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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #648
“Big Time”
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Carlos Cuevas
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
“The Girl’s All Right With Me …”
Writer: Paul Tobin
Penciler: Clayton Henry
Inker: Clayton Henry
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Cover Art: Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado
Variant Cover #1: J. Scott Campbell and Edgar Delgado
Variant Cover #2: Stefano Caselli and Edgar Delgado
Variant Cover #3: Marcos Martin
Variant Cover #4: J. Scott Campbell
Variant Cover #5: No-goddamn-body
Be warned – there are SPOILERS ahead!
I’ve got a splitting headache, so this is going to have to be another scanless review. Besides, do you really want to look at Humberto Ramos’ art when you don’t have to?
The Plot
Spider-Man leads the Avengers into battle against octobot constructs created by (who else?) Doctor Octopus. Mayor Jameson is stalked by a mysterious metallic-suited character and begins to patch things up with his estranged wife Marla. Doctor Octopus leads several villains – possibly a new incarnation of the Sinister Six – in a scheme to plant devices in Andru Air Force Base in New Jersey (a nice little homage). Spider-Man uses his smarts to overcome the octobots’ self-destruct functionality. The next day, Peter makes some cash doing grunt work at Front Line and Jameson gives Joe Robertson the rights to the Daily Bugle name, which he purchased back from the DB’s shareholders. Michele Gonzales leaves to go back to Chicago, leaving Peter without an apartment. Peter visits many of his friends looking for a place to stay, but for various reasons he comes up empty. The Venom symbiote is separated forcefully from Mac Gargan at The Raft. Marla Jameson helps introduce Peter to Max Modell, the head of Horizon Labs. Saving the lab after an accident, Peter gets hired into their exclusive “think tank” as the seventh member. Finally, the Kingpin and Montana bring in the Hobgoblin to do a job for him.
The Good
This issue addresses a lot of the problems of Brand New Day immediately. Spider-Man is shown as an important part of the Avengers, there is plenty of movement with the supporting cast, and Peter’s job situation is addressed and (at least for now) resolved. Slott uses the expanded pagecount to give us a fairly fleshed-out Spidey adventure and a focus on his civilian identity in the same issue, which can be a tough balance to strike. That’s a big plus, too, because a lot of pieces are moved around the chessboard in this issue. Michele is now out of the book – though, if Vin remains a presence, she may not be gone permanently. Marla Jameson is suddenly a significant character, and she is really the prime mover of the issue. New characters are introduced into the already busy periphery via Peter’s new job.
Somehow, I ended up with a bigger impression of Marla Jameson after reading this issue than anything else that occurred within its pages. She gets more face time here than in all of Brand New Day combined. Heck, I can’t immediately recall another story that I’ve ever read in which she plays a more significant role, other than a few early spider-slayer bits. Slott effectively uses her scientific background and new relationship to Peter as an explanation of her actions here, and it’s a refreshing use of the character. It would be great to see her play a more active role in the series. (I wonder how this fits in with continuity, because I could swear that they got divorced. I’ll leave the sleuthing to somebody with a better memory than mine, though.)
Speaking of the new job, that’s one area that seems to have received the most thought. Though I’ll get into the drawbacks later, Slott utilizes the underdeveloped scientific side of the character for the new job setup. Peter is now part of an elite group at Horizon Labs, a job that doesn’t require him to keep a regular schedule. For the time being, that means that he can be Spider-Man without it interfering too harshly with his job. It remains to be seen if he will still be able to produce as needed when the time comes, but we’ll see.
As I mentioned earlier, Spider-Man uses his head quite a bit in this issue. From strategies against the octobots to disarming the self-destruct protocols to saving the people at the lab, Peter has to use his noggin to get through all of the obstacles in this issue. It’s a refreshing change to see Peter not acting like a slack-jawed idiot, as he has been for most of the last several years. The solution to the octobot problem is actually pretty darn clever, too.
The Bad
Unfortunately, this issue is fraught with problems. First and foremost is the artwork by Humberto Ramos. You can count me in the large group of people that are not fans of his art, from previous runs on Peter Parker: Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man to his non-Spidey work. Everything just looks so … misshapen. Contrast Ramos’ artwork with that of Max Fiumara from the previous issue, which I praised in my review. Fiumara and Ramos have similarly exaggerated styles, but the fluidity of Fiumara’s linework makes it much more appealing to look at. Everything that Ramos draws is overly angular and disproportionate.
While I like the idea of giving Peter a scientifically-based job, Slott chose to retread a familiar plot to set it all up. Pop quiz: how many of you remember TriCorp Research Foundation? Okay, I’m sure most of you have at least heard of it, considering that you’re reading a Spider-Man fan site. Do you remember how Peter ended up being employed there? Peter used his quick thinking to help defeat the Scorpion and save the researchers, which convinced Doctor Twaki that he deserved a job there. In this issue, Peter uses his quick thinking to stop the wayward experiment and save the researchers, which convinced Max Modell that he deserved a job there. It’s the same exact story. I could excuse Slott if this was an obscure story from thirty years ago, but the issue in question is only about ten years old, and it happened in a very high-profile reboot of the character.
Likewise, we’re beaten over the head with the “Spider-Man is smart” theme throughout the issue. Yes, Spider-Man doesn’t use his mind often enough. However, a better writer would have used a little more subtlety in the approach, rather than using every empty moment to remind us of a fact that we’re watching as it happens.
The entire Avengers scene is a mess. I like that we’re seeing more of the Avengers in this book, because it’s hardly been mentioned up until The Origin of Species. However, Slott’s grasp of the Avengers seems to be questionable at best. Wolverine calls him “Parker” openly, Thor is a gullible heavy, and Spider-Man himself acts like a juvenile idiot around them. Couple that with the fact that Ramos draws them so poorly (especially Captain America and Wolverine) and it seems like these Avengers just dropped in from an alternate dimension or something. Oh yeah, and that fart joke was the lowest rung of entertainment possible.
One thing that I’ll mention briefly is the mini-montage of Peter visiting his friends for help. I get that Peter has a history, but the idea that not a single one of them would want to help him in his time of need is absolutely appalling. These people are his friends? Really? And that page with Mary Jane … well, I’ll just go ahead and paraphrase George Berryman: the reality slaps just keep on coming.
Oh, and by the way … if Jay is supposed to be J. Jonah Jameson Sr., then our classic Jonah is J. Jonah Jameson Jr., right? If that’s the case, why do they call Jonah’s son John Jameson Jr. in this issue? Wouldn’t that make him John Jameson III? Unless the “J.” stands for “Jay” with the older one and “John” with the younger one … but then he wouldn’t be J. Jonah Jameson Sr., he’d just be Jay Jameson. I … just … this is making my head hurt more.
The Ugly
There’s an Arana-Girl backup in this issue, and she’s on two of the covers. I’m going to go ahead and say this without mincing words: I’m openly rooting for the new Spider-Girl to fail. Therefore, I didn’t bother to read the backup story, and I will never read that backup story. Is this a terrible thing to say? Yup. But it’s how I really feel about the situation.
Make Mine Mayday!
The Bottom Line
This is like a mediocre television pilot that leaves enough of a glimmer of hope to draw you back for the second episode. I’ll give credit to Slott for trying to turn around a lot of the problems of Brand New Day right away, but much of the execution is lacking. And, if you’re hopping back on the book expecting something radically different from Brand New Day, prepare to be disappointed. However, for the first time in a long time, I’m cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead. 2.5 out of 5 webheads.
One More Thing …
This didn’t really fit anywhere else, but I wanted to mention it briefly since it came up in a conversation I had yesterday. While it may seem odd for J. Jonah Jameson to own the name and rights to a major newspaper while in office as mayor of New York City, it’s not without precedent. Our current mayor, Mike Bloomberg, is actually the owner of Bloomberg LP, a financial news and data company. As such, he also owns an international television network (Bloomberg News) and a local radio station (WBBR, Bloomberg Radio) here in New York City. It’s not completely insane that Jameson could purchase the Bugle, either, because Bloomberg LP bought Business Week within the last couple of years.
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Great review. I wish they’d drop the Avengers membership altogether, and the fart joke was almost enough to make me give up on Slott for good, but the rest of the comic was decent enough to have me back for next month.
Having read the following two issues, I might change my mind soon…
As a long time reader of Spider-Man (I’m pretty much J.R.’s age) but one who has stopped reading for a while but recently picked it back up, I was happy to see Big Time. It was not perfect, but compared to the garbage that has been stuffed down our throats lately, it definitely has high hopes for the future story lines. I did not mind the rehashing of the science job because I thought that they never did that story line justince in the past. It was created, all these side characters created, and yet nothing done about it. I think Slott has something in mind and it could be good. I don’t mind the new Spider-Girl (not my favortie character) but since she is not in the MC2 universe, there is really no reason for competition between her and May Day. They can both exist. The art, well, once again, compared to the last several issues, this was like looking at Da Vinci. I also liked that fact that I could let my son read this if he wanted. No lizard sex. No Aunt May sex.
Fart jokes aside, I’d have rated this a 3.5 webs. I gave extra credit to feeling of hope I had and the fact that Carly is in only one page.
On the subject of Dan Slott… despite our history with him, I’m gonna throw my hat in with everyone else and refuse to blame him for the shortcomings. The guy’s talented… look at what he did with She-Hulk. I LOVED that book.
… and I was kinda sweet on that tall green chick in it, too.
I have high hopes for Slott’s run, and I really didn’t like BND. His first solo issue is really enjoyable, including Ramos’ art.
A big yawn to enter this new “Big Time”. I hope it improves. But I doubt it. It seems that comics today is all about bringing as many different covers as possible for every issue.
I remember TriCorp and I also remember JMS original 1st issue on the series. They both are similar as setup issues for whatever it is that Slott has in mind. I sat in on the Spidey panel at comic-con and I’ve been cautiously optimistic about “Big Time” since July. This is the jumping on point for whatever else is in store over the next 3 to 5 years if Slott can hit a home run w/ this opportunity.
The issue itself was a mixed bag only b/c of Ramos’ lack of detail art. His storytelling is so jumbled I was unable to make out some of the action scenes involving the Octobots, if those scenes were even meant to be that… Anyhoos, decent start to what will be a hyped up run. Now, can the title live up to the hype is what we’re all waiting on…
jroc133
“Raises Hand”: Me, me, I remember Tricorp and Scorpion
I like the art of Ramos
It is a shame the editors (cause I don’t think it was slott) feel the need to still pour salt in the wound, by pointing out that MJ and Peter are not together anymore. It is just stupid to think the outrage will die and fade when they keep reminding people of they did…and why.
Still, onto the issue. It may be that I am too young to remember, or just haven’t read Spider-man all that long, but has Dr Octavius ever used gigant robots before? (he probably has, what Marvel Super villain hasn’t, but when was that?) I was under the impression that he was more a cloke and dagger type of villain, as in ‘not destroying more than one city block at a time’ type.
@666andahalf
I’m taking this issue with a grain of salt, too. I liked the Avengers scene (except the fart joke, too juvenile), hated that no one would take Peter in (jeez, MJ, he’s not asking for a blowjob, he just wants a place to stay), loved that Michelle is gone, hate that Norah’s staying, HATED all these plot threads being shoved in, loved the Hobgoblin’s reappearance, and I’m interested to see where this Horizon storyline goes (though Gerard is right, it sounds suspiciously similar to TriCorp.)
Over all: 4 likes, 4 dislikes. Pretty even.
I give it 3 out of 5 webs, hopefully next issue will be a little less rushed and more meaty.
This issue was an anomaly for me. Half of this issue I hated and half of this issue I loved. The Avengers stuff and some of the scenes with Peter’s civilian live were down right terrible. But all the stuff with Jameson and the villains were very entertaining. Count me in for cautiously optimistic.
I really enjoyed this issue myself. 5/5.
@Gerard – I can see your point, and I don’t blame you for feeling that way. Considering that most people on the site were huge fans of Mayday, it probably isn’t that big of a loss. Still, as someone, though in the minority, who is willing to give this new Spider-girl a chance, I was hoping to see something mentioned about it. Considering the main story is kinda mediocre, it’s probably just as well you didn’t.
@CRM: I couldn”t agree more!
I actually liked this issue a lot. I honestly didn’t think Ramos art was that bad, other than a couple of the Avengers scenes as mentioned in the review. This issue has really got me excited for Slott’s run.
@Gerard Delatour: well to be fair, this is the setup issue – we have no idea if Roderick is indeed going to work for Kingpin or betray him. I thought it was at least worth mentioning since the Hobgoblin did show up and was called Kingsley.
@JGC: They comment that it’s Kingsley, but he never admits it himself, and we never see him unmasked. After all, does being directly subservient to the Kingpin seem like something Roderick would be okay with for his big comeback? 😉
@Two-Bit Specialist: That’s the point. I already know that I’m not capable of writing an impartial review of the backup because of my extremely negative opinion of how “the Spider-Girl thing” has been handled by Marvel. I simply can’t abandon my extreme bias, so it would be unfair to you guys to write a review about it. That last bit is me simply admitting that I can’t do it, and so I won’t. Honestly, I think that’s the only fair way I could approach the situation.
I’m a little mixed here, Gerard. I know it’s your review, and I don’t want to tell you how to write your reviews.
So I’ll just say this, hoping that the tone that comes through it’s one of mere disappointment and not rage:
I wish there’d be a review of the back-up other than just “It sucks even though I didn’t read it, ’cause I hate the character.”
I thought the issue was a vast improvement over the previous 2-months worth of ASM. And Humberto Ramos’ art has improved a lot since his first two Spidey stints. And Roderick Kingsley back as the Hobgoblin, you didn’t mention that!
I liked Ramos on Crimson… and that’s pretty much all I have to say about that.
Well, if Crawl Space doesn’t care enough to read the whole issue, I don’t care enough to read this crap any longer.
I totally agree about Ramos, his art is little too cartoony for a top tier title like Spider-Man, they need someone who can capture more realism, like McNiven or Deodato back.
Actually, IIRC, Bloomberg had to put all of his stocks and other business interests in a blind trust. He still can collect money from his investments but he has no say over the day-to-day operation of Bloomberg LP so long as he remains Mayor of NYC. This was done to avoid any potential conflicts of interests between his company and the city.
@Kevin Cushing: 🙂
@Wheatcakes: Blank variants are intended to let you take your copy to a convention and have an artist sketch you a cover. Personally, I think it’s really stupid.
Is that a variant cover that’s just blank? Seriously, just all white? What the heck?