Amazing Spider-Man #16 Review
Spider-Verse is over, so it’s back to the daily grind for Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #16. Here’s my review of how things are going for the original web-slinger.
The comic opens at the zoo, with a villain known as Iguana commanding a bunch of reptiles to jump Spider-Man. Normally he wouldn’t be struggling so much against a C-lister, but he’s still aching from having his life-force drained and, on top of that, he has a big presentation today. Though it was funny the villain was offended that he was talking on the phone while fighting.
Anna Marie calls and tells him he needs to get there, but Sanjay hijacks the phone and calls him out on not being there for his project and she won’t do the presentation since she doesn’t believe in it (which was made abundantly clear when she helped Black Cat sabotage it in the first place.) To this, Peter goes on a long rant on how these people need the prison.
He goes on about how most people with powers are driven by pain and rage at not being able to control it, and even the worst that are monsters by choice would be so much less dangerous without their powers. They need compassion, understanding, and help. He says all this while kicking the crap out of Iguana, by the way, and tells her he’s on his way now the moment she lets it slip that Alchemax is in line next to get the job. Nobody wants that with how many shady figures are around there.
Liz Allen presents her brother as an example of reformed prisoner, with him cured of his power and now having a steady job, and the guys admit that Ty Stone’s project looks the most promising. Peter shows up just as they finish. He and Liz Allen are fairly friendly compared to their employees.
However, once Liz mentions Peter has a habit of snatching victory from impossible odds, Ty and her brother decided to make arrangements to prevent that. They go to Black Cat’s parlor, her being the new Kingpin and all, and arrange for some guy named Ghost to try and put the company out of business permanently as the comic ends….
Oh, and there’s also a thing with Black Cat wanting back everything she stole and her good luck powers only working when she’s a selfish bitch.
Okay, review time…
Not bad for an introduction to a new arc, but the solicitations lied to me again and that’s annoying. The cover art would have been better saved until the actual infiltration, but what can you do.
3 out of 5.
Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #5 Review
Okay, after that last issue we have a new character in story who’s serving as the love interest of Spider-Man. Where does it go from here? Read my review of Amazing Spider-Man #5 and find out!
The story picks up with Black Cat crashing a secret gambling parlor, where a villain named Eel is getting ready for a meeting. And she’s brought a friend with her, Electro, to steal his thunder. Even Eel thinks he’s too dangerous, but she’s confident he can’t shock her.
Meanwhile, Peter and Cindy are in the process of doing things in public that are highly illegal and they’ve just met. It takes her revealing she knows who he is to dampen those spider-urges and get the blood flowing back to the head that has a brain in it. They both snap the hell out of it and wonder if it’s some kind of primal connection, but she’s fine with it since it’s the first time in years she’s kissed someone.
At the fact channel they’re waiting to do an interview with Sanjani, but she’s been kidnapped by Black Cat. As far as the kidnappings go, it’s not bad. She’s sipping on champagne and eating caviar as they get information out of her as to how they’re trying to cure and contain Electro. Black Cat then takes a stroll in the bad part of town with a couple of others who were outted by Spider-Man with plans to pay him back big time.
Then we finally see Anna Marconi, Otto’s ex-lover, coming into their apartment to see Peter making out with Cindy on the ceiling. Cindy kinda gets territorial, but she’s not in the mood to argue. Instead she tells Peter Sanjani’s gone missing and he needs to get his butt over to the tv station. There he finds and congratulates JJJ for bouncing on his feet and begins the interview about his plans to cure villains like Electro, who may see their powers as a curse, while said villain shows up with Black Cat, and threatens to kill Peter unless Spider-Man shows up in fifteen minutes.
Since Peter can’t just disappear into a costume without a little help, Cindy suits up and buys him time. He and Black Cat get into it, with him claiming his innocence, while Electro and Cindy duke it out, until a stray electric blast nails him. Black Cat then prepares to reveal his identity to the entire world on camera as the comic ends.
Okay review time….
Well, the story is moving along and the art is nice. I find the whole threatening to reveal his secret identity thing kinda pointless because he can make his mask stick to his face with the stick’em powers he’s got, and he really should have packed an insulated suit the moment he first went after Electro.
Still, 5 out of 5 from me!
Amazing Spider-Man #3 Comic Review
Hey folk, it’s time for my review of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man once more as he picks up the pieces of his shattered life in the wake of Otto taking his place for several months. Here’s my take on Amazing Spider-Man #3.
Our comic opens with Cindy, aka Silk, walking on the walls, bored out of her mind as she looks upon a photo of her younger brother, who she hadn’t seen in years. She obviously misses him and wonders just how much of his life she’s missed since she gained her powers. It’s enough to make her break down the steel door of the bunker she’s trapped inside and fish through the keycode combination until an auto-message plays telling her it’s for the best that she remains where she is. Silk concedes for the time being, although she’s clearly not happy being locked in.
Black Cat, on the other hand, is busy reflecting on her circumstances as she robs a penthouse. Thinking about how she lost all the things and respect she had, she muses she needs to make the Spider pay to get them back. Electro, in the meantime, can’t even sleep because his powers have gone out of control and starts a fire in a decrepit apartment complex.
On Peter’s side, his employees are working their asses off to get the Electro-Scanner finished ahead of time because they’ve seen what Otto was like when he was playing the role of Parker and don’t want to be on his bad side. To their confusion, he’s almost chipper and introduces Casual Friday, so they think he’s Bipolar. You can’t blame them.
Sanjay is just as confused, even though she was happy he announced they were done with Spider-Man, as to why they’ve suddenly switched gears. Anna Marie covers for him and decides to help Sanjay finish up Otto’s work because, Super-Villain or not, his brilliance deserves to be passed on. While it is still over her head, she’s got the robot butler of his to help her out.
At the scene of the fire Electro started, MJ’s boyfriend is being a Firefighter and saving lives when Peter arrives. He sends his men to gather data while he dons his costume. Black Cat watches on the News and decides to get on with her revenge while JJ is getting his own T.V. Show.
Peter and MJ’s boyfriend clear the building when Black Cat shows up. He tries to tell her it was Otto, but she doesn’t care. So he takes it a step further by acting like Otto to confuse her until she decides to even the numbers. Peter gets Ollie outside where MJ greets her new boyfriend and Peter states she was right in the best thing he can do is give her a shot at a normal life without him. He then goes back to his men, who Black Cat managed to steal both their wallets and the Electro-Scanner.
As the comic ends she tracks down Electro and decides the two of them need to work together if they’re going to get revenge.
Okay, Review time.
I liked this issue a lot. We got to learn more about Silk, including that she was separated from her family because of her powers. Maybe she was radiated by the spider while Peter wasn’t so they keep her locked up. Or the usual exploitative government thing.
Anna Marie was enthralled with Otto’s brilliance and is intent on seeing it carried on and she’s living up to the promise of helping Peter. I love this woman. Please don’t turn her into the next Doc Ock Marvel.
Anyway, 5 out of 5.
Twilit Dreams Circle 