Spider-Man Vs Kingpin
When the Back in Black storyline started most of us just figured this is a gimmick to tie in with the Spider-Man 3 movie that was coming out, to think otherwise would have been foolish. The thing is... J. Michael Straczynski actually made it work. At no time while reading this issue did I think of the movie, in fact I was totally engrossed in the story. There's no similarities between the story being told here, and what was seen in the film (except for Spidey being in black). I should have known better then to doubt JMS.
This entire issue is basically the confrontation between Spider-Man and Kingpin. The build up last month was great, but usually having an entire comic book dedicated to a fight between only two characters is tough to pull off. Even if the characters have a huge history it doesn't always work as demonstrated in Wolverine #50 in a fight between Logan and Sabretooth. Sometimes the reader just feels like they've seen this before and have very little reason to revisit these two enemies fighting for the umpteenth time. If that wasn't enough, for anyone reading Daredevil, those readers already knew what the faith of Wilson Fisk was going to be. As we've been reminded since the Back in Black arc started, this story takes place before the events in DD.
With all that working against it, why would you want to read issue #542? Well... it's actually good... it's actually pretty damn good. Even though the fight is between two old adversaries, it's unlike any confrontation they've had before. It's made very clear that the rules have changed, and Parker is actually on the edge. Even knowing the faith of Fisk before hand, Straczynski still manages to build tension and suspense in the story. Peter Parker also doesn't feel out of character here even though he's never been darker. What brought him to this point is completely believable, and yet it still feels as though it's the same Spider-Man we've been reading for years.
I also have to mention Ron Garney. He had the impossible task of coming onto Amazing Spider-Man after John Romita Jr.'s incredible run. How the hell do you follow JR Jr.? Well you do what Garney has done. He's made ASM his own. His style compliments what Romita has done before, but it doesn't seem like he's copying his style at the same time. He's at a point now where he seems very in tune with what JMS is writing.
