Hey, all. I’m Michael Bailey, the new reviewer for Amazing Spider-Man here at the Spider-Man Crawlspace. I know there’s been a bit of a hoopla regarding this particular issue, but I just wanted to say before I get into my review that what follows is not intended to be a slam against the last reviewer nor is it a statement to say that that reviewer was wrong. This is simply a difference of opinion. The other reviewer felt one way, I feel another. That’s the great thing about comics really; plenty of room to disagree and be civil about it.
And with that out of the way, on with the show.
TITLE: Amazing Spider-Man #580
“Fill in the Blank”
WRITER: Roger Stern
ARTIST: Lee Weeks
COLORS: Dean White
PLOT
The Blank returns with a splash and stages a rather extravagant bank robbery. Unfortunately Aunt May is there leading to a confrontation between the Blank and Spider-Man. After a quick fight the Blank escapes leaving Peter angry and frustrated. Peter makes it his mission to track the Blank down, which leads to a reunion with Ray Donavon, now an agent with the F.B.I. With Donavon’s unknowing help Peter tracks down the Blank and delivers him into the hands of the authorities.
THOUGHTS
Well, if I’m going to start my tenure as the reviewer for this title then this is definitely a good way to kick things off.
In all honesty I was a little nervous about starting off with an issue by Roger Stern. I will make no bones about the fact that Stern is one of my all time favorite writers and I will also make no bones about the fact that I am most familiar with his work on the other red and blue hero. You know the guy. Red cape. Blue tights. All that jazz. I have read some of his Spider-Man work, though and it was always very solid. So I like the guy’s work and I was concerned that this would cloud my judgment and possibly make an average issue seem better than it was.
Turns out I didn’t have to worry because this was an extremely satisfying issue of Amazing Spider-Man.
In a world where a single issue takes nanoseconds to read it was nice to kick back and actually have an issue that took some time to go through. It made me feel like I got the most out of my $2.99 (ok, $2.87 minus a discount and plus sales tax), which was a nice feeling considering the economy being in such a sad and sorry state. I want to get the most bang for my comic book buck. On that front this comic was a success.
It was also nice that this was a done in one story instead of part fifteen of thirty five. Alright, that is an exaggeration but still. In this era of multi-issue storylines that fit snugly into a hardcover followed closely by the trade paperback followed by the oversized hardcover a single story is kind of refreshing.
Beyond those reasons this was a really solid issue. It was an old school story, which is fitting since the person writing it has been at this game for a while now. From the opening fight to the walking off into the sunset happy ending this book felt like I picked it up off the spinner rack in 1988 while also feeling fresh here in 2008. Stern introduces a few older characters that don’t feel old, though that could be due to the fact that I had no idea who they were before picking up this issue. The thing is I felt like I knew who they were thanks to exposition and a few well placed editor’s notes. It was the best of both worlds really. Newer readers, like me, don’t feel lost and those that have been reading Spider-Man since back in the day can look at this and say, “Hey, I remember that guy. Wow, can’t believe they brought The Blank back.”
And I really felt something for the characters as well. Peter had a strong motivation for getting his get back at the Blank. It might have been a little heavy handed in places but his love for Aunt May was strong here. The Blank himself had a lot going on as well. It might be an old concept, but the whole “my power is consuming me” thing worked well here. The characters made the story flow along smoothly and between that and the in-fight banter I was set as a reader.
Lee Weeks’ art was solid as well. I’ve liked just about everything I’ve seen from Weeks, especially his work with Peter David on the Incredible Hulk and I really dig his Spider-Man. His take has a very classic feel to it, bordering on iconic. More than that, though, he brought a lot of humanity to the characters, especially in their facial expressions. The storytelling was particularly strong and it was great to see page layouts with more than three panels in them.
I’m going to go ahead and give this story a four out of five. It nearly made the five, but the previously mentioned heavy handed nature of Peter wanting “revenge” for what the Blank did to Aunt May. It was in character to be sure but at the same time it was a little over the top at points. Also, and this may seem a little petty, I am still not thrilled with the whole Brand New Day as a concept. I may not be the most die-hard Spider-Man fan but the manner in which the new status quo was launched was very forced and out of character for the Wall Crawler. Still, Roger Stern shouldn’t have to pay for my preconceived notions nor should Lee Weeks. The two did a fantastic job of making a fun and exciting comic book.
It’s nice to be able to write that a comic I read was fun and exciting. Maybe I’m not the jaded comic fan I thought I was.
FINAL SCORE
Four out of five webheads.
That’s all for now, folks. See you in seven or so.
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My review of the book was positive because I liked the issue. If I didn’t like the issue I would have said so. In fact, I tend to write longer reviews when I don’t like a comic because I feel if I am going to say, “I don’t like this,” I want people to know, in great and possibly unnecessary detail, why I thought it was a piece of crap. Believe me, there will be issues of this title that I will rip a new one. My thoughts are my own and Brad knew this going in. I’d like to think I got the gig because of the seven plus years I’ve been writing reviews and the 430 reviews I have written in that time, not because I agreed with the webmaster.
Contrived? Do you mean that you think the webmaster pressured him to review it positively or that he got the job because he wrote the write kind of review? If you’re going to make an accusation, at least do it directly.
Its good to have you here but how contrived is it that your review is positive for this book while Bjohn’s was not. Just thinking…
I liked this issue. Normally I’m not a big fan of standalone issues, but now and then they can be nice. I’m glad they spent a bit of time showing Blank’s perspective, motivations, back story, etc. I thought the “power consuming him” angle that you mentioned was weak, but other than that I thought the character was interesting. I agree with CC’s assessment that Spider-Man’s anger over an endangered Aunt May is not all that compelling, but it’s a typical hook for a one-issue story.
I’d like for more Brand New Day plot development, but nevertheless I enjoyed this issue.
Welcome aboard, Michael Bailey! It’ll be interesting to read a reviewer who hasn’t been following the book for a while! It’s understandable why you would rank this issue so high as a standalone especially if you were in the mood for a more classic 70’s style. Not a very memorable issue, however, and perhaps not worthy of a four-star, but having Stern back was fun and Week artwork IS classic. A very tough issue to review, imo, but you’ve done a great job! Looking forward to your next review!
Hey MichaelBailey!
I know coming into reviewing was sort of weird considering how bjohns just left, on a bad note but i think you handled it very well I commend you on this very well written review. I have to say that I felt this way when reading this issue too it (for me) was like a classic 70’s story. Can’t wait for the next review :D!
-B-dog
I’m proud to be the first to comment on your review, mister Bailey! I reviewed this title from the summer of 06 to October 08, so I know it can be a consuming, thankless job at times, especially when so many issues come out.
I haven’t bought this issue, and I don’t see much in your review that would lead me to do so. It’s nice that it’s a standalone story, but that fact in of itself doesn’t tell me it’s a GOOD standalone story. Also, the fact that it takes a long time to read can be a good or bad thing. If it takes a while because it packs a lot of interesting detail into a short space without rushing through a lot of scenes that feel like they deserve more space, then that’s good. But what if Stern just takes more words to say something another writer could get across in a few lines? Just being dense, in and of itself, does not add value. Personally, I tend to judge comics on the time it takes to think about them. I don’t care if it takes five minutes to read a book if the ideas are so big or compelling that I’m chewing on them for days more.
The most concrete point you make is about Spider-Man’s motivation for going after Blank. From what you wrote, I think he was angry he put Aunt May in harm’s way. If there’s nothing more to it than that, it isn’t very interesting. I’m not saying that it’s not a good reason for Spidey to want to take this guy down, it’s just not unique enough to answer a question I think every good Spider-Man comic needs to answer: why does this comic matter? That is, if the story never existed, what would be different? How would I think about the character(s) differently? What ramifications would it have to other stories, past, present and future? What relevence does it have to my own life?
Somewhere along that line of questioning, I need at least one possitive answer to care. Not only that, but it has to be an answer I haven’t seen before. That is what separates a good comic from a waste of time. I don’t see the answer I’m looking for here, or in anything else I’ve read about this issue. It’s cool that you liked it, though. Like you said, there’s nothing wrong with a difference of opinion.