Amazing
Spider-Man 39
PLOT: A Spidey silent "Nuff
Said" issue three months late. A glimpse of a day in the lives of MJ,
Aunt May and Peter. MJ can't sleep, catches shots of Spider-Man on the
news, does a modelling gig, attends a movie premiere, goes home and can't
sleep again. Her melancholy is clearly due to missing Peter. Aunt May
surfs the internet at the library and finds articles about Spider-Man. She
fires off e-mails to the papers about their coverage and other e-mails to
talk shows urging them to have Spider-Man on to show he's misunderstood.
Later she has dinner with Peter. Meanwhile Spider-Man engages in the usual
heroics. He also catches shots on TV of MJ at the movie premiere. He goes
home, thinks of calling her but decides against it.
LIKES: First off I was not a fan of
Marvel's silent month. It interupted the arcs in most books and seemed
like a gimmick which distrupted the ability of the writers to tell a
complete story. That said this is one of the better "Nuff Said"
stories. It's good to see MJ again and Aunt May's crusade to improve
Spider-Man's image is amusing. As usual, Romita, Jr.'s art is strong and
made even more vibrant by the glossy paper.
DISLIKES: As I said above the silent
experiment did little for me and with this book as behind as it is seems
like an unwarranted detour in where ever JMS wants to take us next.
RATING: 2½ out of 5 webheads
Amazing
Spider-Man 38
PLOT: Aunt May confronts Peter about her discovery that he is
Spider-Man.
LIKES: This issue strikes all the
right chords. The sequence of Peter imagining the different possibilities
of what May wants to talk about is great. Their talk, which takes up
practically the whole issue, is a classic. It rings true emotionally.
May's focusing more on the fact that Peter has lied to her over a long
period of time than on the fact of him being Spider-Man forces him to come
clean. Her show of strenght also allows Peter to admit the truth. Their
swapping stories about Uncle Ben's murder is particularly powerful. In
this one issue JMS has made May a more substantial and rounded character
than at any time in the nearly 40 years of Spider-Man.
DISLIKES: Although it does get a
slight mention I think Spider-Man's bad reputation and May's life long
fear of him should have been a bigger point of eontention during their
talk. Is JMS relying on an origin other than Lee and Ditko's? In
Spider-Man Vol. 1, No. 1(not Amazing Fantasy 15, I checked) Ben is clearly
shot in the house in view of May. Here May says he went for a walk and was
killed.
RATING: 4 of 5 webheads: 1 point is
lost for glossing over Spider-Man's image as a quasi-criminal and for the
twist from the original origin. Otherwise a very strong issue.
Amazing
Spider-Man #37
PLOT: Peter involves himself in a
young student's problems while Aunt May contemplates what her discovery of
Spider-Man's costume in Peter's apartment means.
LIKES: Straczynski delivers a fairly
effective story of urban decay and blight and it's victims. While his
previous issue revolving around Peter's job as a teacher was cliched and
predictable this one avoids degenerating into an afterschool special. JMS
steers clear of easy, pat solutions and forced happy endings. In fact the
best part of this issue is that Peter realizes there is nothing he or
Spider-Man can do to instantly make things better for Jennifer, his
student, or any of the homeless kids.
DISLIKES: It's frustrating to have to
put off Aunt May's and Peter's talk for another month. This frustration is
compounded by last month's special issue making us wait an extra month. Of
course that delay was not the fault of JMS.
RATING: 3 out of 5 webheads
Amazing
Spider-Man #36
PLOT:
The attacks of September 11 impact the Marvel Universe. It was only
natural and fitting for Marvel which has used New York as not only it's
real life headquarters but also has made the city a central part of its
fictional universe to want to acknowledge events in some way. Spider-Man
as the most recognizable Marvel character and who is deeply rooted in New
York City was the obvious choice for a vehicle. Apparently hearing of
events like the rest of us Spider-Man arrives on the scene to survey the devastation
and help with the rescue. There is little or no dialogue in the issue,
only narration which is supposed to be by Spider-Man but is clearly the
voice of J. Michael Straczynski. He does a fine job, too. Sometimes he
gets a little preachy but he delivers many memorable lines and
observations.
LIKES: The fleeing couple admonishing Spider-Man
for his failure to prevent the attacks is devastating. The artwork by John
Romita, Jr. is staggering and I'm glad Marvel went with the glossy
magazine paper. This helps enhance the art. The scene with Captain America
is a gem. It is very powerful. Straczynski does a good job portraying the
real life rescue workers as the true heroes without being heavy handed. He
also is careful to express American strength and character is found in
much more than military might. He also provides a sensible explanation of
how such attacks could occur in a world populated by super powered beings.
DISLIKES:
Though this book is clearly out of Marvel Universe continuity it is out of
place to have Doctor Doom and Magneto shed tears for the loss of life.
Both have been responsible for even more carnage. Kingpin and Doc Ock I
think fit. To my knowledge neither have done anything that has resulted in
such wide spread loss of life. JMS could have used plenty of super
villains of this ilk to prove his point without Doom and Magneto.
RATING: 5
out of 5 webheads just for even tackling an issue like this and for
pulling it off in a dignified and respectful manner.
Amazing
Spider-Man #35
PLOT: The
final showdown between Spidey and Morlun. Based on his analysis of
Morlun's blood from last issue and the knowledge that the spider that bit
him was exposed to radiation Peter takes a desperate chance in order to
find a way to defeat Morlun. Once he has the upper hand Spidey is
confronted by the dilemma of what to do with Morlun. If he spares him he
will definitely kill again. However how can Peter bring himself to simply
execute someone? Before he can decide Morlun's assistant, Dex, takes it
out of Spidey's hands. Afterwards Spidey goes to tell Ezekiel's people
that he's been killed and finds the place deserted. He also finds evidence
that Ezekiel survived. A fact we're shown immediately thereafter along
with an indication that Ezekiel has had a change of heart concerning to
what end he uses his powers. Back at home an exhausted Peter sheds his
uniform and falls into a deep sleep. So deep that an unexpected visitor
stumbles upon his uniform.
LIKES: You
name it, I like it. Finally Spidey uses his intelligence and scientific
skills to defeat a foe. The narration is strong throughout and the
explanation of Peter's gambit seems reasonable. There's a real emotional
cleansing and release for both the reader and Peter when Spidey finally
gets the upper hand. Spidey's little talk with God is a classic moment.
DISLIKES:
Only thing to find fault is that the uniform on Peter's floor at the end
is in tatters however the one he's wore throughout the issue was
completely intact.
RATING: 5
out
of 5 webheads. JMS delivers the goods big time here fulfilling the high
expectations we all had for his taking on this book. There are very few
story arcs where the last two issues are stronger than the first few but
this is one.
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