Not so shocking, but sparks do fly (one way or another.)
First off i loved the cover, so kudos to the Dave Stewart, and it sums up the story pretty well. The art inside is pretty nice, from the simple clean character designs with harsh shadows, to the beautiful backdrops. My only beef is the awkward facial expressions that pop up, but nothing that would annoy you too much (i hope).
Alot of this is Electro, so if you like Electro you'll enjoy this. What Waid tries to get you to do here is feel Sorry for the classic Villain, some might, some won't. I for one did mange to feel a bit sorry for the guy. It switches back from Electro to Spidey through points of the story, depending who's on panel. The writing itself was decent, i would describe it as you're classic "Everyone hates spidey" without any of the cliche's. I couldn't help but feel a bit of contrast between the webslinger's dialog and thoughts and Electro's. Not too much action just yet except towards the end, and the points being set up are are pretty vague.The way i see it readers will either like it or think it's alright; it's nothing amazing (yet) but it isn't bad: It's a solid read, and i'm looking forward to the next issue for things to pick up.
The Black Cat story at the end is also a nice tack on, making the price tag on this issue not so bad. I Enjoyed the short, art by Jm Ken Nimura (I kill Giants), isn't for everyone but it's a nice breath of fresh air from the usual. I found myself enjoying the little moments of the art from the facial expressions to the paneling. The coloring was also well done, the night scenes were a bit too dark, but i guess that's the point. I'm a fan of simple art, and i found myself enjoying it. The writing was good as well, forgettable sadly but good. If you're a fan of Black Cat (besides the obvious reasons) you'll probably enjoy this as it shows a caring side of the cat burglar. I liked Peter's characterization here, making him out to be the lovable goof in us all. Either way it's a fun read, and you might find that yourself smiling at the end.
My overall review is, if you're currently reading Amazing Spiderman then theirs no real reason you can't pick this issue up. The issue earns its price tag, and both stories are fun and solid.
