The Hunter Returns: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #79 and #80

 written by Cody Ziglar

drawn by Michael Dowling

colored by Jesus Aburtov

And just like that, three months into the new, "Beyond" status quo, Marvel has amassed six issues, enough to fill a decent-sized trade paperback (though one wonders if they might go for eight, instead).

For the first time since Nick Spencer's meandering slog "The Hunted" Kraven the Hunter briefly returns to Spider-Man's life, even though it's a different Spider-Man he's facing this time, and again, Ben Reilly finds both himself and the resources of the Beyond Corporation put to the test as he has to contend not just with the murderous hunter but with the potent hallucinogens he unleashes upon Ben.

I have to say, six issues in, that this particular approach to storytelling appears to be working pretty well. These stories have been pretty well-curated, and quite notably, I am happy to see that even though there have been three different artists in as many months working on this title, there is a remarkable consistency to the aesthtic that's being employed here. Relative newcomer Michael Dowling employs an art style which is notably consistent with those of both Sara Pichelli and Patrick Gleason, even as it retains its own distinct identity. That, and the fact that TV writer Cody Ziglar turns in another solid, complete mini-story, makes this an enjoyable read which ends on a cliffhanger showing Beyond planning its next move. 

I wasn't particularly thrilled to see Kraven against so soon after Nick Spencer's messy "Kraven's Last Hunt" sequel, but seeing Dowling render Ben Reilly's trippy hallucinations was a visual treat reminiscent of the work of Bill Sienkiewicz and so, if nothing else, this two-issue mini story was quite pretty to look at. I also found Jesus Aburtov's color palette to be particularly vibrant as well, so even though Cody Ziglar story basically had the character treading water as we move ever closer to finding out what the Beyond Corporation is really up to, it was still worth checking out. 

At this point it's worth pointing out that "Nextwave" was already halfway through its overarching narrative six issues in, given how wonderfully packed full of content each issue was. In contrast, Spider-Man's Beyond era has given up precious little.  Apart from seeing Reilly fight a new villain every other issue, and the occasional glimpse at the malevolence of Maxine Danger, we're not getting nearly as much as readers of "Nextwave" had at this point in that book's life cycle. I'm guessing that Marvel plans to stretch this particular story out to far longer than just twelve issues, but I'm still hoping for meatier stories than what I've been getting so far. 

I've genuinely enjoyed these past six issues, but I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't getting impatient for something bigger to happen to Ben Reilly and even Peter Parker. 

7.5/10  

Mutilating Sony's Future Franchise Star: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #78

written by Kelly Thompson

  drawn by Sara Pichelli with James Towe

 colored by Nolan Woodard, Rachelle Rosenberg

Once upon a time, Marvel Comics published a comic book that was just so bold, so out there, so uncompromising and so unlike anything else that it was publishing at the time that it left an indelible mark on its fans and has since become a genuinely revered part of its vast catalog of works. 

That work was Nextwave,  by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, and it is on the goodwill of that truly unique twelve-issue story that the current team behind The Amazing Spider-man are banking to propel their "Beyond" story arc.

After having been bitten in the neck by longtime Spidey foe Michael Morbius, Ben Reilly, aka Spider-Man breaks free of the vampire's grasp and comes up with a way to deal with Morbius a way that is both creative and downright gruesome. Afterwards, as Ben's paymasters at the Beyond Corporation attend to his injuries from his latest encounter, the big boss at Beyond, Maxine Danger contemplates the unthinkable. Meanwhile, a comatose Peter Parker shows signs of movement upon receiving a visit from former flame Felicia Hardy. 

With this issue, Marvel wraps up another two-issue mini arc, this one by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Sara Pichelli (with a little helping hand from James Towe) and now have nearly enough issues for the series' first collected edition of stories.  It's still too early to say if this "Beyond" era is a success, and the test of the pudding, for me, will be how far they can take Beyond's pretty obvious villainy. We got the briefest glimpse of it in this issue, with the Beyond boss briefly considering letting Ben Reilly suffer the effects of Morbius' bit to see how his spider-altered blood would react to the bite, but there's definitely a lot more to come from this storyline than just teases and hints. I'm patient enough to wait, and to be fair, Thompson took over storytelling duties pretty seamlessly from Zeb Wells.

Another things that makes it easier to wait to see Marvel unveil Beyond's grand plan is Sara Pichelli's art, which, as always, is easy on the eyes.  It's a departure from Patrick Gleason's art, to be sure, but there's still an aesthetic consistency.

In a way, the "Beyond" era of The Amazing Spider-Man seems to be taking a page directly out of Ellis and Immonen's storytelling approach to "Nextwave" which was basically to tell stories in two-page miniarcs while tying everything together in a bigger narrative.  This, for me, works a lot better than the sprawling, often chaotic approach to storytelling that ultimately ruined Nick Spencer's three-year, eighty-odd issue run on the book. The stories may not (as yet, anyway) be as strong as some of Spencer's best, or even those of Dan Slott before him, but I'm enjoying the format they've been presented in so far, as strange as this may sound.

Also, considering that Morbius is about to appear in his very own feature film, it's quite interesting to see what the Spider-Man brain trust allowed to happen to him this issue, even though it's almost a given that it won't be a permanent condition. 

8/10