AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #593 REVIEW

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 593

Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Mike McKone
Inker: Andy Lanning and Karl Kesel
Story Title: 24/7 Part 2

Plot

Peter takes a shower. Fight in the subway. It’s a trap! Spider-Man vs. the new Vulture.

The Commentary

24/7 continues at a good clip. The pacing was good, there were some solid character moments and while I wasn’t so much “surprised” by the ending it definitely made for a good cliffhanger.

Waid gave us a good balance of action and character this week with a few splashes of comedy. I think having the issue begin with Peter taking a shower and wanting to just “wash his brain” was the best way to deal with the ending of last issue. I’m sure there are a number of readers, myself somewhat included, that feel the same way so Mark garnered some good will right off the bat. More than that I liked how Peter turned around before leaving and told Aunt May that as long as she was happy (and as long as his spider sense doesn’t tingle) he is cool with her relationship with J. Jonah Senior. This was very much like Peter. No matter how tired he was or how he didn’t want to deal with it he gave a few moments to the woman who raised him. This is exactly what needed to be done and it was nice to see it played out that way.

The Spidey in action scenes were a lot of fun. I guess we’re at the point where New Yorkers are cool with Spider-Man. The public is fickle and this could change at any moment but it is hard to get mad at a guy that just saved you or, in some cases, just removed an annoyance. This was a great way to battle against J. Jonah; make the public love you to the point where they are willing to chance an obstruction charge. Even the small things, like giving out web umbrellas and taking pictures with tourists just made me feel good as a reader.

The bit where Peter starts yelling about Norman Osborn after fighting with the SWAT team was a neat little Freudian slip and a great way to remind us that while Jonah is the one in Spider-Man’s face Norman is the ever looming threat. The smack Spider-Man was talking took a few moments to get used to and I will admit that I had to think for a minute about what, “h to the n” means but it worked just the same.

I like the design of the new Vulture, if that is his real name. He reminded me of the Reapers from Blade II but the red costume looks rather cool and I like that the fact that his mouth was covered until the reveal. This is the first real sense of mystery that I have felt in comics in a long time. The pacing of the fight between Spider-Man and Vulture was great because it gave the splash page of Spidey getting hit with the acid a lot of punch. It was like, “fight, fight, HOLY CRAP!” and it made the climax of this issue all the more exciting.
I will admit that I liked this cover much more than the previous issues. I know it is still Quesada but Spider-Man is a small part of the image and I appreciate the fact that the Coffee Bean has been open since 1962.

The Final Analysis

This issue was a lot of fun and was a great middle chapter while still being a satisfying read on its own. Waid’s dialogue was on point pretty much through the entire issue and I continue to like Mike McKone’s art with the assist from Andy Lanning and Karl Kesel. I’m digging this story a lot more than I thought I would after seeing the solicitations several months ago.

I honestly can’t wait for next week.

4 out of 5 webheads.