written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
The twist from the end of last issue (which features on the cover of this issue) has been explained. The very machine that irradiated the spider that bit Peter Parker and gave him his powers has actually split Peter Parker and Spider-Man into two different people! Now, not only does Peter have the chance to live without superheroing, and the havoc it wrought on his personal life, but he's actually forced to do so as the process has left him without superpowers. It seems, at first, like the perfect way out of his life as Spider-Man, with his now separate alter ego seemingly relishing the split as well, taking on the newly-returned threat, the Tri-Sentinel with unbridled enthusiasm. Even as Peter contemplates the many possibilities that this new development offers, like an uninterrupted life with Mary Jane, a job from which he'll never again have to absent himself, and even the chance to legitimately complete his doctorate, he cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong, and as Doctor Curt Connors shows Peter how the machine is being tested on a mouse the way it was accidentally tested on him, Peter understands exactly what the problem is.
Nick Spencer continues to knock this book out of the park; I'd only ever heard about this guy before this book, especially what he did to Cap, but now that I've finally started reading his work I'm so very glad this book is on my pull list. Having read this particular title for over thirty years, I find it somewhat surprising that no one's ever thought of this particular twist before considering we've already seen clones and alternate universe versions, and even though the "science" behind the surprise development is just as goofy as one could expect, the strength of Spencer's story lies in how he explores the implications of the split, with generous helpings of humor at first, and then ending the issue with the somewhat more serious consequences. This guy continues to deliver solidly entertaining stuff, and three issues in, not a single page of story has been wasted on meandering. Ta Nehisi Coates should read this book, if he isn't already doing so.
Three issues in, and Ryan Ottley's art continues to grow on me. He'll never be as good as Stuart Immonen in my opinion, but he's definitely well clear of the likes of Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli. I'd even go as far as to say he's approaching the level of consistent quality that Spidey luminary John Romita, Jr. regularly turned in back when he was working on this book with J. Michael Straczynski in the book's pre-"One More Day" glory days. It also helps that superstar colorist Laura Martin is basically at the top of her game; the images seriously pop. Such quality, though does apparently come at a cost, as Ottley will be taking a break after this story, and Ramos will be taking over for a few issues. Clearly, therefore, Ottley isn't quite in JR, Jr.'s league, either, given that the latter drew some 30-odd consecutive issues of the book without any reliever whatsoever (but then, the guy is an industry legend, albeit one whose best days, in my opinion, are behind him).
I have the complete JMS/Romita Jr. run of Spider-Man issues, but following the "One More Day" fiasco, my collecting habits have been much more sporadic, even factoring in Marvel's propensity for relaunches. I just haven't felt the need to follow this title as religiously as I did with, say, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's run on Daredevil. Following Dan Slott's final few issues with Stuart Immonen was easy as I knew there was an end in sight, but with this book, Spencer's just getting started, and yet, I can see myself sticking around for as long as Spencer does, for as long as he and Ottley can maintain this level of quality. This is the first time in a long time that I have actually been excited to see what happens next in a Spider-Man book every single month.
9/10
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