Well, judgement day is here. We’ve all had our pops at Quesada, at Marvel, but now it’s time to accept the reality and move on with our lives. For some of us, that means no more Spider-Man comics. For the rest of us, that means getting to grips with the new, thrice-monthly Spider-Man comic. It’s here now, so what’s it like?

Well… It’s pretty good. Actually, it’s very good. Entertaining. Funny. Good - no, GREAT art. Is it a perfect comic? Well, no. But it is way above average.

As a fan and critic I’m torn. I admit, I didn’t want to like it. In my weaker moments, I wanted it to crash and burn. Unfortunately for me, Slott is a brilliant writer of comedy and drama, and McNiven is nothing short of fantastic - there’s no denying that this is a technically excellent comic, and I have to admit… I had fun reading it.

Yes, that’s “fun” - you know, like comics occasionally are when they’re not making you angry, or disgusted? Slott’s gift for comedy certain shines through the pages - Peter turning up shoe-less at a Soup Kitchen (after a spot of roof-running) only for Aunt May’s friends to think he’s become homeless was a particularly comedic moment, and demonstrates well how people are worried about Peter’s situation, being jobless and poor. The new cast of friends and villains shows up (and they’re actually pretty intriguing) and Jonah’s attempts to sort out the Bugle is a definite source of intrigue with a great soap opera-style cliffhanger.

But like I say, it’s not totally perfect. The spectre of One More Day hangs over events like a dark, sucking void. Harry is entertaining - if you don’t stop and think about why he’s there. There’s also terrible 2-page backup explaining the “revised” continuity. Surely if this information was important, it should’ve been incorporated into the story?

There’s also the nagging feeling that the reason this comic read so well is just because it’s the first “real” Spider-Man story in years, as the title has bounced from one status-quo redefining crossover to another. Ironically, Brand New Day is the first time in a long time that the title hasn’t been attempting to redefine the status quo, but simply operating within it.

In order to justify the dramabomb they’ve dropped on the character and fandom, there’s one real question that Marvel needs a positive answer to. Is Amazing #546 better than the title has been in the last 5, 10 or even 20 years?

Well, yes, it may well be. And that’s why I’ll be back next issue.

Tags: Brand New Day, Dan Slott, Spider-Man, Steve McNiven
Publisher: Marvel