The Amazing Spider-Man #682

Synopsis: The end of the world comes sooner (or does it) as Doctor Octopus unleashes his ultimate plan.

Well, it's finally here. But before I get into the main story, there were other story developments to take notice.

Let me start by talking about both Peter and Spider-Man. He's been taking his "No one dies" policy quite seriously in the last couple of issues. On top of that, he really takes advantage of his resources at Horizon Labs making all sorts of gadgets and skills to help him fight (as if getting his Spider-senses back, learning kung-fu, building voice activated web shooters, and a new suit weren't enough already). Not only is Peter making a difference to the world as Spider-Man, but outside of that with his job at Horizon. I like how Dan Slott builds up on that in the beginning.

Speaking of Horizon Labs, Jonah Jameson plans of shutting it down. It was strongly suggested in the previous issues that Jonah had enough of Horizon, but it may have been earlier than that. Ever since Marlo's death, Jameson has been reckless, but most of his arguments were reasonable. And if Horizon Labs does get shut down, that would be bad news for Pete.

Now, on to the main event. Doctor Octavius has been planning something BIG. It was hinted way back around #600, and has been building ever since. Heck, he even made some appearances in other series besides Spider-Man. Now that Ends of the Earth has started, his goal is without a doubt, questionable. Ock has half the world in the palm of his...mechanical tentacles, and all he wants to do before he dies is be remembered for being a great scientist for preserving the planet? (Al Gore would be proud) It's easy to think that there is something more to this (Pete thinks so), but is there? It will very interesting to see how this plays out.

Also, there's the cast. The Avengers have been showing in Spider-Man a lot lately, and with something this huge, why shouldn't they? I love that Slott is taking advantage of Spidey being part of the Avengers. (Side note, when did Thor come back?)

Finally, there's Peter's new suit. It's a high teach-looking suit. I wonder if it could replace the one Kaine took?

I'm a fan of Stefano Caselli's artwork, and I think his work will be suited for this event. Characters are more realistic, showing a lot of raw emotions. I love how the Sinister Six actually look...sinister. Plus, the new Spidey suit looks great under his pencils.

Overall:

This is a start of something that should be a great Spider-Man story on the long run.