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daileyxplanet's review
4.0
The Trade's title is perfect. Nick Spencer is bringing Spider-Man back to the basics in a way that hasn't happened since Brand New Day, I'm sure. It seems like a lot of soft reboots have a gimmick or some reason to rationalize their existence. Spencer's thus far is almost a lack of gimmick.
Peter Parker is once again down on his luck with new roommates and new social awkward norms
Once the new status quo is established, we have a short arc that seems to be written by Silver Age Superman writers and I think that's fantastic. This is more like a 3.5
Peter Parker is once again down on his luck with new roommates and new social awkward norms
Once the new status quo is established, we have a short arc that seems to be written by Silver Age Superman writers and I think that's fantastic. This is more like a 3.5
an_awful_jack's review
4.0
After 10 years of Dan Slot on Spider-Man I really enjoyed a new writer taking over. Nick Spencer does a good job, Peter is back to his roots, broke and finally back together with MJ. Spider-Man feels like traditional Spider-Man again. I can't wait to see where it goes
peterelparques's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
blairconrad's review
2.0
Up and down. I appreciate the idea of resetting Peter. The most interesting Peter is a hungry Peter. However, I didn't love a few aspects of the book. For example, the humour. It was constant and felt forced. And it always jars me when all the villains pitch in. Nor did I care for Pete narrating events that he wasn't present for or even aware of.
Other things are spoilers.
By the end I was feeling strangely better about the series, so will return, but I didn't have a great time this outing.
Other things are spoilers.
Spoiler
It felt to me that MJ coming back came from nowhere. I didn't love the split at first, but at least it didn't last long. Living with Boomerang doesn't feel right, and I think it was awkwardly contrived for the heist of the reuniting ray. Which I don't think Pete, especially a Pete with heightened responsibility (it seemed) would go for.By the end I was feeling strangely better about the series, so will return, but I didn't have a great time this outing.
maxwellatewell's review
3.0
It’s an OK start to a new run. The beginning is fun enough while establishing a new status quo. Mary Jane being back is probably a bigger deal for other fans but I still liked it and appreciated it. Some nice set up for a mystery villain later tho. The main story is boring though, so there’s no real meat.
Ryan Ottley‘s artwork is great to look at, but his teeth can get uncanny Valley.
Ryan Ottley‘s artwork is great to look at, but his teeth can get uncanny Valley.
wesleyboy's review
3.0
It’s ok.
Definitely a return to just straight up and down, slightly goofy Spider Man. At certain points, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he pulled out a Hostess fruit pie and talked about how good it was.
I’ll see how the run is, but it definitely feels slightly juvenile and almost like it’s marketed at children or something?
Definitely a return to just straight up and down, slightly goofy Spider Man. At certain points, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he pulled out a Hostess fruit pie and talked about how good it was.
I’ll see how the run is, but it definitely feels slightly juvenile and almost like it’s marketed at children or something?
helpfulsnowman's review
3.0
What I don't love about this is that EVERYONE is a quipster. Even old man with evil-sounding German name is making wisecracks (by himself, alone, in a lab, while dying or something).
I'm a big fan of comedic writing, and something that benefits comedic writing is when some characters are funny and some are not. Because you need that buffoon, that wiseacre, that snarky person, to run up against someone who is, for lack of a better term, normal.
Because if everyone within the bubble that is a piece of fiction is funny, then no one is funny, because the bar for "funny" is higher within this fiction than it is within our world. Baseline Guy in this world is much funnier than a fairly funny person in our world.
Contrast. That's the world I'm looking for. It sort of erases contrast, and contrast is, for me, the key.
Take the return of Spider-Man from the events of Superior Spider-Man. Spidey encounters Green Goblin, Spidey now fully himself, fully restored, and as they're about to fight, Spidey says something like, "Yeah, well at least I've never had the indignity of carrying a man purse."
Green Goblin is incensed. We get a panel of Gobby in complete stunned silence. Then he just says, "It's you."
And Spidey replies, "The one and only."
And that's the thing: The one and only.
Because Doc Ock, who was occupying Spidey's body for awhile, was not quippy and was not fun, he was not Spider-Man.
When Spidey says that line to Goblin, Goblin knows, instantly, that it's the kind of thing only Spider-Man would say, and Spider-Man is most definitely back.
It's a beautiful character moment for Spider-Man, and I think that's something you can't get in these first few issues of ASM by Nick Spencer.
Spencer's characters are funny, I enjoy them, but I think a funny character is funnier standing next to a character who's not funny.
So, weirdly, I'm saying I think this would work better if it was less funny.
Is this adulthood?
I'm a big fan of comedic writing, and something that benefits comedic writing is when some characters are funny and some are not. Because you need that buffoon, that wiseacre, that snarky person, to run up against someone who is, for lack of a better term, normal.
Because if everyone within the bubble that is a piece of fiction is funny, then no one is funny, because the bar for "funny" is higher within this fiction than it is within our world. Baseline Guy in this world is much funnier than a fairly funny person in our world.
Contrast. That's the world I'm looking for. It sort of erases contrast, and contrast is, for me, the key.
Take the return of Spider-Man from the events of Superior Spider-Man. Spidey encounters Green Goblin, Spidey now fully himself, fully restored, and as they're about to fight, Spidey says something like, "Yeah, well at least I've never had the indignity of carrying a man purse."
Green Goblin is incensed. We get a panel of Gobby in complete stunned silence. Then he just says, "It's you."
And Spidey replies, "The one and only."
And that's the thing: The one and only.
Because Doc Ock, who was occupying Spidey's body for awhile, was not quippy and was not fun, he was not Spider-Man.
When Spidey says that line to Goblin, Goblin knows, instantly, that it's the kind of thing only Spider-Man would say, and Spider-Man is most definitely back.
It's a beautiful character moment for Spider-Man, and I think that's something you can't get in these first few issues of ASM by Nick Spencer.
Spencer's characters are funny, I enjoy them, but I think a funny character is funnier standing next to a character who's not funny.
So, weirdly, I'm saying I think this would work better if it was less funny.
Is this adulthood?
jagussow's review
Spider-man has never looked as gorgeous thanks to Ryan Ottley's art. If only they found a writer up to the task of continuing Spider-man's story and who could write something up to the quality of Ryan Ottley's art.
Instead they went with Nick Spencer who hasn't met a superhero he didn't think needed a doppelganger. One of the plot points in this book is a direct criticism of a plot point of Dan Slott's prior run. While it shines an interesting perspective on it, it also feels gauche and cheap.
After this past year of Spider-man highs - Infinity War, Video Game, Spider-verse and Chip Zdarsky's run on Spectacular Spider-man, this is a let down. There's a zippy plot and gorgeous art but there's nothing of substance.
With every iteration of Spider-man, there's usually a clear perspective on what makes him special. He sees a giant alien spaceship and runs towards it, tries to save a man from ruining his life in sake of venegence or tutors a would be criminal in math to help them on a better path. This book doesn't have that and aside from the beautiful art, there's nothing to distinguish this from any generic superhero book.
Instead they went with Nick Spencer who hasn't met a superhero he didn't think needed a doppelganger. One of the plot points in this book is a direct criticism of a plot point of Dan Slott's prior run. While it shines an interesting perspective on it, it also feels gauche and cheap.
After this past year of Spider-man highs - Infinity War, Video Game, Spider-verse and Chip Zdarsky's run on Spectacular Spider-man, this is a let down. There's a zippy plot and gorgeous art but there's nothing of substance.
With every iteration of Spider-man, there's usually a clear perspective on what makes him special. He sees a giant alien spaceship and runs towards it, tries to save a man from ruining his life in sake of venegence or tutors a would be criminal in math to help them on a better path. This book doesn't have that and aside from the beautiful art, there's nothing to distinguish this from any generic superhero book.