Spider-Man has to race across town with a newborn in hand while every NYC cop and his entire rogue's gallery comes gunning for him.
The Good
Waid and the rest of ASM writing staff have done a great job of updating Spidey and his mythos to the times while still keeping it all true to its roots. So this is definitely classic Spidey, here - - Peter can't catch a break as the entire world seems dead set against and, of course, the first thing to suffer is his social life. But then there's the also the added complication of just how much harder it is for him to keep his secret identiy now, in a time when every New Yorker's got a personal camera or a flipcam. I also like how they've fit Spidey's business into the goings-on of the greater MU - - how his usually-private grudge with Norman Osborn and his other foes has now become a matter of national securty in the wake of Dark Reign and Siege.
The Bad
I think Azaceta's a fine artist - - his style reminds me of Risso's a lot - - but I don't know if his gritty style's approriate for Spider-Man. There's a certain amount of fudging needed to make Spidey's characteristic poses work and I think he might be drawing the wall-crawler a little too realistically. His body often looked pained while in mid-swing.
The Verdict - 3.5/5
This is vintage Spider-Man - - everybody favorite wall-crawler facing almost-comedically insurmountable odds. It might run a little too soap operatic for modern readers, but it's still got plenty of chills (Doc Okc's creepy new redesign) and spills (the double whammy Spidey puts on Sandman and Electroc) to properly ratchet up the ol' thrill-o-meter. I'm always impressed with how the team's able to put a good title out in what has to be an unbelievably-demanding weekly release schedule.
12 Comments