This is exactly what Joe Quesada has done with Amazing Spider-Man, although he has taken Peter even further back in time with an even heavier hand than I could ever manage. Harry is alive, Peter is not married and mountains of great stories have been tossed out so that all can enjoy the book for the same reasons that Quesada first did. Thanks, dude!
So far since the radical changes to the status quo we have seen the work of four different writers and four different artists, with three issues being produced each month. Each creative team features a new story obviously linked with what has gone before it.
The first thing you will notice after the first few stories is the huge amount of editorial influence that is present in each issue. To its credit, each issue does have that nostalgic feel that Quesada was trying to capture. There's an almost whimsical, childish innocence to the book again that does take one back, but this comes at a cost. Each different creative team feels exactly the same. It's almost as if it was a single writer for the entire lot instead of the three unique voices that are Dan Slott's, Marc Guggenheim's and Bob Gale's.
It might seem like a somewhat silly criticism, but I would like to see something different, at least in style, between the changing creative teams. Instead we get the same old Spidey with the same old issues (no webfluid, no girlfriend, no job) with the same old unfunny jokes reading exactly the same as the last story. The only differences are, of course, the villains and the slow progression of the subplots, but otherwise it still reads exactly the same as the last month.
Then something happened. Zeb Wells got to script a month along with outstanding artist Chris Bachalo. Suddenly the book felt unique, special, apart from the rest and, most impressively, entertaining as well. Spidey was actually witty, the story was imaginative and the artwork and action were wonderful. The book featured good character writing new and old, a mystery and plenty of action. Most importantly, it didn't feel like a clone of the other books but still part of the ongoing stories. It's a small thing, sure but it makes all the difference. Confidence restored!
Dan Slott is writing the next story, due in a few weeks, and while I am glad to see Barry Kitson (who I have mentioned in this column before) pencil the next three issues, I can only hope that Dan takes a page out of Zeb's book and allows his own unique voice to tell the story and keep the series rolling. With any weekly book (well almost weekly) like 52 or Countdown, there are always dangers when mixing up the creative teams. However, as long as they keep the good teams coming and don't allow the book to get stale (as it was in serious danger of doing), there's every reason to continue to be interested in the adventures of ole Webhead.
The next issue should be out in a few weeks. While initially upsetting for hardcore fans, it's not hard to see that it's a good point of entry for new readers, so if you are interested in a lighthearted, fun read, give Amazing Spider-Man a shot.
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A friend recently showed me these videos promoting the upcoming game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The first thing that came to mind was the obvious issues that the developers would have producing such a game. However, it seems that most of these issues have been addressed in their own way.
Keeping with the videogame theme, here's news that there will be a Gears of War comic soon to be published by DC. Hopefully it will be as solid as Bendis was on the Halo book.
Woops! Looks like the Justice League movie won't be happening after all if this rumor is correct. Stick to the animated series, guys; let's see more JLU episodes.
What's Actually Good this coming week? Take a look at Northlanders No. 5 from Brian Wood, Mighty Avengers No. 12 from Brian Michael Bendis, Uncanny X-Men No. 497from Ed Brubaker and finally Batman No. 675 from Grant Morrison.
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Well, that wraps up the last issue of the series. I hope all of you who took the time to read it enjoyed the last four months of reviews, news and other miscellany. If the series got just one person interested in reading a comic book, then I feel my work is done. Big "thank you" to The Escapist for giving me the space to rant about my passion; it was a great experience and rewarding on many levels. If you want to see some of my other writing and random junk, I'll be posting whatever I come across in my travels on my blog at http://cloudcuckooland.whiteshock.com. Otherwise, be good and read some comics!
