It's been over a day since I read this issue. Normally, I write these reviews right after reading the issue, and although that can lead to a scattershot review, my main objective with this is to record my thoughts, whether they be orderly or not. With this issue however... There is so much. Too much.

I had just praised last issue for giving us a fulfilling and complete story, where a lot happened but it was also paced extraordinarily well. And then we have this issue. It's very unassuming with its cover. Four generic looking villains and Spider-Man against a pale green background. But this issue is filled to its very brim and it's genuinely hard to parse through everything.

So, I waited. I thought, yeah, I may forget some of what I wanted to mention, but tackling it outright is just going to be a frustrating endeavor. I was already two issues deep because I wanted to catch up on my reading, in time for... Well, tonight/tomorrow morning's supposed two-parter, issues 11 and 12. These reviews take time, even if it doesn't seem like it, and I was burnt out.

Onto the issue. I'm going to discuss things quickly and in broad strokes. The Big Man is a cool idea, the Enforcers are not. Dragging Spider-Man into a big mobster plot, only to soon resolve it, is too much for one issue. Everything is rushed, including the JJJ fakeout and the promise to find out why he hates Spider-Man. We get some more clues as to what Betty is hiding, which will come to the forefront next issue. Meanwhile, we're still dealing with the aftermath of Aunt May's surgery. And it's all just crammed into this issue. It's just too much.

The highlight of the issue to me was when Flash showed that he does care for Peter in some strange way, warning him about claiming to know who the Big Man is.

The final fight is... Too big. Part of me loves the idea of Spidey taking on a roomful of gangsters. It's a big spectacle and an actual challenge for Spider-Man. But it's so cluttered. It's endemic of the entire issue. I could praise this issue for trying to be big, but man, it is a struggle.

Quote of the issue: "All My Life I've Been Interested in Only One Thing-- Making Money!" more