Spiderfan001

Another solid issue. The idea of Peter Parker becoming a paparazzi photographer may raise a few eyebrows but Dan Slott does a great job of making it work. The reactions of Peter's friends and family to his new job was handled perfectly. This issue also sees the introduction of two new Spidey villains; both female. It's about time Spidey got some new female villains in his rogues gallery because aside from the Black Cat and Commanda, none really spring to mind. What do you mean you don't know who Commanda is?

I'm digging Marcos Martin's artwork, the entire sequence of Peter escaping from security was wonderfully drawn. As always with Slott, this issue is jam packed with great one liners, and a fresh take on Spider-Man's universe.

Bob Gale writes a fun one part story, you just need to get past the bad dialogue to fully enjoy it. Another problem with the issue is that it blantantly mirrors a scene from one of my favorite Spider-Man stories. When Spider-Man doesn't chase after Menace due to having somewhere more urgent to attend to, the public thinks he's a coward. This of course, is very similar to when Spidey ran from a battle with the Green Goblin all the way back in #17 due to Aunt May being ill, and garnering the same reaction from the public. I usually defend Brand New Day when it is accused of being repetitive (most of the allegations are shallow at best), but not even I can excuse this. Despite its problems the issue still proves to be fun, Barry Kitson's interior artwork looks great and I loved the way Spidey defeats Freak at the end.

On a side note, Marvel needs to get rid of those Brand New Day banners they put on the covers. If they want to convince skeptical fans that this is indeed the new Spider-Man status quo then they need to stop making it feel like an event.

I was expecting Zeb Wells' story to be good, but I wasn't expecting him to kick the asses of the three other guys writing this book. But that's exactly what he did. In terms of plot, character, and all around fun Wells has delivered and then some! Bachalo's art, while not my cup of tea, serves the story well and I would not object to seeing him back. It's interesting to note that one of the main goals of Brand New Day was to get a more street level Spider-Man and so far the best story has been a mystical one! Amazing #557 is a great conclusion to a great story.

Bob Gale delivers a fine finale to his first Spider-Man run. Spidey's battle with Freak was great and wonderfully illustrated by Phil Jimenez. The scene where Spider-Man pays a visit to jolly Jonah in the hospital was priceless. Gale also introduces an intriguing new plot development in Peter's social life concerning Harry's new girlfriend Lily. Having Freak evolve after every battle was a great twist and has me eagerly awaiting his next appearance. Phil Jimenez's art shines in this issue and as much as I loved Steve McNiven's work I have to say that Jimenez is currently my favourite of the Brand New Day artists.

Sadly, the Daily Bugle subplot has taken a down turn as Dexter Bennett is quickly proving to be a bigger jerk than Jameson was. I was hoping that Bennett despite coming off as a snobby hardass on the exterior would prove to be a decent, honourable guy when push came to shove as was hinted in Amazing #551 with his comment about honour. The Bugle subplot would have proven to be far more interesting if they had went this route as it would have had Peter and the staff questioning whether they really wanted Jameson back and what it is about Jameson that earns him their loyalty. Instead Jameson is merely the lesser of two evils and Bennett is basically Jameson lite with very few redeeming qualities. The running gag of Bennett forgetting the names of his staff has worn pretty thin and the scene where Peter takes advantage of it to help Betty just comes across as weird. Another bizarre scene is when Peter escapes from the burning building in which he was battling Freak by ditching his costume (his mask was torn) and walking out in front of the police with no pants! How can anyone not tell that he's Spider-Man??? Now, I am of two minds on this; on the one hand, I wish Gale had come up with a more creative way for Spidey to escape as this just came across as lazy despite its comedic value. On the other hand this is comics, people can't tell that Clark Kent is Superman when he has his glasses on.

All in all this has been another enjoyable story. Despite a bit of a slow start Gale has proven to be a nice addition to Spidey's braintrust. Next up is Zeb Wells who has already proven that he's got the writing chops to take on Spidey with his excellent Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One miniseries. Hopefully he'll be able to deliver...

After years of hearing the non stop praise that has been lavished upon this story I finally decided to pick up The Killing Joke. I must say the people are right, this is an amazing story with some of the best artwork I have ever seen in a comic. Bolland's cinematic artwork will strike you from page one as Batman walks in to Arkham Asylum to meet with a man whom he believes to be the Joker. Bolland's attention to detail is astonishing especially when he handles the colouring chores (found in the 20th anniversary edition). But the best part of Bolland's artwork has to be his depiction of the Joker, whose madness is perfectly captured in his facial expressions and body language.

As with any good comic book story the writing is also top notch. This is actually the first work by Alan Moore that I've read and I must say it has got me curious about his other works such as Watchmen and V For Vendetta. I had some reservations when I heard that someone gave the Joker an origin story, but fortunately I was wrong. Not only does Moore's origin fit the Joker perfectly but the writer also casts doubt about its validity in the story, allowing the reader to take it or leave it. Top it all off with one of the best endings ever produced in comics and you've got an instant classic on your hands.

A word of warning: with all the praise that has been lavished upon this story, it's easy to go into it expecting it to be the best thing you've ever read and coming out disappointed when it inevitably was not. Too much hype can ruin even the best of stories, and this one is certainly one of the best.