Again, much like the last issue, this one is rather short because it contains a small Black Cat story arc called "Repossession". I won't go into much detail on this because though it does affect the main Spider-Man story arc, I am sure you would all rather actually read about Felicia Hardy's rise to power within the crime world than my opinion. So, this issue kicks off with Peter and Anna Maria in a very uncomfortable position and I don't mean the good kind between Peter and Silk. They are at Aunt May and Jay's apartment having a rather awkward dinner in which Aunt May keeps dropping "ring" hints, obviously hinting to Peter that eh should make Anna an honest woman. This is of course quite ironic because before Otto selflessly sacrificed himself, he actually intended on proposing to Anna..ouch. So with tensions rising and Peter growing more and more nervous Anna did what any intelligent woman would do. She flat old told the truth and had Peters back covered. God she's perfect...kinda...well no not at all but at least she's a good friend. She also managed to give Peter an incredibly plausible reason as to why it is okay for her to take a ride to work via swinging. This is all rather convenient...it's great that she is intelligent and that she is telling Peter how it is..but it is all too convenient. I also find it very interesting that we have seen absolutely nothing of MJ since before Spider-Verse, I really do miss her...

First Page, Second Page & Third Page

 

At the Parker Industries beta testing lab Sajini is very busy mouthing off about Peter and his idea for a Super villain prison behind his back...but to a now reformed villains face. I think the rehabilitation aspect of Peters plan is fantastic, he's already managed to help two former criminal "Clash" and Electro, so why not others. It is clear that whilst Peter has been busy doing Spider-Man work, and when Anna Maria has been busy, Sajini has been left in charge...but that is no problem at all, well it is but only if Peter was aware that Sajini was actually working on her own private projects due to her lack of faith in his. But the real problem is that Anna Maria just announced that Peter never stopped helping Spider-Man, much to Sajini's and Peters outrage. Anna is taking her "it's better to be transparent" ideology a bit too seriously. Though a corporate mutiny seems to be on the horizon there are more disturbing things going on within Parker Industries. The criminal who Stone and Raxton have paid to sabotage Parker Industries is doing what he does best...and by god is he scary. This new criminal, "Ghost, appears to have phase technology which allows him to move freely through solids, in this case the Parker Industries security mainframe, as well as Terminator-esque abilities like corrupting computers with the touch of a sharp tipped finger.

Fourth Page, Fifth Page & Sixth Page

 

With tensions between co-workers relaxing back in the testing lab Peter launches the prototype for the new prison and as usual everything is going excellently, hard light working, S.W.A.T. - Bots functioning, crazy villain sabotaging, yeah all seems great -  well not the last one. Ghost hacks into the S.W.A.T. - Bots and all other aspects of the prison and starts to wreak havoc. The whole beta test has gone to hell and Peter is struggling to save each of his employee's lives without exposing his identity as Spider-Man. But to aid the process Anna Maria crafts a perfect lie about her having a "Jamming frequency" that messes with the S.W.A.T. - Bots guidance systems . This excuse allows Peter to use his superpowers more openly. It is slightly worrying how good a liar Anna is, has she always been this way? Also due to her intelligence is it possible that she figured out that the man she was dating was in fact Otto Octavius? I mean she did not seem all that surprised when she found out..and we still have no idea where his actual corpse is...so man questions and so little proof!

Seventh Page, Eighth Page, Ninth Page & Tenth Page

 

The Living Brain, one of Otto Octavius' trophies from his time as Spider-Man, is protecting Sajini and the other workers. That is a very good thing for the workers but not Sajini and Anna Maria, there private projects are saved on the Living Brain and nowhere else. But Sajini she other ideas, she thinks that the Black Cat is behind this sabotage so she goes off to find her, she got to know Felicia back in ASM 3. So whilst Sajini is busy sneaking around Peter gets to work on getting his employee's to safety, whilst Anna Maria again comes up wit a fantastic lie which gives the perfect reason for Spider-Man to show up and save the day. Sajini succeeds in finding Ghost and offers him a "deal" but things quickly go south when the Ghost does not take her up on her rather shrewd offer and reveals that the only reason he does corporate sabotage is because he hates corporations and wants them all dead. I wonder what could have been so bad that it caused a man to be come what the Ghost is. I mean yes sure corporations can be bad and they are often depicted in comicbooks as doing more harm than good..but becoming a professional saboteur...that's a bit much.

Eleventh Page, Twelfth Page & Thirteenth Page

The Ghost seems to not only hate corporations but also the corporate workers, Peter is changing into his Spider-Man outfit and a scream resonates through the corridors of Parker Industries. The Ghost phased through Sajini's outstretched hand and into her chest cavity, he is about to either stop her heart or rip her heart out. Neither of those two options sound advertising, but how can Peter stop an enemy he can't even touch...more to the point how is he going to stop Sajini from being murdered. Yes he is inside a very high-tech scientific research facility, but I doubt he has enough time to build or even find a weapon that can harm the Ghost. Sajini is as good as dead.

Fourteenth Page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a truly spectacular issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, not only did it flow in very smoothly from the previous issue, but it also showcased a new villain. Well as far as I know he is a new villain, either way the Ghost could not have been any more perfect fr his role in this issue. Now don't even get me started on Anna Maria Marconi! What is going on with her, it's almost as if Slott has realised that Anna was quickly becoming a rather unnecessary boring character, and in this issue he has breathed life back into her. She's witty, funny, and most importantly she is incredibly adept at covering both Peter and Spider-Man's ass. But why? What does she get out of staying with Peter as a good friend? Is she maybe hoping that he too will fall in love with her as Octavius did and they will have a semi-normal life, or is it all part of some nefarious plot to bring Otto back to life. It could be nothing and she could simply be just a nice person, but where's the fun in that So for the overall story of the issue and for the sheer amount of questions the characters have made me ask I rate the story a solid 10/10 and for the artwork which was perfect as always I also give a solid 10/10. This was a truly great issue, definitely one of the best I have read in a while.

     On a completely unrelated not I have recently started and finished watching the new Marvel and Netflix Daredevil series, and I have to say that it is absolutely fantastic, I didn't want to take my eyes off of the screen not even for a second. But I will advise that it is certainly not a show for children to watch.