Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 Reviews

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Amazing Spider-Man # 12
We don't have any lame villains in this issue like we did last month. In fact we have six of my all time favorites. Unfortunately, almost all of them have a back story that is distracting to the reader. Starting off with the positives. I kind of like the new mystery with Mysterio. Is he dead, or is this a fake? It actually adds to the character in my opinion. But this could just be a mistake between the Marvel Knight office and the Spider-Office.
Second, I can't stand Kraven in the Sinister Six. I know he's not the real deal, but I have always hated this long lost son. It's a cheap writers way out to use the villain and is a travesty to the "Kraven's Last Stand" storyline. Howard Mackie didn't invent this Kraven problem, but is adding to it by using this lame character.
The other travesty to past works was the use of Electro in that awful blue suit from his "Chapter One" days. This falls on John Byrne for ignoring 35 + years of continuity and suddenly deciding for Electro to put on that costume. Steve Ditko's Electro costume is the best and only outfit Electro needs.Sheesh!
The only good thing about this Six reunion is the addition of Venom. It's nice to see Venom as a baddie with a mad-on for Spidey.
So what did this issue deal with? Well we have a plot by the Sinister Six to kill Senator Ward who has formed a partnership with Doc Ock. Then a back story involves Mary Jane's stalker getting bit closer. It sure is a shame to see Mackie either A) Write Mary Jane as a bitch or B) Make her a helpless superhero wife by making her cry all the time. Mackie chose to use letter "B" in here. "So Howard Mackie, is that your final answer??" Sorry I had a Regis moment. He needs to read the Spider-Man newspaper strip by Stan Lee to see how MJ needs to be written.
So overall I'm giving this book two out of four web heads. Clear up the barnacles that are on the old villians,fix the MJ situation and you might have an enjoyable comic.
So ends the first year of the re-boot. Here's hoping year two has less peaks and valleys.

Amazing Spider-Man # 11

Just like last month, we have another lame villain putting Spidey in a compromising situation. Seriously folks, the Blob is about as lame as they come. How would you like it if you lived in the Marvel Universe and your only known superpower was the ability to be fat? I think I already have that superpower, especially after a few visits to Taco Bell. After those visits I'm also know as "Gasious Man," but I digress...
Ok, the likes of the issue first. I enjoyed the MJ plot line. Evidently her stalker is a big player and is able to blow up streets to give her a message. Also he/she knows of every location she is at. This plot is shaping up nicely. Now to the dislikes, and they outweigh the likes.
Byrne was off this month. His pencils were just plain lazy. For an example of laziness go to the page where Peter enters J.Jonah's office. We have the infamous "floating head shot" at the bottom. Now Byrne wasn't the only one lazy this issue. Mackie couldn't think of a reason for the Blob appearing so the Blob explains his appearance by "just being bored."
So for this, anything but "Amazing" issue, I'm giving two out of four web heads.

Amazing Spider-Man # 10

This has got to be one of the lamest villains ever introduced. Not only is Captain Power a generic name, but he has one of the worst costumes ever. I wonder how long it took Byrne and Mackie to come up with this lame-O? Ever notice when a villain is lame, he always has the hero in a compromising situation on the cover?
Anyway this character was once one of Doc Ock's lab assistants and is just now getting around to extracting revenge. Also there is some confusion what gender this Captain Power character is. Is it female or male? I'm not checking.
The only saving grace from total no spider-heads was the artwork and private life of Spidey. We finally had some development on Peter's new job. It hasn't been seen for a long time. Also the Mary Jane stalker storyline continued and we got a better look at who this person is. In my opinion is going to involve Jill Stacey somehow. Perhaps an ex-boyfriend of hers or something. Never trust a girl named Jill. Trust me, I know from personal experience.
Only one and a half Spider-heads on this one. A really lame villain can be used to a writers advantage. Just ask Peter David and his use of the Toad in Amazing Spidey # 266.

Amazing Spider-Man # 9

Mackie and Byrne try to capitalize on the "chapter one" storyline to bring us this modern day story. Yeah right, as if "chapter one" was something to be proud of.
Evidently someone is killing off all the witnesses of that tragic science experiment that Peter Parker was at and got bit by a radioactive spider. Before that storyline happens, we have the standard Spidey story of him rescuing people out of a burning building fare. Been there, done that.
The MJ phone stalker continues and it seems the stalker was able to find out where MJ was staying during vacation. Hmmm, I wonder who knew that bit of info? The only one I can think of is Jill Stacey. There is a big debate breaking out in my message board concerning the persons id,so add your two cents there if you want.
I have to say Byrne's penciling seemed a bit off. The pencils seemed rushed and there really wasn't much excitement to them. This can also be attributed to Mackie's less than thrilling script. This is average Spider-fare. So for that we give the infamous two out of four web heads. Perhaps Byrne's pencils will get more attention now that "Chapter One" is almost over.

Amazing Spider-Man # 8

Mackie and Byrne's "What If" world turns out to be a sham created by Mysterio. Surprisingly, there were no guest stars in this issue, a step in the right direction. However, for every step forward we seem to step two back.
It's a shame how Mackie is writing Flash Thompson. The character presented here was straight out of the 1960s. The character has grown and matured since his high school days of picking on Peter Parker. However, Mackie is reverting him back to that childhood bully. A shame for such a major supporting character. If Mackie wants to read how Flash should be written he should pick up Adam Troy-Castro's Spider-Man novel "The Gathering of the Sinister Six."
Over all this was a poor book and did nothing to advance any of the characters. Nothing was mentioned about Peter's new job. Nothing was advanced concerning Peter and Mary Jane's relationship. Nor was it mentioned what Aunt May and Mary Jane are doing in this comic when their on vacation. No mention of the mysterious phone calls. For all intents and purposes this could have been written as a "What If" title, not Spidey's flagship title. One and a half web heads out of four.

Amazing Spider-Man # 7

Writer Mackie and penciler Byrne are so desperate to give Spidey another team up, they in fact create another reality. I guess Spidey's gone through all the characters in the Marvel Universe in his relaunch huh? Time for alternate universe team ups.
In this pitiful "What If" type story we have Spidey partnered with friend Flash Thompson. The duo then proceed to thwart the evil doings of Doctor Doom, while working in another guest appearance by the Fantastic Four. To top it off the Avengers stop by to congratulate Spidey and Flash of a job well done. The duo then get the keys to NYC by none other than Norman Osborne.
This is a pathetic book to say the least. We have no development in the "real" Spidey's life. No advances in plot, no advances in character development. It seems as though Mackie and Byrne decided to take a month off and create a new alternate "reality" to play with. Perhaps the real Spider-verse is too complicated to write and pencil, so their taking the easy way out. Either way this was a rip off, and yet again a waste of potential. This comic is getting one and a half Spidey heads out of four. The only reason it gets a half is because of the cliffhanger ending. Go read Webspinners for a true Spidey story!

Amazing Spider-Man # 6

What a promising start on page one and two. Byrne gives us a great 2 page spread of Spidey swinging in NYC and capturing two criminals. Byrne is a great artist and if his creativeness is aimed in the right direction, he can be spectacular, or is that Amazing?
The plot of this comic involved the new, evil Spider-Woman, and her creator Doc Ock. It's always great to see Doc back in these pages. Another plus was the mystery phone calls MJ was receiving. Good tension on the writing about MJ's secret and Peter's hiding of his web slinging. However there were a few downfalls to this once great title.
The inclusion of the new, good Spider-Woman to be sure. It's still sad that Mackie and Co. are trying to spin off a new character inside a just re-booted book. The "Jenny Jones" make-over of Aunt May is pathetic. It's the equivalent of giving the Avengers Alfred a toupee and making him look 20 years younger. Plain and simply Aunt May is to look old. She is not supposed to have a new Jennifer Aniston hair dew.
This was once again an average comic, with nothing particularly Amazing about our web head. So an average two out of four Spidey goes to this latest adventure.

Amazing Spider-Man # 5

Oh man another guest star., why am I not surprised? Spidey once again has to share his flagship title with Spider-Woman III. So let me get this straight; Spider-Man was rebooted to focus on other aspects of the Marvel Universe? To spin-off another title? New readers were supposed to be drawn in with the reboot, instead they have to know about the "Gathering of the Five", which was one of the worst storylines, to understand Spider-Woman's origin? I'm a 20+ year Spidey fan, and I can't understand this mess!
Spider-Woman is confronted by get this, another Spider-Woman. Couldn't Mackie think of a more original name?
The other bad aspects of the comic were Aunt May acting like Peter were a teenager again. She never acted like this before she died. Only in the Marvel Universe would that last sentence make sense.
The only good thing about this comic was Peter hiding his secret from MJ. She thinks he's given up being Spider-Man for good. This could lead to some good tension, but I think MJ works best when she supports Peter and his web swinging. Two web heads out of four. Still we are residing in mediocrity.

Amazing Spider-Man # 4

More guest stars, and more lost potential. This comic reminded me of the first vol of "What If". In that reality Spidey joined the FF and they were called the "fantastic five."
The main problem with this title was the lack of focus on Spider-Man. It's his flagship title, but he had to share it with a guest spot from the FF. He's had to share his title since issue issue 2. First there was Thor,then Ice-Man and now the FF. Please stop with the guest stars. The re-boot was to focus on Spidey not the rest of the MU.
There was only one good point in this issue, and that being the Sandman. I've always disliked him being a good guy, and this issue he's back to his evil ways. He's a great villain and deserves to returned to that status. Still this comic cannot be saved from mediocrity. Two web heads out of four.

Amazing Spider-Man # 3

Well page 3 of this comic says a lot about Spidey as of late. On that page Spidey lands right smack on his butt. This issue was continued in the "Marvel Team Up" tradition and had another guest star. Why can't Spidey shine in his solo title, without a guest star? I thought the Thor guest shot was a one time deal, but it seems guest spots are here to stay. The Fantastic Four are scheduled for issue 4.
This issue revealed the id of Shadrac and had the evil Dolman collaborating with him. I have no idea who Dolman is, anyone have a clue? Plus why do we have so many references to the Gathering of the Five with a new relaunch. I thought relaunches were suppose to be clean slates, not rehashes of past material.
Another distressing aspect of this issue was the lack of supporting characters. Mary Jane, Aunt May, the Daily Bugle, all were nowhere to be found. Not a good follow-up to an already weak issue of a new run. 2 out of 4 web heads.

Amazing Spider-Man #2

Well Mackie and Byrne are back with the introduction of the villain Shadrac. Evidently this bad boy was created during the "Gathering of the Five" storyline. Shaddy goes to Osborne industries and looks for the main dog himself, but is met with opposition by the new Spider-Girl....Woman. Evidently the young girl got the superpowers that Norman was looking for.
A stronghold of the Spider-titles for years has been its supporting cast. Luckily it seems that Mackie is trying to revisit that with Pete's new job and fellow co-workers, Jill Stacey, and Mary Jane.
This issue is getting two and a half Spidey heads for a few reasons. 1) It was a foregone conclusion that Peter would get in the webs again. So suspense is out the window. 2) The cut back of Mary Jane's role in the book. I wish she would become more involved. She's a popular character, and if written correctly is a joy. 3) I don't like the Parkers new Pad. I'm sure this modeling paycheck Mary Jane is getting will be gone, and they'll move into a more modest home. Still I don't like the fact that it's so predictable

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 # 1

Well, Byrne has an inker over his pencils and they look much better than Chapter One. This story opens with the Human Torch calling Spidey out of hiding. Spidey has really hung up the webs for months now and Pete is enjoying life .
He's got a new snazzy apartment paid for by Mary Jane's modeling career. Aunt May is back, where she should be, right at Peter's side. And all seems to be well until a new Spider-Man shows up to thwart the newly costumed Scorpion.
The cons of the issue were the Scorpion's new duds. Wow that's the worst make-over I have ever seen. Jenny Jones wouldn't be proud of this one. Another con was the backup story. Sure it was cute but out of place. If we have to pay for a double sized issue, I want double the story. Being in a generous mood, I'll give Spidey 3 Spidey heads out of 4 on this one. Welcome back Peter we've missed you.

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