This week: the usual selection of capsule reviews, including Amazing Spider-Man #573, Captain Britain and MI:13 #6, DC Universe Decisions #3, Titans #6, Ghost Rider #28 and Uncanny X-Men #503. Enjoy!

Continue reading »

This week marks the start of the new Sunday Pages format, incorporating capsule reviews alongside news tidbits. Since Julian’s now joining us, you can identify his contributions by the initials [JHa] and mine by [JHu], while Seb , obviously, gets to keep the more concise [SP]. We’re still feeling out the specifics, so be sure to let us know how you’re finding it, and whether or not you think it could be improved! Look inside for mini-reviews of Action Comics #869, Amazing Spider-Man #572, Greatest Hits #1 and X-Factor #35, as well as some discussion of Neil Gaiman’s reaction to the new Hitchiker’s Guide book.

Continue reading »

I’ve bought some crap Spider-Man comics over the years for the sake of John Romita Jr artwork. I persisted with J. Michael Straczynski’s run long after it ran out of inspiration, and I’ve even got Howard Mackie-written Clone Saga issues that I don’t feel an urge to take out and burn. So it’s no surprise that although I’ve been on the fence for most of the Brand New Day relaunch - there have been good stories, but also some pretty bland ones, and nothing yet has made me want to commit to forking out three issues’ worth of cash each month by putting it on my pull list - if there’s one thing guaranteed to get me buying the series regularly again after a long absence, it’s JRJr’s name.

And from that excellent cover onwards, he doesn’t disappoint. He’s joined by regular cohort Klaus Janson, who impressively reins in his inks so that they’re closer to Romita’s pencils, rather than his usual, somewhat looser style. It’s about halfway between the classic Romita/Janson look and the tighter one established in the days of Scott Hanna inking during JMS’ run - and it works brilliantly, aided by a strong colouring job. Romita Jr’s Spidey just feels like the character as he should be, twisting and contorting off walls - and a sequence in which our hero frees himself from a pile of rubble before taking a tired moment of reflection is a particular highlight. As with almost all of Romita’s work, it positively leaps off the page with its energy, and it’s a visual delight.

Not that there isn’t still work to do with the title as a whole. The bitter taste of One More Day still hasn’t been fully washed away, primarily because barely anything has been done so far that couldn’t have been by tweaking, rather than scrubbing, the previous status quo. And there are still countless unanswered questions, particularly surrounding Harry Osborn - such as Why Is He Alive and What’s The Point? And I’m not sure whether the reintroduction of Norman O into Peter’s life at the end of this issue - when he’d been happily carving out a niche of his own over in Ellis’ Thunderbolts - is deliberately designed to tackle said questions head on, or if it’s going to awkwardly draw further attention to them.

Still. If we’ve been able to take one thing from the relaunch so far, it’s that of all the “Brain Trust”, it’s Dan Slott who can really do his Spidey. Argue with the details of the setup if you want, but you can’t argue that he nails the character beats, the blend of action and humour, and the sheer vibrancy that all good webslinger stories need. Perhaps the first truly interesting aspect of the new setup - Peter joining Ben Urich and Robbie Robertson at their ‘underground’ paper - is established here, and it’ll be intriguing to see where Slott takes it. Then there’s the fact that all that Aunt May soup kitchen stuff is finally given a point, as an old villain makes a surprise (cover notwithstanding) reappearance - and it remains to be seen just how deliberate a choice of target for Mr Li-slash-Mr Negative’s “healing” Eddie Brock is, but I got the sense that the re-emergence of Venom just might have wound up being an accidental side-effect, and if so, that’s a neat twist.

There’s almost too much going on in this extra-long issue (extra-priced, too, a cheeky move when you consider that fans are already paying three times as much every month just to keep up) to adequately cover, but Slott rolls on with the Menace “mystery”, a bit of Thunderbolts, a bit of Osborn, a bit of Dexter Bennett and so on in swift and assured fashion, while also finding time to give us a two-page recap (complete with lovely retro JRJr art) of just who this Spider-Bloke is. You know, in case you weren’t sure. And because there haven’t been enough jumping-on points recently.

And six hundred words in and I still haven’t even got to the backup story - which sees Mark Waid and Adi Granov fleshing out Brock’s story a bit, infusing it with further tragedy (people wanting to do the right thing but having it all go wrong appears like it’s something of a theme for this story thread). It’s a solid little character piece, although it draws perhaps a bit too heavily on the sort of thing DC have been doing with Two-Face for years. And while Granov is technically a very gifted artist, there’s something a bit waxy and static about his people - and so a story consisting largely of talking heads isn’t really the best showcase for him. It’s in his flash shots of a creepy and very alien Venom that he really excels.

There’s a definite spark to this, perhaps more so than in any of Brand New Day. You can put it down to Slott being the best of the current bunch of writers, Romita’s brilliant art, the return of some more classic foes or the coming together of various slow-burning plot threats - or indeed any combination of all the above. I still can’t say the series is a must-buy, and I reserve judgement on the use of both Osborns, but the art alone means this was no waste of money for me - and the fact that the story is on the up is a bonus, really.

Slott’s first arc on the character comes to an end, and it’s almost hard to know what to say. It’s been good. Really good. Whether or not you liked One More Day, it’s very hard not to argue that these last three issues comprise a really classic Spider-Man story. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to call it “classical.” In just about every way possible, it’s sticking fairly close to the accepted Spider-Man formula. He’s down on his luck, having trouble with the Bugle, trouble with his web-shooters, trouble with the police and he’s wisecracking hard despite his responsibilities as Spider-Man getting in the way of his welfare once again. If anything, they’re almost trying too hard to cram it all in, and the final issue especially comes over a bit jumbled at the finish. 

It’s especially good to see Spidey tackling something street-level. Mr. Negative, a mobster with some vaguely-defined, apparently low-level powers, is exactly the sort of character that heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil should be tackling - not vampires and mystics and, god help us, Mephisto. Sure, it makes a nice change on occasion, but it’s nice to see that for all the recent screwups, Marvel are finally proving that they know what makes a good Spider-Man story, and that’s a good Spider-Man villain.

Sure, some people are saying that the character’s been taken back to the 70s, but that’s an over-simplification. What they’ve done is taken the character back to formula, so to speak, and if that feels like the 70s - well, Slott, Wacker and the other members of the Braintrust could’ve done far worse than create work that’s accused of resembling one of the most iconic and creative periods in Spider-Man history.

Still, as good as these last few issues have been, it’ll be interesting to see how close they stick to the basics in future issue. 3 issues of web-shooter problems are entertaining, but how will we take it if we get 6, or 12, or 24? This story, quite rightly, goes back to the core of the character, but if that’s all the new Spider-Man’s ever going to do, well, it might start to wear. For now, there’s plenty in the works to bring people back. The much-hyped Jackpot has barely appeared so far, and the ongoing plot threads regarding the new supporting cast and the new villains are weaving nicely in and out of the story without feeling intrusive. I’m anxious to see how Guggenheim - the next writer in the rota, and one with a fairly inconsistent history - performs in his issues. If nothing else, this arc has convinced me that Slott’s issues are going to be worth it.

Rarely has something so sweet left such a bitter taste. The joy at the fact that Dan Slott is so far proving to be an absolutely inspired choice of Spider-Man writer, and is already turning in the best material the main title has seen in years, is tempered by the fact that the success and acclaim of the run will surely allow Joe Quesada to crow that he was right all along – and that you can’t tell good stories with a married Spidey. Yeah, well, nice trick, Joe – but how different would it have been if you’d had Jeph Loeb up your sleeve for the relaunch instead?

Anyway, as it happens, the fact that the precise nature of the story is unimportant to the quality of the telling is demonstrated by the fact that, so far, Slott’s story has been neither groundbreaking nor particularly gripping. The villain is generic, “broke and misunderstood” is the quintessential Spidey scenario, and there are even elements of Ben Reilly’s brief and underappreciated tenure under the mask (that might just be because he’s skint and hanging out at a coffee house, but still). No, what makes this book so instantly unmissable is the way in which it’s told – finally we have a writer who just gets the core elements of good Spidey storytelling, balancing drama with genuine laughs. The whole thing feels effortless, and there’s a lightness of touch that even spreads as far as editor Steve Wacker (the editorial note on the last page is possibly the funniest bit of the whole thing). It may not be all that forward-thinking, but it’s exactly the kind of Spider-Man story for which we’ve been crying out for yonks. Watch out, too, for Slott’s deft grasp of structure – he’s now opened two successive issues with near-identical imagery used in completely different contexts. Who’ll Peter be smooching on the first page of issue #548, I wonder?

On art duties, Steve McNiven often gets criticism for his work having something of a staid, “action figure” quality, despite his undoubted technical brilliance. He definitely takes some time to settle in here, I think – his first full-costume shot is a bit awkward – but gets to grips with it later on, and in the final scene in particular he nails the Romita Jr-esque “lithe Spidey” look pretty well. The whole thing, though, is undeniably sharp and pretty, with a good grasp of character design – and a vast improvement on the artists Amazing has had to put up with in recent times. And if he can make it to the end of his allotted run without having to delay the book at all, well… job done, frankly.

It can’t be denied that it would be nice to see Slott flexing his muscles a bit more, and throwing Peter into a story with a bit more intrigue and interest to it. For the moment, though, he’s taking it one step at a time – restoring the character to his position at the pinnacle of purely entertaining superhero comics (and thereby ensuring that Spider-Man doesn’t get out-Spider-Manned by DC’s Blue Beetle, for once) and making great strides towards winning back the affections of longtime fans. Quesada’s story decisions may be abominable – but at least he can pick his writers.

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.