What Do You Mean It's Already Been Done? What's A "Batmobile"?
THE BASICS
Peter gets an internship at the Baxter Building working with Reed Richards. But he's not the only one, and his fellow intern looks pretty suspicious if you ask me. And no, it's not just because she's Russian and this is a comic book.Ok. Yeah it is.
MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF
- I've been reading quite a bit of Dan Slott's work lately, and one thing I've noticed about him is that he performs a great balancing act. At least when it comes to Spider-Man, that is. His ability is on excellent display here. He blends dark story elements with good natured humor in a way that almost seems effortless. Spider-Man books, like those of many other costumed heroes, deal with contrast and duality in its stories. Slott takes that a step further and incorporates it into his very writing style. It makes for a very complete experience.
- This story takes place after the death of Gwen Stacy, so it's imaginably dark at times. The events surrounding her just go hand in hand with that type of mood. One scene in particular stands out. When Peter approaches Robbie for someone to talk to about Gwen's death, Robertson does his best to comfort him by saying that there was nothing he could have done to protect her. That she died because she got between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, and that there was nothing he could have done. Unfortunately, since we know who Peter is, the attempted consolation comes across as a stab in the heart to Peter, unbeknownst to Robbie. It's that kind of dramatic irony that makes Parker such a tragic character at times.
- Fortunately, going back to the balancing act from Slott I mentioned before, not everything in Peter's life is all doom and gloom. Johnny and Peter are at the friends stage of their relationship in this story, and it's nice to see that Peter has someone he can really confide in. And by the end of the issue, you really get the feeling that Johnny cares about Spider-Man and wants to help him. It's that contrast I mentioned before. A lot of things go wrong in Peter's life, (and that's probably an understatement), so when we see good things happen to him or when we see someone who's genuinely on his side, it makes it all that much more uplifting to read about because we know how bad it can get.
- Oh my. Mention Gwen Stacy or "The Parker Luck" and I can just talk for hours on end if I go unchecked. Anyway, the story here isn't very prominent in this issue. It's fun, but it takes a back seat to the relationship between Peter and Johnny, which is a good thing. Had this issue been focused primarily on the villain, it probably would have been a big let down.
FEEL THE STING OF MY DISCONTENT!
- Well look at that. I've got nothing.
I'M JUST SAYING
The Spider-mobile. Seriously.No, really. It's even right there on the cover.
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Bwahhahaha!
It's so ridiculous it's funny.