Panel by Panel: Macking on Brand New Day? the back-ups

Hey guys if you missed my last post about the main feature of Amazing #546, feel free to look it over. I take a less biased approach there.

Hey, taking about biases, let's get to - the back-ups! There were five features. Three of them were short stories, one of them was a spread outlining Spidey's current life, and the last was a note from the editor.

This was the first back-up. Marvel originally released this prior to the comic's release (for damage control over OMD, obviously). When it first hit me, I got incredibly hurt. It felt like this page was rubbing in my face that Peter isn't the same person I knew anymore. =(.

But you gotta admit, John Romita Jr. (the penciller) is nice. When I first read Spider-Man, this guy's art was what I saw =). . . although Spidey's eyes could stand some sharpening. I'm anal about the mask's eyes like that.

But Osborn? Harry Osborn? That just gives Peter another reason to party all day =(.

Where is Scott Hanna (the usual colorist for John Romita Jr.)? Where is he? Why couldn't he do this? Him, Johnny and Janson make a great team.

But yeah, this back-up was depressing.

Then you get a taste of the next three writers. Marc Guggenheim and Greg Land team up on a Jackpot story, where she basically saves a speeding truck from the menace of, uh. . . Menace. It's some pretty nice narration.
Guggenheim's arc (which will be next month!) will focus on Jackpot, I've heard. Good. I want to hear about that. I also like Salvador Larroca's art. With a good colorist, that guy can rock the pages.
People complain about Greg Land. He used to just photo-reference but now, he's doing full-blown tracing. And what's the guy tracing? PORN. Yikes.
Generally, I'm against that, but you couldn't really glean that from the back-up, so I'm cool with it.

The next back-up featured Aunt May. Aunt May! I can't believe I'm getting excited about Aunt May! A guy called "Freak" hides out at May's soup kitchen (called FEAST). One of his eyes is hazel; the other is blue. He's a shady guy.
You rock Aunt May! I'm glad that she's being portrayed as competent and not just a worrying mother figure.

Well, she nudges the man that with all his jewelry, he's bound to make a donation to the FEAST. With all the people staring at him, the man has no choice to. Thereafter, he grumpily leaves.
Aunt May!

The writer for this was Bob Gale. You might recognize him as the writer of Back to the Future? I don't know much about him, but I certainly enjoyed this short story.

The penciller was Phil Winslade. He pencilled the 2002 Howard the Duck miniseries! Cool.

The last back-up featured Osborn. Harry Osborn.
Ugh. Harry represents a part of Peter's life that I think Peter is past. Apparently, Marvel begs to differ =(.

Mr. Hollister begrudgingly accepts Harry's help in running for Mayor, which is pretty cool. Harry admits his dad's past, and shows that it's all water under the bridge. Then Lily comes by, and harry spookily says, "Harry Osborn doesn't ask for anything." Spooky.

In the other two back-ups, we saw cameos of the creators' villains. Gugenheim and Menace, and Gale and Freak, but Wells and. . . who?