Post by Cory W. on Mar 31, 2018 12:10:55 GMT -5
Amazing Spider-Man #50
“Six Months Later” by Tony Thornley and JD Mathis
The first and main story of this event issue launches with a quiet but startling revelation. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that it spins Spider-Man's status quo at M2K on its head. In fact, this issue makes it clear that ASM's going in an entirely new direction at the site after Bryan Locke's run. It's all a very logical progression from a creative standpoint and a story standpoint. Tony and JD want to do their own thing, and the previous ASM writers had set Peter Parker up to change his life for the better, so all and all what we get here makes plenty of sense. Fans of Dan Slott's run in Amazing Spider-Man proper will probably like the inspiration here – I know I did. Still, for fans of Bryan's run, there's a bit left to be desired. His run was only an issue or two away from a proper send off, and while I like what we got here, I do wish we had some resolution or at least a hint at the resolution here. Even a back-up story would have been great. Still, Tony and JD left room to revisit the previous story line's ending by jumping ahead six months at the start of this ish. I'm also hoping we'll get an answer or two to some continuity questions that have popped up (like Tony Stark and Peter Parker knowing each other like they do, as well as Tony knowing Spider-Man's identity).
Taken on its own and without worrying much about ASM's past issues at M2K, this is a very strong start to a new direction for the title. You can tell these two have ambitious plans for the series and it's all very accessible to new and readers alike. There's really nothing here not to like. Keep up the good work, guys! Looking forward to the next ish.
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 4/5 Snowballs
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“The Boss” by JD Mathis
Before anybody asks, JD and I have talked about Victoria Hand. She'll be appearing in both ASM and New X-Men, the latter's current story which will be set before ASM, and there will be a logical jump from her role as a SHIELD agent to head of Oscorp. JD will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, though, because she'll be playing such an important role in ASM.
The ideas in this short story are sound. After Liz Allen-Osborn's fiasco as head of Oscrop and the Rose Goblin, Victoria Hand has come in to shake things up and right the ship. She's not a push over and doesn't aim to be a puppet, though. Norman Osborn seems to have groomed her for this position and has some kind of arrangement with her. I'm assuming Norman somehow survived being knocked into a vat of acid from earlier in M2K's continuity and is merely in hiding. It's not quite made clear here what his role is in all of this is, though it is tied to the lead story. A solid set-up. However, if I can make an honest recommendation, I think this story would have benefited greatly from a proof read and a polish. Grammar and punctuation is a bit messy, and prose and dialogue can be a bit clumsy in some parts. Real easy fixes, though!
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 2.5/5 Snowballs
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“The Many Lives of Otto Octavius” by Tony Thornley
Another short, this time by the other half of the new ASM writing team. This one re-introduces Doc Ock to the Spider-Man mythos from his time at the Vault. It seems as if he is indebted to AIM and that he's attempting to rebuild the Sinister Six utilizing his new resources. It also seems to me that Tony and JD intend ASM to be tied fairly closely with Iron Man. That's some pretty cool synergy right there. It's also nice to see a crossover of sorts developing between two long running M2K titles. In the past, this used to be a regular occurrence – overlapping corners of our great big continuity sandbox – and I'm excited to see more of that develop. Tony's prose and dialogue are as polished and consistent as ever. Interested to see where this goes.
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 3/5 Snowballs
------------------------------------------------
“Memories” by Tobias Christopher
What the heck did I just read? Haha. This reminded me a lot of those old Hostess Pies comic strips except for Mountain Dew Baja Blast. You gotta love Tobias's sense of humor if nothing else. I'm not quite sure what this was meant to contribute if anything to the ASM title at the site, but I can definitely appreciate a good laugh. Nicely done. Maybe next time we can get an illustrator to knock out a few panels for something like this...
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 3/5 Snowballs
“Six Months Later” by Tony Thornley and JD Mathis
The first and main story of this event issue launches with a quiet but startling revelation. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that it spins Spider-Man's status quo at M2K on its head. In fact, this issue makes it clear that ASM's going in an entirely new direction at the site after Bryan Locke's run. It's all a very logical progression from a creative standpoint and a story standpoint. Tony and JD want to do their own thing, and the previous ASM writers had set Peter Parker up to change his life for the better, so all and all what we get here makes plenty of sense. Fans of Dan Slott's run in Amazing Spider-Man proper will probably like the inspiration here – I know I did. Still, for fans of Bryan's run, there's a bit left to be desired. His run was only an issue or two away from a proper send off, and while I like what we got here, I do wish we had some resolution or at least a hint at the resolution here. Even a back-up story would have been great. Still, Tony and JD left room to revisit the previous story line's ending by jumping ahead six months at the start of this ish. I'm also hoping we'll get an answer or two to some continuity questions that have popped up (like Tony Stark and Peter Parker knowing each other like they do, as well as Tony knowing Spider-Man's identity).
Taken on its own and without worrying much about ASM's past issues at M2K, this is a very strong start to a new direction for the title. You can tell these two have ambitious plans for the series and it's all very accessible to new and readers alike. There's really nothing here not to like. Keep up the good work, guys! Looking forward to the next ish.
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 4/5 Snowballs
------------------------------------------------
“The Boss” by JD Mathis
Before anybody asks, JD and I have talked about Victoria Hand. She'll be appearing in both ASM and New X-Men, the latter's current story which will be set before ASM, and there will be a logical jump from her role as a SHIELD agent to head of Oscorp. JD will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, though, because she'll be playing such an important role in ASM.
The ideas in this short story are sound. After Liz Allen-Osborn's fiasco as head of Oscrop and the Rose Goblin, Victoria Hand has come in to shake things up and right the ship. She's not a push over and doesn't aim to be a puppet, though. Norman Osborn seems to have groomed her for this position and has some kind of arrangement with her. I'm assuming Norman somehow survived being knocked into a vat of acid from earlier in M2K's continuity and is merely in hiding. It's not quite made clear here what his role is in all of this is, though it is tied to the lead story. A solid set-up. However, if I can make an honest recommendation, I think this story would have benefited greatly from a proof read and a polish. Grammar and punctuation is a bit messy, and prose and dialogue can be a bit clumsy in some parts. Real easy fixes, though!
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 2.5/5 Snowballs
------------------------------------------------
“The Many Lives of Otto Octavius” by Tony Thornley
Another short, this time by the other half of the new ASM writing team. This one re-introduces Doc Ock to the Spider-Man mythos from his time at the Vault. It seems as if he is indebted to AIM and that he's attempting to rebuild the Sinister Six utilizing his new resources. It also seems to me that Tony and JD intend ASM to be tied fairly closely with Iron Man. That's some pretty cool synergy right there. It's also nice to see a crossover of sorts developing between two long running M2K titles. In the past, this used to be a regular occurrence – overlapping corners of our great big continuity sandbox – and I'm excited to see more of that develop. Tony's prose and dialogue are as polished and consistent as ever. Interested to see where this goes.
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 3/5 Snowballs
------------------------------------------------
“Memories” by Tobias Christopher
What the heck did I just read? Haha. This reminded me a lot of those old Hostess Pies comic strips except for Mountain Dew Baja Blast. You gotta love Tobias's sense of humor if nothing else. I'm not quite sure what this was meant to contribute if anything to the ASM title at the site, but I can definitely appreciate a good laugh. Nicely done. Maybe next time we can get an illustrator to knock out a few panels for something like this...
Mr. Frostee's Rating: 3/5 Snowballs