Welcome Back Webhead!
Dan Slott's first issue of Amazing isn't going to blow anyone away and make them forget about the story which preceded it. However, that doesn't mean that this issue doesn't deliver. Slott has a real knack for writing Peter Parker, and it was fun to see Peter go job hunting and be turned down at every turn. It was also good to see a larger supporting cast extending outside the Peter - Aunt May - Mary Jane trinity. Slott's new villain, Mr. Negative, has the potential to be a really cool villain. I also enjoyed the chase sequence between Peter and the Spider-Mugger and where it ended up. Oh, and it's great to hear Peter call Jameson a "skinflint" again.
McNiven's artwork was good, though it doesn't quite have the same "wow" factor as his Civil War stuff. Awesome cover though.
As mentioned, this story doesn't make you forget about the one that preceded it. I hate that Aunt May no longer knows Peter is Spider-Man, as well as JJJ, because both ASM #38 and FNSM #23 were such great stories. I'm also not sold on why they needed to bring Harry back. And while I liked Carlie Cooper, I just can't see her as a potential romantic interest for Peter, not in the long term anyway. The only one who could have competed with Mary Jane for Peter's affections was Gwen Stacy, and I'll wager she's not coming back anytime soon. One of the things that drove me crazy was when they censored the swearing. Either don't have your characters swear, or don't censor them! Because I can't stand to have to read random symbols strung together, it completely took me out of two key moments of the story: the Spider-Mugger scene and the Jameson scene at the end.
The back up stories were okay, but not worth the inflated cover price. I do like the idea of the Jackpot character, and am looking foward to seeing more of her.
Overall, a strong first outing for Mr. Slott; it's great to see a return to a more classic form of Spider-Man story telling despite what we had to go through to get there. Bravo!
