AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 (MARVEL COMICS)

Rhino rocked by a heart attack. An unknown assailant orchestrating an attack on everyone’s favorite Web Head. The Wall-Crawler is drugged out of his mind. Peter Parker’s only ally is Norman Osborn?! Now he has to deal with the return of Itsy Bitsy?! SPIDER-MAN IS BACK BAY-BAY!!!!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 by Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, & Joe Caramagna continues its’ impressive return to basics!

Let’s take a deeper dive & see what unfolds now!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 by Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, & Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Is it even Spider-Man without personal turmoil? Kelly has dug into a buried memory of Peter and childhood “firend” Brian Nehring to fuel the drama. The opening sequence is intense as young Peter crosses Aunt May. Kelly calms fears that this is real with a simple “Oh Right..I’m drugged out of my skull”. Throw in the unstable Bitsy and Spidey has his hands full.

Their conflict is as classic of a Spidey fight you’ll see. Note: there is NOTHING wrong with that. It’s a refreshing take. The resolution even fits better than expected. Readers watch as Peter must come to grips with perception vs. reality. Even as he furthers his investigation, the sight of him working with Norman Osborn is wild. The writing shows how eerily well they work together. It’s a brief pause before the close. Once here, the mood shifts to all business. Readers watch as the long awaited showdown building since issue #1 is here. The only shame is it’s the last page. Kelly just knows how to bring out the best of Parker’s ever chaotic world.

As for the art, Larraz and Marte continue to shine. The two page spread with Bitsy vs Spidey is pure excitement. Readers watch as the pacing is ramped up to match the electric conflict. The only point it slows down is the resolution. Bitsy’s panels come across as unstable as she is. It’s fitting before the story switches gears.

Larraz mixes in some near full page images of Spidey swinging through his stops. The flashbacks with Uncle Ben and Aunt May strike a chord in reference to Nehring. It may tip off more coming but never hurts the overall picture. Once at the final moments, the full page image takes readers into the main event. A gorgeous final image reveals the true mastermind as their fight is about to finally start. I can’t compliment the art enough in these issues.

OVERALL GRADE: 9.2

Spidey’s throwdown with Itsy Bitsy is filled with hallucinations and heroics. Kelly’s writing is hitting every mark fans could want. Larraz and Garcia crank up the volume on the action with the art. It warrants saying one more time: SPIDER-MAN IS BACK BAY-BAY!!!!

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man #3. Thanks for reading!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 (MARVEL COMICS)

Is anything ever easy for Peter Parker? After starting a new job at Rand Industries, Parker’s superhero life strikes. The Rhino suffers a heart attack during their latest altercation. Something about this doesn’t seem right.

An investigation leads to a swarm of familiar faces ready to greet our favorite neighborhood wall-crawler in his new era. What has SPIDER-MAN gotten involved with now?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 by Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, & Joe Caramagna swings into action with its latest chapter.

Let’s take a closer look at what is unfolding now.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 by Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, & Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Kelly keeps readers at bay with what is happening to Spidey in the beginning. Readers watch as his rogues gallery shows up in full force. This leads to nothing but mayhem on the streets of NYC. Once events progress, the ruse is up. Spidey isn’t fighting his enemies. He’s literally attacking parked cars and vehicles. The hallucinations don’t stop here.

At his new job, Peter Parker’s mind is fading in and out. This isn’t sitting well with his new boss. Brian Nehring is an old childhood friend who can’t save him now. The writing is tipping off more to his generous nature than is true. Even stranger is his “partnership” with Norman Osborn. Deducting he’s been poisoned, Spidey swings back to his lone lead. Once here, the story shifts gears. Pacing moves things along to a screeching halt. Judging by the last page, an old friend has crashed the scene. This isn’t going to sit well with an already weakened wall-crawler. The story is pure Spidey 101 which is a welcomed return. Readers should have much to enjoy with this.

The success of this book is Larraz’s amazing art. There is not time wasted in starting the drama. A full page image of Spidey crashing through a wall kickstarts this adventure. The scenes fill with classic rogues. It spills into the true reality. The two page spread shows what Spidey’s been fighting and it’s not a great look. This gives way to another dream moment. A full page image depicts Green Goblin flying in for a fight.

The hallucinations give way to a foreshadowing of the true villains. Each panel slowly tips off their true motives. It leaves to an explosive end to the side plot. Once things swing back to Spidey, The visit to Ravencroft is gifted a half page panel. It’s mixed in with solid flashbacks using grey coloring. Events come crashing down with the final page. A full panel reveals trouble has arrived and Spidey isn’t ready for what’s next. Larraz has got Spidey storytelling very mastered at this stage.

OVERALL GRADE: 8.6

The mystery behind the Rhino’s fall pushes Spidey to his mind’s end. Kelly weaves in a solid build with some curves thrown in plot. Larraz’s art is next level for where the dreams truly are nightmares. This is a great jumping on point for readers looking for that classic Spider-Man feel.

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man #2. Thanks for reading!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 (MARVEL COMICS)

Out of 8 Deaths comes a rebirth. Following a very polarizing run of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler comes a fresh start. Peter Parker is jobless. Norman Osborn is goblin-free. A new villain has arrived. The latest chapter of the life and times of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man starts NOW!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marte Gracia, Marcio Menyz & Joe Caramagna takes center stage with a fresh new beginning.

Let’s not wait any longer and dive into the new era.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 by Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marte Gracia, Marcio Menyz & Joe Caramagna (marvel comics)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Coming from the previous run, expectations are put in an awkward spot. Knowing Kelly’s writing style, they’re amped up more than usual. The first chapter centers around a “normal” day in Peter Parker’s world. It nails the traditional “lovable loser” themes Spidey is known for. Once the story goes into a familiar showdown does it find its’ footing.

Kelly throws a twist into a classic rogue. Readers watch as it becomes the start of a larger scheme. The writing also slides in a dastardly return. This eventually leads into quite the shocking turn of events. The final pages here carry a deafening take before passing the baton to Norman Osborn.

His story reflects the new stat quo without the Goblin. It plays well to translate Normans attempt at forgiveness. Events switch gears to a more appeasing approach. How long this will last is anyone’s guess. The issue caps off with a new villain making an entrance. All in all, Kelly adds enough fuel to get a fire burning inside Spidey’s latest adventures.

Art duties are split between Larraz (Main Story) and Romita jr. (Normon and Hellgate). The panel set-up by Larraz works well to run with the dueling Peter/Spidey moments. It gives readers a great segway before his latest job begins. There isn’t much time to pause here. A two page splash of Rhino takes center stage.

Events move fast as the curve is thrown into play. This sends events towards a classic Spidey villain. A half panel indicates what’s to come next with him. Readers watch as the closing pages begin here. This story is capped off with an incredible two page splash. It’s a perfect landing spot to pass art duties to JRJR on.

His portions start with Osborn addressing reporters. It doesn’t take long for things to escalate. A would be attacker is given a half page debut. The eventual fight is classic JRJR. It sets up a solid mic drop moment before the easier close. Once here, the art showcases Spidey’s latest threat with a full page image. As previously eluded to, this chapter is juggling many hats.

OVERALL GRADE: 8.6

Welcome back Pete! Kelly’s writing brings back sorely missed themes for Spider-Man. Larraz, Romita Jr. and their respective art teams flourish in the new stat quo with solid images. It’s a welcomed return that can only push forward from here.

Let me know your comments below about AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1. Thanks for reading!

ALL NEW VENOM #5 (MARVEL COMICS)

At long last, a mystery solved. There is a new host for one of Marvel’s most polarizing characters. Dylan Brock has made it a mission to find out who. Suspects have ranged from Luke Cage to Madame Masque. Masque has drawn out the Lethal Protector. M.O.D.O.K. is on the scene as well. With innocents in the crossfire, will this be a short career for the all new VENOM?

ALL NEW VENOM #5 by Al Ewing, Carlos Gómez, Frank D'Armata, and Clayton Cowles exposes the identity of its’ latest host.

Let’s not delay any longer and find out who it is.

ALL NEW VENOM #5 by Al Ewing, Carlos Gómez, Frank D'Armata, and Clayton Cowles (Marvel Comics)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Ewing draws out the reveal through Robbie Robertson. He is investigating Dylan Brock’s search. It brings him to the doorstep of Paul Rabin and Mary Jane Watson. The conversation is frank as Robbie has pieced together the identity. Paul plays shocked in response to questions. The writing alludes to his blindness of truth. As his probing becomes harder, Paul slips further into a panic denial. All the while, Venom has its hands full.

The majority of the chapter hones in on Venom and Sleeper versus M.O.D.O.K. There is plenty of action to go around. Venom itself carries a new energy to it during the melee. Readers can instantly sense there’s a heroic vibe to the symbiote. The conflict concludes on a very unorthodox move. It proves challenging as far as heroics go. There’s little time to process as Venom retreats to a familiar spot. Once here, all points circle back to a common ground. The last page says it all with many more thoughts behind it. Readers will have to let this era of Venom play out before judgement is made.

Gómez and D'Armata bring the action with this chapter. They open the fight with a near full page shot of M.O.D.O.K. unloading on Sleeper. It’s a great example of how powerful the villain is. Venom’s response is almost comical in presentation. Granted, its’ fighting a monster head but the move is a but too “Looney Tunes”. It causes a drastic response via near full page image.

The art team spotlights the symbiote pairing saving others. It creates a thrilling feel as the fight heads to its’ end. Once here, the attack goes BIG to stop the villain once and for all. The fallout eases fans back into a normal state. This catches up with Robbie’s questioning and Paul’s frantic reactions. This all builds towards the revealing final page. The full page image leaves no doubts on who the host is. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess.

OVERALL GRADE: 8

Venom’s new host is introduced behind an action packed chapter. Ewing sets events in motion with solid writing. Gómez and D'Armata give fans an energetic brawl before dropping the big news. A new era of the Lethal Protector definitely begins now.

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on All New Venom #5. Thanks for reading!