The Amazing Spider-man #669

Marvel Comics
The Amazing Spider-man #669
By Hervé St-Louis
September 27, 2011 - 19:33

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Dan Slott
Penciller(s): Humberto Ramos
Inker(s): Carlos Cuevas
Colourist(s): Edgar Delgado
Letterer(s): Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist(s): Huberto Ramos
$3.99 US

With Manhattan filled with Spider-men, heroes have to maintain order to contain the plague. The source of the infection, however, has been found and there may hope to inoculate all of humanity before the infection spreads. But the villains allied with the Jackal that have planned this viral attack have other plans and want the contagion to spread all over the world.

It’s been difficult for me to read this storyline because of the artwork by Humbertos Ramos. I can’t stand to look at characters with elongated limbs and trunks that make Mannerist paintings seem proportionate. The pages are so filled with stuff that it’s difficult to read the action and really figure out what’s happening within. For some readers, how Ramos plays with proportions and stretches the elasticity of a character is enjoyable. For me it is painful to read.

And that’s why this entire story was painful to read for me because the same type of pulling without a pause that characterizes Ramos’ work is also present in the script. Things move fast then stretch, then compress into a mess that makes it difficult to care for the characters. Still Slott understand Peter Parker’s voice and throughout the story, there are flashes of the eternal inner demons that affect the character. Here, he’s worrying about whether or not to tell his girlfriend Carlie about his secret identity. It was actually quite fun to see him stress over that again.

Rating: 6.5/10