The Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time

Is it possible to still be a fan of the Green Goblin while hating Norman Osborn? Because I do! Other characters have been the Green Goblin when Osborn has been either cured of his mental illness or dead. Plus, the Goblin seems to be a separate character as opposed to Norman, who does have a type of multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia. Or both, maybe. Not sure. 

Plus the Goblin is one of the most aesthetically pleasing designed super-villains of all time. The purple and green. That demonic face. The orange pumpkin bombs. The flyer. I just love this villain.

And then there are the impostors. Many have attempted to become a better version of the Goblin. There are like 6 different Goblins in the pages of Marvel today, including a female version that I think is also a spawn of Carnage... But the best of the usurpers has got to be Hobgoblin!

In this collection of Spider-Man stories from the early 2010s, life couldn't be better for Spidey nor could it be any worse for Peter Parker. Spider-Man is a member of the Avengers now. He's respected again by the police force. Despite the ire of Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, the wall-crawler is the darling of the New York public and media. As for Peter, he lost his job at the Bugle for falsifying photos. Behind on rent, he's now homeless as his roommate just moved out for the West Coast. There's even a rift between Peter and Aunt May!

Meanwhile, a new Hobgoblin has come on scene. He's got access to all of a currently incarcerated Norman Osborn's old gadgets and weapons and he's looking to become the newest enforcer for the Kingpin!

This collection is the start of Dan Slott's massive Big Time story line which would run for 52 issues, culminating with issue #700. You can see the wheels of that issue's massive twist ending in these pages as Doctor Octopus and a new line-up of the Sinister Six are moving pieces of their giant chess board into place. 

Though there was a lot of backstory that I wasn't very familiar with, I was able to enjoy this story very well. It was great seeing Spidey teamed up with both the Avengers and Fantastic Four in the opening chapter. Very awesome twist finale that adventure as well!

Not everything was so exciting. Artist Humberto Ramos' style is very, um... well gnarly. And I'm not talking about that skateboarding term of appreciation and excitement. Everyone looks very spindly. For Spidey, the art style is appropriate. But for the rest of Manhattan, Ramos' pencils makes everyone look like a descendant of Abe Lincoln!

Having completed this book, there's basically 46 more issues in this Big Time saga to go. Will I devote time and energy to finding the rest of the story? I doubt it as there's tons more stuff in my wish list that I want to own and read first. However, should I ever find an affordable omnibus of this story arc, I would seriously consider getting it to read. Perhaps I can find the rest at my local library.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Life Story

This was a revolutionary miniseries. In 1962, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider. Upon the tragic death of his Uncle Ben, Parker is consumed by guilt and becomes the superhero, Spider-Man. 

Life Story follows Parker through 6 decades of Marvel History- but with a twist. This narrative is told in linear fashion. Yes, Peter Parker and friends and foes age through the troubled 1960s, past a nuclear holocaust threatened to a 9/11 ravaged 00s and beyond!

This was in ways a sort of 'What If...' Since the characters actually age, the history of the Marvel universe changes in some intriguing ways. What if Captain America fought in Nam? What if after the Secret Wars, the Symbiote bound itself to a different Spidey villain? And you've never seen the controversial Clone Sage quite like this!

Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals) knocked it out of the part with this brilliant look at the life and times of Peter Parker. I feel spoiled. I really want to see more of these type of stories. In fact, with DC and Marvel itching like crazy to have rebooted heroes take over for the iconic ones, I have an idea! 

Set the classic characters in the past with linear remakes of classic story lines while setting up the next generation in the modern era. That way, we can still have our childhood heroes while staying fresh to the readers of generation Y and Z! It can happen and it can work! Zdarsky and Marvel proved it could be a success with this miniseries! 

Thus, in the words of Jean-Luc Picard, 'Make It So!' 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

The Tony Stark era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe came to a close with Spider-Man: Far From Home. When I reviewed Endgame a month or two back, I expressed hope that this 'epilogue' would share a ton of light on how people adapted after the return of that missing half of the global population after Thanos' snap. And my request was granted!

Far From Home has Peter Parker (Tom Holland) reeling from the loss of his mentor, Tony Stark. A school class trip to Europe just might be the thing Spider-Man needs to get his head back together. Plus, Parker has made big plans to express his love to MJ (Zendaya). However, with a new Avengers-level threat taking aim at Central Europe, it appears that uber-spy Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has just hijacked Peter's vacation.

Fury introduces Peter to Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), a superhero from a parallel earth. He claims that Elementals in the form of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water have arrived on our world and seek to devour it. Beck believes that without Spider-Man's help, the lone survivor of his world, now named Mysterio by the press, cannot defeat the final and most powerful Elemental, Fire. 

All Peter wants to do is relax and be a kid. Thus, without really having his Uncle Ben around anywhere in the picture, the teenage superhero must decide whether or not if it's true that with great power comes great responsibility.

Far From Home is probably the best Spider-Man film to date. Tom Holland is the perfect Spider-Man. Sadly, he's about the only character here that is pretty true to the comics. That's not to say that I did not like the other characters. Zendaya's version of MJ grew on me compared from the first movie. I think I am okay with her being a little weird. And as much as I like Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds; he's not the one from the comics. With this in mind, there were a couple of scenes in which I felt like I was watching a Teen Disney TV show and not a superhero spectacular.

Perhaps the most unforgivable representation in the movie is that of Marisa Tomei's Aunt May. I like that she's a more hip and cooler auntie. But I felt like Kevin Feige and company really decided to ramp up her sex appeal to appease the numerous fans who have salivated over her ever since first appearing in Captain America: Civil War. The frequent gratuitous rear end shots of her proves this. In all, it felt unnecessary.

There's another big reveal that is not true to the comics but it's a HUGE spoiler. I'm still on the fence about it. All I will say is that there are 2 extra scenes during the credits and one of them will change everything you thought you knew about the MCU Avengers' origins. Or at least make you question everything.

I didn't realize how long the movie is but honestly, I didn't feel like it was a lengthy movie. There's so much jammed packed action in this film, along with a lot of laughs. But I must admit that during the credits when I saw all the listings for those who worked on the Italy portion of this film, I said to myself, 'That happened months ago!' Meaning, I had forgotten how much distance Spidey and his friends ended up travelling all the way from NYC to Venice, London and other ports of call.

This is the type of film that can only be described as an epic. Lots happen here and for the most part, you will not be disappointed. However, I did start to feel in the last about 5 minutes of this movie that I was watching the ending to Shazam! I'm wondering if DC's family friendly film didn't get producers thinking about a younger target audience. 

For one thing, a Ramones song plays during the main wrap-up scene. And then when you have the first credits, you get funny animated illustrations and trick photography like you do at the end of Shazam! DC and Marvel are constantly criticized for when things seem too similar to each other (especially in such a short amount of time) and this is an instance when I point fingers at the House of Ideas stealing some concepts from the House that Superman Built.

Overall, I really loved this movie. But I thought that some instances were too similar to other superhero flicks. Plus, while totally fine with some changes in the characters, one just went over the line. And then there's that shocking twist. I just don't know how I feel about it. I'd love to process it with you here and now, my dear readers. But that would be too much of a spoiler. In a movie in which perception is the key theme, that spoiler is one you must see to believe.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Season's Beatings #1

X-Force, Spider-Men Miles Morales and Peter Parker, Squirrel Girl and the West Coast Avengers join Deadpool in this 2018 holiday comic. While it has elements of Run Lola Run and The Usual Suspects throughout the plot, this was another festive fail on Marvel's part this year.

The Spider-Men story starts great and then gets jumbled when the two Spidey's meet. It has a great ending however. 

The Squirrel Girl yarn was flat out perfect as she deals with Doctor Doom on a Latverian Christmas Eve. 

The West Coast Avengers story was horrid. It's got the Kate Bishop trying to solve the murder of a mall Santa. If she was doing the work on her own, it would be fine. Having Clint Barton on hand would have been ideal. Instead, Katie has some annoying purple haired mutant helping, hindering, and it was the biggest steaming pile of crap.

Then we have the framing story which involves Deadpool and X-Force. Deadpool by himself is very funny as usual. But X-Force are freakin' confusing as all get out. And once Wade Wilson and Cable's squad get together, it's like a very bad rendition of Who's On First?

The entire book is written by Winter Solider and Spider-Gwen's Jason Latour. I think if Latour had focused on characters that he's got experience writing about, this book would have been great. Or if Marvel had a different writer for each story. Instead, the entire book felt very uneven. 

Then there's the art. As I have mentioned in several posts, Marvel has gotten some flak on the lack of quality in the art. This holiday comic is no exception. The Spider-Men tale was a pale imitation of the great Darwyn Cooke at best. And I've never seen Deadpool look worse and that's saying something. At least whomever did the Squirrel Girl art was on point in this special. As I said, that one tale was flawless.

I'm not sure what Marvel was thinking this year. The Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Christmas themed issue was great. But the two stand-alone holiday specials just weren't all that great. The House of Ideas has fallen into disrepair and the publisher is going to have to do something to fix things quick in 2019. It's no wonder Disney doesn't trust Marvel with it's more family friendly properties; subletting to Dark Horse and IDW instead.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

It's extremely rare when a movie can do a fantastic and faithful adaptation of a comic book storyline. But that's exactly what happens here in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. 

Brooklyn teen Miles Morales is the new kid at an elite boarding school in the Big Apple. But when a strange looking spider bites Miles, he discovers that he's also the newest person to be imbued with spider-themed super powers. A chance encounter with Spider-Man promises to help teach Miles about his new abilities. But when Spidey is murdered by the Kingpin, Miles is left to flounder on his on in the super hero thing on his own. Or is he?

When going to pay his respects to the fallen wall-crawler, Miles comes face to face with Peter Parker! Only this Peter is older, grayer, and a bit out of shape. It turns out that the Kingpin is playing God with a particle accelerator, which is opening windows into other dimensions. These experiments are ripping holes in the fabric of space and time and bringing things from parallel universes into Miles' world., such as other Spider-Men. 

The Kingpin's device must be stopped or the entirety of the multiverse will be destroyed. Alone, Miles Morales is in way over his head. But with a Spider-Man mentor behind him and some other inter-dimensional help, the newest Spidey in the Spider-Verse just might have a chance to save the day!

I loved how Miles Morales was finally introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This animated film proved that you don't have to go live action to be canon. I would love for Tom Holland's Spider-Man to eventually meet Miles. The events of this film helps to usher that crossover into being without taking away from either's origin stories. 

The film was an artistic masterpiece. Visually stunning, the animators did an amazing job making the film feel both live action and like a comic book at the same time. This is how motion comics need to be done!

Plus there's just so many Easter eggs that give homage or tribute to the amazing array or writers and artists who have given Spider-Man life. So many Kirby dots! Plus lots of streets, businesses and more are given names of Spidey creators. There's even a very cool blink and you miss it nod to the campaign to get Donald Glover to be the next Spider-Man. And there won't be a dry eye in the room with one of the final cameos made by Stan 
'The Man' Lee!

Black Panther might have been the cultural moment of 2018 Marvel movies. Infinity Wars might be the most talked about. Ant-Man and the Wasp may be the film that progresses the events of the MCU the furthest and Venom was the brightest surprise for 2018. But Into The Spider-Verse is the best Marvel film of the year! It's the one that I was ready to get right back in line to see again!

Adults and children will love this movie! Just because this is an animated film, don't allow that to make you decide to skip it! You are all going to have some time over the next couple of weeks with the holidays to spend with family and friends. If the subject of going to see a movie pops up in your conversations, recommend seeing Spider-Verse! As much as I want Aquaman to do well in theaters, this is the movie that should be seen on the Christmas break!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

What If? Flash Thompson Became Spider-Man #1

One of the things I wanted to see during the new What If one-shots was to have the Nick Fury Watcher host the stories. Having read most of them, I had been disappointed. Finally with this one, request granted! 

One thing with this new version of Nick Fury I did not expect was for this Watcher to wax poetic. It doesn't quite fit. But I would imagine being forced to become the Watcher, it's going to result in some changes. I'm just not used to having Nick Fury talk less like a New York grunt and more like Christopher Marlowe...

As for the story itself, this What If? has Peter Parker bully, Flash Thompson getting bit by that radioactive spider and becoming Spider-Man. The Flash Thompson Spider-Man doesn't have the guilt of a dead relative on his hands. That makes this Spidey reckless, unencumbered and down right dangerous. 

This was very, very good. Gerry Conway is one of my favorite Superman writers. He's also one of my favorite Spider-Man scribes. Conway does an amazing job on this with tons of twists and shocking turns. 

She-Hulk's Diego Olortegui does an amazing job on the art. His take is full of respects given to Steve Ditko, John Romita, Sr and others. Awesome work and I hope to see more of it in the future. 

One thing about this story- it gave me an idea for a What If? The events at the end of this story would have meant down the road Spidey would not become one with the Symbiote. I know that they've done stories about what if some other superhero became Venom. But I now want to see a What If about if there never was a Venom. How would that impact the Marvel Universe. With no Venom, there be no Carnage, no Anti-Venom and no Lady Venom. (Is that one a thing or did I dream that one?) Clearly, that absence would result in void in several storylines, right? Worth exploring..., oh and Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

What If? Peter Parker Became The Punisher? #1

For the month of October, the alternate timeline comic What If? returns in a series of one-shots. In this issue, the question 'What If Peter Parker Became the Punisher?' is explored. 

For those of all wondering why put Peter Parker in the role of the Punisher, let me explain why it's not such a far-off idea. First of all, the Punisher originated in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man (#129, the Holy Grail of comics for those Coyote Ugly fans out there) as a villain of Spidey. Secondly, when Spider-Man first decides to fight evil-doers, he questions whether to do it out of justice or revenge. In his origin story, Spider-Man chooses justice. But what if he choose the path of murderous vengeance instead?

This is one of those few times where I read a comic, rated it in my head, did some research and then gave the book a higher rating. My issue with the story was that Peter Parker went dark from the very beginning. Before fighting crime, Parker went on TV as a celebrity wall-crawler to make money for his ailing caretakers. It's not until his Uncle Ben was murdered in response to Parker's selfish actions that Spider-Man becomes a superhero. To have Spidey wearing the Punisher's skull on his costume  before Ben's death didn't make any sense. So I went back over the first couple of pages again.

In this alternate tale, Peter is bitten by a radioactive 'false widow' spider, in which he obtains his spider-like powers from. The spider in this story has what looks like a skull on it's back. I decided to google this spider and there really is a false widow spider! And this spider will sometimes have markings that looks like a skull on it's back!!! So, I upped my rating of this book from a 6 to an 8.

One thing that prevented me from going any further in my ratings adjustment is the lack of a host. Both the original, 90s revivial and other one-shot What Ifs have had the Watcher as the host, guide and sometimes narrator of the title. I know that currently, the Watcher is dead. But it's not the same What If? without him. Couldn't Marvel have used one of Uatu's kind? Or even have the new Watcher, Nick Fury hosting this issue? Either would have been better than no host as all.

This one-shot was pretty good. With real-life science, this is a great example of the scope of science fiction storytelling. However, this modern version is missing that X-factor (and I am not talking mutants here) that could have made this story an all-time classic What If.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Black, Blue, & Read All Over #1

First of all, I love the cover. It looks very retro, like the live-action Spidey TV-show of the 70s, which I love fondly despite knowing it was very hokey.

Then there is a great companion piece with a reprint of ASM #12 in which a very sick Spider-man is unmasked as Peter Parker by Doctor Octopus. The twist is everyone thinks Petey was trying to be heroic and isn’t the wall-crawler at all.

Lastly, there’s the title tale in which Spider-man convinces Jonah Jameson that he’ll unmask if the Daily Bugle will publish the wallcrawler’s side of the story for a change. It’s a nice tale that shows you how hard it is to be a hero. But, the ending is lame.

Average everything out, and I give this tale a 6 or of 10. But, it’s still very good and Worth Consuming, but just barely.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Team-Up #74 (Volume 1)

This is not a joke. This is not a dream. In 1978, Spider-man really did team with the original not-ready-for-prime-time-players of Saturday Night Live!!!

In perhaps the most bizarre comic of all-time, the mutant Silver Samurai and his goon’s take SNL hostage as he searches for an ancient Chinese ring that John Belushi happens to be wearing. Thankfully, Peter Parker had tickets to watch a live taping of the show with Stan Lee hosting. With the building locked, the only hero in the building is Spidey. So, with the help of the cast of Saturday Night Live, the wall-crawler manages to save the day.

There are hi-jinx galore- Garrett Morris as a Black Thor (Shouldn't he be Ant-Man???), Belushi goes Samurai Delicatessen vs. Silver Samurai, and Waldorf and Stadler from the Muppet Show even make an odd cameo.

I love this issue. It’s so bizarre and strange. I’ve been searching for it for just about forever. Great art, though Bill Murray looks nothing like himself. But a good job on renderings of everybody else.

A note for Essential Marvel Team-Up collectors: This issue is not reprinted in any of the 4 volumes currently on the market. That’s probably because Marvel doesn’t have the license for the SNL product anymore or there’s some royalty tie-ups with the Belushi and Gilda Radner estates.

Madcap fun- Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Uncanny Origins #7

  The complicated relationship between Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote that turns him into Venom is explored in this issue. From Peter Parker first coming across the parasitic creature in the pages of Secret Wars to later bonding with disgraced reporter Brock after Parker rejects his alien 'suit' to the pair becoming a vigilante type anti-hero who seeks to destroy Spider-Man, all of Venom's history is explored right up to 1997. 

   So here's what confuses me- the cover states that this issue is 'the deadly debut of Spider-Man's Nastiest Nemesis.' Was that a typo? Poor editing? 

   At the point of this issue of Uncanny Origins being published, the Symbiote has been around for over a decade as well as the character of Eddie Brock. Their fusion into Venom occurred about 2 years afterwards. So, again, I ask, how is this the debut of Venom? 

   Oddly enough, I think this is why the issue was so gosh darn hard for me to find. It was the last issue I needed to complete my collection of this series and it cost me almost $10 (compared to spending only about a buck a pop for the rest.) Yes, Venom is a popular character but I think some fans mistakenly think this is the debut of the Spider-Man villain thanks to the cover blurb. 

   Well, folks, I am here to tell you that it's not.

   A good issue with more fantastic art by Dave Hoover. It's definitely worth reading and was worth the search, but it's not a key issue in regards to the character. So, make sure if you seek out this issue that you don't pay an arm and a leg.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Gwen, Volume 1: Most Wanted? (Marvel Now!)

  After being bitten by a radioactive spider, young Gwen Stacy garners amazing powers and becomes the Radioactive Spider-Woman!

   Spinning from the epic multi-dimensional Spider-Verse storyline from 2014 comes Spider-Gwen! In this universe (Earth-65), Gwen Stacy- NOT Peter Parker, gained powers from a spider bite and becomes everyone's favorite web-crawler- except for the police, led by Gwen's father, Captain Stacy! See, Spider-Woman's been falsely accused of killing Peter Parker, who was inspired by Gwen's exploits to be a superhero himself, only his experiments went terribly wrong and the carnage resulted in his death.

   By day, Gwen juggles being the drummer of the up-and-coming band, the Mary Janes. At night, Spider-Woman tries to save the day while eluding the police who have an APB out for her immediate capture! With Detective Frank Castle now on her trail and the criminal mastermind Kingpin out to make her either his newest accomplice or next victim, the stakes have never been higher for Gwen Stacy...

   Most Wanted? was a great introduction to the character of Spider-Gwen. I had been on the fence about her. Not because it's a female superhero but I thought that outside of this comic's title, I was afraid that the general public of Earth-65 actually referred to this heroine as Spider-Gwen. That's like Superman calling himself Super-Clark. But thankfully, that's not the case.

    The only real problem I had with this book was the angle of Gwen being a drummer for the Mary Janes. Yes- this is an interesting take on Mary Jane Watson being a rival of Gwen's without it being some sort of love triangle with Peter Parker or another boy. But member of a girl band??? Really? Critics argue that comics don't feature enough strong women in comics. But having Gwen have to deal with the petty squabbles of being part of a band seems to me actually detracting from this title's potential girl power. 

   I'm open to reading more Spider-Gwen in the future. I especially want to read Spider-Verse. But if I do get my hands on volume 2 of this series, I hope it matures a little bit. Spider-Gwen might be a fan favorite of girls and cosplayers, but at this point in her legend, she's not in the same league as the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel or Kamala Kahn's Ms. Marvel. Not by the end of volume 1, anyways...

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Volume 22: Ultimatum

  

 The original Ultimate Spider-man run comes to a close with some of the most thrilling and deadly adventures ever faced by Peter Parker. At first, everything seems to be going the wallcrawler's way. The police love him, the media isn't opposed to his efforts (for once), and he's finally found love with Mary Jane Watson. But you know that nothing ever stays perfect for Parker. Enter: Magneto's Ultimatum!

   I've not read the Ultimatum miniseries yet. In fact, I don't think I own it. But I know that Magneto's beef with humanity finally reaches it's breaking point when the mutant madman unleashes an epic tsunami upon the Big Apple. Heroes will die, friendships tested, and only Spider-man can save the day!

   It took forever for my local library to pick up this volume. I was so tempted to buy the issues that made up this book but I never could find them for a good price and I never gave up hope that my library would complete this collection. The good thing about having taken so long to read this after the 'War of the Symbiotes' is that basically none of those prior events affect this storyline, so I didn't feel lost or having to catch up on past events. 

   That being said, I think the odds of my library ever carrying Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Volume 1 (2009-2011), the next series to star the Parker Spidey (before Miles Morales assumed the role) is probably slim to none. So, add that to my wish list.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 2: Revelations

  As the Ultimate Universe begins to unravel, all of the remaining secrets you've been waiting for answers are uncovered before the final curtain goes down on Miles Morales and his band of New Ultimates.

   Reveals include:

•    How did Norman Osborne survive after seemingly dying during his climatic battle with Peter Parker in revealed?
•     Is the Peter Parker who returned asking to for his mantle of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man the real deal or a blasted clone?
•     Where's Miles' dad and what's been the deep dark secret he kept for so long?
• and much more...

   

    While this volume does tidy things up in a big way, the ending boasts the biggest question of 2015? Just what happens to Miles and the rest of the world in Secret Wars when the Battleworld arrives at the series end?

    That's right, this volume is the last we'll ever see of Miles Morales in the Ultimate Universe. Well, for now, at least, as nothing really is forever in comics. 

    A grand capper to a great character in a great alternate universe from Marvel Comics. 

    It's fitting that the mastermind behind the Ultimate Comics universe, Brian Michael Bendis, crafted the swan song to Ultimate Spider-Man. The artwork by David Marquez was also very good. However, he's not the original artist behind UC: Spider-Man #1. That would've been the icing of the proverbial cake.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Amazing Spider-Man 2

              

   After missing it in theaters and then somehow passing it on HBO and OnDemand, I finally got my hands on a copy of Amazing Spider-Man 2. This action romp through the Big Apple on the web-swinging back of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man pits the hero against the armored Rhino, the electrifying Electro, and the creepy Green Goblin all the while balancing love and job in his civilian life as Peter Parker. On paper, this should be a slam dunk. But at almost two and a half hours long the film's momentum is paced sporadically as the plot gets really dragged out and then all of a sudden it gets jammed pack with a dizzying array action and adventure.

   Amazing Spider-Man left me pleasantly disappointed. It has some very good acting. With the exception of Heath Ledger's Joker, that's not really what superhero films are known for. There were some very fun scenes that succeed thanks to the great acting. But overall the film feel flat in areas that comic based films are praised for, especially plot and SFX.

Andrew Garfield's timing and poise as Spider-Man/ Peter Parker is excellent. The way he makes Spider-Man a thriving part of New York and his scenes with everyday people and the real heroes of the city, the NYPD and NYFD, while in costume were perfect.
 
   Then you got Jamie Fox who played a nerdy uberfan of Spidey's named Max Dillon, who is turned into the misunderstood Electro was fantastic as well. There was a real character progression to Dillon that made him a sympathetic foe. Plus there was great chemistry between Garfield and Fox in their few scenes together.

   Speaking of chemistry, Andrew Garfield's Peter and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy got it! Maybe it;s because the two are lovers in real life, but they made ASM2 a kind of romantic comedy in the vein of Tracy and Hepburn. Even Paul Giamatti as Rhino was good though I think his Russian accent needed work because I couldn't understand a word he was saying. (OKAY- maybe it was too good!)

    If this was the only dynamic of Amazing Spider-Man 2 then the film would be an instant classic. But the writers, producers, and director decided to add Norman and Harry Osborn into the mix. Norman, played by Chris Cooper, has some sort of terrible auto-immune disease. His search for a cure is what leads to OsCorp conducting its research with spiders that ultimately bite Parker and give him his powers. With Norman's death, his company is handed over to his son, Harry. When Peter tries to reach out to his old friend, the film spirals into about 45 minutes of Harry trying to find a cure for the genetic condition he inherited from his father. It may be important to understanding Harry's character and motivation, but it really slows the film to a snails pace.

   Harry's search for a cure winds up taking on the mystery behind the death of Peter's folks. Peter finds a satchel that belonged to his father and that spins the film off into yet another tangent. Sure, Peter's search does provide some much needed scientific jargon as to why that spider's bite gave him special powers but that's about all it does to benefit the film.

   Ideally with all of the tangents and sprawling plotlines, this film should have been cut into two movies and Amazing Spider-Man turned into a trilogy. But with a major deal struck between Marvel Studios and Sony to add Spidey to the official Marvel movie universe,  I think the plans to make this film series into a trilogy were scrapped in order to get Spider-Man into 'Captain America: Civil War' as soon as possible. (It's rumored that this is the movie in which Spidey will be introduced to the MMU.)

   Sadly, Andrew Garfield will not be portraying the wall-crawler in the forthcoming Captain America flick. In fact the Peter Parker Spider-Man might not even be featured in the forthcoming Spider-Man cinematic reboot scheduled for release around 2019. ( In an effort for a more diverse Marvel film universe, rumor has it that the half black, half Latino Miles Morales Spider-Man will appear in Civil War.)

  Yes- the Spider-Man franchise is going to get a second reboot in less than 5 years time! And for that reason alone, I feel that that this film tries to do too much because there won't be an Amazing Spider-Man 3 to round out the unanswered questions of the first film. One such question is still unanswered- just who is the guy in the shadows at the prison for bad guys? He pops up again in this film and I still don't know who the heck he is.

   Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a rare type of superhero film. It's acting was far better than the story and don't get me started on the special effects. Maybe it's because I watched this film on DVD but the action scenes involving Spidey were so fake looking. But during Stan Lee's tenure are the mastermind behind the Marvel Age of Comics, his stories were known for being heavy on character and drama and that's what happens here. I just hope Marvel Studios allows Andrew Garfield a much-needed swan song before the pass on the mantle of Spider-Man to whoever is cast as the Miles Morales Spidey.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business

   This original graphic novel pits Peter Parker with two of his oldest foes- the Kingpin and Parker's family history. When commandos ransack his apartment, Peter finds himself on the run only to be saved by a mysterious secret agent claiming to be his long-lost sister. Now Peter and possibly sister Teresa Parker go on a globe-trotting adventure in search for the truth about 'Sis' and hopefully uncover why Kingpin is after him.
    The opening act of this graphic novel was weak. Some of it was disjointed and most of the pages were just a whirlwind of action that was short on plot. Once Peter and Teresa finally make it to a safe house, the story slows down enough to explain why this CIA operative thinks she's Peter's sister. The intermission also sheds light on why the Kingpin and the CIA are both on the hunt for Parker.
    Spinning out of the pages of 1960s 'Tales to Astonish' and issues 100-104 of 'Captain America', the second act reveals that Peter's parents (secret agents themselves) assisted the good Captain to defeat one of the Red Skull's Sleepers. Mr. Parker used his DNA and a facial recognition program to bind the colossus into  a sleep mode. Should  Richard Parker look-alike Peter gaze into and touch the safety lock, he could unleash this sleeper on an unsuspecting Cairo. So, the CIA wants to bury the Sleeper under 50 worth of rock while Kingpin wants the Nazi robot to help him conquer the world.
     I really enjoyed the second act as well as the killer ending and intriguing epilogue. I'm hoping there's more to this story to come soon! With exotic locales, suave tuxedos, and more secret gadgets than a weekend of James Bond movies, this was an exciting Spider-Man story with a fresh take on America's favorite wall-crawler. However, you might feel like you've haven't received your Spider-Man quotient as Peter appears and battles more without his costume and mask than possibly any other Spidey story ever written.
     With fantastic art and a great script by Mark Waid (that guy has been popping up on my blog a lot lately), Marvel continues to amaze with its original graphic novel series.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
 
 

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Volume 1

   When the Ultimate Spider-Man/ Peter Parker dies; Fate, Destiny, or Kismet sees to it that a successor is chosen. Enter Miles Morales, a gifted youngster who's been bitten by one of Norman Osborne’s genetically altered spiders.

   The book starts off slow, with it being at least 3 issues before Miles dons the mantle of Spider-man. Adding to the odd flow of the book is that part of the story is of another issue that deals with the first appearance of Morales in the Ultimate Universe. Then after the first arc is completed, the rest of that ground breaking issue is reprinted, but it deals mostly with Mister Fantastic and the X-Men and has nothing to do with Spidey.
   
   Here is my big problem with the book. It’s not that this Spider-man is black. I have no problem with this. I signed the petition years back for Donald Glover to be Peter Parker in this newest Spider-man film and it turns out Glover was what inspired Bendis to create a minority replacement to Peter Parker. My issue with the book is that Morales is in middle school. He’s like 10-12 years old and it just doesn’t seem plausible that Nick Fury would use such a young kid considering how hesitant as he was to use Parker, who was 16, when he first became a costumed hero.

    Thankfully, Milo and his best friend are wonderfully crafted and they make for pleasant reads. Also, I like how Bendis is using Aunt May and Gwen Stacy as mentors giving Miles the “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” mantra that really inspired Peter. I think there is great potential for this book and I'm already standing in line, waiting for more to come.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.