This has been long overdue, and there were tons of book that I would've wanted to review. Unfortunately, time and commitments have kept me from doing so, and I guess I'll just have to pick up things with one of this week's batch of comic goodness. Ready? Then here we go:
The Amazing Spider-Man #600
Written By: Mark Waid
Illustrated By: Mario Alberti
I knew it. I just couldn't resist collecting Amazing Spider-Man again, especially after seeing THIS cover (can someone say "HOT"?). If comic book covers were ever misleading, this probably got my attention quicker than a yummy donut begging me to eat it right away. J. Scott Campbell always knew how to press the right buttons when he drew those snazzy cover of Spider-Man back in 2001 and 2002, and just when I thought I was out, Marvel manages to pull me right back in the web-slinger's world. I didn't want to... not after One More Day; But this is Mary Jane Watson we're talking about here! She's the pretty red head who was once married to Peter Benjamin Parker, aka The Amazing Spider-Man, and now because of Mephisto's magic, she's unmarried and single again! Probably that's one of the things I do enjoy for the Brand New Day Spidey... more romantic tension! And now that MJ is back, she's gonna give Pete a lot of lovewoes again... and it all begins, again, with this issue.
After fighting Doctor Octupus and attending the "wedding of the century" last issue, the one thing Peter Parker didn't expect to do was to see an old flame again... ex-fiancee Mary Jane Watson. He finally gets "the courage" to ask her out, but ends up in a drunken stupor that gives Peter an interesting dose of the "Ol'Parker Luck" the next day. Finding himself homeless and unable to remember where to meet MJ, Pete spends his time swinging the city to beat bad guys and find solutions to his problems. You think his life as Spider-Man was complicated, think again, especially when a certain redhead comes back to your life.
This was a fun read, and it was another refreshing tale that I could enjoy after going on hiatus from the title for so long. You'll be saying "WTH" in your mind when you see Pete's "precarious position" after the first few pages, and agreeing with his idea to start a website called "spiderfail.org". Priceless moments, and I gotta love the tension and build-up here. Mark Waid sure knows how to pull my strings, especially when it comes to seeing Pete and MJ together again... sort of. As the second Spidey issue I have purchased, it's a refreshing storyline that has me hoping that these two former lovebirds will be reunited sooner than we think, and the rest of the dating and single madness Parker has gone through over and behind him (what can I say. I'm a pro Pete-MJ guy). I'm still peeved over what Joe Quesada and Marvel did to break the marriage, but I will admit that that move has somewhat benefitted Spider-Man, in the sense that he has fresh new adventures to pursue and more problems to bicker about without his whole identity being known to the public. It was a big thing back in the days of Civil War to unmask him, but down the road, he wasn't down on his luck "Puny Parker" anymore... just some fugitive on the run and full of angst (see Back In Black). Still, undoing the marriage was just totally wrong, and hopefully when the time comes, Marvel will address this issue again and have Pete facing up to Mephisto for what he's done and returning things to normal... well, some parts at least.
The pencils on this book were done by Mario Alberti. His artsyle kind of reminds me of Humberto Ramos' work, but less cartoony and deformed. The interpretation of most characters here are a little widemouthed and silly. I can't say it's my favorite kind of pencils, but it does its job of presenting the story as it is and being straightforward. Oh, I forgot to mention that there's a little back up story by Brian Michael Bendis and Joe Quesada in this issue involving Spidey and Jessica Jones. It's a nice and heartwarming tale that resolves a small conflict that happened in recent issues of The New Avengers, so this is a good add on for those following that series as well. Quesada's art looks pretty good here, and Bendis is in top form... again.
Well, what can I say? I'm back to Spidey for now, and this issue wasn't so bad. It's a stand alone that can be read without looking back to 600 (flashbacks will do the work for you), and it doesn't leave people hanging... unless they want more Pete and MJ time that is. The next issue is a few days away, and a new conflict awaits for our friendly webhead. Will I still continue on with the title or jump ship? I'll leave fate to decide that if nothing good comes out of the MJ thing in the future.
Score - 8/10
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