Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #503 Review

Amazing Spider-Man #503 (#62)
“Chasing a Dark Shadow” Part One of Two
Writers: Fiona Avery & J. Michael Straczynski
Penciler: John Romita Jr. & John Romita Sr.
Inker: Scott Hanna
PLOT: It seems as though Spider-Man’s adventure through time alongside Dr. Strange in issue #500 had some lingering effects.  In this case, an ancient sorceress named Morwen finds her way into the real world and takes over a young woman’s body.  She promises to find the person responsible for her freedom, which would be Spider-Man, and pay him back.  Thor’s rival, Loki, also senses something is amiss.  He uses his occult powers to get out of Asgard, undetected, and makes his way to New York.  He witnesses Spider-Man talking to Morwen and confronts Spider-Man when she leaves.  Because Doctor Strange is nowhere to be found, he wants Spider-Man to work with him to send Morwen back where she came from.  Spider-Man declines, but is forced to work with him when Loki threatens to kill an innocent bystander.  They agree on a partnership, but only on the condition that nobody dies.
LIKES:

• Some people can’t stand Spider-Man being involved with magical and/or other dimensional landscapes, but I kind of like it.  It puts a wrinkle in the Spider-Man we all know, and puts him in some interesting scenarios.
• Avery does a better job the second time around in filling in for JMS.  She weaves a fun story in which we know Spidey is the good guy, Morwen is the bad(girl), and we have no freakin’ clue what Loki is up to.
• I believe that mystical type stories always bring out the best in John Romita Jr.  I bet he has all types of fun with all the weird characters and energies floating around

DISLIKES:

• This character seems too Shathra like.  This fact is even brought up in the story.
• There’s too much of Asgardian lore that I know nothing about.  What the heck is up with magic trees, rocks, and bridges???

RATING: 4 webheads out of 5.  Maybe not a Spider-Man traditionalist’s cup of tea, but I sure had a fun time reading it.

Reviewed by AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)