It's amazing that since the horrid Character Assassination arc a few months ago, ASM has been pretty much on top of my pull list. There is a ton to enjoy in this issue and in this series as a whole lately. It is indeed a big investment, as to stay on board you need to buy three issues a month, but as long as Marvel keeps up this quality, it is money well spent. Read Full Review

I've been pretty hard on Mark Waid's SpiderMan work as of late, but this issue shows that he still has it. This is a great reintroduction for Mary Jane and could have been a major contender for book of the week if it hadn't been for the art in the main story. If you've been looking for a reason to come back to Amazing SpiderMan, this issue could be it. Read Full Review

I liked this issue quite a bit. It had it's fair share of flaws but for what I was expecting of it I was very impressed and I look forward to checking out what is in store for me next week. While I won't be reading Spider-Man on a regular basis for this fan it seems like the wall crawler is finally on a path to redemption and becoming one of the best comics out there again. Read Full Review

However, I didn't find myself particularly interested by the story itself, which sees Spider-Man teach Jessica Jones an important lesson about power and responsibility (can you guess which one?). It might make for some interesting future developments with Jessica in New Avengers, but as a story in its own right, there isn't much to it. Perhaps it would have worked better as part of the anniversary issue #600 anthology of stories -- which I believe is where it was originally due to appear. Read Full Review

The book also includes a six-page short by Brian Bendis and Joe Quesada that was supposed to appear in Amazing #600. I'm not sure what to say about this feature, other than the following: unless you're a huge fan of Quesada's art (he delivers one rather awesome double-page splash in particular) or absolutely love the type of shtick-fueled writing Bendis consistently delivers in New Avengers, don't expect this back-up to make the issue significantly more or less enjoyable than it already is. It's just sort of there. Read Full Review

Next issue the Chameleon returns. This story will be written by Fred van Lente and the art will be provided by Barry Kitson. I'm not familiar with van Lente's work, but I've always liked Barry Kitson's art. I hope it's good, but I'm really waiting for the "Who was Ben Reilly?" storyline which begins in October. Read Full Review

Quesada's work here represents some of the strongest storytelling we've seen from him in recent memory. While it's a bit too dark for the heartening tone of the script, it's clear and not as exaggerated as his super-hero art usually appears to be. Quesada seems to adopt a Steve McNiven influence for this short story, and the more realistic approach is in keeping with the personal tone of the story. I also enjoyed the incorporation of a single Steve Ditko panel from a Silver Age Amazing Spider-Man, and how Quesada bridges the gap between then and now. Read Full Review

Aside from my nerdraging over a little thing like SpiderMan drinking alcohol, the issue was the atypical Brand New Day story. It looks and feels like a SpiderMan story, has the creative talent behind it and will definitely appeal to fans of the status quo, but, as a long time reader, I still can't get into this and it just doesn't feel like the book is 'for me' any more. The backup, however, was great. Really made my day and helped justify the purchase for me, despite enjoying the main story on a fundamental level. Read Full Review