

Of course, Caselli’s art doesn’t hurt.  It’s as lively and energetic as ever and while Caselli often puts a lot on the page, in both content and panels, it’s never confused or claustrophobic.  Whether it’s a dialogue scene or an action scene, Caselli’s work always feels fast-paced.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3 – Review

By Brian Bendis (writer), David Lafuente (artist), John Rauch (colors)

What’s The Big Deal? This is the much anticipated issue where Peter and Mary Jane deal with sex – and maybe have it. But this plot mechanism is quickly undermined by the emergence of Mysterio and his clever bank heists. The police employs Spidey’s help and together they work to take down the master of illusions.

What’s Good? David Lafuente is not only a hell of a storyteller, but a master of action. The stuff we get early in the issue with Spider-Man dealing with a runaway car is dizzying and exciting. This guy’s one to look out for, though haters of Manga art may be turned off.

Brian Bendis’ script is tight, entertaining, and full of sincere moments. Oh, and Mary Jane in panties will have fanboys aroused.

What’s Not So Good? Lafuente’s rendition of Spider-Man looks too goofy and too young for my tastes. Then there’s Mysterio who looks too much like Chamber from Generation X (remember that book?).

The deflecting of the big story at hand and the real reason everyone bought this issue is also unsatisfying.

Conclusion: Mary Jane and Brian Bendis not only cockblock Peter, but the readers as well. Peter takes it like the good guy he is; our lovable loser gets another night of blue balls. A wasted opportunity!

Grade: B-

– J. Montes

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane: Season 2 #3 (of 5) – Review

By Terry Moore (writer), Craig Rousseau (art), Guillem Mari (colors)

The Story: As a thunderstorm rolls into the city, Mary Jane must deal with her new found moniker as “Limo Girl”! With her alter ego status catching on with the student body, the annoyance level begins to mount up for poor MJ. Even the faculty have it out for her!

Meanwhile, Flash Thompson confronts Peter Parker when he discovers our resident science genius has been giving Liz Allen private calculus tutoring sessions (twice a week no less!).

What’s Good: It took three issues, but Craig Rousseau’s art is finally growing on me. There’s a lot of personalities on display here thanks to the strong use of facial expressions; it sells the story completely. Another thing I like is the relaxed demeanor of the characters. It brings out a casual element that make them seem like real high school students. The supporting colors by Guillem Mari are quite good and help alleviate scenes where Rousseau neglected to draw backgrounds.

Terry Moore’s conversational dialogue is filled with lots of one-liners and that’s how teenagers talk. They don’t go on monologues or diatribes like heroes and villains (or Kevin Smith characters). They either beat around the bush or are upfront too a fault, and whatever way they choose to speak, it’s usually very shallow in nature. Moore is very good at portraying this.

What’s Not So Good: The story doesn’t really go anywhere. Mary Jane groans about her new status and takes no steps to remedy the situation. This is actually believable, however – most kids would probably just try to ignore it. That said, a large portion of this book is spent making fun of her new status as Limo Girl, yet without any sort of follow-up (or action taken) are readers supposed to just ignore it too?

The cliffhanger comes very abruptly and even worse, awkwardly delivered. At first I thought there was a page missing from my book, but then I saw the “To Be Continued…” stamp at the bottom of the page and my worst fear was confirmed: I was being given a “What the hell?!” moment.

Conclusion: Last issue was the strongest yet by the new creative team. And while Craig Rousseau seems to be gaining artistic confidence with the characters, the story takes a step backwards with its general lack of progression and clunker of a cliffhanger.

Grade: C-

– J. Montes

Amazing Spider-Man #560 – Review

By Dan Slott (writer), Marcos Martin (art), Javier Rodriguez (colors)

Is it me, or does this issue have one of the best Spider-Man covers of all time?

As predicted in my last review, this issue features the return of a certain someone in Peter’s life – someone we’ve all been anticipating for a while now. The whole story leading up to her unveiling is hardly unique or special, but the plot twist Dan Slott tosses in makes the story much more engaging. I’m not exactly sure where this is leading, but Peter’s eventual crossing with this character could have been either cleverly orchestrated by a third party, or it may all just be traced to fate. Given the monkey wrench Slott throws into the story, I’m beginning to think there’s a more sinester element at work here – tracing a path for Peter to follow.

As for the two new characters introduced last issue, only one makes an appearance here. Paper Doll takes center stage as she works her way through Bobby Carr’s enemies with deadly reckoning. Slott keeps the story tightly focused on her, never straying into her origin or how her powers work.  Peter catches on after having a close brush with his “power and responsibility” mantra, and begins a vigil to catch this deadly girl. Once he finds her the obligatory fight ensues, but c’mon, do you really expect Peter to beat on a little girl (no matter how deadly she is)? Instead, we’re presented with a rare situation where Spider-Man actually can’t win. And for once, Peter’s blabbering mouth ends up saving him and his would be victim. Great stuff.

Once again, topping off the story is Marcos Martin’s art. From the opening page his art is a joy to behold. All the meticulous detail he puts into his pages ensure that readers won’t be skimming through the pages. From the movie posters in the theatre lobby to the pieces of Andy Warhol inspired art in the museum to the brilliant use of half tones, I was constantly reminded why this artist is a dream to have on this book. This is beautiful comic book art, folks. We’ve got one more issue left before he parts ways with this title and I’ll be savoring every moment of it. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

Ultimate Spider-Man #119 – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade Von Grawbadger (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors)

So Liz Allen’s the new Firestar, eh? I’m not sure how I feel about this, to be honest. My concern is that she’s already “too close” to Peter. Granted, this is an ensemble book of sorts, but there’s already one mutant in Peter’s supporting cast – do we need another?

This issue picks up where last month’s left off. Liz is flying around, freaking out, and Iceman comes to her rescue. Completely confused and in denial about the possibility of being a mutant, Liz flies off. Kenny, acting upon his suspicions of Peter being Spider-Man, tells him to go after Liz. In a moment of hesitation, Peter confirms Kenny’s theory and does what he’s told. The list of people knowing Peter’s identity continues to grow.

Eventually, Spidey catches up with Liz and Iceman (who went after her too). They explain to her the choices she’ll soon have to make in her life. This moment is particularly funny as Peter continuously tries to give her the “With great power,” spiel only to be interrupted time and again. This whole revelation with Liz’s new found powers plays out exactly as it should until it’s interrupted by an expected guest.

Brian Bendis once again delivers some top notch dialog. Sure, the story doesn’t advance as much as I’d like, and the beach sequence is a little too stretched out, but because the writing is so well done, I can let it go. Stuart Immonen’s art doesn’t blow me away like it did last issue, and there’s a few panels where Spidey’s head looks really weird, but problems aside, his art is solid throughout.

All the formalities are out of the way, now let’s see some action!  (Grade: B-)

-J. Montes

Amazing Spider-Girl #17 – Review

By Tom Defalco (script), Ron Frenz (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Bruno Hang (colors)

I hate to say it, but this issue was pretty boring. The aspect I love the most about this series is May Parker, the person. We don’t get much of it this issue. Instead the villains take center stage and sadly, they are an uninteresting lot. Why? Because while there may be a big auction taking place among crime lords, none of them posses the viciousness, charisma, or cunning as someone like The Kingpin. What we’re given instead is a bunch of washed up thugs vying for Kingpin’s scraps. It’s just not very compelling.

Wait a sec! I’m not done yet.

This story with Hobgoblin and Mindworm needs to be finished… soon. May needs to expose Detective Drasco as the Crimelord. And she needs to lay the smack down on Deadspot. I mean, for a villain who was so prominent last issue, she (Deadspot) sure is given the shaft this issue as she’s relegated to a brief cameo appearance. At least she has May somewhat concerned for her well-being, too. That’s the kind of villain I want to see in my Spider-Girl books, not these lowlifes who want to be a third string Kingpin!

The stuff I do like is fleeting at best. Gene Thompson has been trying to reconcile with May for months and once again we’re given one page where nothing is addressed. The Parkers finally receive news that Ben’s hearing can be restored with an operation. That’s good progression. What bothers me, however, is Peter nor May seem to be scoffing at the fact that the hospital will need blood samples from them. This has always been a serious issue in the past – why isn’t it now?

Ron Frenz delivers solid art, as always. Tom DeFalco, however, has dropped the ball with this story line. Hopefully, he can wrap this up by next issue and we can move on to better things. (Grade: D+)

– J. Montes

Ultimate Spider-Man #118 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Pencils), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inks), Justin Ponsor (Colors)

I love Mark Bagley’s body of work on Ultimate Spider-Man. When I think of the title, his name will always be synonymous with it, much like Romita Sr. and Ditko and Amazing Spider-Man. But Stuart Immonen’s art, while drastically different than Bagley’s in style, knows how to flow with Brian Bendis’ script.

A look at the first page in Ultimate Spider-Man #118 clearly shows this. The way Pete can’t focus on his studies because of Harry’s death and how the shadows begin to set in his room really makes for a powerful opening. No words are needed because the panel speaks so powerfully for itself. The line work he puts in his characters remind me much of Leinil Yu (I think it’s the eyes, too), and his attention to detail, especially in the mall scene, is meticulous. Kudos to Justin Ponsor who does a great coloring job. His colors really amplify the mood of the book and bring a lot of life to Immonen’s work.

This issue marks the beginning of the “Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends” story arc, and it’s a perfect place for readers to jump on. Bendis does a ton of character work this issue and it’s such a good read. It’s all driven by the characters’ thoughts and there’s lots of “Aaaarghh’ss” to be read, but it’s hilarious. Everyone has their concerns and problems, and Bendis just nails the life of a young person. Johnny Storm arriving at school to cause trouble with everyone is downright hilarious and Firestar’s identity is sure to surprise! Month to month, Ultimate Spider-Man delivers. This issue is no different. (Grade: A)

– J.Montes