The Good
The roller coaster ride that is Peter Parker’s life continues. Dan Slott hasn’t slowed down since bringing Peter Parker back to the role of Spider-Man. He’s discovered Black Cat is completely ticked off at him (and has teamed up with Electro to build her own criminal empire), a new Spider-person has surfaced who was bitten by the same spider he was (before it died), and last issue we left off with J. Jonah Jameson announcing on live television that Spider-Man has been unmasked. Just another day for Spider-Man.
Slott keeps the action flowing and is keeping us on our toes. Black Cat turning bad is causing some problems for Spider-Man and the new developments with Silk and possible problems at Parker Industries gives us a nice mix. We saw, during Big Time, when things were going Peter’s way. Slott continues to push Parker’s story forward. He’s not the pure down-on-his-luck guy trying to take pics of Spidey to make a living. He has some good things going on but there’s also a whole bunch of bad things looming on the horizon. We don’t just get “Spider-Man action,” there’s plenty of developing plot lines to keep the fifty-year old character moving and fans glued to the book.
Humberto Ramos keeps up with the crazy frantic pace of the story. There’s plenty of big splashy scenes along with the expressions of shock or outrage we’ve come to expect. Victor Olazaba’s inks and Edgar Delgado’s colors make the scenes shine when necessary and dark and moody at other times. The book has a very vibrant feel and it’s great seeing so much variety.
The Bad
Obviously there will be some pleased or upset with the situation of Spider-Man’s unmasking.
The fast-paced action is fun but at times it feels like things are moving too quickly. We’ve seen Felicia Hardy completely transform in what feels like an overnight period. The events were shown but it’s still a complete 180. I feel like we need time to see Spidey and Silk sit down and discuss the attraction they feel towards each other. Obviously there is something more going on and they don’t seem concerned over it. Electro’s desires and role later on felt a little confusing. He wanted one thing but went along with another. Does he want his power or not?
The Vertict
Peter Parker is back as Spider-Man and there’s no slowing down. Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos are throwing plenty of action and sticky situations Peter’s way. There’s big things happening in Spider-Man’s life and no telling where things will go next. Spider-Man is unmasked, Black Cat continues her attack against Spider-Man and Peter Parker, and there’s more with Silk. Dan Slott is not slowing down when it comes to Spider-Man. There’s so much going on, as soon as you finish reading, you’ll need to stop to catch your breath.
by Tony ‘G-Man’ Guerrero