The Amazing Spider-Man

Cover:  
 
To the point and very fitting.  It's a remembrance issue, dedicated to Johnny Storm.  The colors are nice and very fitting as well.  It just has this very nostalgic feel to it, so it's definitely an awesome cover. 
 
The Good: 
 
Pretty much the whole issue is full of great moments.  The first panel is very nostalgic and pretty neat.  I found it a nice touch of them sitting around telling tales they remember with Johnny.  It certainly highlights the great relationships each member of the Fantastic Four has had with Peter, especially the Torch.  It's full of sad and joyful moments throughout, some that make you chuckle and others that make you reflect upon the tragedy that has befallen these individuals.   The art by Stefano Caselli continues to amaze me.  I want more of his art in your comics, Marvel, make it so!
 
The Bad:  
 
Two quick things prevented this from being five stars in my opinion.  Firstly, the variety of artists works up to a point.  If it had been maybe two at most, it would have been ok, but four?  That's a little much.  Secondly, the fact that this issue comes out almost a full month after Johnny has died severely hurts the impact this would've had on readers.  I feel that maybe this is the issue we should've gotten instead of the issue for Marla Jameson.  I don't think it would've fit, but placement just doesn't make sense altogether.  Also, Marvel botched it up a little bit too by releasing this after FF #1.  It was intended to come out before, and that would've certainly made more sense, since here we see the beginning of how Spider-Man joined the FF, at least from his perspective. 
 
Overall: 
 
A great issue, really.  I am really looking forward to Spidey's run in the FF, both in the pages of the FF comic and the tie ins with ASM.  This, however, is a great tribute issue.  A definite read and a definite purchase. 
 
4/5

The Human Torch is dead, and the Fantastic Four are no more! With the death of the Torch and the disbandment of the Fantastic Four, the Future Foundation will take it's place along with Spider-Man! In this issue of Spider-Man, he and founding Fantastic Four members Sue, Reed, and Ben will talk about the adventures that they had when Johnny was still alive. With three original stories written by Dan Slott and drawn by multiple artist, this is the prequel to getting on board with Future Foundation. An all new story that will get readers up to date with the Fantastic Four!
 

The Good

  Dan Slott on Amazing Spider-Man makes this series even more enjoyable. His writing for Spider-Man creates a certain tone that can be understood by any reader of Spider-Man comics, new or old. Dan has written for other comic book publishers, but I think that his work on Spider-Man is best. With this issue of Amazing Spider-Man, readers will get to witness a prequel to the Future Foundation story. The artist on this series Marcos Martin, Stefano Caselli, Ty Templeton, and others did a great job on drawing and coloring the three stories while also having the main story which has ties to FF #1. Their work made this Spider-Man comic even more enjoyable and fun. Dan Slott did a excellent job at displaying the brother relationship between Johnny and Peter, and how their comedic ways have either saved their lives or got them into trouble. Dan also did a good job at incorporating the trap that Spider-Man was placed in from his meeting with the Fantastic Four. 

 

The Bad

 The fact that this issue of Amazing Spider-Man was released a week after FF#1 really seems weird. And also how Spider-Man's time as a member of the Future Foundation and also having the multiple new armor from this series really needs to be explained. 
 

The Verdict

 Read this issue, and also some preliminary Fantastic Four comics, before reading Future Foundation #1. With Torch's death, comes a brand new team with a mission of building a better tomorrow! Overall this is a 4.5 out of 5. 

 Cover

This was a great cover. Spidey and Johnny were the best of friends and I knew that Amazing Spider-man was going to have to pay tribute to that friendship. I am very glad that they did.

Story

Spider-man and the Fantastic Four share memories of Johnny.

Best Part

I love the friendship between Johnny and Peter and I am glad that they reflected on their friendship in this issue. There are some friendships that are just friends and then there are some friendships that you become family. With Peter and Johnny they were family. That is what this issue really reflected that I loved that Spider-man is family. In the end of this issue I saw something that made me happy and that was instead of the end it was the beginning.  This issue is the beginning of great things for Spider-man and the Fantastic Four.

Worst Part

There was no worst part in this issue.

Art

I loved that in this issue that they used different art in each story. I thought that was really great to distinguish the stories.

Pick it up or not

Pick it up!!!

5 out of 5   

   

THE BASICS

Spider-Man drops into the Baxter building and reminisces about his past with Johnny with what's left of the Fantastic Four.

MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF

• I loved the multiple artist angle this issue used. While Marcos Martin handles the artwork for the present day storyline, Ty Templeton, Nuno Plati and Stefano Caselli (Woo!) all handle different stories told by the remaining members of the Fantastic Four. I like this for two reason: (1) It's a chance to experience great work from multiple artists in one issue and (2) It works really well in the context of the story. Each story boasts radically different art styles, which makes sense when you consider that each story is being told by a different person. You could look at the varying styles as the way each person chooses to remember their past. After all, it's likely that the way you remember something is very different than the way someone else does. It's a nice touch.

• I've always liked the relationship between Spidey and Torch. It's served as everything from a source of fun adventure to a dynamic of deeply emotional material. This issue plays up the strengths of both, sandwiching a series of happy and fun stories with a sad, but heartwarming beginning and "ending". Really, either aspect of this issue could have stood alone and made a great comic, but they come together here to create an amazingly fantastic one.

• I love the cover. The simplicity speaks volumes. Reminiscent of ASM 655's cover, it's not concerned with flare or pizazz. It's a no nonsense cover that has a lot of meaning behind it. Very well done. The only bummer is that the bar code is stuck right in the middle of it. I know it has to be on there, but why in the center? Couldn't they have made it vertical and put it in the bottom left corner, out of the way of everything? It's distracting there in the center.

 

• I always enjoy seeing homages to the classics, mostly because it means I'm not the only one who has a huge fascination with the comics of yesteryear, and Dan Slott delivers them up almost every chance he gets. This time he goes all the way back to the (almost) beginning in a reference to The Amazing Spider-Man #1 that I really got a kick out of. The best part is that it's not used as just a reference to Spidey's roots, but also as a means of setting up a brief but touching moment between Ben and Peter.

FEEL THE STING OF MY DISCONTENT!

• While I love this issue, it marks the beginning of something I'm not exactly looking forward to. Spider-Man joining the FF that is. Since, judging by the covers of the next few comics, his joining of said team is going to be a large, if not primary, focus of Amazing. With that comes the danger of Spider-Man becoming a guest in his own comic. I shouldn't have to explain why that's not a good thing. Time will tell, though.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE

A beautiful issue for multiple reasons that leaves me a little worried about the future of the series. Still, this issue is wonderful and it's one of the best new comics I've read this year thus far.

Synopsis: Marvel's first family and Spider-man reminisce about The Human Torch.

What's Good?

When reading the last issue of Fantastic Four, I did notice that Peter wasn't at the funeral, which was shocking considering how close he is with them. But considering that this issue of Amazing Spider-Man takes place almost at the same time of Marla's death, it's appropriate for Peter not being there. After all, you see it on Peter's face in the opening pages.

This issue goes to the usual premise when an iconic comic character dies, by telling untold adventures of that person. We've seen it all before. And like most setups, they usually work, and Dan Slott makes it work in this issue with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. When reading this, you get a sense that Peter is really close and part of the FF family with these stories, without each story being so random (which they are). All three stories are great in their own way that reminds of some forgotten stories like when Peter went on a "date" with Susan (Untold Tales of Spider-Man annual #1). In this issue, my favorite story has to be Susan's .

The artwork is the highlight of the issue. Along with the cover, Marcos Martin's usual work is gold. Every other guest artist brings something else to the stories featured: Ty Templeton has a classic look like with Martin's, Nuno Plati is both cartonish/manga, and Stefano Caselli is more modern.

What's Bad?

Geez, he's joining the FF?! Okay, that's not really a huge surprise (considering that it's was announced a while back), but with The Avengers, New Avengers, his regular job, and not to mention, his girlfriend, how does he find the time for all of this? On top of that, he's been appearing in other series. This is just a small rant.

Overall: A very touching issue of Spider-Man and a nice prologue to FF for those who haven't read it yet. Considering how FF just started, I'm curious on how the next few issues will tie into it.

  

Cheesy and quite goofy. Not fitting of true characterization of sue, and reed. Comes of as VERY campy and honestly gimmicky. Didn't like it at all. The art was almost as bad as the story. Too much attempted humor is NOT a good thing. Did not like this at all. The final two pages were the only highlight and the cover was sweet.

After the passing of one of his best friends, Peter Parker heads to the Baxter Building to talk to the Fantastic Four.

The Good

This issue serves it's purpose very well as it reminds us of the great friendship between Peter Parker and Johnny Storm. Slott writes about the untold stories of Spidey and Torch and they are all really well written. Not only does Dan Slott write our web-head well, but he seems to have a great talent for suppyling dialogue for the remaining members of the Fantastic Four. Being relatively new to comics, the Fantastic Four always seemed like such an elite superhero team, but this issue gives you the feeling that they are first and foremost, a family.

Multiple artists also contributed to this great issue of Amazing Spider-Man, but Stefano Caselli's and Marcos Martin's work really shine here, especially Martin's wonderful cover.

The Bad

As this comic showcased different styles of art, I wasn't completely impressed with the work of Templeton and Plati.

Verdict - 4.5 out of 5

Remembering and looking back on the different adventures Spidey had with the Fantastic Four was wonderful. What was even better was that they all showcased Peter's friendship with the now deceased Johnny Storm. Pick this issue up, it's a great treat.