Ultimate Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man Annuals #3 and #35

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3

by Brian Bendis and David LaFuente

You know, this issue wasn't that bad. I just wish it were, well, better. It begins with Mary Jane thinking of going "all the way" with Peter, who says he wants to wait. Cue awkwardness.

Eh, after the main plot, they figure it out, kiss and make up. It's kind of ambiguous at the end what "make up" really means, but. . .

There wasn't much meat in this annual, but an interesting part here is that Mary Jane gets embarrassed after Peter says "Let's wait." She worries that she just repelled Peter away with the notion, but later on Peter says he loves her, and would be willing to wait the world for her. This is why I picked up the comic. This is what I wanted to see.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #35

by Marc Guggenheim and Mike McKone

The official numbering for this annual is "#1," but we all know that's a lie, so I'm putting up the alternate numbering from the cover: #35.

Deep breath. Okay. This is gonna be tough. We were all led to believe that, after One More Day, the emerging heroine Jackpot sounded an awful lot like Mary Jane Watson. How could we not, after all; MJ's very first words to Peter were--

But then, reading this comic, that's all misdirection and bunk. The TRUE origin and identity of Jackpot is pretty convoluted and quite distasteful. If I were more cynical, I'd say it's Marvel's attempt to get us to just forget about this whole Jackpot deal, but, well, screw 'em, here it is: it all begins with a little lady called

• Sarah Ehret. She went through all the training, she took part in the Initiative, and she was officially registered to become a full-fledged superhero.
• Except she changed her mind last minute, so she "gave" her position to one Alana Jobson. This meant Alana had the right to wear Sarah's costume, and while in costume, Alana's "secret identity" would be Sarah Ehret.
• Still with me? As it turned out, Alana didn't have any training, and she didn't take part in the Initiative, so she -sigh- shoots herself up with steroids and growth hormones for superpowers.

• This gets into some bad trouble, when the new super-villain, Blindside comes in. He temporarily blinds people by injecting a neurotoxin in them, and when he gets Jackpot -- her heart goes into myocardial infarction: a heart attack.
• Spidey pins the blame of Alana's death on Sarah, since Sarah unrightfully gave her the license to be a superhero. We get a cliffhanger with Sarah clutching Jackpot's costume.

This was better than Ultimate Annual in that it actually went through some real plot progression: someone dies, and we get the hint of someone else taking the mantle. This is worse in that, Mary Jane doesn't appear at all! Apparently, Marvel's gonna just keep yanking my chain about Peter and MJ, and I'm gonna keep paying 'em like a sucker.

But was it told well? It was told fine, but not well enough for me to recommend it.

Cover to Cover: Cosmo - Skrull's best friend???

Well, I finally get to looking at the stuff I got this week. Hopefully future weeks are less hectic, hm?

Amazing Spider-Man #572

by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr.

Here's where Stormin' Norman Osborn implements his special tracking device to aim at Spidey. Wherever his goonies shoot, the bullets'll go after the emitter in Spider-Man's costume! Bullseye goes with some goonies, and they end up raiding the Coffee Bean, which gets Peter in costume. There's a fight scene, then Anti-Venom saves Spidey. Pretty standard stuff, except for the cliffhanger ending.

I did not see that coming! I'm definitely psyched for next ish, but still disappointed that MJ hasn't appeared.

Birds of Prey #122

by Tony Bedard and Michael O'Hare

This is structured really similarly to the title up top there. Basically a lot of fighting, until the cliffhanger ending.

Now that is a cliffhanger ending.

You can check out a better review over here at Chibistomb, but yeah, I don't have much to say about it.

Guardians of the Galaxy #5

by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Paul Pelletier

Aw man, this is the Big Reveal. Apparently, Cosmo the telepathic russian astro-canine is in cohorts with the skrulls???? This must be misleading somehow. It's freakin' Cosmo! The only way I can cope with this is through denial: the skrulls must not be the world-conquering skrulls that I'm thinking about. Maybe they're refugees or something. 

Either way, I won't believe that Cosmo's been aiding the skrulls in the destruction of human civilization!

Other than that, Starhawk becomes a girl for some reason, then disappears into the time stream, and then Drax goes insane and figures that if he blows up the entire place and kills everyone, he won't have to worry who's a skrull or not. Makes sense if you're psychotic, I guess.

I didn't really like last issue, but this one was pretty strong.

Cover to Cover: Spidey's snapshot secret!

Hey-hey, another Wednesday, another batch of comics.

Er, make that one batch of comic, singular. There was only one title out this week that I wanted to get, and it was

Amazing Spider-Man #571
by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr.

With this baby, we're officially four-sixths through with "New Ways to Die," and I'm still peeved that we haven't gotten any MJ.

The Venom/Anti-Venom/Spider-Man fight comes to a halt here, as Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts interfere. Not much else really happens. There's an interesting bit when Menace gets angry at Osborn for using all his power, all his fame, just to get at Spider-Man. Menace apparently has bigger plans.

Harry has an emotional scene with his girlfriend, about her father's hospitalization, and their concept of "family," but that doesn't go anywhere.

But most importantly, we get to learn how Peter manages to take Spidey photos so well! Osborn finds Peter's camera in the fight scene, and figures it out:

Did you understand that? I had to read that panel a couple times to get it, but here's the gist: you know Spider-Man's spider emblem on his chest? There's apparently a tracking device on it, and the camera's lens tracks that emblem and keeps it dead center! Isn't that cool?

I'm wondering if MJ will ever show up now. Maybe next ish?

Anyways, stay tuned kids. I forgot to get some other issues last week, so we can get on those later.

Cover to Cover: How wacky is that!

So here I am, drinkin' my tea (chamomile) and readin' my comics (floppy).

That's what life is really about, kids. That is why this blog exists.

The Amazing Spider-Man #570
by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr.

Meh. This is the third part of the six-part "New Ways to Die!" and it's a big fight scene between Venom, Spidey and Anti-Venom.

Not much happens here. . . Well, Norman Osborn meets Menace, but that's a cliffhanger. There's some political stuff about the upcoming mayoral election, but that doesn't lead up to anything substantial in this issue. A nice twist was that, after purging Gargan of the symbiote, Anti-Venom detects minute traces in Spidey (right panel).

It's powerful, as long as we're worried about Spidey losing his powers. The thing is, I don't know about you, but I'm not, so it's not exactly that strong a twist.

You know, this would have been a perfect time to get Mary Jane back on the title. She's explicitly on the little promo poster:

but we're already halfway through the arc, and she isn't back yet! I want answers, Slott!

But. . . yeah. Hopefully next ish is meatier. Not much else to say for now.

(sips some tea)

Detective Comics #848
by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen

I just noticed it now, but in the logo for this comic, there's a "Batman" above the "Detective Comics."

How wacky is that???

(sips some tea, checks for any hallucinogens in it)

Anyways, I'm lumping the non-meaty comics together, and this one is one of them. It's also another "Part Three," this time in the five-part "Heart of Hush."

Basically, Batman has to deal with Scarecrow's, erm, scare tactics against a child, as Dr. Hush, erm, extracts Selina Kyle's heart from her body. This issue shows how Hush knows Batman's weaknesses so well: small children and Selina.

I'm not sure how I wanna take Selina's, er, operation. It sounds like such a ridiculous idea, and yet. . . she's in peril. I dunno.

Cover to Cover: How do you miss a glowing hand on your shoulder?

STUPID HUMIDITY.

Guardians of the Galaxy #4
by Abnett, Lanning and Pelletier

This is becoming more Battlestar Galactica, which was actually a pretty good TV show. I'm just not sure if it's the right mood for Guardians.

There's a lot more internal conflict here, like political power struggles, and conflicting team decisions. It just seems like no one trusts anyone anymore.

See, maybe in issue one this would've been done for comedic effect, but I'm not sure anymore.

This is a Secret Invasion tie-in, so I guess it's the Skrulls that are putting everyone on edge. This is certainly a change in tone from the previous issues, but I'm going to keep reading.

It's the same guys who write Nova, after all.


Amazing Spider-Man #568
by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. (back-up by Mark Waid and Adi Granov)

Aw man, so "New Ways to Die" begins here, which means I'm returning to Amazing for a while.

There's a nice little recap of Spidey's origin at the beginning, and I'm not sure how necessary that is, but hey, it's John Romita Jr. drawing some classic Spidey panels, so that's fine by me.

Spidey is still witty too, in his exchange with "Menace," who's yet another Green Goblin rip-off.

The plot is still really strong. In the fight with Menace, Peter discovers a sweatshop, and sends the photos not to the DB (because he quit it for moral reasons. Yay!), but to Front Line, which is run by reporter Ben Urich.

There are some foreshadowing scenes, and then we learn how Eddie Brock cured his cancer! Martin Li, AKA "Mr. Negative" runs the shelter where Eddie works, and he seems to transfer those spores into the bloodstreams of whomever he touches. Freaky. Could this be the birth of the new villain "Anti-Venom"?

This was a strong start-up issue. There are lots of developments in Peter's life, and they're all interesting to read. I'm wondering when MJ will get back in the arc, but I'm pretty impressed so far.

There's also a 10-page back-up by Mark Waid and Adi Granov. It's about Eddie's struggle with cancer, and it's worth your money. Adi Granov establishes the dark and pensive mood so perfectly, and Waid makes some spot-on narration.

Up next: Birds of Prey and Superman/Batman!

I hope my optimism isn't misplaced

I wanted to talk about this in last post, but I wasn't sure if anyone would read it, because it was so long-winded.

So here I am, blabbing my mouth about this month. Which is August. Which is the month that comes after July. Which is also the month that comes before September.

Which also turns out to be the month in which "Brand New Day Spider-Man: New Ways to Die" comes out.

It's the super-big arc that has the return of Venom and a new villain, "Anti-Venom."

It's also the return of the guy who was born to draw Spider-Man: John Romita Jr.!

And with Dan Slott (G.L.A.: Misassembled, She-Hulk) returning to the title, I'm reconsidering my ban from Amazing Spider-Man ever since One More Day.

I really hope that this is a good comic. I want to be able to enjoy Amazing Spider-Man again. Don't you, webhead?

ALSO: Ogle this two-page spread.


IS IT NOT INSANELY SEXY?!?!?!

Live from the Internet, it's Saturday Night Comics!

Continuing this week's comics!

Although I know most people only read the blogosphere during the weeks, I'd like to get these guys done before the next week, so let's get to it!

Amazing Spider-Man #561
by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin

I'm sure most everyone's made their opinion on this arc already who cares. I've been following for the past two issues, and as a vaguely devoted Spidey fan, I thought I should give my own opinion.

It's a tight plot; it's very well-paced; it makes some nods to the devoted fans; it's funny, but most importantly, it respects the characters.

Enter: Peter Parker choosing his personal morals over wealth and fame!

Yay morals!

That memory card contained photos of celebrity Bobby Carr with his mystery girl. Selling those photos would have brought more media grief to Bobby, but Peter chose to respect his privacy! While I don't like that PEter was doing it in the first place, I'm glad that Slott brought this up only as a plot point and an obstacle for Peter to overcome.

Here comes the delicious plot twist.

That "mystery girl" turns out to be MJ. In effect, Peter never gets to find out that she's in New York! This is the kind of writing that really gets at me; even when you do the right thing, you don't always come out on top.

It's gonna take some time for the two to find each other, but I think it's inevitable. I'll probably hang around only for Slott's arcs though, because 10 dollars a month is simply too much continuously.



Nova #14
by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Wellinton Alves

Note that the artist is Wellinton, no "g" in there. No "g"! You have no idea how many people get that wrong.

But we're talking about the comic today, so let's get on point here. Gosh, guys.

Here, Nova confronts the Devourer of Worlds himself, Galactus, and he faces his herald along the way. This opens the way for some great characterization of both Nova and Worldmind as foils of each other, one being survival-oriented and the other compassionate instead. An interesting thing here is how the Silver Surfer is treated. He's seen a few different approaches, from Stan's melancholic version (<--my favorite) to Englehart's cosmic-worldly person. Abnett and Lanning get to who he is, though, as a noble and compassionate man who still must obey his master. This is some strong characterization for a cameo appearance, and what any Surfer fan would want.

The interaction between Worldmind and Nova is sharp as always, and as the last Nova Centurion, we should be very glad that he has someone to talk with.

The only complaint I have is that the beginning fight between Nova and the Surfer takes up a good half of the issue, and that half is only made up of splash pages or three panels per page. Talk about decompression!

friendly neighborhood housekeeping

I have a HUGE reading pile, and having just finished up the school year, just noticed how much there is to blog!

I really wanna do some reviews today, but y'know what? Let's do something different, because, after all:

Well said, American Dream. Don't be a stranger to the blog now, y'hear?

My reading pile is kind of huge now. It ranges from early issues of Gail Simone's Birds of Prey to some portions of Essential Howard the Duck, not to mention the glut of Free Comics from Free Comic Book Day.

I'm kind of tired right now, and there's a huge pile of books on top of my scanner, and I feel compelled to show you some cool scans. I want to try to clean up and organize stuff today, but come tomorrow, I promise I'll whip out the scanner and talk about all kinds of stuff, from Fables #73 to Ultimate Spider-Man #122.

BUT!

That doesn't mean we can't talk about upcoming comics (because I already have the images on my computer)!

Specifically, John Romita Jr. coming up on Amazing Spider-Man. If you couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of his, and he was a gateway artist for me into comic books.

His Spider-Man will always be the iconic rendition for me, from the eyes right down to the (slightly anorexic) anatomy, to the head shape, to the fingers, to the everything else.

But of course, his style varies, so let's take a break from the hectic day-to-day thunder that we call LIFE to examine this variation. Specifically, let's talk about Romita in the Stracyznski era of Amazing and the transition to the BND era. Although our sight's a bit limited (preview pages are all I have!), that doesn't mean that there is no difference!

Naturally, a little promo page serves as evidence:

And now a panel from a preview page for Amazing 568:

You may squeal at any time of course, but let's keep it at our indoor voices, all right?

Look at these two and then compare it to the other two images above them. Let's size up the differences:

1) First of all, notice the muscle tone in the legs as well as his biceps. I think it's safe to say that they've been increased to make Spidey look less anoreexic. Good.

2) The coloring is a little drier, less dynamic than Scott Hanna's coloring, but I don't think that should really detract from the storytelling. I sure do miss Scott Hanna though.

3) And the biggest part of any Spidey costume: the eyes! The eyes always have it, and there's definitely a change here. The edges taper less and the curves aren't as strong. Compare the first spidey image and the last on this post, and you should notice a difference, much to my dismay.

I wish this change hadn't occurred, but that's just me being a purist tightwad. Maybe it's due to a different inker? Anyways:

4) Lastly, we should never forget the most important proponent in any Spidey comic: Peter Parker! We've yet to see any preview pages for the guy, but hopefully, he's not changed too drastically right?

Weekly reviews are comin' up, so sit tight, true believers.

4-Color Review: Guess who's back?

So it's night in Gotham city right? And you're a hoodlum, up against the wall, right? And Batman, no way is he letting hoodlums into Gotham, so he's staring right down into your face and he's got his arms right up above you. You can just see his eyes grimacing at you from behind that cowl. Face it; you're terrified, and you say "Crazy! You're crazy!" Batman responds,

Is that what they say?

That I'm crazy?

You nod furiously and say "Yeah. . . yeah. . ." as he leans even further forward towards you. The Dark Knight continues,

Then you know what that means.

It means there's no telling what I might do.

And. . . scene. This little flashback in Catwoman #79 was meant to show how Catwoman learned to interrogate people with fear, and quite frankly, it wasn't done so well. That dialogue from Batman sounded way too Millerian, and I'm talking ASBAR Millerian.

I'm really emphasizing this scene, because it's very out of Pfeifer's usual style of writing. Aside from that though, this month's issue of Catwoman was standard fun comic book action. Catwoman finds the culprit who took her home and possessions, "the Thief" while she was on the Hell Planet, but now she's back. . . With A Vengeance! The writing is very direct and anyone who can read should pick this up.

There was a particular smart part from David Lopez's art in subtly showing that Catwoman's gun was loaded with blanks, but the rest is Will Pfeifer having lots of fun with a female antihero, and lemme tell you, this is some good fun.

And check out the cover!

That cover is gorgeous! Everything about it is so right! Look at Selina's expression amid all of the neon lights of urban decay! It's great isn't it! And check out the use of the Catwoman banner! That's too clever! And the tail from her coat! She's finally back from the Hell Planet!


Amazing Spider-Man #560
by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin

Boy, the pacing on this issue was really fantastic. It seemed like something significant happened in every page, only some of which include Paper Doll's murdering spree, Peter's descent into celebrity photog sleaze, to JJJ's anger, to Dexter Bennett's manipulation, to Carlie Cooper's crush on Peter, to Peter's guilt over the murder to Peter being renamed "Scoopy."

Basically, a lot of stuff happens here, and I think Slott is really putting a lot of effort into Brand New Day. Also, an observation: he likes to make lots of plays on words, and I think it really works with Spidey here. Marcos Martin on art is really cool too; his style brings a nostalgic tone that very much fits Brand New Day, and he really knows how to use Spider-Man's anatomy to play up Spidey's acrobatic side.

I may not be fond of Brand New Day, but it is getting treated pretty well.

Oh, and I forgot to mention one small tidbit. It's only EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE ONE MORE DAY:

Note the allusion to Faust, which involves a guy making a deal with the devil.

You also gotta love that little blurb on the bottom.

Note the tongue-in-cheek reference to the infamous "It's magic. We don't have to explain it."

Well face it, tiger. MJ's gonna explain it to us!

So with Mary Jane returning to Amazing, and Catwoman returning to Gotham, it just seems to be a great day for comebacks, and a great week for comics, period.

Serials: Swamps, Soleil and Slott

We continue this week's four-color bonanza in review of Amazing Spider-Man #559, Dead of Night, featuring Man-Thing #4, and Sky Doll #1.

Are you ready to rock?????

Dead of Night, featuring Man-Thing #4
by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Nic Klein and Nick Percival

I'm gonna be honest here: I hated the last two issues. I just hated them. I wanted to pick them up and throw them across the bathroom as I read them on the toilet.

Not so for this issue, the conclusion to the miniseries. The writing finally goes back to the mystique of the Swamp-Thing as well as the fun narration from Digger, as well as bad people getting what they deserve in delicious gore-o-vision.

You know what I thought was particularly genius? It's the way Aguirre-Sacasa basically summarizes the past three issues. Commander Brandt is basically explaining the situation to her soldiers, and along the way, she's explaining it to us as well. A very smart technique from Aguirre-Sacasa here.

And never forget kids. Beware the terror that is. . . THE MAN-THING!

Sky-Doll #1
by Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa

Are you sick of dumb comics? Do you want a comic that doesn't take your intelligence for granted?

You should totally check out Sky-Doll then. Originally from Soleil Publishing of France, Marvel worked together to bring this sci-fi fantasy story to us. I don't wanna spoil too much, but basically, everyday life is supported by these Sky Dolls, which are mechanized puppets designed to "satisfy our needs without soiling our souls." Make of that what you will.

There's political intrigue here, religious fervor, (and even nudity) all through the personal perspective of a Sky Doll who wants to be something more than a machine. The comic may be France-based, but one of the themes couldn't be more American: that of individuality and autonomy.

This issue is great. The dialogue is so simple and innocent, but the themes that are communicated are nothing near simple. Maybe it's because I'm a Yank, and the content is unchanged from its European version, but I'm impressed. I am pretty impressed. The art and the writing work hand in hand, so no one factor dominates the story, and there's a real beauty to that.

All in all, you're paying 6 dollars for 44 pages of story, as well as some previews and a couple articles. I very much think you should Check This Out.

Amazing Spider-Man #559
by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin

Whatever happened to my self-imposed moratorium on reading Amazing?

Oh, I know. The "Parkour Luck" happened. Peter "Pekar" happened. "Starbrand Coffee" happened. In summary, Dan Slott happened.

Gimme a chance to explain the three things: Peter was bragging about "the Parker Luck" when Brand New Day was kicking up. Then, in this issue, a viral video villain, Screwball, comes and bests him in city acrobatics -- with Parkour (pronounced: "par-core.")!

That is some clever stuff right there.

The second thing is Dexter Bennett's constant misunderstanding of Peter Parker's name. Since Brand New Day began, it's a running joke, but Slott uses it to make a reference to underground comic legend Harvey Pekar.

Dan Slott, I love you.

The third thing is Spidey and Screwball passing by Starbrand Coffee. This is a reference to the (pretty much defunct) Star Brand Universe of Marvel Comics. Not only has Slott parodied Starbuck's, he managed to fit a goddamn comics reference to it.

There is so much fanservice here, I can't help but like this comic. The problem at large still remains a problem at large, though: Peter PekarParker's sense of morals has pretty much gone down the drain, and it's manifested here when he takes sleazy photos of a celebrity. There is some hint of hope though, in that Joe Robertson (remember him?) is serving as a moral compass and showing that what Peter doing is wrong. To me, this is a hint that Peter's morals are currently sour, but Slott has plans to show us growth.

Because that's what we really want from Peter: growth as a human being.

Other parts I liked were Jonah's exercising in the park, and Peter's moving out of May's house. It also turns out that Peter is moving in with Vin Gonzales, the same person who distrusts Spider-Man! Artist Marcos Martin really shines here too. His pencils are direct and to-the-point, and they deliver the story effectively and with a bit of fun (check out the paneling).

I enjoy the tongue-in-cheek reference to porn ("Peter Parker, Paparazzi -- Part One: The Money Shot"), but I'm not sure if it's appropriate for a Brand New Day comic, which is designed to attract new readers.

All in all, there's a lot to get from this issue, and that makes me very glad. Peter is not, of course, the same Peter I was reading two years ago, but when you can tell stories as well as this, I won't hold that against you. I'm fine with Peter being a sleazeball, so long as it means he learns not to be a sleazeball in the end.

So maybe you have another opinion on these comics? Would you like to point something out that I didn't mention or take a perspective that I didn't?

Don't be afraid to hit that "comment" link and leave a comment. Only beware the terror that is. . . THE MAN-THING!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

A post is coming up on what's going on blog-wise for this month, but for now, Newsarama is bursting to tell you something about Dan Slott and John Romita Jr's six-issue arc beginning in Amazing Spider-Man #568:

The storyline, according to ew.com, will also feature Eddie Brock, Venom, Norman Osborn, Green Goblin and Mary Jane Watson.

Mary Jane Watson! MJ!

MJ is coming back to Amazing!

Couple that with Jackpot appearing in this year's annual, and that makes for a very anticipatory, if not gleeful, friendly neighborhood blog. Maybe I can start picking up Amazing without breaking down in tears now.

Kidding, kidding, I'm kidding.

I hide in the bathroom before I start breaking down in tears.

Keeping in touch with Amazing Spider-Man

It's been one month since I disavowed Brand New Day. That was at the end of Guggenheim/Larroca's arc, at which point I transferred my Marvel subscription, but then there were two more issues left in said subscription.

How'd they turn out?

Do my feelings about Brand New Day change?

Am I more willing to accept Peter Parker's regression to a 40-year-old status quo?

What will I have for breakfast tomorrow? Eggs? Boiled or fried?



Boiled? or fried???

On to the comics. No formal review today, just some thoughts and a couple panels.

THE WRITING
I like Bob Gale. I like that he's having fun with the series, and that fun is genuine. Guggenheim's, on the other hand, sounded forced and distasteful.


Gale creates a writer personality within the comic. He calls himself "Buy 'em all Bob" when he tells us what we missed last issue, and he is constantly poking fun at the editors. It's hilarious.

He knows how to have some fun with the bullpen, and it really shows here. If Brand New Day was trying to nail Stan Lee-style humor, then it really started working not with Slott, not with Guggenheim, but with Gale here.

THE ART
Personally, I've griped about Phil Jimenez. The guy has an absolutely horrid rendition of Spidey's head. Spidey has a nose in there, didja know!

But he is a master at panelling. He manages to fit so much into the page that I feel like I'm getting more than my 3 bucks' worth.

THE BIG PICTURE
My real gripe, though, isn't about the art. It's about (what should be) the biggest aspect in the book: Peter Parker.

He's reduced to nothing but a superhero photographer. What happened to the Peter who was a role model? Where is his character depth? Why is he acting like a teenager again?

Of course, the answer is, because no one wants to read about a mature Peter Parker.

Or so Marvel wants me to think.

Regardless, Gale and Jimenez deal with Brand New Day very well. The way they're handling it is great. What they have to handle, well, that's a different story.

Waiting for a good place to get back on the Spidey train, but next arc is definitely not a contestant. I absolutely detest Bachalo's pencils. There are no contours to his anatomy, just single curves, and he underexaggerates their bodies, as if they're children. And everyone looks like they're grimacing!

I'm gonna go away now, before my head hits the keyboard out of exasperazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Back-to-back Cover to Cover Knee-jerking part2: THIS many befuddling buzzwords!

Part one here. I'm basically cleaning off the review stack for the past two weeks, which, well, isn't that much, but still.

Today we're lookin' at Catwoman and Amazing Spider-Man.

Catwoman #76

by Will Pfeifer amd David/Alvaro Lopez, lovely cover by Adam Hughes

By the recommendation of pretty much every blogger in existence, I thought I'd give Catwoman a go.

In short: I could've jumped on at much better points, but this issue still holds its own pretty well. Where else, after all, can you find such spectacular sights as:

A) A Bat-helicopter!

or B) Catwoman kicking a panther!

But the best of all is C) Catwoman being competent:

This was actually a pretty fun issue, as Selina adjusts to an alternate universe. There, she meets an older, pudgier Batman/Bruce who uses a gun (!), and in that universe, Catwoman is actually her sister (who also uses a gun), and has no compunctions about murder.

In that universe, Selina was the one killed by Black Mask, not her sister, Maggie.

Mostly build-up in this issue, but it was really nice to see such a competent superheroine.

Also, in this universe, Selina discovers that she has superpowers - her strength is augmented and she's immune to bullets!

A fun romp that'll doubtlessly lead to an exciting next issue. I am, however, waiting for more substance.

I earlier resolved to give this title some trial issues, and I certainly haven't regretted it thus far.


Amazing Spider-Man #551
by Marc Guggenheim and Salvador Larroca

When I first saw that cover, I thought it was spot-on. Salvador Larroca hits a perfect angle of Spidey's eyes, and his frontal anatomy looks beautifully correct. There's a story in this cover. The coloring is flawless as well - not too murky, with just the right tone of seriousness. My hats off to you, Mr. Peru.

But then I took a closer look, particularly at Spidey's back.

And then I looked at his front -- then his back again. . . .

They don't line up correctly. Spidey's right arm shouldn't be that far back from him.

That really disappointed me, but then again, I guess I'm used to it, Marvel.

I hit a snafu in obtaining the previous issue, so I'm jumping to the conclusion of Mr. Guggenheim's arc.

The plot runs down as this:
A) Menace kidnaps Councilwoman X.
B) Jackpot/Spidey team up to save her.
C) Councilwoman X dies because of a misjudgement on Jackpot's
part. Jackpot is scarred and lashes out against Spidey.
D) Spidey goes to "Sara Ehret"'s home. The Mystery of Who Is Jackpot: TO BE CONTINUED.

Menace only gets one line of fleshing out:

"Where are you going, Councilwoman Parfrey? You want to run for MAYOR, but won't mingle with the commoners?"

Maybe he's some kind of anti-government type, but I don't think we'll find out any time soon. It's very disappointing to see that he has almost no personality in an arc surrounding him as the villain. Thus far, he's just another Goblin imitator. And God knows we need more of those.

But aside from that, it's really, really cute how Jackpot and Spidey interact. I love that she's this new, pristine superhero to Spidey's pedigreed experience.

If only we would get more stories out of this, because I know that this is a story cow waiting to be milked, but near the end of the issue, Jackpot gets angry at Spidey for Parfrey's death. Later, Menace is absurd enough to say to Spidey,

"This is your fault. This is all on you."

and Spidey is obnoxious enough to look at Jackpot and think in response,

"It's not, of course. We know who really deserves the blame."

NO. Not even six issues in, and you want to devastate Jackpot's character? Where is the stability that the title needs so much now? Where is the fun that this book was to return to?

While I'm in angry mode, let's just get in two more points:
-Larroca is extremely inconsistent in drawing Spidey's eyes.
-Peter Parker appears for one page and a panel. . . remember Tom Brevoort's Spidey Bible? Remember how he said the stories would be Peter-centric? Well, if you do, then Marvel doesn't want you reading this book.

This is the last one, I swear:

-We get nothing but more chain-yanking about Jackpot's identity. That makes me very sad to see, sad and disappointed, Marvel. I expected more Jackpot from this arc.

On the other hand, I enjoyed how Guggenheim toned down Spidey's obnoxious quipping (particularly in his interaction with Menace), and I enjoyed PorterPeter's interaction with Dexter Bennett of the DB. Mr. Guggenheim, I was optimistic, I really was, but just like Mr. Slott, you disappointed me. Do you even want me reading your books, Marvel? Is this a game to see how much you can alienate me before I stop reading?

If so, you win. 10 dollars a month for a book that alienates me is worth 20 dollars of my effort. I'm not sticking around for Phil "Spider-Man has no nose under that mask" Jimenez or Chris "Everyone must grimace and have overstylized and underhumanized anatomy" Bachalo's arc.

You guys sure are making it tough, but I really want to find the good in this brand new day. I really do. I'll be back to review Dan Slott's arc kicking off with Amazing Spider-Man 558. I mean, come on, just look at this page:

Barry Kitson knows what's up. Do YOU?