Sending a message to the underworld dressed in black.
The superhero Civil War that was fought over the Superhero Registration Act ended with Captain America surrendering to the law. The heroes whom supported and fought together with Captain America were forced underground and are now considered criminals. Spider-Man aka Peter Parker makes his way back to the motel he's hiding out in together with Aunt May and Mary Jane. Due to his identity now being public, he's attacked by sniper fire with the bullet hitting Aunt May in the chest. -summary
Civil War was definitely a game changer for the Marvel Universe in 2007, and although the event itself was severely lacking, it still did a magnificent job following up both Avengers Disassembled and House of M. Several characters were effected in the wake of Civil War, but Captain America and Spider-Man indeed felt the effects more than anyone. Spider-Man: Back in Black is the final major falling out of Civil War, as it continues dealing with the repercussions of Spider-Man unmasking on live TV and choosing to oppose the Superhero Registration Act.
The concept behind the main story title is Spider-Man donning the black costume once again signifying his descent into darkness, which was triggered by Aunt May's life threatening injury. The storyline takes place across two books; Spider-Man: Back in Black and Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Back in Black. The former is by far the best of the two as it deals with Spider-Man's transition. Now, Spider-Man being driven towards committing the one act he always avoided being murder is nothing new. He has come very close to crossing the line before, most notably, during the Death of Gwen Stacy storyline when the Green Goblin killed his lover Gwen, and the Pursuit storyline when Chameleon revealed his parents to be alive and well, with them turning out to be artificial killing machines. This time though, the possibility of him crossing that line feels inevitable due to one of the two most important people in his life being attacked in such a way. This is Spider-Man at his most aggressive. Written by J. Michael Straczynski this TPB collects Amazing Spider-Man 539 - 543, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man 17 -23, and Annual #1.
The plot begins with Spider-Man rushing Aunt May to the hospital. The situation isn't only terrible because of her injury, but they're all wanted fugitives plus Spider-Man has no idea who sent the attack. He had made so many enemies that it could be anyone. JMS wires this story up tightly from beginning to end; there was really no way to guess where this was going, and the possibility of Spider-Man making it out of this one became more non existent by the page turn. There is just one problem after the other and it all feels so believable. Spider-Man eventually links the shooting to the Kingpin whom ordered the hit from Ryker's Island prison. This leads to a chase and later the brutal confrontation between the two.
Unlike Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Back in Black, this story feels very different from the normal Spider-Man tales. Anyone who says otherwise did not read this book. Spider-Man's rage could be felt through the mask. The usual wit was gone, and it was completely replaced by something much darker. JMS driving Spider-Man back to wearing black couldn't spoon feed the stories themes more. Still, it doesn't dampen the impact in the least; we're given so many reasons through the artwork, dialog, and random situations on the symbolism behind the color black, with loss of hope standing out the most. The situation definitely feels hopeless which is strange in a Spider-Man story, since his reputation was built on somehow overcoming all obstacles. JMS handles the story well keeping you in the dark, even when Spider-Man battled Kingpin the suspense was high; and after the battle, the tension was still pretty high as Aunt May's situation would become more complicated leading Peter to truly walk the path of a criminal.
JMS did a far better job handling the Back in Black concept, and this book would have been perfect had it ended right then. Marvel decides to ride the coattails of the Spider-Man 3 film that came out the same year with the next story written by Peter David, that runs through Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This story continues events from earlier issues wrapping up the storyline concerning the Spider-Man from the future of 2211. Spider-Man partners up with the Sandman whom was in the third movie, as they try to prove Sandman's father's innocence while he sits on death row for murder. This story does maintain the concept of Back in Black with Spider-Man forced to do things a criminal would do, but it's nowhere near dark as the previous story. This can be a problem since it feels so different from the main Back in Black storyline, but unlike the crossover found in Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Back in Black, this one is very fun to read. David uses the buddy cop formula; Sandman and Spider-Man's interactions can be very funny, as Sandman points out they are in fact criminals so driving without a license breaking the law means nothing.
An earlier plot thread that took place in the storyline Spider-Man: The Other receives closure here as well. This leads to a spider-being named Ero seeking to consume Spider-Man whom claims to be his natural predator. This story is action packed, and it goes against the grain of Spider-Man attempting to save his enemy's life. There is plenty to like here, and Sandman Year One is an excellent origin tale that goes into his childhood and the real reason he tried to kill Spider-Man over the years.
I heavily criticized the other Back in Black book for adding nothing to the Back in Black storyline. This book later does the same thing; the difference here is that this book is more fun to read, has better action, and artwork. Plus it still features stories and interactions that remind you Spider-Man is a fugitive, at times, I forgot that with the other book.
Ron Garney draws the first story and it does feel dark and moody on some occasions. The facial designs especially are worth noting, Peter feels different walking around with pure hell on his face. The action panels are very good with devastating looking blows thrown during the Kingpin fight. Sandman Year One looks really good also with some nice details of Coney Island where they fought at. The dialog and panels are done perfectly helping the flow of the book.
The only real problem with Spider-Man: Back in Black is that due to the next event One More Day, it feels almost pointless. The events that took place here really did damage the character, and Marvel was forced to write their way out of a corner. Still though, this is a very good storyline that proves Marvel were willing to take huge risk. It was a great follow up to Civil War, and it's among the most interesting storylines in the Spider-Man mythos. I recommend this book anyway to serious fans of course and even casual fans. There's enough information provided to keep people from feeling lost.
Pros: Strong narrative and artwork, excellent follow up to Civil War
Cons: Leads to a big retcon, clearly tried to promote 2007 movie