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The Amazing Spider-Man #669 - Spider-Island, Part Three: Arachnotopia

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The Spider virus seems to be taking a strange turn - is the vaccine on the horizon? A good middle issue, but there are a few flaws.

The Good

I always like when writers reference the fact that Peter has known most of these villains for years, and at least knows their first name. The Shocker hasn't always been the most complicated of Spider-Man's foes, but seeing Pete attempt to help him made me happy. Inter-personal relationships aren't something easily forgotten.

I'm glad that Spidey's kung-fu is getting used, and that it's started this marked tonal shift of the character; no longer is he firing webbing from a distance. Instead, he's not afraid to get in close for the knockout, and fight unhindered by Spider-Sense.

Jameson having a conniption was a real treat. Definitely true to what I pictured him being like in this situation.

The Bad

A lot happens in this book, and at times it's a bit hard to follow. Venom, Anti-Venom and Madame Web all make appearances in this issue, and it might be a little hard to track for people not following tie-ins.

Humberto Ramos' art has always been a little busy for my tastes; however, I think he was a good fit for this issue, as it's relatively light-hearted. Although I can't really agree with Spider-Man's insistence on finding May Parker in the middle of the evacuation: that whole "secret identity" thing didn't work well for Peter as he hemmed and hawed through the conversation.. (Correction: this happened in Fear Itself #6, not this issue)

Reed Richards showing up with the vaccine - a serum developed to give everyone "low level superpowers" - just seems a bit deus ex machina for my tastes. I mean, DC made a huge deal about Luthor being able to manufacture superpowers since when has it been okay for Reed to just mess with people's genetic structures like that? This coming from a guy who said he can't turn Ben Grimm back to normal seems a bit off.

The Verdict

This issue seems to fit this "middle child" position in Spider-Island where the big bad is revealed and the rest of the time will be spent solving the problems set up in the first act. I've been following this event really loosely, but I can definitely say I want to see what happens - especially when a secondary mutation in the Spider Virus is involved.

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