By Fred Van Lente (writer) Paulo Siqueria (pencils), Amilton Santos (inks) Jeremy Cox (colors)
After reading almost a year’s worth of Amazing Spider-Man (ASM) in the “Brand New Day Era,” I have come this conclusion: Plot-driven ASM stories are terrible (just look at the “Character Assassination” arc that wrapped up last week), while issues that just allow Spidey to be who he is and react to situations as they arise, make for excellent tales.
Case in point is this week’s ASM #589 written by Fred Van Lente with pencils by Amilton Santos. The story essentially has no purpose, nothing it needs to say, no editorial boxes to check, but instead features Spidey reacting to the arrival of his old enemy the Spot during a stakeout on Russian mobsters. And by allowing Spidey to be “in the moment” with out needing to uncover or further any larger plot threads, we are treated to classic Spider-Man fun: great humor and action.
I think I’m like a lot of ASM fans who are tired of reading about Spidey’s new life and cast (which both leave a lot to be desired) and are just itching for some good solid stories. Interestingly, most of the good stories don’t come from the official Spidey “brain trust,” but rather from fill-ins writers, like Van Lente, Joe Kelley, and Roger Stern.
In this issue there is some really attentive and intelligent writing. For example, Van Lente acknowledges through Spidey’s inner monologue that Spot, with his inter-dimensional powers, is potentially a huge threat and a monster of a villain, just as it dawns on the reader. It’s this lack of laziness on Van Lente’s part that has been missing from way too many Spidey stories of late, which seem largely lethargic efforts by staff writers. Additionally, I can’t remember seeing a villain in ASM clearly and brutally murder people as the Spot does in this issue.
Comics, especially ASM issues, are supposed to make you laugh out loud. As mentioned above, a great part of this issue was Spidey’s humor, which has been M.I.A. lately. You can’t beat Spidey imitating Batman and referencing Cristain Bale’s voice, as he does in this issue. Classic stuff. It was also extremely funny when Spidey tries to read Spot’s hand written note.
I am unfamiliar with Siqeira’s work, but I really enjoyed his style. A lot of interesting inner and outer panel juxtapositioning with great attention to detail, exemplified in clear action scenes.
My one complaint about this issue is that Spot’s character was a little ambivalent. I wasn’t fully convinced that his motivations wouldn’t warrant him trying to knock off Spidey along with the rest of his targets. Also, I was more than a little confused with some of the dimensional stuff, namely, how Spidey got out of a pocket dimension and how he himself was able to seemingly move the gateways, Spot’s spots, around with his hand.
Over all, this is an excellent issue and I hope to see this team on more ASM runs down the road. Check it out!
Grade: B+
-Rob G.
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man # 589, Amazing Spider-Man # 589 Review, Amazing Spider-Man Review, Amilton Santos, ASM, Comic Book Reviews, comic books, Fred Van Lente, Jeremy Cox, Marvel Comic Book Reviews, Marvel Comics, Paulo Siqueria, Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Weekly Comic Book Review
