StuckInPanels Comic Reviews
Month- May
Week- #2
Date- 5/10/12
Greetings friends and fellow comic readers, another week of comic books have come along our way this week. I’m once again going to mix it up a little bit with my reviews. This week had not one, not two, but three Spider-man related comics. Since I’m a super huge Spider-man fan I decided to give these three a look at this week. Unlike my first core review as StuckInPanels, these won’t be the WORTHY or WEAKEST of the week. Just three Spider-man comics that were a fun read and offered something completely different. That being said, let’s begin.
Amazing Spider-man #685: Written by Dan Slott/Artwork by Humberto Ramos
Ends of the Earth Part Four: Global Menance
Story: Spider-man, Black Widow, and Silver Sable continue their team-up to take down the sinister six and stop the nefarious plot of Doctor Octopus. The team gets caught up in a global conspiracy where they are considered the bad guys and being chased by many organizations. Sable and Widow continue to support and trust Parker no matter what the world thinks, they even get the support of heroes from around the world that believe in him as well.They find the final warehouse but discover it to be empty. Doctor Octopus reveals his plans all along, that Peter was right all along, he uses his invention for good as a weapon of Evil.
Review
-Story: This has been one super solid event for Spider-man. It’s a far simpler plot compared to Spider Island, which was a fun event but had a ton of spin-off reads to get the WHOLE experience. This story focuses on Spider-man and his mission. The two sides are interesting to look at, the Sinister Six still continue to follow the mad Doctor despite having everything they need, while at the same time Peter and his two lady friends become enemies of world, something of which the ladies are well known for. The ending does set-up the stage for an amazing conclusion arc, I cannot wait to see what they will save the world.
-Writing: I mentioned before that Dan Slott is a solid writer for Spider-man; he gets how the character is supposed to act in the situation no matter how big the threat is. He also develops the Sinister Six into a far more interesting group, they are great villains separately but amazing all together. I like how he has developed Silver Sable to be a good moral support for Spider-man, even hinting at a romantic interest.
-Artwork: Ramos continues to do the artwork for this issue, I made plenty of mention about him. He’s a good artist with a fun style; it has a fast kinetic look and feel to Spider-man and his fighting.
-Character Dynamic: This has some great character dynamic between the two teams. Spider-man and the two ladies develop a good bond between one another, with no hidden agendas. Silver Sable stands out with her actually trying to develop a romance with Peter but he mentions he is doing it for “her” aka MJ.
What Works: The solid writing, the stylistic artwork, the story ups the ante, the characters working together.
What doesn’t Work: Spider-man going “FAR” (going a more batman like route)
Highlight of the Week: Doc Ock telling his master plan
Grade: A-
Avenging Spider-man #7: Written by Kathryn Immonen/Artwork by Stuart Immonen
Kitty Cats
Story: In this team-up issue, She-hulk and Spider-man team up to take down a giant mysterious creature in the sewers. Soon after She-hulk tries to get Spider-man away while she goes to an important gala for an Egyptian collection. Spider-man decides to “tagalong” and discovers a weird woman entering the place. Soon She-hulk and Spider-man team up to take out a group of thieves that wanted a strange jade cat statue. She-Hulk holds it and suddenly all the cats in Manhattan come to her and she sprouts a cat tail. It is revealed that an Egyptian cat goddess wants She-Hulk to be the protector of the world. Spider-man uses his wits to trick the goddess to leave and She-hulk loses her tail.
Review
-Story: This was a pretty fun standalone adventure, not just for Spider-man but a more lighthearted issue for She-hulk. I was pretty surprised by the way the story went. I was expecting something else but got a fun story in the end.
-Writing: Kathryn Immonen does a really good job with the writing duties with this issue. I like the idea of having other writers working on a series that is primarily standalone issues. She keeps the characters true to their personalities, Spider-man is full of wit while She-hulk is focused and strong willed.
-Artwork: Stuart Immonen, fresh off of Fear Itself, continues to do a fantastic job with the art. He gives the characters such great detail. He gives She-hulk great facial expressions to the strange situation she has become a part of.
-Character Dynamic: This is one of the better team ups this series has done. It helps that these two heroes have worked together before and it continues to showcase that really well. She-hulk sees Spider-man as a fun person to be around but she doesn’t like how quickly he can run his mouth. While Spider-man tries his best to impress her with his “abilities” almost like he is trying to win a date over with She-hulk.
What Works: The characters teaming up, the writing and artwork is top notch
What doesn’t Work: not enough Cat transformation of She-hulk
Highlight of the Issue: She-hulk telling Spider-man not to talk about her tail
Grade: A
Scarlet Spider #5: Written by Chris Yost/Artwork by Neil Edwards
Pillar of Fire
Story: Scarlet Spider tracks down a bomb planted somewhere in Houston
Review
-Story: A filler issue but fun filler issue nonetheless. It has a nice pace to it from start to finish. It doesn’t let up for a second; something is always going on and takes the events in a fun roller coaster style.
-Writing: Yost continues to be impressive with the character. He develops Kaine as a true anti-hero, he is the Spider-man that should “GO FAR”
-Artwork: Neil Edwards takes over with the art this issue and its solid and top notch. He truly showcases Scarlet Spider as being a much stronger looking Spider-man. The costume has really grown on me; I still preferred the blue hoodie addition.
-Character Dynamic: not much here, Kaine and his cop friend are still evolving as a special kind of team.
What Works: the filler issue does a good job, the writing and artwork are both solid and top notch
What doesn’t work: Kaine can talk to spiders?
Highlight of the issue: Kaine talking to spiders?
Grade: B+
Well that is all for this week my friends. Next week should be a return to my format. Catch you all later.