Matthew Petras Comic Reviews

Anyone fearing an inferior clone of Morrisons work shouldnt be worried, though. What Slott lays the groundwork for in this first issue is unique and special. Not only is it a natural culmination of his work on the character thus far, it is a respectful and celebratory evolution of the legendary character of Peter Parker.

The level of communication between Waid and Samnee is clearly very close, as the extended stealth sequence is so expertly planned. There are so many variables at play, what with the several combatants spread out over a busy and visually obstructive environment, and it never feels confusing. Waid and Samnee systematically cut from different parts of the environment and back to Black Widow, again and again until the scene ends. It is so slick.

Although I do remember saying something about independent creators like Young constantly putting this fear of mine to bed.

Beyond the very chewable moments of great characterization is some great action. Mora renders a scene in which Klaus flees arrow fire while running on rooftops with a solid sense of motion. The page layouts are dynamic and offer a good mix of different perspectives. The level of detail is impressive, only outdone by Mora's rich colors. The flames from the arrows light up the blue, snowy skies in a rather impressive display.

The art here is great. It's similar to Wes Craig's work on Deadly Class, offering loads of twisted characters with exaggerated expressions. It's cartoony and also a touch disturbing, which fits the book wonderfully. At one point, the book radically changes its art style for a particular moment in the story; this is a bold move that works fantastically. I'm not going to spoil it, but there are also some fourth-wall-breaking gags strewn throughout that are cute and clever.

It's well-crafted and drawn beautifully, and after Batman v. Superman showed a Superman actually annoyed by the expectation to help people, a reminder of All-Star isn't exactly the worst sin a Superman comic could commit.

Its a real shame this is just a mini-series, because this comic is a warm blanket I don't want to take off. Don't expect anything as epic as what Soule offered, but do expect something incredibly easy to enjoy.