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adperfectamconsilium's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is basically a mini series running alongside the main Spider-Man title from the 2014 series hence the odd numbering of the individual issues 16.1 to 20.1.
It's an old fashioned gang warfare story with various criminal elements vying to take control in New York with the Kingpin out of the picture.
Plenty of chances to show Spidey in acrobatic action with villains Tombstone, Hammerhead, Black Cat, Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime, Mister Negative and more goons than you can shake a stick at.
For the most part Spidey is almost a supporting character as the main focus is on the vigilante Wraith and her alter ego police detective Yuri.
The art is great and very fluid showcasing the action sequences.
The drawbacks for me were that it never explained what power Wraith has, Spider-Man was sidelined in his own book (so much so that Peter Parker doesn't really appear) and the ending was somewhat inconclusive. Probably intentional so that it can lead into other comics but for a mini series it needed a better ending.
Still good fun overall and 3.5 stars from me.
It's an old fashioned gang warfare story with various criminal elements vying to take control in New York with the Kingpin out of the picture.
Plenty of chances to show Spidey in acrobatic action with villains Tombstone, Hammerhead, Black Cat, Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime, Mister Negative and more goons than you can shake a stick at.
For the most part Spidey is almost a supporting character as the main focus is on the vigilante Wraith and her alter ego police detective Yuri.
The art is great and very fluid showcasing the action sequences.
The drawbacks for me were that it never explained what power Wraith has, Spider-Man was sidelined in his own book (so much so that Peter Parker doesn't really appear) and the ending was somewhat inconclusive. Probably intentional so that it can lead into other comics but for a mini series it needed a better ending.
Still good fun overall and 3.5 stars from me.
gizmoto16's review against another edition
2.0
I don't care about The Wraith and this was pretty much all about The Wraith.
spamel's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lukeisthename34's review against another edition
3.0
It was an okay idea but 'her' costume was so cliche it ruined it for me.
melowdee's review against another edition
2.0
Wasn't really a fan of this one.
(own in single issues)
(own in single issues)
ricksilva's review against another edition
3.0
With the Kingpin out of the picture, New York's criminal gangs are in a war for territory with NYPD Captain Yuri Watanabe's Third Precinct as the top prize. This volume collects The Amazing Spider-Man #16-20 from 2014, and it follows up on a bunch of Spiderverse adventures by bringing Peter Parker back to his "Friendly Neighborhood" roots fighting New York crime.
The result is a rapid-fire succession of classic Spider-Man villains. Unfortunately, by "classic" here we generally mean third-rate. Admittedly, it's fun seeing Spidey score one-punch knockouts on guys like Hammerhead, Ringmaster, the Enforcers, Tombstone, and Crime Master. But nostalgia only goes so far.
The real heart of this story is a battle for the soul of Yuri Watanabe, who has gone back to moonlighting as the Wraith, and who has entered into a dangerous game of manipulation with the Negative Man. Did I mention there are a lot of villains in this book? Black Cat also shows up, fairly interesting in full-on heel mode.
But the theme of where to draw the line between "by the book" police work and vigilanteism is muddled by Peter Parker, longtime vigilante, trying to lecture Watanabe on where the line should be drawn. It doesn't help that the actual moment when Wraith crosses the line is not a terribly impactful scene. It helps even less that the confrontation between Wraith and Spider-Man is anticlimactic, and the final battle between Spider-Man and Negative Man is even more so.
This had fun pacing and that comfy nostalgic vibe, but it never rose to the level of seriousness that it was going for.
The result is a rapid-fire succession of classic Spider-Man villains. Unfortunately, by "classic" here we generally mean third-rate. Admittedly, it's fun seeing Spidey score one-punch knockouts on guys like Hammerhead, Ringmaster, the Enforcers, Tombstone, and Crime Master. But nostalgia only goes so far.
The real heart of this story is a battle for the soul of Yuri Watanabe, who has gone back to moonlighting as the Wraith, and who has entered into a dangerous game of manipulation with the Negative Man. Did I mention there are a lot of villains in this book? Black Cat also shows up, fairly interesting in full-on heel mode.
But the theme of where to draw the line between "by the book" police work and vigilanteism is muddled by Peter Parker, longtime vigilante, trying to lecture Watanabe on where the line should be drawn. It doesn't help that the actual moment when Wraith crosses the line is not a terribly impactful scene. It helps even less that the confrontation between Wraith and Spider-Man is anticlimactic, and the final battle between Spider-Man and Negative Man is even more so.
This had fun pacing and that comfy nostalgic vibe, but it never rose to the level of seriousness that it was going for.
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
1.0
All in all...pretty boring.
This story focuses on Yuri Watanabe (Wraith) and her spiral into the dark side as she throws justice aside for revenge. I personally do not care about or for this character at all.
It felt like Spidey was barely in this story, the only part I really enjoyed was his very short (no pun intended) scene with Anna Marie.
The characterization of Spider-Man felt a little dull as the character's humor seemed to fall flat.
The main villain is Mister Negative...
Black Cat is pretty much a non-entity, I pretty sure they just threw her in as filler.
This story focuses on Yuri Watanabe (Wraith) and her spiral into the dark side as she throws justice aside for revenge. I personally do not care about or for this character at all.
It felt like Spidey was barely in this story, the only part I really enjoyed was his very short (no pun intended) scene with Anna Marie.
The characterization of Spider-Man felt a little dull as the character's humor seemed to fall flat.
The main villain is Mister Negative...
Black Cat is pretty much a non-entity, I pretty sure they just threw her in as filler.