One of the coolest things about writer Dan Slott’s run on Spider-Man is the new villains he’s added. Seems to me the decades of Spidey comics that came before him basically cycled through villains every few months. Not so here, and in fact this week’s issue reintroduces a villain he brought into All-New All-Different Marvel. Is it good?
Amazing Spider-Man #6 (Marvel Comics)
So far the new direction for Spider-Man isn’t quite as filled with that Parker luck we’ve become accustomed to. That’s because Peter Parker is the CEO of a hugely successful company and the press are even comparing him to Tony Stark. Nobody knows he’s Spider-Man, but that doesn’t mean Spidey can’t benefit from all the new tech Parker Industries makes him. This is the first issue in a new arc for this new take on Spider-Man.
Why does this book matter?
The first two issues were fantastic and funny as heck, but the horoscope themed villain killed the experience as it carried on. That said, the setup and new direction is very cool so hopefully a new villain and story arc kicks things back into gear this week!
I guess they’re going to drop in!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Dan Slott spends a good deal of time setting up Mr. Negative and it starts with a gripping breakout from a prison. What’s fascinating is Mr. Negative is a normal, innocent man when not filled with the black energy that makes him a super villain. There’s a conflict there and just showing us this side of him makes me think Slott will explore this further. Meanwhile his henchmen, two in particular, are quite exciting to see. Cloak and Dagger are fan favorites who don’t get a lot of screen time so it’s cool to see them at all let alone as villains.
This issue sets up some of the side characters working at Parker Industries and it does so well. There are conflicts galore for Peter to deal with and they’re coming from different directions.
That’s not to say there isn’t action for Spider-Man, as he must save folks from a wrecking ball (and sing the Miley Cyrus song too) which is fantastically rendered by Matteo Buffagni. The art throughout is actually very nice, with a great balance of angles and blocking design to pump up the dialogue-heavy sections. The action also works well, with a lot of detail put into backgrounds and buildings. The art is a lot more detailed and realistic looking than previous Amazing Spider-Man issues.
It can’t be perfect can it?
One could argue the action scene Spider-Man has is a bit of a filler sequence. That’d be nitpicking though!
Now the song is stuck in my head!
Is It Good?
This series is very exciting—its approach is so new, there’s no way of anticipating what could happen next. Spider-Man purists take note: the new direction is fun and filled with surprises!
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