Leaving? But You Just Got Here!
Slott raps up his first Spidey arc and it's hard to find much fault in it (if you can put OMD out of your mind while reading, a difficult exercise I admit). This is the most fun I've had reading Spider-Man since 2004, before we were hit with The Other, Civil War and all the subsequent crap that followed. This is pure Spider-Man. He has a promising supporting cast, cool new villains, money problems, girl trouble and a run of bad luck that just won’t let up. What more could you want? Okay, there is one problem that has me on the fence...
Repetitiveness. Spidey accidentally putting Jonah in the hospital? Happened already. Mysterious clay tablets? We've seen those too. Harry hating on Spider-Man? We've seen this in the comics, cartoons and on the big screen. Mister Negative wants Spider-Man to "join" him? The Green Goblin has tried this countless times. And what's up with Carlie Cooper? Her dad was a cop? Where have I seen this before...? I have faith that the BND creative team will put a new spin on these storylines, but at times you just can't help but experience a "been there, done that" feel while reading these issues.
Fortunately, these moments are few and far between, as Slott does a good job of mixing the old with the new. For starters there's the new mystery surrounding the corpse with the spider-tracer in its mouth. Aunt May working at the homeless shelter and her relationship with Mr. Li is something I'm looking forward to seeing unfold. Even though Cooper's back story is looking to have a few things in common with Gwen Stacy's, I have a feeling she'll become a more unique character in her own right as the book continues. New villains such as Mister Negative and the Spider-Mugger also keep the book fresh. Mister Negative especially has a very promising storyline as the mystery around him deepens.
As I've mentioned before, Slott has a great talent for writing Spider-Man. Spidey’s back to being a lovable loser, instead of the whiny, self centered cry baby he was during the Civil War. Which makes it all the more frustrating because now Slott's leaving for 3 months. I've read interviews with Marc Guggenheim, and while he seems to get Spidey, I hope the shift in the writing chores isn't too apparent. I also have reservations about his Menace character. Another Goblin? Please...
A lot of people are going to want to hate BND. Judging by the reviews I've read, many fans are going out of their way to bash it, of course there are going to be people who genuinely won't like it and that's fine. OMD and its ramifications to continuity sucked royally, and bringing Harry back was the straw that broke the camel's back. But obviously Peter still carries the experience from these old stories with him, and what were the odds that they were ever going to be referenced again anyway?
In the end, it all comes down to whether you were entertained by the story being told NOW. I had a lot of fun with the first BND arc, and if more Spidey fans loosened up, I think they would too.