Spider-Man #20 Review

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Yep. It’s about that time. Miles is thinking about whether or not he should give up life double life as Spider-Man. In this scenario, however, things look to play out quiet a bit differently from the million times we’ve read this story before…

First Read Reactions

• …starting with the fact that he’s in Tokoyo…
• …and apparently a secret agent or something?
• Dang. Miles cleans up nice.
• ARGH! WHY DOES THIS SERIES USE FLASHBACKS AND NARRATIVE BACKTRACKS SO MUCH???
• “I have a Starkle alert set for Goldballs.”
• Gotta say, I think Miles may be thinking about this a heck of a lot more clearly than Peter Parker ever did.
• Text conversations between Ganke and Miles are the best…
• …until their interrupted by a nearby crime.
• Seriously? How many places in the world are there where a group of bad people like to wear goblin masks?
• Hey Miles–even though you’re in a different country, your appearance compared to most of the folks in it make you pretty easy to spot.

The Verdict

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Look, I’m an unabashed Brian Michael Bendis fan, but this thing where we tell a large chunk of the story and flashback to a few weeks ago starting to wear on me. I obviously know he’s not the only writer who does it, but it seems to happen in this book way more than anywhere else.

That being said, this was still a fun if not very memorable issue. I like the possibilities that are set up for the story arc going forward, but the backtracking makes it feel like we’re stalling out the narrative rather than building it in reverse–especially when you consider how many “I don’t want to live this Spider Life anymore” stories have been told.

Thankfully, Bendis’s great dialogue between Miles and Ganke combine with Nico Leon’s art (which successfully maintains the high standard this book has) to keep things entertaining. Let’s just hope we start moving somewhere next month–preferably in a direction that’s a least a little more linear.

Spider-Man #20

Is it good?

An entertaining yet mostly forgettable issue that still manages to set up a potentially great story arc.

Nico Leon's art continues the tradition of top quality work that's been featured on the book.

Miles and Ganke's dialogue is great as usual.

A fairly unique twist on the old Spider Life angst we've seen a million times before.

The narrative backtracking is becoming overused on this title.

In this story, it only serves to make the narrative feel like it's stalled rather than offering a unique perspective.

6

Average

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