Amazing Spider-Man #652 - Mobile Edition

Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #652
By Colin Andersen
Jan 19, 2011 - 21:39

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Dan Slott
Penciller(s): Stefano Caselli
Colourist(s): Edgar Delgado
Letterer(s): Joe Caramagna
$3.99 US

I have been a huge supporter of Spider-Man’s move out of Brand New Day to Big Time. I was really excited to for good old Peter Parker to finally start getting his life back together and get out of his dark story lines and back to some lighter toned stories. Dan Slott’s first arc as the lone writer of Spider-Man did a great job of putting a lot of the fun back into Amazing Spider-Man even if there was some somewhat convenient moments to help establish Peter’s new status quo. Despite that, it was a very strong start to the new direction.

Issue #652 marks the first issue of the second story arc that Slott has been building up in a back story over the last few months. It really kicks into high gear this issue and, for anyone that knows much about some old-school Spider-Man stories or were fans of the nineties animated series will appreciate the familiarity of the story. The new plot revolves around Alistair Smythe’s return with his new insect army and Mac Gargan, back as a more advanced Scorpion, at his side attempting to finally destroy the Jameson family. The story is definitely nothing new for the Spider-Man fan, but it is sure entertaining nonetheless. There’s just something amazingly entertaining about an army of human jumping spiders taking over a space shuttle launch site. The action is quick, kinetic and fun. There are some wonderful scenes that really drive home that, for the first time in a long time, Peter Parker is truly happy with his life.
    That being said, this issue definitely is not perfect. There are some really strange character moments to be found here, particularly in Mary Jane. I know that it was recently established that Mary Jane still loves Peter, but her moments of intense jealousy seemed very out of place. She’s never showed any signs of jealousy towards Carlie Cooper before and it just seemed very out of left field. I just hope this doesn’t lead to any romantic tension or some kind of love triangle with Mary Jane anytime soon; with how long Marvel has been trying to push the separation between MJ and Peter, it would be a shame to start unraveling the progress they’ve made. Luckily, most other characters fare much better and Peter especially is spot on. It was also nice to see Peter back in the red-and-blue suit after they crazy invisibility black-and-green shenanigans of the last two issues. As a side-note, I do not believe that Peter Parker could bloody his nose just from walking into a glass door; I feel that Spider-Man should be able to take more of a beating than a door could give out.
    Stefano Caselli steps in for art on this particular story and, for the most part, does an amazing job. His insect army actually looks like humanoid insects and they look intimidating. The only problem is that some of them (especially Scorpion) look almost too bulky. Scorpion’s new armor looks extremely clunky and like he would have difficulty moving, which would not be a good thing when someone like Spider-Man. He also looks like a reject from his work on Secret Warriors but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I do have to say that I loved Caselli’s take on Spider-Man himself; he looks every bit as skinny and flexible as he should while still making him look powerful. Edgar Delgado adds some very vibrant colors to the mix as well that help Caselli’s work really pop and even allow it to distinguish itself a bit from Secret Warriors. Overall, this is some good work.
    This story is shaping up to be a delightful throwback to some of the crazier and more fun stories of the 60’s (even referencing one such story). It has a few hiccups here and there but none that are impossible to overlook. It’s too early to tell whether or not to say if this story is better than the last, but if it ends being anywhere near as good as that one, then I will be happy. So far, Dan Slott is doing an excellent job of making Amazing Spider-Man his book and I look forward to the next issue.

Rating: 8.5/10