written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Laura Martin
Having just gotten back together with Mary Jane Watson at the end of last issue, Peter Parker a.k.a. is riding cloud nine. He's riding so high, in fact, that nothing can dampen his spirits, not the loss of his job last issue when his doctoral dissertation was revealed to have been copied from Doctor Octopus' work, not an encounter with second-string super-villains like the Ring and Man Mountain Marko, and not even the knowledge that he has to take his PhD all over again (or that at least, his body does, given that it was Doctor Octopus who was occupying his body when he obtained that PhD) can ruin his mood...at least until he discovers that his professor is none other than Curt Connors aka The Lizard. That's not even this story's biggest bombshell, which drops right on the last page.
I've a confession to make: for the last few months, I've been collecting both single issues of comics and collected editions, and with prices being the way they are, I confess, I was starting to gravitate more and more towards the latter. I was starting to wonder what the point was of forking over a king's ransom to read twenty pages of content a month, and then have to wait another few weeks to get my next fix? The answer came in the form of this issue, which delivered an experience that only serialized entertainment like this can offer.
It helps, of course, that Nick Spencer delivers yet another rock-solid issue in only his second outing on the title, delivering a neat done-in-one that sets up the next issue with one stunning splash page. While Peter's turnaround from the unfortunate events of the last issue may feel a tad abrupt, a brief conversation between Peter and Curt Connors explains how events can conspire to give Peter a second chance, even after what he's been through. To summarize, Peter's life of selflessness can be rewarding from time to time, in unexpected ways. I have to say, as a longtime reader of this book, that I really, really like how Spencer just seems to get Peter so well, and without having to bludgeon us with countless references to past issues the way Dan Slott did. There's something so effortless about Spencer's writing here, and to be honest I'm now glad this book was put on my pull list inadvertently. I'd have made a huge mistake had I passed it up.
Artist Ryan Ottley appears to be settling in well, though while I find myself warming up to his art, I still can't help but compare him to his predecessor Stuart Immonen. In any event, Ottley, inker Cliff Rathburn and colorist Laura Martin turn in fine work here, and I noted that the tiniest shades of Ottley's past work on Invicinble popped up as Ottley drew blood in the first few pages of the book (see what I did there?). Also, there was something oddly entertaining about Ottley drawing an adventure in which Spidey faced off against Black Ant, also known as Eric O'Grady, a character created by Ottley's longtime collaborator Robert Kirkman.
If Marvel keeps on churning out quality single issues like this, then I can definitely see myself continuing to buy their monthlies.
9.5/10
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