AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #652
“Revenge of the Spider-Slayer, Part One: Army of Insects”
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciler: Stefano Caselli
Inker: Stefano Caselli
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
“Lock and/or Key”
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Penciler: Reilly Brown
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Andres Mossa
Cover Art: Stefano Caselli and Edgar Delgado
Be warned – there are SPOILERS ahead!
You’ll have to make due without scans today … the combination of boiler gas and time constraints mean that this one will have to go without them. Sorry!
The Plot
Peter, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson Sr., and Mary Jane (?) attend Carlie’s first roller derby match. Horizon Labs prepares a shuttle launch to their space station with John Jameson as the pilot. Smythe and his spider-slayers infiltrate the command center and sabotage the launch while simultaneously attacking Mayor Jameson and his father, both of whom are attending the launch. Spider-Man holds off the slayers for a time, then heads for the shuttle to save John – where he’s intercepted by the Scorpion.
In the backup story, Spider-Man is about to receive the key to the city when the new Power Man attacks, trying to one-up his mentor Iron Fist by defeating Spider-Man (a foe whom Iron Fist could not overcome). Power Man gets in a good punch, but Spider-Man defeats him easily. In the confusion, they key to the city is stolen by a minion, who hands the key off to The Looter.
The Good
Right off the bat, the starkest difference between this issue and the previous arc is the tremendous jump in artistic quality. Penciled and inked by Stefano Caselli and colored by Edgar Delgado, the story looks a hell of a lot better than the slop we got from Humberto Ramos. Caselli draws stable, consistent renditions of the supporting cast members in the Peter scenes, and he showcases a very dynamic style in the Spider-Man sequences. His mastery of facial expressions is top-notch, and his grasp of anatomy in bombastic action sequences is superb. Other than the d-bag, moussed-up hairstyle he gives Peter, I love his work here. His J. Jonah Jameson in particular is fantastic. I should also mention the work of Brown, Olazaba, and Mossa in the backup. Even though I didn’t like the story (more on that later), I thought the art looked great.
This issue spends much more time on the civilian cast than the previous arc, and it works wonderfully. The opening sequence at the roller derby is cute and amusing, for the most part. (Though, I wonder why Slott chose to use fictional roller derby teams when we actually have a small league operating here in New York City. I don’t think they would complain about the publicity.) Yeah, the skating bit is dripping with cliché, but clichés exist because they work very well in certain instances, and this is one of them. The J. Jonah Jameson bits are entertaining and funny – Slott definitely has a good grasp on Jonah’s character and is able to write some funny and in-character stuff for him to say.
That’s not to take anything away from the superhero stuff, either. While I don’t particularly care for the concept of the spider-slayers used here, the sequence at Andru Air Force Base (named for former The Amazing Spider-Man penciler Ross Andru) is tense and exciting. This issue gave off a lot of “Jonah Sr. is about to bite the dust” vibes, so the attack of the slayers carries a legitimate sense of consequence. When Spider-Man is forced to abandon protecting the group from the slayers to pursue the shuttle, I actually got the feeling that he may have left one of them to die. Slott manages to create a subtle dramatic moment that should pay off in the subsequent issues – I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
The Bad
I liked the roller derby scenes quite a bit, with one exception: the characterization of Mary Jane. I don’t quite understand what they’re trying to go for here, but Mary Jane comes across as an idiot here. First, MJ is used as the “you guys are supposed to like Carlie!” mouthpiece for the umpteenth time, telling us how great and fantastic Peter’s life is with her. The particularly egregious mistake here is that the elements are almost entirely unrelated – Carlie is not the reason that Peter has the hot job or the new Spider-Man gimmicks, yet MJ essentially puts it together in such a way as to suggest that this is the case. Later, despite being entirely aware of the consequences of such a thing, she basically tries to guilt Peter into telling Carlie his secret. What?
There are already worrying signs that Horizon Labs will become the catch-all for anything even remotely scientific in this series. Apparently, Horizon has billions of dollars just lying around, because they own and operate a freaking space station. Oh, and since Peter has shown some know-how on a topic completely unrelated to goddamn rocket science, Max Modell decides to give Peter an important role in the launch. These are the sort of plot contrivances that make me scratch my head. Just because a character shows aptitude in one scientific discipline doesn’t mean that he or she can be used as the Swiss Army knife of science. This is one of those things that you just have to shrug your shoulders at and hit the button for the sound clip of Donovan Grant yelling “SCIENCE!” (By the way, the first person to make me a clip of Don yelling “SCIENCE!” gets a big shout-out in the next review. And maybe candy.)
Oh, and the spider-slayer designs are ugly as sin. But I didn’t need to tell you that, did I?
The Ugly
The backup strip isn’t terrible in and of itself. Like I mentioned earlier, it actually has some pretty sweet artwork, and it’s harmless enough as to not be offensive to my palette (despite the fact that it’s clearly a case of Van Lente forcing his characters into a Spider-Man book for about the fourth time).
The problem is that the backups are the sole justification for making the book cost $3.99 per issue. When I find myself not being entertained by them, it’s a problem. I’m paying an entire buck extra for them, so I expect something in return here.
The Bottom Line
Despite some minor flaws, the core of the book is very solid. Great art, good writing, and an exciting setup for the next issue make this the best issue of Slott’s run to date. This issue took me by surprise, and I highly recommend it. 4.5 out of 5 webheads.
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Hello everyone,
I’ve been a long time follower of this site and Spidey is my favorite hero. Great review. This review has tempted me to order this issue and the subsequent issues that follow.
But I’m wondering where would I go to order issue 652 and onward?
I’ve been to Mailordercomics but the layout is a bit sloppy and I can’t find this issue.
Any help would be appreciated.
@butters, I agree and I think Mary Jane accepts that. Gwen’s death is what brought them closer together to begin with anyways right?
Mary Jane is a really close second though and I would never really try to compare the two. They’re both equally important to Peter though I think… at least pre-BND Mary Jane. The current MJ is upsetting to say the least
@Chris… I’m not a huge DC buff, but I’m pretty sure that Bruce Wayne has been able to nail a super model or two that’s as hot as Mary Jane.
Gwen Stacy is his true love. Every girl after that is just a hollow replacement for Gwen and the relationship is doomed to fail. Thats my take on it,and one they hinted at in Red Headed Stranger.
Mary Jane Watson has, is, and will always be Peter Parker’s/Spidey’s one and only female soulmate period. They belong together. What a writer (instead of Dan Slott) needs to do is bring them both back together again. I don’t like this Carlie Cooper; one of the main reasons Spider-Man is liked so much is because he is the average looking guy with the hottest red-head girlfriend/wife, MJ, in existence (you don’t see handsome guys like Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne get such a hot woman). Plus, later on when Dan Slott hopefully leaves as writer of the series, Mary Jane needs to discover and come to understand that Pete’s responsibility is more important than their marriage, BUT still she needs to show him love, faith, attention, joy, happiness, and support to help him along with his Spidey powers. The only women that I like in the Spidey stores are: Sophia “Chat” Sanduval (Spider-Man: Marvel Adventures) and Norah Winters.
Doesn’t make it any less rude.
@Wheatcakes: You should pick up this issue and see if you like it. I think it’s a nice jumping-on point for you if you haven’t been keeping up with the book.
@enigma my opening statement was used in context I was trying to make the point that our reviewer very much started a paragraph in the same vein as that to describe the art of Ramos sorry it was lost on you.
@enigma… yeah just throwing it out in case it wasn’t as obvious for other people. 🙂 I don’t feel like the disrespecting of MJ was given enough credit in the review so I figured I’d harp on it some more
and while we’re pointing out the obvious… Can we get a poll going of what issue we think JJJ Sr. will die in? I say he’s definitely gone by the end of this story arc… the whole line by May “you’ll survive one day without me”… yeah, I bet she’ll regret those words…
@Ironspiderman1983
Next time, find a better way to make your opening statement.
No further questions, your honor.
@enigma if u read my whole comment you woulda seen that I liked his review for the most part and simply implored him to find more creative ways to find more creative ways of commenting on ramos art.
@Brian Bradley
“It seems like they’re trying to turn people on Mary Jane now and get people to start feeling sorry for Carlie.”
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Really?[/sarcasm]
I don’t read ASM anymore, but I do like that cover.
“d-bag, moussed-up hairstyle he gives Peter”
nice review!
I must have really disliked the use of Mary Jane more than the people here. That came close to actually ruining the story for me. The fact that she would wish harm on carlie, and then the fact that she seemed to be blaming Peter for this situation, when she was the one that ‘set him free.’ It seems like they’re trying to turn people on Mary Jane now and get people to start feeling sorry for Carlie.
@stillanerd – “Peter is not a criminal and Carlie does consider Spider-Man to be a friend, but, given her past behavior, she wouldn’t take kindly to being deceived like this, regardless. She might even think the only reason Peter ever asked her to be his girlfriend was so he could use her as a resource to help him as Spider-Man.”
That’s a really good point, I could see that being a very conceivable storyline down the line. I wouldn’t be surprised if they then turned around and said she was OK with it, turning her into his own personal Oracle. Giving Carlie and Peter another thing to connect over.
Spidey’s classic suit looking more fabric-y was nice, especially compared to the last movie picture :-/
Regarding the backup…Fred didn’t force anything. I asked for it. I like the character and wanted to help give the new book a bit of a lift. Plus I like Spidey teaming up with other heroes so I try to do it whenever we can fit it into the plans.
Getting the (miscolored) Looter in there only made me happier.
SW
@stillanerd
Why? I mean after they went through all that trouble with the mindwipe? And why take the chance of someone else not being strong enough to handle the truth? Nevermind the fact that MJ was that very person before Quesada got a hold of her.
@Ironspiderman1983
Hey, I’m officially sick of you guys bitching about his negative reviews, but you don’t see me jumping down anyone’s throat about it, do you?
Ok I’m officially sick of your incessant bitching (and at this point you are bitching) about Ramos art, it is unique and brings a very animated quality to spider-man your reviews are normally very good but your opinion on art is grating Ramos is an excellent artist he’s not romita or bagley but who is.I for one was excited to have Ramos back ive been missing his style in the pages of spider-man you probably praise artist macros Martin who I personally find boring bland and unoriginal as an artist he draws like a ditko wanna be and I don’t like ditko art. I find your use of the word slop to describe Ramos art work as over the top insulting it’s one thing to say you hate the art but to call it slop is I think goin above and beyond to personally insult the artist and you should hold yourself to a higher standard I don’t want to step on your free speech but can’t you find better ways of saying that you dislike the art. As far as the art for this issued is concerned the transition in art is too jarring and threw me off specifically the classic suit vs the new TRON SUIT anyhow pretty good review look forward to the next.
@Gerard–I understand your point, and it’s a valid one. However, Peter we’ve seen what happens when Peter doesn’t tell the person he’s dating the truth the moment he should. It usually winds up being too late. And in Carlie’s case, consider this–virtually everyone she’s been close to has led some form of double life: her father, Vin Gonzales, Menace, and now Peter. Granted, unlike the other three, Peter is not a criminal and Carlie does consider Spider-Man to be a friend, but, given her past behavior, she wouldn’t take kindly to being deceived like this, regardless. She might even think the only reason Peter ever asked her to be his girlfriend was so he could use her as a resource to help him as Spider-Man. Plus, even though she might forgive Peter and understand why he kept his secret if she ever found out, the fact that he pretended to be someone he really wasn’t goes into issues of trust, not just whether or not she can really trust him in the future, but also whether he really was all that attracted to her if he couldn’t be honest with her. So, not telling her could end up being worse than telling her, is all I’m saying.
@stillanerd: How long have Peter and Carlie been officially dating in-story? A week? That’s a little quick to tell her the secret, isn’t it? What if it doesn’t work out? Suddenly, you have a jilted chick that works for the goddamn NYPD that knows your secret. It’s a bad, bad idea, and MJ of all people should know that.
“Later, despite being entirely aware of the consequences of such a thing, she basically tries to guilt Peter into telling Carlie his secret. What?”
While I agree with you on Slott’s handling of Mary Jane in this issue, Gerard, I respectfully disagree about the notion of MJ guilt-tripping Peter to reveal his secret to Carlie. Because MJ does have a point–if Peter is truly serious about Carlie and wants his relationship to go anywhere, he’s going to have to quit his whole “I’m just plain ‘ol Pete” act and be honest with her. In fact, it’s been Peter not telling the women he’s romantically involved with that he’s Spider-Man when he should is why his relationships have really wound up failing in the past.
I have not read this issue, but I heard from a mutual aquaitance that there was a cockamamie gag where Carlie propose the idea that Peter should hook MJ up with Spider-Man. What did u think about that?
(BTW in all fairness I stole the “SCIENCE!!!” bit from Dr. Insano from the Spoony Experiment. Appreciate the nods from everyone all the same 🙂 )
Whoa. I enjoyed the last arc(even the art by Ramos) and you gave this 4.5 webs? I NEED to get this now!
…i guess this means i need to go to the comic book store tomorrow, wasn’t planning on that… hard to not read this review yet…
Remember when Dan Slott tried to tell us all that Big TIme was not a banner or a direction but only the title of the first arc…he certainly showed us didn’t he 😉
lol Are you sure those boiler gases didn’t affect your judgment? 😉
Nah, you know I jest.
clearly, Marvel has bought you off and you are a corporate mouthpiece for editorial! This review gets 0 out of 5 awful spidey reboot movie costumes for not being negative! 😉 Glad you found something you enjoy, sir! and another fun review!
SCIENCE!!!!!!!!
🙁
@Nathaniel: 😆
@Two-Bit Specialist: Nope. NO COOKIE FOR YOU!
I just bought it today and read it before work. I enjoyed pretty much everything: the art, the story, the cliffhanger, even the back-up (but then again, I like Van Lente’s stuff and the new Power Man) and even the moments with Peter/MJ and Peter/Carlie. I’d say the score is pretty spot-on.
Excited for next issue’s Jewel! I’m full with glee here. 😀
By the way, I know this ain’t Donovan or a clip of my own, here’s the place where the whole SCIENCE! thing comes from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IlHgbOWj4o Can I get a cookie now?
@Gerard – Yeah, but this is probably the first time where I’m agreeing with you on a good story. 😆
@Nathaniel and JGC: You guys must have been asleep when I gave two parts of “The Origin of Species” 4/5s. Hell, I even gave the second part of OMIT a positive review! 😛
@butters911: If you’re actually thinking about me when reading the book, it’s either incredibly good or terribly, terribly wrong. 😛
I thought this was the best issue of Big Time so far. When reading this I was thinking “There is no way Gerard Delatour could give this one a bad review”.
Nice review Gerard, I agree with everything you wrote except about the Spider-Slayers being ugly. To me, they looked scary. I loved everything about Caselli’s art this issue – I hope he becomes more of the “regular penciller” on ASM. It seems I owe you an apology, you can write positive reviews.
I can’t wait for the next issue!
Yeah, I’m really glad to see Stefano finally on this book. As for another positive thing, there are literally only two ads in this issue (at least in my comic). Go ahead and count for yourself, we actually had a good layout of story pages. Its probably due to those Crossgen pages that I didn’t care about.
The MJ dialouge did seem random and out of no where and now I question what the heck Slott has planned with the idea of Carlie thinking about getting Spider-Man and MJ together. Can we say, “WHAAAT?” Another quote for Donovan again. 😛
Finally a good rating!
I pretty much agree with the review word for word, except that I don’t hate Ramos like a lot of other people do (though I get why people do), regardless, the art is much better in this issue. Honestly the only thing that really bothered me at all was that there was another weird MJ and Carly moment and I’m pretty tired of that. Otherwise I thought this was great and I think Slott has been doing a very good job so far, hope he keeps it up!
Wow…a positive review and it didn’t even have $100 in it….
I have to apologize for the formatting issues. For some reason, I just can’t get it to work for the headlines, but it works for the in-paragraph text. Weird. I have too much of a headache to work it out now, though. 🙁
@Enigma_2099: This one is a real page-turner. I was actually DISAPPOINTED to get to the last page. I can’t remember the last time that happened reading an ASM issue.
WOW!!!
And of course, THIS review will go COMPLETELY ignored…