Amazing Spider-Man, No. 578. This is yet another Marvel Comic that has wormed its way back onto my must-buy list. After the artistic abortion that was Civil War, I thought Spider-Man was going to be eternally dead to me. But Marvel pulled a DC, and pressed the magic do-over button, in the form of some mystic mumbo-jumbo that changes history so that Pete never revealed his identity to the world. Part of the deal was that the part about marrying Mary Jane never happened ever.
Yeah. I know.
But it worked.
Spidey is better than ever. Pete is still the nerdy guy struggling with keeping a job and the other mundane tasks of life while trying to live up to the responsibilities great power bestows.
This issue opens with Webhead sitting in the rain on a ledge under a make-shift web umbrella trying to enjoy some Chinese takeout. He’s got to get across town to meat up with Aunt May, but he doesn’t have money for subway fare. He finds a lost fare card and is on his way. He meets up with a hot model who just happens to need someone who can take pictures.
But Pete’s luck is true to form, and the subway explodes. He runs into an old villain and a family member of another.
The action flows nicely, and Spidey is as full of quips as ever.
All and all, writer Mark Waid and artist Marcos Martin turned in a fine effort.
This makes the third ASM in a row I took home with me.
Terra, No. 1 and No. 2: How long has it been since this new version of Terra appeared appeared for the first time in the pages of Supergirl? I forget. It was so long, I had forgotten to keep an eye out for this new title. And I WAS keeping an eye out for it. That issue was probably the best issue yet of the uneven Supergirl title, and almost perfectly presented lighthearted, whimsical version of the Girl of Steel.
So I was surprised when I saw issue No. 2 on the “new this week” section, and pleasantly surprised when I saw issue No. 1 in the “past issues” wall. In fact, I was so surprised, I accidentally bought two copies of No. 2. I hate it when that happens.
“Terra” is brought by the same artistic team — well, the penciler for sure, I’m not sure about inker and writer. And the “good girl” art style is great, perfect for the “guest star,” the super-endowed Power Girl, who is drawn like a Nazi dominatrix in virtually ever other DC comic in which she appears.
Issue No. 2 is an especial treat, as the title character prances around naked for the first three pages. And Kara leans over a lot, which is always nice.
The story? Frankly, I found it to be standard super-hero fare without a lot of character development. And here is something I’d like to see once in a while: A doctor OTHER than Dr. Mid-Nite treating an injured superhero. At least Mr. Terrific wasn’t called in to consult.
All in all, a good effort from Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor.
Coming soon, reviews of the most recent Supergirl and Legion of Superheroes.
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