“Did I really talk like that for months and no one noticed?”
So just when Peter got things squared away with Doc Ock’s girlfriend, Anna Maria, in the last issue, he now has to straighten things out with one of his real ex-girlfriends in this one, while also working with the new boyfriend of another. Because what’s a Spidey story without a complicated love life?
WRITER: Dan Slott
PENCILER: Humbero Ramos
INKS: Victor Olazaba
COLORS: Edgar Delgado
LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ellie Pyle
EDITOR: Nick Lowe
THE STORY: We open with the mysterious woman (who we know as Silk) experiencing some cabin fever over being stuck in her “windowless room.” After looking at pictures of her family, especially her younger brother, Albert, Silk decides to break out. Unfortunately, as she tries to punch in the key code for the security door, a recorded video message, who addresses her as Cindy, informs her that while he can’t stop her, she has to stop herself “not just for your sake but for the rest of us.” Cindy breaks down and whispers, “Damn you, Ekeziel…”
Meanwhile, the Black Cat robs an Upper East Side apartment and, after tying up the owners, enjoys some champagne and caviar while thinking of getting revenge on Spider-Man. Over in Alphabet City, Electro is sleeping an abandoned building and has a nightmare about SpOck, causing his powers to accidentally light the place on fire. Electro flees, blaming Spider-Man for how he “can’t even sleep ’cause a’ [him.]” Over at Parker Industries, Peter’s employees (who are still scared of him) have developed a tracking device to detect Electro’s energy signature, and Peter takes them on a “field trip” to track him down. Sajani Jaffrey is still upset over how Peter scrapped the nanotech project in favor of developing a superhuman prison. Anna Maria Marconi, believing that Doc Ock’s brilliant work can’t go to waste, tells Sajani she’ll work on the nanotech project (with a little help from the Living Brain), reassuring her that Peter won’t know about it. As Peter and his employees arrive at where Electro was staying, firefighters, including Mary Jane’s new boyfriend, Pedro “Ollie” Olivera, are evacuating the homeless from the building. Ollie goes back inside, while Peter changes into Spider-Man. One Phoebe Gold from the Fact Channel reporting at the scene sees Spidey swing into the burning building, and Black Cat sees it live on TV.
Speaking of the Fact Channel, J. Jonah Jameson is being interviewed by Natalie Long (the reporter from Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014)). When she asks if her producer told Jonah why he’s there, Jonah goes into a tirade about how he did real journalism unlike the Fact Channel, that “vultures” like them forced him to resign as mayor, that he kept New York safe, and everything that happened to him was all Spider-Man’s fault. Natalie, however, tells him she’s not interviewing him for her network—her network is offering Jonah his own TV news show. Back at the fire, Spidey finds Ollie and together they save a little girl. But as Ollie tries to leave the building, his steps on a weak spot and gets trapped, caused by the Black Cat using her bad luck powers. As Black Cat attacks Spidey, he tells her that it was really Doc Ock in his body that was responsible—except Black Cat doesn’t care, saying that because “the Spider” took her down, no one will respect her unless she makes an example of him. So Spidey decides to pretend he’s Doc Ock, including speaking like him, to get her to back off. Black Cat flees, and Spidey saves Ollie. A worried Mary Jane arrives and hugs Ollie, and Spidey slips away before she can see him. The Black Cat then pickpockets the Parker Industries scientists and steals their Electro tracking device. Still determined to get revenge against Spider-Man and not caring about whether he was telling the truth or not, Black Cat uses the device to find Electro and suggests they team-up. To be continued…
THOUGHTS: In many ways, Amazing Spider-Man #3 is just as much about the women who are a part of, or will be a part of, Peter’s life as it is Peter himself. And as it just so happens, it’s the new female characters under Dan Slott who are getting the better treatment and development.
For example, what little we learn about Silk, including her real first name, seems quite intriguing, especially the revelation that none other than Ezekiel Sims was responsible for keeping her isolated from the outside world. Which makes complete sense. Remember, when Ezekiel first met Spidey, he tried to protect him from Morlun by constructing a special room that would shield those with totemic powers; stands to reason that Cindy, aka Silk, accepted Ezekiel’s offer. This also helps to further set-up Slott’s upcoming “Spider-Verse” in that once Cindy escapes, as we know she will, this will more than likely attract Morlun. Granted, I’m not exactly too keen on the possible revisiting of J. Michael Stracynski’s totemic angle to Spider-Man’s origin again, but I can appreciate how Slott appears to be incorporating this in a logical way to Silk and her origin.
Then there’s Anna Maria, with support from Sajani, deciding to continue working on Doctor Octopus’ nanotech project without Peter’s knowledge because “[Doc Ock] was brilliant, and it deserves to live on.” Not only does this allow Peter’s new confidant to have secrets of her own and thus create even more emotional conflict, it also shows her love for Otto may have blinded her to the kind of person he really was. Sure, she, like everyone else, knew about Doc Ock’s beforehand, but because she got to know him on a deep, intimate level while he was pretending to be Peter, she only saw the good in him. Thus, it never occurs to her not to continue with Doc Ock’s work, or foresee the potential danger which may result from doing so, which will happen likely happen with the completion of the nanotech project. Also, given that Anna Mariais going have the Living Brain assist her with developing the project because she knows the robot was in Doc Ock’s full confidence, it makes me wonder if an added wrinkle to this new subplot will be that the Living Brain also houses the remnants of Doc Ock’s memories. Notice how, instead of addressing her formally like it does with everyone else, the Living Brain called her “Anna Maria?”
When it comes to Mary Jane, however, her current status of being Ollie’s girlfriend really isn’t doing her any favors. Now you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, ‘nerd! MJ was only in this issue for one scene. Her new firefighter boyfriend was the one getting a lot more panel time, and he comes off as a decent, heroic guy who gets along well with Spidey. How can you say this isn’t doing MJ any favors?” Easy—because Spidey’s “team-up” with Ollie, and that Spidey does indeed see him as a decent, heroic guy, seems like all-too obvious attempt by Slott to convince readers that MJ might be better off in a relationship with Ollie than she ever was with Peter. Except what this really does is turn MJ into a massive hypocrite.
Note how Spidey observes MJ “looked terrified” when she believed Ollie was trapped in the burning building, and thinks how “the whole time [he and MJ] were together, she went through that every night” and thus concludes she was “right” to leave him to pursue a “normal life.” Only how is being Ollie’s girlfriend all that different? MJ is still in a relationship with someone who routinely risks his life to save people, one of the very reasons she broke up with Peter in the first place. Sure, given the nature of his job, Ollie won’t always be in danger exactly like Peter, but based on her emotional reaction, wouldn’t she be just as worried about Ollie every single time Ollie has to go out and fight fires just as she worried every single time Peter had to go fight bad guys? Moreover, what we see of Ollie as presented in this issue is someone who is far more reckless than Peter, who convinced he has to prove himself to other guys of his unit due to having to skip town with MJ during “Goblin Nation,” including going into a burning building alone and without back-up. Everything involving Spidey helping Ollie just reinforces the notion that MJ’s idea of “moving on with her life” was to hook-up with a literal second-rate version of her ex. Maybe this is the angle Slott is actually going for, that MJ will come to realize she’s just been fooling herself, but it’s being done at the cost of her character.
But this is nothing when compared to the outright debacle that is the “woman scorned” depiction of the Black Cat and her quest for revenge against Spidey. It was one thing for Felicia to have been ignorant about Doc Ock taking over Spidey’s body, even if her decent into villainy as a result was extremely over-the-top. But now that Spidey has outright told her what happened, only for her to say she doesn’t care what the truth actually is, and that she still wants revenge because her reputation as a thief has been ruined? This doesn’t just make her vindictive and self-centered, it makes her flat-out dumb. Moreover, what little empathy we had for the Black Cat is evaporated, because from here on out, she’s not being a super-villain due to a misunderstanding but being one by choice. Adding her willingness to put an innocent like Ollie in danger and teaming-up with with Electro, the Black Cat as a character is being damaged beyond repair right before our eyes. Yes, I’m all for Spidey having more female villains, but if the idea was to make the Black Cat into a villain for Spidey, there were certainly far better ways to pull this off (the episode “Opening Night” from The Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon definitely comes to mind). Again, I’m not even a fan of the Black Cat, so can I only imagine that those who are will not be at all pleased with her depiction here.
Irregardless of the varying treatments of the female characters, however, this comic had some definite high points. I like the angle that Peter’s employees are even more afraid of him because he’s trying come across as a fun-loving boss because they’ve only known him, thanks to Otto, as an overbearing and captious taskmaster. Equally amusing was Spidey’s all-too perfect imitation of Doc Ock to throw the Black Cat (and the readers) off-balance, while also acknowledging just how ridiculous it was that no one seemed to notice how “Spidey” talked like Doc Ock all throughout Superior Spider-Man. Then there’s Jonah new job with the Fact Channel, which (not to toot my own horn) was something I predicted would happen in the comments section for my Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014) review. In the age of the 24-hour Cable News Cycle, it makes all the sense in the world for someone like Jonah to get his own talk show, and I’m surprised that something like this hasn’t happened sooner. After all, if he can be a Bill O’Reilly, Chris Matthews, Eliot Spitzer type in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, why not in the comics? Not to mention, it calls back to Jonah’s first appearances in Amazing Spider-Man in which he took to the airwaves to rant against Spidey as well as publish editorials in The Daily Bugle.
Humerto Ramos’ artwork also was a vast improvement, perhaps because Amazing Spider-Man #3 (2014) allows him to work within his strengths, which is illustrating energetic and dynamic action set-pieces. Everything involving the inside of the burning building, especially the flame effects, thanks also in large part to Olazaba’s inking and Delgado’s coloring, looked incredible, and the skirmish between Spidey and the Black Cat was well constructed. I’m still put-off when it comes to Ramos’ irregular depiction of human anatomy, body proportions, and especially facial and eye expressions, but it wasn’t as bothersome this time around, save for a few panels (that one where Jonah has his arms out and says “And it was all Spider-Man’s fault” is certainly enough to make one rear back in fright).
Amazing Spider-Man #3 (2014) is a decent enough issue, but there are some directions the title is taking that I’m less keen about than others. Also, for as controversial and, at times, problematic Slott’s Superior Spider-Man had been, it did make you eager to see what was going to happen next because Doc Ock as Spider-Man was such an unknown element. Now that Peter is back, it feels as if Slott is just going through the motions and still in the midst of arranging the status quo before going full-bore into “Spider-Verse,” something which also happened when there was a lead-up to a big event like “Spider-Island,” “Ends of the Earth,” and the 700th issue of Amazing Spider-Man. For those reasons and the one’s I’ve already mentioned, I’ll give this issue a modest:
B-
NERDY NITPICKS:
- If Cindy, a.k.a. Silk, is a brand-new character whom we have never seen before, then why are Slott and Ramos going through all this trouble at keeping her face hidden? I mean, did the lower-half of her face mutate to have fangs, pedipalps, and other external mouth parts or something? Or is it just going to be like that other mysterious figure that was with Norman Osborn back in Superior Spider-Man #15 whose identity we still don’t know?
- So what good is Felicia zipping up the front of her costume if those oversized cat-eyes still draws your eyes towards her cleavage? Or that her bladed “tail-belt” is so loose it hangs around and pulls your attention towards her posterior regions? Then again, being that I’m a shameless and unapologetic admirer of the female figure, should I really be complaining?
- Um, Peter…your co-workers are right to think you’re a little off your rocker. Because Hawaiian shirts not only do indeed make you look crazy, they also make you look desperate—especially on skinny guys like yourself. Trust someone who is also a skinny guy who actually owns a Hawaiian shirt and has worn one in public many times.
- Speaking of which, another joke about Peter acting “bi-polar”? Is this going to be a repeated gag like “sharing each others toothbrush” was?
- So just how bland and nondescript is Ollie? So bland and nondescript that his fellow firefighters with whom he’s no doubt been with for several years, still don’t realize that his surname is actually Olivera, not “Olivares.”
- “That’s Mary Jane’s new boyfriend, but I’ve only seen him as Peter.” Really, Spidey? Because even though he was with MJ, Aunt May, and Jay Jameson when they pulled up to Parker Industries back in Superior Spider-Man #31, but you never actually met him, and it sure looked as though you were so busy hugging your Aunt that may not have even noticed him. Then again, maybe you did happen catch him with a glance and the art just didn’t show it?
- This may sound harsh, but if I were Peter, I would indeed fire those incompetent scientists. Because why in the world would you put down a tracking device for any reason, much less “for a second,” instead of having it on you? And speaking of that tracking device…
- Peter and his employees, who only just happened to invent the Electro tracking device can only use it to find previous energy spikes made by Electro, and yet Black Cat—who is not a scientist—was able to use it to find precisely where Electro was hiding? I suppose the tracking device first had to read the residual electrical energy at the scene of the fire until it could be properly calibrated, but then didn’t that other scientist from earlier tell Peter that the device was “attuned to Electro’s energy signature” already? Meaning they could have used it to track down where Electro was hiding instead of his “last known location”?
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@#5 an #6-MJ isn’t ‘attracted to danger’ per se. It’s more a TINY part of her finds it a turn on but it doesn’t make or break her relationships with anyone. And the danger she is attracted to is the thrill of herself being in danger, like a roller coaster. Danger presented to people she cares about is NOT an attraction for her at all. She doesn’t get turned on by the prospect that Peter himself might get hurt.
And she’s been dealing with those random crazy dangers for years! This woman willing let Peter unmask and then went on the run with him which opened up even MORE random dangers to her and Peter. If this was honestly going to be a deal breaker for MJ she would’ve ended things ages ago. More than that firefighters deal with a wide variety of situations and dangers so he might not just be going into a burning building but dealing with steam, rescuing people up ladders and so on.
MJ doesn’t want the superhero baggage but…dude…everything comes with baggage and she accepted that baggage ages and ages ago. Plus Ollie isn’t necessarily like Peter but sans the baggage. He for instance doesn’t know what it’s like to hide behind a mask or feel severe guilt or be incredibly responsible. MJ likes Peter for more than just his heroism and decency ya know…
The breakup, this relationship with Ollie, MJ generally speaking has been not only poorly handled but is indefensibly out of character.
Oh, thank God. Those two are artists I actually expect good art from.
Well, Camuncoli is drawing ASM #7-8, then Olivier Coipel is on for 6 issues of Spider-Verse, so that’s at least 8 issues without Ramos. (Not that I mind his stuff. Excited to see what Coipel does though.)
@27: I prefer to expect the worst while hoping for the best.
@29: Of all the artists that Slott works with, Ramos has clearly been his favorite, so even if we get a replacement, it would only be for an arc or too before Ramos comes back.
@32: Making the target audience be for 21 year-olds instead of 11 year-olds is rather insulting. Yes, we should get a book that doesn’t treat the audience like idiots, but treating the audience like idiots and writing towards 11 year-olds is NOT the same thing. I just want a book that respects the characters, the franchise, and the audience.
errr dan slott wrtes for 11 year olds.
can we have another ongoing for anyone over 21 please.
The poor writing is making me hate the book. Like really hate it. I wouldn’t have even given it as high of a grade as you did. If you liked the Black Cat like some of us do you would have given it an F or at best a D. This is horrible inexcusable writing. And I am tired of it. I have been hanging in there because I am such a big fan of Spider-Man, but I don’t know how much longer I can read it.
I’m just glad Silk isn’t Mary Jane as some had speculated.
Why exactly are Hawaiian shirts desperate?
What’s with MJ’s facial expression? It looks horrible. I hope they’ll replace Humbretto Ramos with a better artist.
@21- That would make sense. I haven’t checked my Twitter recently, so it’s pretty clear that anybody who doesn’t have a Twitter (or at least doesn’t follow Slott) is going to be confused as to whether or not he pushed the schedule back again to one a month. I follow him, but I never see his posts. So, I was pretty confused, until you enlightened me. Thank you for that.
@25- I actually haven’t seen much Spider-Verse stuff going around on the internet since the series started with the reboot. But, if Ends of the Earth (which I sort of like) and Goblin Nation (probably one of the better parts of the Superior Run) is any notice, I gotta agree with you, Slott might not be going anywhere anytime soon.
@25 why must you tell me such terrible news? So we will be stuck with bad characterzation and slott playing favorites for two more years? Well this is the worst news I’ve gotten in weeks.
How have sales numbers been on ASM 701-703?
Okay, at this point, I’m convinced that Christos Gage is just ghost-writing some of this.
Unfortunately, I think that Slott has around a few more arcs after Spider-Verse, with two of them being “mega” arcs on scale of something like Ends of the Earth and Goblin Nation. As much hype as there is around Spider-Verse, it just doesn’t strike me as being Slott’s “grand finale”. Stillanerd’s theory about the Living Brain housing the remnants of Otto’s consciousness makes sense, for as much as Slott wants us to think that Goblin Nation was the end of Otto’s story, to me, the end of Otto’s story is the end of SLOTT’S story. Otto has been integral to Slott’s run, so as long as Slott is writing, I’m not counting Otto out of the picture just yet.
We know Spider-Verse is going to be in the middle of its story once 2015 starts. If Slott has two major arcs after that, I could see him being on the book until June of 2016. I’d rather him not be on the book for that much longer, but I think it’s safe to prepare for the worst.
Is anyone besides me hoping spider-verse is slotts “grand finale” and hopefully walks away? I doubt it will live up to the hype not since spider-island have I been satisfied, but maybe this will somehow open his eyes to all the better incarnations of spidey throughout the years that he had no hand in and realizes he can’t compete and walks away.
Are the comments for the Emma Stone prank post turned off or something? I’m trying to post a comment for the umpteenth time and it just won’t show up. Grrrr.
Great review by the way. Have to admit that I do hope Slott will leave soon though. Time for someone new to give it a go.
John-Robin!
@#21 C-Spider31 — That is correct.
@3: I thought the reason why ASM is only coming out once a month is because the Learning to Crawl mini is taking up the slot for the second issue. I think I saw Slott say something like that on Twitter.
@18 – Here’s hoping Slott bows out after Spider-Verse and a new writer gets to take over the title. He’s had a long run, plenty of ups and downs. It’s just that when someone writes the book for this long, it gets rather stale and samey.
I know Marvel and Lowe would never do it, but I would love to see Peter David get an extended shot at Amazing Spider-man for once.
I just keep thinking that the Mephisto deal would explain a lot of the character-warping that has gone on in BND and Slott’s run. But I don’t think anyone in Marvel would use it as an explanatory device, because that would involve acknowledging that their writers wrote a lot of weird character behavior on purpose.
@10- Puny Parker- I can’t believe that.
Slott really needs to get his act together. He’s had way to much help for a workload that really shouldn’t be that stressful.
@#10- Are you kidding me on this?
I don’t doubt this, but Slott REALLY needs to get his act together. This is the third issue of the relaunch, he shouldn’t need this much help putting issues together. He’s only writing three books.
… why the hell is Mary Jane even in this book?[/rhetorical question]
And I’ve got no love for Black cat, but dayamn…. character assassination at it’s finest. You know Slott’s gonna devote countless pages to Peter trying to mend their relationship. Even after this…
… that Anna lady sure is a pretty good character. Too bad his shoddy portrayal of everybody else stops me from caring.
I was thinking of that scene as I was typing that, actually, and really, it’s bad when Slott acknowledges that flaw early on in that story and STILL references once the story is over.
@#7 Franz — “Especially in light of the fact that her identity has been known for years; it’s not like Ock outed her at all. She’s done time and has been pardoned which means the authorities (and by extension almost everyone would have access to the information due to reporting etc) have to know her true identity. What, did the mind-wipe mess up somehow and wipe that from people’s memories too?”
Thank you so much for reminding me of this, Franz, because that also explains just why Black Cat’s heel turn doesn’t work–something which I had addressed in my “Nerdy Nitpicks” section of the Amazing Spider-Man #1.
“I sense a plot device to bring back Doc Ock’s memories and have them go viral – just please Slott, don’t have Doc implant his brain in Anna-Maria’s head, I actually like her as a supporting character.”
I’m kind of getting that feeling as well; reminds me of that “Master Programmer” story during those Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider issues.
“I missed something though; exactly why was MJ at the scene of the fire already? Pedro didn’t seem to be in danger that long, and even if it was “on the news” as a live broadcast, would MJ have had time to get there just as Peter brought him out to the ambulance? What is she, stalking the FDNY just so she can be on the scene? Just a cheap plot device to shoehorn the “maybe MJ was right” sentiment.”
Good points.
@#10 PunyParker — I did not know that. Thanks for the info, PP! And for everyone else, here’s a link to the Tweet in question: https://twitter.com/Christosgage/status/481792738203934720
@#12 Phantom Roxas — Well, as I mentioned in the review, PR, I did find the scene where Spidey using “SpOck-speak” to be amusing, but even so, you’re absolutely right. Because as you say, pointing out a flaw in a story doesn’t automatically get rid of that flaw–it just calls even more attention to it. And the thing, this isn’t even the first time Peter mentioned how no one seemed to notice how “he” was talking like Doc Ock. Back in Superior Spider-Man #2, when SpOck was out on a date with Mary Jane, Ghost Peter said: “[Doc Ock] is saying super villain stuff! How can no one see through this?”
Well said @12.
“Did I really talk like that for months and no one noticed?”
You know, Slott, if you have Peter outright call out how no one would have noticed, it means that you’re acknowledging a fault in Superior Spider-Man being able to go on for as long as it did. Just because you have Peter point that out doesn’t mean it’s funny. It just means that you KNEW that part of your story didn’t work, and you just didn’t care. So, same as usual, I guess.
Has anyone noticed that Electro’s suit is practically a man-kini?
Cat’s costume did need a redesign because she was breaking the laws of biology, physics, and good taste whenever she appeared. Is it a good costume though? Hmmm
@9
It’s like really REALLY bad…..
Oh! and according to a tweet ,Gage scripted the issue…..he’s not credited,but he cleared it up via Twitter.
@#8 – Nope, as the day went on and I thought about it more, I liked it less and less.
Am i REALLY the only one who found that issue horrible?
Thought a B- was a generous grade. I actually came away thinking this issue was pretty terrible on almost all fronts.
Felicia’s behaviour is totally out of character- yes she’s gone off the rails a time or two and can be petty and vindictive but this is several levels beyond this and is just moustache twirling level of villainy. Especially in light of the fact that her identity has been known for years; it’s not like Ock outed her at all. She’s done time and has been pardoned which means the authorities (and by extension almost everyone would have access to the information due to reporting etc) have to know her true identity. What, did the mind-wipe mess up somehow and wipe that from people’s memories too?
Anna-Maria working with the nanotech behind Peter’s back? Hmm, and the living brain seeming to be more than just a robot? I sense a plot device to bring back Doc Ock’s memories and have them go viral – just please Slott, don’t have Doc implant his brain in Anna-Maria’s head, I actually like her as a supporting character.
I missed something though; exactly why was MJ at the scene of the fire already? Pedro didn’t seem to be in danger that long, and even if it was “on the news” as a live broadcast, would MJ have had time to get there just as Peter brought him out to the ambulance? What is she, stalking the FDNY just so she can be on the scene? Just a cheap plot device to shoehorn the “maybe MJ was right” sentiment.
Positives: I didn’t hate Ramos’ art this issue, but as the review said, he is better at the fast action art and that took up the greatest part of this issue.
Still a C in my book though.
@#2 George Berryman — I’m almost at the brink of thinking, “Maybe MJ should’ve gone with Carlie on that road trip to Florida.” 😛
@#3 QuilSniv — Thanks you, good sir! With regards to the once a month Amazing Spider-Man, I do believe it will be going back to a twice a month schedule in October. Only, now that you mention it, it does seem rather conveniently timed for the upcoming “Spider-Verse,” doesn’t it?
@#5 AndrewRoebuck — Thanks, Andrew! That is a good point you raise about MJ being “attracted to danger” as, based on her first appearance, she was indeed someone who craved fun and excitement, which could very well be why she was initially attracted to Spidey because he seemed fun and exciting, as well as mysterious. But as soon as she got to know Peter, that’s when she genuinely feel in love with the man rather than the idea. Still, the idea that she knows what kind of danger Ollie will be in vs. Peter’s does go into the notion that the real reason MJ is dating Ollie is because she wants a relationship with Peter without the superhero baggage but, because she can’t get that, she’s subconsciously settling for someone who reminds her of him right down to having the exact same first name.
As for the Black Cat’s new costume? Even though I was joking about it, I like it just fine, although I seriously do think the cat eyes are a bit distracting.
Good review Stillanerd, and you are rocking it on the podcast as well!
As for the Ollie/MJ relationship I would say that MJ has always been attracted to danger, but its more of an abstract sense. With Ollie she knows he will be in danger, but she also knows what the danger is. With Peter there are a insurmountable amount of crazy complex dangers that can come into play without her knowing who the real villain is half the time. I agree MJ has been written poorly thus far into Slott’s run but this issue in particular didn’t do anything unforgivable to me haha.
What did you think of the design of the Black Cat’s new costume?
Anyways good work all around…as always of course.
I haven’t seen that Tim Sale variant until now. I like it.
Good review, Stillanerd. I agree wholeheartedly with Black Cat and MJ’s problems; as George said, send her back to LA like she wanted to do in Spider-Island. Also, did you notice that the release schedule has gone from two to one issue per month? I don’t know if Slott’s stalling to release Spider-Verse on the exact date he promised, or is busy with both Spider titles, She-Hulk and Silver Surfer. Either way, I was really ticked that it kept getting pushed back every week. And, I mentioned this in Andrew’s review, but I was freaked out by that one Jonah panel. Other than that, I thought the art was fabulous. And good prediction there: I was reading the issue on my way home from work, having dropped by my local comic shop, and when Jameson joined the Fact Channel, I was like: I feel like I’ve seen somebody predict this before…
Either way, excellent review stillanerd, and I can’t wait to see more of your reviews!
Oh FFS, that MJ stuff. Just send her to the west coast again until a new writer comes on. This is painful to watch. o.O
You hit the marks right on the head about Black Cat and even how she found Electro. I have been a Black Cat fan for years and this… this is not Felcia, this is a Skrull from 2008 who thinks they are Felcia Hardy. Also, I agree with Silk, if her face is mutated from the spider bite then, ok hide her face but it she ends up normal and a brand new never seen character. Why are you hiding her face?