That's why this series works. It's entertainment with a fresh edge. Read Full Review

That just reads kind of awkwardly. Plus we were denied our Scarlet Spider/Iron Man team-up! Still, it was a fun read. The Scarlet Spider/Layton scenes were great, and Scarlet's attitude about being a hero is hugely entertaining. But I just think this issue escalated itself into levels that this small-scale book can't handle. The ramifications of this victory should reverberate throughout the entire Marvel Universe, and Scarlet Spider isn't ready for that. It got too big, too soon. Read Full Review

Neal Edwards fills in for this issue, which makes it a pretty big week for him as far as Spider-Man goes. The vibrant zaniness of Ryan Stegman's work is unfortunately gone. On the other hand, Edwards delivers some of his now-trademark epic and detailed art that really suits the scale of the script. It's a far more realistic approach to superhero storytelling. Maybe not one the book really needs in the long-term, but fine for this one issue. Sadly, we only have one more issue of Stegman's art before he departs for good. Read Full Review

With Kaine and Lawton the comic has a fun odd-couple buddy-cop movie feel which when mixed with the countdown and suspense of the story turns out to be a hell of a lot of fun. We do get cameoes from Iron Man, Maria Hill, and (for some unknown reason) Ultimate Universe Nick Fury, but none of them interact with our hero or make it to Houston in time. Worth a look. Read Full Review

Is Scarlet Spider going to stay in Houston? With a giant bomb about to go off, there might not be a Houston for him to stay in. Chris Yost continues to develop the character of Kaine in bringing him closer and closer to actually being an actual hero. The story doesn't quite have the same big superhero feel as past issues and there's also the fact that we know have to get used to the absence of Ryan Stegman. There's also a couple forced cameos that leave a bad taste in your mouth. The fact that we're seeing Kaine's character being built up is what makes this title so good. He hasn't fully embraced being a hero but whether he wants to be one or not, that's what's happening. This struggle in figuring out who he is while also accepting what he's done in the past is the appeal. He's a damaged character and he's doing his best to fix himself. Read Full Review

Guest illustrator Neil Edwards (Spider-Man : Season 1) does his part with the drawings, but hes no Ryan Stegman (Scarlet Spider #1-#4). A nail-biting, edge of your seat story written by Chris Yost. From Marvel Comics. Read Full Review

This is a really disappointing issue of Scarlet Spider. It's not awful. It's not broken. It is just badly mediocre. Nothing is done to explain or make the canned plot of a loose nuke in the city interesting. The tactics Kaine employs to chase down the bomb honestly come off as boring and tame given the cool and brutal stunts we've seen him pull off in previous issues. The art is solid but lacking when it comes to the character details. The cameos are pointless and in one case, potentially confusing. If Yost's name wasn't on the book, I would have guessed this is a rushed filler issue done by some other creators. That may not be what it actually is, but it certainly reads that way. Read Full Review

Scarlet Spider continues its track as a fast-paced action romp, but the thing about these kinds of books is that it needs slick visuals to succeed. Neil Edwards is a more understated kind of artist, and while he's clearly shooting for the moon with his action sequences, his sense of character design doesn't feel like a great fit for this book. Combined with a fairly cliched plot, and Scarlet Spider #5 will leave readers feeling black-and-blue. Read Full Review