-
10
Loved this issue. After seeing the reaction I have come to the conclusion a segment of Spidey fans are going to be mad no matter what.
-
9.0
Properly interesting start. I suppose if you don't like Peter being a perpetual loser it won't be your cup of tea (but then, neither will basically any ASM era except the early years of Slott's run) but I'm intrigued as to what happened in the gap, and certainly doomed losers are what Zeb Wells does better than anyone. JRJR is quite a few years out from his heyday, but he holds it together well enough here — it's nowhere near what his art once was, but neither is it the catastrophe his DC work was either. I'm excited to see where we're going with this one.
-
8.5
This was an entertaining start that establishes the current story for Peter, as well as a bit for the future. Speaking about the former, we have the stuff with Tombstone. I found this pretty enjoyable, as it just felt like some classic gang/mobster stuff. As for the latter, the Mary Jane situation was not what I was expecting at all. Nonetheless, I'm not going to post a 1/10 review because of that, mainly due to the fact that I don't really care that much. Not that I dislike the character by any means, because I actually like Mary Jane as a character. However, I just don't NEED her to be with Peter to make me enjoy the run. Is it somewhat disappointing after the way Nick Spencer's run was going? Sure, as I felt like Spencer's run should have ended with a proposal or even a marriage after his teasing of it earlier in the run. Yet, I can manage with Peter and MJ not being together here as long as it provides a good quality story, which is what this book is. more
-
8.5
Exciting beginning
-
8.5
There are a few too many mysteries in Pete's new status quo here, and that could be frustrating. The pace and the dialogue are pretty good, though, and the Tombstone plotline looks promising.
On the visual side, though JRJR tends to run hot or cold, he looks to be pretty hot right now. This is a pretty book. I hope he can keep up with the ridiculous publication pace.
-
8.5
Edit: I went back and read it a few more times and it was actually better then I remembered and Romita's art just grows on me for good or bad.
Had high hopes for Zeb Wells and concern over Romita Jr. before reading and afterwards, not sure what to think. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. It actually read and looked better the second time going through. As if I'm reading a run from 14 years ago that I forgot about. This is the problem with ASM right now because they can't break Peter Parker and that's why Ben Reilly's life is a bigger mess that Peter's. They choose to keep feeding us nostalgia and while that's nice, I am ready for a bit of a shake up. I know I know, MJ's reveal at the end is a shake up but not what I had in mind. We Spidey fans know and don't know what we want at the same time. No wonder they keep killing characters because we just reached a time when we can't escape continuity and many writers can't do an Immortal Hulk with ASM.
Romita Jr's art actually looked much better here than the last few years or since Cap's Dimension Z a decade ago. I have to credit Scott Hanna as the inker and Marcio Menyz as the colorists for making it pop and shine.
I'll be here because I trust Zeb Wells and he has a lot of credit in the bank. I just hope he doesn't go as Nick Spencer did or Nick Lowe doesn't restrict him too much. more
-
8.5
For those who don't know me, I REALLY dislike JRJR's artwork. At least since he left ASM on his old run with JMS. I think he regressed really hard with age. So when I say that this is the best work I've seen him do in years, I mean it. That being said, I think it's more to the credit of his colorist and inker. He still suffers from a lot of the same issues I've always had with him. His style of shading only using parallel lines, not even cross hatching is lazy and doesn't convey depth, his faces are very samey and blocky. Peter isn't distinct enough from almost any other character most times for Romita Jr. What generally benefits him is that Peter is the focal point of the stories he draws for. Which is kind of a no brainer because yes this is a Spider-Man book. This is THE Spider-Man title so of course it should be. But going back to the JMS run and his time on that, it was a very inward facing story where the most character growth was between Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May whom are all the focal points of this story (save for Tombstone).
I was skeptical of this run. Not because of Wells but solely because of JRJR. His work in the last 10+ years has been so lackluster I automatically attributed it to this issue. I was surprised that I really enjoyed what was told here. I haven't read a lot of the discourse going on with this issue yet and I know there were a lot of leaks to other issues but I am ignoring those and only basing my review on this issue's merits. It's grounded, it's a fresh start, it's Peter at his lowest. It's a story we've all seen before and to that end, I am disappointed. It is beyond frustrating that Peter can never move forward. It's beyond infuriating that Peter and Mary Jane seem to break up every year or two. It says less about the writers and more about that it just becomes a toxic relationship and I'd rather people don't broach the subject ever again.
In spite of all of that, I'm willing to give this a shot. For a while. I loved the JMS run and this seems to be drawing inspiration from that specifically which was for better or worse, a deconstruction of Peter and his relationships and a character study of each. Peter and Mary Jane were debating divorce, Peter and May had tension because of Peter's secrets, Peter was without a job and each was resolved in a satisfying way that I wish had lasted longer. Peter and MJ should be married. We all know it. But the ending gave us quite a large wrench thrown into that possibility. Peter should be a teacher but he's still persona non grata in almost all of New York. Peter and May should be closer and it's up to Peter, not May to repair their relationship. I've seen all of those before and I have hope that I'll see it again. more
-
8.5
I went into this issue with optimism, and a chip on my shoulder. Not for the creators on this book, or even the editor. Rather, I had a chip on my shoulder for the fans. That chip is still there, after reading this book. All that screaming and whining about how this would be the worst run ever, and what have we gotten with this issue? A solidly written piece of a story that sets things up. It is no different than literally any other Spider-Man #1 I've ever read, in terms of its function. And yet, people got so fucking mad about literally two pages in it.
I love the pairing of Peter and MJ. I want them to be together. I am too old to get bent out of shape over a pair of pages purposefully designed to cause outrage and thus, bring in money. If you have been reading comics for any serious length of time, you should understand what those pages are and you should be able to get past your reactionary, boring outrage.
The other complaint, which has more validity in my mind, is that we've seen this before. And we have, kind of. This story is like a remix of so many classic stories that'd it be difficult to go through them all. But it feels comfortable to me.
I saw a review on here that says that Peter is acting like Doc Ock took over his body again. I disagree. Peter has always had an edge to him, that's what makes him relatable. He's imperfect. I'm wasting my time with explaining this though, because it seems like whenever Peter does anything or says anything contrary to being a perfect hero, people forget the 60 years where he wasn't that. I have had my issues with Peter's characterization in the past, especially in the latter half of Slott's run, but this does not read nearly as immature as the outrage mob would have you believe. This reads like a Peter Parker who has been beaten down and made guilty. It does not read like a man-child fighting other heroes because he's jealous over girl trouble. Or like someone invading a sovereign country on a bloodlust mission. This reminds me, in a lot of ways, of mid-to-late 80s Peter Parker. The same Peter that got married. Peter at his most mature, I'd argue. Perhaps only beaten out by early JMS Peter. I like it.
The actual content of this issue is actually interesting to me. I like when Spider-Man is street level and his villains have a good old fashioned crime war. Also, I find it ironic that so many people were acting as though this story throws everything that came before away, only to have this issue tie Spidey more into the Marvel universe than he has been in a while, on top of the main thrust of the story being plotlines that originated from Spencer's run.
I guess the biggest issue here for me is the art. John Romita Jr. isn't killing it these days. This is, believe it or not, an improvement over JRJR's DC work. I honestly didn't look at the credits too heavily, but whoever is doing the inking and coloring have really made JRJR shine here. His art isn't amazing but it isn't... a trash fire, like say, his Action Comics stint. I don't feel shame for paying for this artwork. That seems like a backhanded compliment, but it really is an improvement. All in all, I'm excited to see where this new era of ASM goes, and I hope people can get over their reactionary disdain they've been told is good to have for some reason, and at least give this book half a chance before deeming it the worst thing ever (for this month). more
-
8.0
I don't like the whole mystery thing, but Peter's relationships with his friends reminded me of the old Peter. Also, it's clear that something big is coming and I'm interested to know what happened to MJ during this period.
-
8.0
I was pumped for this run when it was announced Zeb Wells was the author as his Hellions run was amazing but I have to admit I was devastated to hear Romita Jr. would be the artist as I found his latest work on Superman to be jarringly terrible. That said I was pleasantly surprised the find that he really did a great job (for what his style is) on this #1 and hope coming back to Marvel is what he needed.
Overall this was a solid first issue where there are a few off-putting things at play but knowing Zeb's previous work am confident will for a valid reason that will be addressed/resolved as the story unfolds. This issue does exactly what a first issue should do: spark curiosity, be entertaining, and give us an idea of where the series is headed.
I will say I HATE how Marvel just won't let Peter & MJ be happily married as it clearly works brilliantly for Louis & Clark. Else world stories nail at how fun the family aspect of poppa Peter with lil' Annie can be a blast but unfortunately appears it doesn't seem that editorial will allow that for one reason or another though Miles already fills the slot as the young Spider-Man. more
-
8.0
Strong narrative structure, convincing dialogue with a palpable sense of desperation and regret from the protagonist. Romita's pencils, with Hanna on finishes, have been better in previous incarnations of their tenure on the character but its perfectly serviceable. The 5.99 price tag is a bit hefty, especially when many books of a higher quality are still at the 3.99 price point.
-
8.0
I'll give it the benefit of a #1. It does have a lot of explaining to do with such a massive shift in the status quo.
-
8.0
I thought the drama everyone was upset about was JRJR's art. I'm still not sure it isn't.
-
8.0
Pretty good start, lots of ppl r gonna be mad at the ending, but it’s an ongoing. Give it a chance. And also, the most shocking thing: JRJR’s art in this wasn’t bad. Recent JRJR art has been so bad (I’m a fan of JRJR especially his old art in Spidey and Daredevil, so don’t assume I’m a hater), if you don’t believe me, look at his action comics. But here, it’s actually good. Hopefully he can keep it up
-
8.0
A really fun start to what i hope it will be a great run, personally i think compared to some of the past relaunches this might be the weakest? but maybe is just because i really loved the #1 of the Spencer's run and the #1 from Worldwide.
Although this is another back to basics story with many plot tropes that we definitely have seen before and a lot of people are tired of, i think Wells found a really interesting angle to build a story and i must say, I'm hooked. I don't know if it's because we have Digger here, or if is the fact that Peter and MJ are apart again or even if it's JrJr art, but for a moment it was like i was reading Amazing Spider-Man(1999) #30, the beginning of JMS and JrJr run, my favorite Spider-Man run of all time and my introduction to the character along side Ultimate Spider-Man. Seeing JrJr, one of the all time greats and my favorite Spider-Man artist on the book again is soo nostalgic, and although this is definitely not his best work i think it's a huge step up compared to his recent work at DC and i still think that his narrative skills and his ability to make action scenes is stellar. Wells just like i expected from most of the issues he wrote in Beyond is also great, he managed to capture the soap opera feeling really well here and there were some very funny moments.
I can definitely understand the mixed reactions this is getting related to those last pages, and I'm also not a fan of this happening again since it's has been so played out already, but i can't say i don't want to know where that will go, there is still a lot of questions that need answers and in time i hope the creative team can deliver them on the best way possible.
more
-
7.5
the payoff for all of this better be good
-
7.5
I was really excited for this and subsequently let down. Way too much teasing and hinting going on for an oversized issue like this. You want to end it on a cliffhanger? Ok. But every page does not need to leave you with questions. "He let down NORMAN???" He's lying to Aunt May??? He stole from the Fantastic Four??? Everyone hates him??? Mary Jane has kids???"
Whatever. I'm sticking around. First issue is a bit of a miss, though.
-
7.5
This is probably not your usual #1 that promises a ton of exciting new changes to the status quo (they literally brought in the go-to Spidey artist), but it wasn't a bad read by any measure. JRJR's art definitely isn't what it once was, but we've seen worse in the past 2 years lol. Peter/MJ stuff will always be able to reel me in, so uhhh yeah I guess I'll keep reading
-
7.5
It's the start of a run, and it feels like traditional Spider-Man. I'm going to stick with it until 900 and if it hasn't hooked me, I'll see what other Spider books are around at the time.
-
7.0
Oh crap this is not easy.
Let me get this straight: I love Romita Jr's art and Spider-Man being broke and always on the run. This story kinda took me back to late '90s Spidey, and that's a huge WOW. I'm also intrigued by this Soprano/Breaking Bad/Mafia storyline with Tombstone and The Rose (yeah, he came back during Spencer's run... remember?).
But those plot twists with Aunt May and Mary Jane basically telling Peter to fuck off? MJ having kids (or that's what it looks like) with a random guy? It will probably lead nowhere and she'll break up with him or something like that, but I think we're all tired of Marvel ruining her character and keeping her from Peter. Also, the heck happened between Spider-Man Beyond and this? They look like completely disconnected stories.
In the end, of course I'm reading this... But I can't rate it any higher for the moment. more
-
7.0
It wasn't Amazing, but it was pretty good.
Wells and Romita delivered a relatively solid "first issue" that established Peter's new status quo, set up the main conflict for the opening arc, seeded some subplots for future development, and ended on a cliff hanger.
The script was fine. Wells captured the characters voices well, particularly Peter, May, and Tombstone. Expository dialogue was kept to a minimum, which is always appreciated. Show me, don't tell me. Peter's a bit edgy, but still within tolerance.
The art is good. Romita is one of the best storytellers in comics, and his composition is nearly flawless. The guy was born to draw Spider-man. To people who feel like his art has declined, I say this: go back an look at his work on Daredevil, ASM, and Thor and compare it to what he's doing today. It's the same level. Zero drop-off. He's been delivering the goods for so long his style has become classic. Same thing happened to Byrne, Buscema, Ditko, and Kirby.
I will say this; I'm tired of Peter being constantly kicked around. I'm over it. It's not something I'm interested in reading anymore. "Parker Luck" used to mean "3 steps forward, 2 steps back". There was always just enough progress to keep hope alive. Lately, that light at the end of the tunnel is just the A train.
The MJ reveal is no cause for alarm. The time skip is 6 months. Those kids are clearly like 5 years old. Unless there's another Sins Past situation, it's clickbait.
I'll check out the next few issues to see what's up, but unless something dramatic happens, I don't see me sticking around for much more than that. more
-
7.0
As a Spider-Man fanboy, this issue is just okay. It's not bad, its not good either. I am a bit surprised and miffed that Peter and MJ are taking a break, and I feel this series is going to be in for the long haul and is going to unravel mysteries, and I'm totally fine with being patient.
Art here isnt as good as I thought, I miss John Romita Jr's art back when J Michael Stracinzkyi art 20 years ago. So like I said, I am totally fine with being patient with this series and it's kind of funny that this series might be undoing Nick Spencer's work (even though its been less than a year, god time flies).
Still, as a Spider-Man fanboy, really is weird and strange that I'm more excited for Batman content than my favorite fictional character of all time. more
-
7.0
Well. That was a start.
Let's start with the art. JRJR is one of my favourite artists. The second Spidey comic I read was with his art and I've been a fan of him since. It wasn't as strong here as it was back then, but good enough for me.
And the story? Well... It's complicated.
I saw another reviewer saying "if you don't like it, don't read it and buy it". And it makes sense. Why bother reading something you know you will dislike? And I get that. Although It's hard for me, I've been a fan of Spidey for over 20 years and reading his comics as soon I learned how to read. So it would take a lot for me to just stop buying and reading his comics. And this is not so bad that I would stop now.
In fact. It's actually fine. It has ideas I don't like. But those ideas are executed well. And I can respect that.
Overall, this comic is just teasing and setup and reasons for readers to continue reading. Time skip, mystery and whatnot. Does it work here? Well... it would if the outcome would not be as tiring and bothersome. Spencer's run was refreshing, because he fixed all those problems in Peter's life. And now Wells seems to undo everything here. Does it bother me? Yes. Am I still intrigued? ...yes.
As I said. I don't hate this. It's fine. I'm interested and I'm giving this book a shot. Wells is not a bad writer. His vision is not something everybody likes and I completely understand if you don't. It doesn't bother me enough to stop reading this. But it might bother you.
TLDR: 7/10, could be worse, not a bad start, but not the best one either. more
-
6.5
This is a tough book to review.
I like parts fo it but not others, I don't mind the Mary Jane thing at the end, because it's only been 6 months. If they are anything but step kids it will take this issue to a 3-4/10 in retrospect tho. Unless they are Mephisto demons or something g or from an alternate timeline and Peter really screwed everything up. Who knows.
John Romita Jr was born to draw Spider-Man. I absolutely love his Spider-Man comics, which is kinda funny because I did not like the art in 1 single comic he drew for dc. I really didn't enjoy any of them. Maybe superman year one, but his Batman is aweful, but other then when randomly Spider-Man's legs are way to small. His Spider-Man is just awesome.
So did I enjoy the reset 🤷♂️..... no, but I'm excited to see where it goes. At the end of the day, I've not read nearly as many Spider-Man books as I have Batman and skipped Spencer's run.
But I will keep with this run for a while and see where it goes. The story is intriguing enough to want to stay. more
-
6.5
I thought it might be a starting point to start following Spider-Man. but it didn't make me excited.
-
6.0
I Just read it for John's amazing art. And here he's also doing great! The colors are bright and colorful which suits a Spider-man comic. The end was a shock and a disappointment for many. Not for me because I have very little experience in Spidey comics. So MJ dumping is new for me and a good twist.
-
6.0
Wasn't a fan of the art but I liked the moment with Johnny Storm.
-
6.0
I "second opinion " everything AFRE said. This was...just okay. I do wanna stress that this is issue NUMBER 1! Issue number 1s are supposed to be exciting! Engaging! And get you hyped for what's to come. This is issue didnt do anything near that and felt like just a new arc. Theirs been 5 #1 amazing/superior issues and I feel this is the most underwhelming.
I enjoy Peter owning the mobster villians like Tombstone with what seems to be a gang war brewing. I dont like the making Peter life worse switcheroo that Marvel is intent to commit to now, which seems like a vindictive act against fans of the Nick Spencer run/ Spidey-marriage. However, I do like that Wells is addressing the forgotten Nick Spencer plotpoints like Gog, The Rose, and Randy. Hope he can address the Ned Leeds and Betty stuff soon.
But, this issue was fine. We'll need a couple more issues to assess how this will go because it go uphill or downhill real quick. Example, Beyond had a good opener but went into disaster filler within a couple issues.
Heres to a new era!
more
-
6.0
I’m very conflicted on this issue. On one hand, I enjoy the teaser and mystery that is setup on the first page but I don’t like the setup for another separate mystery on the final pages. This just feels like another case of a Spidey run that will be decompressed for another 50-100 issues or so until it’s resolved and forgotten about. JRJR’s art is just as controversial as the story. He has always been an artist I have mixed feelings about and this time around isn’t jiving with me. Overall, not a recommend and I won’t be continuing this run. I don’t feel the need to read something where I can already see the writing on the wall and it’ll be dragged out for the next couple years. I’ll stick to my Diet Pepsi.
-
5.5
Please dont
-
5.0
If this is your thing, fine, you are welcome to like it. I didn’t like it. I don’t like Peter being written so I likeable. I’ve read Spider-Man for years, and this isn’t the first time a writer tried this. I recall during the clone saga, Peter smacked MJ, and that was stupid writing then. That doesn’t happen here, or anything like it, just thinking of an example of Peter being written unlikable. At least back then, the agenda was to get readers to be more sympathetic to Ben as the real Spider-Man. It was bad writing. I don’t think this was clone saga levels of bad writing which is why for what it is, I can see some people enjoying this. I just hate seeing characters be petty with each other. I don’t want to read that.
I also HATE when stories use a time skip and over time and issues fill in the blanks as to why people are acting the way they are. It is probably my least favourite writing device and has never once told a better story by doing this. Just tell me the damn story and stop skipping around it!
So I gave issue one a shot. I’m not wasting my money on issue 2. more
-
5.0
I did not like this comic. A 5 was generous.
Why don't I like it?
The art was okay. It's JRJR so it's par for him. Don't hate it but it's not elevating anything.
Maybe I'm still a bit soured about what the last issue did to Ben. But Ben's not here.
I didn't like this because that was not Peter Parker. That was a jerk. There are characters who can be jerks and enjoyable. There's been some great deadpool stories. I loved Duggan's run and reread that from time to time. Punisher has some great stories despite not being a good person.
But I've always like Peter Parker because he's a good person. He tries to do what's right despite personal consequences. It's not always the best choices but he usually seems human and makes mistakes but at the end of the day, he's a good guy doing his best. (So was Ben Reilly, stop screwing him over, Marvel. Yup, still sour).
Not just Peter though. Apparently the FF want nothing to do with Peter. Makes them out to be jerks. Your think with the insane things super heroes go through, that they'd go be each the benefit of the doubt when things get dicey. We also have MJ saying don't call me. Screw that writing. I don't read spiderman to read about a bunch of jerks. That's what deadpool is for.
But there's build up and later explanation to come to give this context... I'm voting ng with my wallet and not buying this again. I'll be back at the next number one, volume 87 or whatever it's at now. more
-
5.0
JRJR needs to retire
-
3.5
Was not impressed. Another depressing story of Peter's life in shambles. The time skip made it so confusing. Feels more like another universe instead of where we just were in the 616 Spider-Man story. I hope they can turn this around and make it make more sense. I don't want to suffer through more issues like I had to with Dan Slott's Superior Spider-Man story.
-
3.0
No. Absolutely no.
I'm not a JrJr fan, but this is the first time his "art" (I use the term loosely) was SO distractingly awful (or is it "awfully distracting"?) that I had to force myself to read the text balloons - and I still kept skipping bits.
I'll try again tomorrow. Well, maybe.
-
2.5
That was genuinely one of the worst Spider-Man comics I've ever read, and cemented for me the fact that 616 Peter hasn't really been good since, like, One More Day (with a few exceptions). The cover is ugly, the art in this issue is pretty ugly, the plot is weird, and how the hell did MJ manage to get pregnant, have twins, and age them up to like 3 years old within 6 months? What in God's name is Zeb Welles doing? Anyway, I hope this run gets better but I somehow doubt it.
-
2.5
Big meh
-
2.5
Dude the same shit, Peter is on the outs from everyone, do something else
-
2.0
I wasn't planning to read it but God this is terrible.
Bland Art. Forced Drama down to throat. Blatant Misunderstanding of Parker Luck. Digger, Tombstone thing is too bland. Not interested in whatever useless drama Wells had for MJ and Peter.
May was super cringe in 2nd page of her scene. I first page everything was fine then she stood up and putting her hand above chest. That looked so cringe and crap.
Art is just so fucking terrible. Bland.
-
1.5
Oh wow we’re back to square one how exciting!!!
-
1.0
Well, it's so bad that it's actually funny, never had any expectations whatsoever, dumb plot, moronic dialog, so i can see why the creative team went for it, i'd actually be surprised if a well developed issue came out of this trash, and they wonder why manga sells more than this pile of horse shit!
-
1.0
Dogshit
-
After awhile of reading spiderman you begin to wonder why doesn’t Peter just kill himself. His life seems joyless
-
"An enraged fan is an engaged fan" seems to be the stupid hook they are going with for this new run. Peter acts as if Ock is back in his body, he's an unlikeable little shithead in the book. I don't know what Marvel's obsession with ruining Spider-Man since 2008 has been but the only thing that can salvage the character is to undo One More Day and rewrite the timeline.
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
10
-
9.5
-
9.0
-
9.0
-
9.0
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.5
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
8.0
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.5
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
7.0
-
6.5
-
6.5
-
6.5
-
6.0
-
6.0
-
6.0
-
6.0
-
6.0
-
5.5
-
5.0
-
5.0
-
4.5
-
3.5
-
2.0
-
1.0
-
1.0
-
1.0