Amazing Spider-Man #546 is a good jumping-on point for people into comics already, but haven't kept up with Spidey in the last 2-3 years. It leaves a bad taste for people who've been reading for the past six years (ie: me). This is because Peter isn't the same. He feels more like a college student and not as mature.But at least the writing was smart. It's Dan Slott after all, and what do I have to say to him? I'll let the Brood talk for me:
Dan Slott! How can the writing NOT be smart? In the first two pages, we're set up to believe that Peter is a horrifically immoral person: Making out with a stranger, and then taking a gun to someone for money. The reader does a spit-take on his saltines and goes HOLY CRAP who is this guy posing as Peter Parker?
They are misconceptions, though, or at least not as blunt as they seem. For instance, the girl Peter was "macking on" actually pounced on him, Peter being unwilling. Her M.O. is to get into Harry's "entourage," to get into the best clubs and etc. . .
So Slott wanted to push all our buttons, especially since those two pages were released before the comic itself. Fortunately, those two pages aren't representative of Peter at all. What a relief!
Well, there's a lot of movement in the issue, and it was paced very well. The plot doesn't slow down at all. No signs of decompression over here. I approve of that part.
Steve McNiven is amazing as always. Check out all the Conway noses:
DEAR GOD THE NOSES WILL TAKE US ALL.
A last note about the art: we shouldn't ignore the inker, Dexter Vines and the colorist, Morry Hollowell. Vines does a sharp, precise inking which really gives everything a realistic tone, while Hollowell's coloring just plain makes everything look nice.
BUT!!!!
In one instance, when Carlie is in the nightclub, her hair is colored red, when it's been colored blonde everywhere else! I call shenanigans!
Hair color aside, art = pretty.
Let's see, flippin' thru the issue. . . oh, oh, the villain. The Spidey Braintrust (Gale, Guggenheim, Slott, Wells) decided that Spidey's classic villains were showing up too often (the Venom-Every-Week Initiative: Have YOU signed up?), so it was time to come up with some new villains.
Enter: Mr. Negative! He's a crimelord rising in New York's ranks. Mr. Negative comes out photo-negative if you see him. Mr. Negative likes using katana. Mr. Negative will f*** you up. Slott wants this guy to be a real baddie, and we see it when one of his cronies fails to uphold a
crooked deal with a crooked police officer (above):Hmmm. . . I wonder. . . could that tablet be a nod to Amazing 74, where that aging crimelord has a tablet translated to discover - the secret of immortality!
Every writer wants to make their mark on the Spider-mythos. JMS did that in his very first arc, which introduced the idea of the Spider totem and Morlun. I sure hope this doesn't hold true for Mr. Negative, because that means Spider--> grim/gritty --> me = sad=(.
Just some wild, hopefully (and probably) WRONG, speculation.
I have to say, I really like that Aunt May for once has something to do besides care for Peter. In the new status quo, she works at a soup kitchen called FEAST, aconymized from Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter and Training.
I also like that Carlie Cooper is a police officer. It means we won't be seeing her as a damsel in distress.
Jackpot (who must be MJ. She must.) appears for one panel, which makes me sad =(.
I approve of the use of thought balloons. Unlike in Mighty Avengers, they didn't get tiresome, and they sounded very natural.
All in all, we get a good sense of where Peter is in life right now, and after OMD, that's what the readers really needed.
There's a cliffhanger, and the proper set-up for it is the fact that the Bugle has been plummeting, possibly due to no Spider-appearances in NY for a month or two. Peter goes to the Bugle to collect some paychecks that Jonah owes him, until Jonah blows him off.
And then Peter blows his lid, and yells at Jonah for being ungrateful for all his Spidey pics, at which point Jonah blows his lid, and yells:
PARRR-
(clutches chest in heart attack)
-Kerrr-keh-kakk
(falls on floor).
Will Jonah die? How can Peter deal with this knowing that he caused it? Will he go to old-time friend Mephisto?
Even the Wolverine books?
Especially the Wolverine books.
Note: I really love that question mark with the Spidermask as the dot. It's so cute.
This issue was well-paced, had a good amount of jokes, accomplished what it was supposed to do, was attentive to Peter's past (as attentive as you can be after OMD, at least), had excellent art, and was a nice set-up to next ish.
This is a good issue if you can deal with the significant changes in Peter's character. I'm still trying to do that. He's not as mature as he used to be, and it's kinda painful to see him say things like, "No, seriously, this is so not fair!" Obviously, newer readers don't have to care about this, so this is indeed a brand new day (for them). =(.
Oh crap, the back-ups. I have a lots more blogging to do.
But I'm tired right now. Back-ups later, in the next post! So far, my verdict is:
for people who want Peter to not have regressed but to have stayed more mature and settled: two webheads out of five. (the stench of OMD lingers if you think this way)
for people who can deal with a less mature Peter, and are willing to overlook One More Day: five thwips out of five. (the stench of OMD? What stench?)
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