Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #537 Review

Amazing Spider-Man #537
Title: The War at Home Part 6 of 7
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Penciler: Ron Garney
Inker: Bill Reinhold

Plot: A prostitute recognizes Peter at his motel hideaway and sells him out to the Kingpin’s people. Though in prison, Wilson Fisk’s salami-like fingers still pull a few strings, and he directs an associate through sly innuendo to give Peter Parker what’s coming to him.
Meanwhile, Captain America, concerned over the attention likely drawn by the previous night’s televised address by Spidey, arranges a meeting with the webhead on some rooftop. The Falcon warns Cap that Spider-Man might still be manipulated by Stark and not even know it, but the captain risks contact nonetheless. He congratulates our hero on his bravery and gives him a nice, long lecture on the true meaning of patriotism before taking him back to headquarters to prepare for the final battle.
The Kingpin’s associate drops a sniper off near the motel instructing him to kill Peter Parker or, if he isn’t home, anyone else who’s there. The sniper acknowledges his assignment, shoots the henchman so there’ll be no direct connection between him and the job, and sets up shop in an adjacent building. Peter isn’t home, so the gunman sets his sights on Mary Jane and Aunt May instead. The crosshairs meet right on MJ’s stomach.

Likes:

– What a cliffhanger! That final page is symbolic of the general feeling among fans who fear the open contempt for Mary Jane and Peter’s marriage held by Marvel’s editors has numbered the redhead’s days. My hunch is that this is just a tease, but I’m on the edge of my seat.

– For once, Ron Garney carries the issue and not JMS. His bold penciling and creative panel lay-outs save the magazine from being dull. Some of the drawings are downright iconic here, especially a full-page picture of Captain America that stands out as one of the most stirring images I’ve seen of that character for some time. The inker and colorist deserve their share of the credit too, of course.

– The Kingpin’s moment was excellent. It’s a shame JMS uses classic villains so rarely since he writes them so perfectly.

Dislikes:

– The cover lies! No, Spider-Man does not charge into battle with Captain America and the Punisher in this issue. Instead, we have yet another 22 pages of people standing around talking about their political philosophies. Now, I must admit that Captain America’s speech in this installment is the most powerful and inspiring yet from any Civil War tie-in, but does anyone actually care at this point? Or would we rather something … oh, I don’t know … happen in a comic book we’ve waited six weeks for?

Favorite Quote: Captain America: “When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world ‘No, you move.’”

Rating: 3 webs out of 5. Well written and drawn filler.

Reviewed By: CrazyChris