This Christmas themed Spider-Man comic is all over the place. It starts off with a very poorly structured poem, it wedges it to a Santa slasher flick, morphs into a soap opera, and then ends up with yet another bad poem while giving a classic surprise ending that only Santa Claus could provide. The only thing typically Spidey is the doom and gloom only Peter Parker can force on himself. The guys like Atlas, placing the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
One interesting twist was a segment where Peter Parker daydreams what it would be like if he used a pager while crimefighting. The funny 4-panel gag is something I've only seen in Spider-Man cartoons. I never knew his imagination ran wild in the comics too!
The art was another thing that was inconsistent. Throughout, the styles and fashion are typically 80s and I don't fault the artists for it. But the scenes of Spider-man fighting a pickpocket and a mall Santa planning a break-in were hastily drawn with muted tones and very light penciling. Then there's a bath tub scene starring Mary Jane Watson. Talk about 'hubba hubba.' It's like the artist spent all his time trying to make his red head dreams come true that when it came time to draw the rest of the book, he rushed through it.
Mixed throughout the book are several small plotlines in which several members of the Daily Bugle are having soap opera like problems at home. Then there's a one-page segment in which a teacher suspects that a child is being abused. None of these micro plots go anywhere. I'm sure if I was to have bought issues 113-120, most of those storylines would be resolved. But it doesn't make for great reading for a casual reader.
Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.
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