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10
Plot
Spider-Man and Black Cat illegally enter Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, since this place is under the control of Doctor Doom the New Supreme Sorcerer, the objective is to take a book that Peter is going to use to learn new spells. Black Cat leaves upset with Spider-Man because he doesn't know that she is currently single. Doctor Strange is training Spider-Man for this dangerous challenge.
Norman Osborn visits Peter and confesses that he closed Oscorp once and for all, it was a place that only brought tragedies to his life, suddenly Peter is transported to another side of New York to face the new Scion of Cittorak, called Cyperion, who challenges him.
This being has control and knowledge of spaces at a quantum level, this installment shows that magic is a science that we do not understand. Peter uses his knowledge of advanced physics, uses his theories to trick him and die in an attack where there is a game with scales and dimensions.
Peter is resurrected and wakes up having dinner with Shay who suddenly turns into a demon.....
Another installment where the balance between magic and science is perfect with touches of cosmic/Lovecraftian horror.
Art
Ed Mcguinness shows his characteristic art full of many details and a dynamism that jumps off the page, each panel is a work of art where he highlights all those super flexible poses of Spider-man and turns them into instant classics.
Summary
Spider-man faces the second offspring, who plays with the purest and most physical definition of spaces. Magic is a science that we do not understand more
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6.5
It’s ok, not much else to say. I feel like it’s trying to do too much at once?
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6.0
Art: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Total: 6/10
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6.0
It's not as bad as the previous issue was for me. How Felicia was handled is awful, but not surprising. I have zero hopes for Spidey office to write her well now that Jed isn't there and so best I can wish is that they just skip her character entirely from now on. And how Peter speaks to her is just... bad. That's his ex, and he has acted way more mature in even previous volume, during Spencer run, Beyond and even WWL. Here he acts like flustered teenager who don't know how to respond when his crush speaks to him and it's so bad.
Otherwise it's ok I guess. Mediocre, but so wordy with so much mumbo jumbo that Kelly is known for. And it just doesn't work for me most of the time, but art does. The pacing is kinda awful how the second Scion is defeated. It's too sudden and having this happend 4-6 times more is not something I'm looking forward. Norman scenes were nice. And so was Shay at the end of comic.
But yeah, this just feels like Spidey office has zero idea what to do and are just spinning the wheels until something happens.
I wish it's not Kelly who is the next writer. more
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5.5
The art is very nice and even Joe Kelly's worst dialogue is fun to read, but it's hard to see where "endless wizard battles" is a meaningful hook for Spider-Man, much less something I want to read six more times. You sort of get the Sisyphean nature at the heart of the character, but you could get that with any exhausting battle, so why do it by trying to hammer Spider-Man into a Doctor Strange-shaped hole? Add to the ambitious-but-unsuccessful ideas some terrible pacing and this book just isn't working for me. I think I'm out.
(Also I'm fine with Peter & MJ being broken up, but I'm finding myself a purist in one thing: Felicia's such a compelling character in her own stories that it always irks me that in this volume of ASM her only identifiable character trait is "she's inexplicably thirsty for Peter". Let them just be friends and move on already.) more
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4.0
It's just lame and corny. Nothing really exciting.
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3.5
I disliked the writing and art in this more than last time. This whole plot is incredibly contrived just to serve as a vessel to bridge the gap to the next big writer where this feels like a place holder. It doesn't feel like a good Spider-Man story. He just doesn't fit in this. It could have been a more seamless transition into this arc but there was no lead up, nothing building to his team-up with Strange and Doom until all of a sudden, BOOM! Spider-Man is throwing magic around. It's like the story of an annual extended over a series of issues.
Peter isn't terrible with women. He's usually pretty great with women DESPITE his idiosyncrasies and overall dorkiness. He can be oblivious but he's not that dumb to just have Felicia blatantly telling him she's single go right over his head. It makes it worse that there is near zero consistency to McGuiness' portrayal of Felicia. She changes in every panel she's in. It's very jarring.
While Norman saying he doesn't believe in magic completely stone faced is genuinely funny, it makes absolutely no sense. He's lived in a world where magic has existed for years. There is no denying it and those who were skeptics have been shown to have no way to quantify it. If Tony Stark believes in magic, Norman Osborn even in all his pride would have no reason to deny it's existence. I do enjoy this change for Norman though. I hold absolutely zero hope that it will be followed up on well at least not in this... run? Series? Not sure what to call this Kelly section of ASM. I think what would be a great way to get Spider-Man and Peter back to what people want is to focus back on his supporting cast. Have him do more with Norman, with Felicia and May. They're there but like the audience, they're just waiting for Peter to remember who they are and what they mean to him.
The ending is a masterclass in rushed pacing. The climax has no real resolution. Largely no buildup or anticipation during the new Scion conflict and as fast as you can blink, it's over. No reverence or weight to add to another death for Peter Parker. Hell there's barely an explanation as to HOW he died. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. There needs to be more impact shown to the reader for it to feel meaningful. I know death means nothing in comics but this is set up to convey how it can impact a character for those readers who might not have read anything off the most popular lines that have had to deal with death. It makes it feel so shallow.
I'm genuinely not trying to be a downer or a hater. I just want more than this book and this editor are giving me. There are good/interesting ideas here but they are not given enough time to shine or be meaningfully fleshed out. Like Kevin. Or Peter's thousand yard state after his "rebirth". He's just casually back to it like he was at the beginning of this issue completely eradicating all of the impact of the end of the last.
I'm rating this higher simply because it manages to continue the story that was established. A story I might not like but at least as opposed to the previous issue, flows into this newly established direction. Whiplash inducing as it may be. more
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3.0
I feel like this new series forgets that it's meant to be a Spider-Man book. If I wanted to read Dr Strange book I would read a Dr Strange book.
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3.0
Just no.
I did a pretty good write up on the previous issue giving it a 5.5. This issue doesn't even deserve an explanation on why it is receiving a low score from me. The reveal of the last demon just turned me off so much I am not looking forward to what these "writers" have in store for #63. Please God make them stop give Spidey a good long break...
Lame, corny, bad.
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7.5
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7.0
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3.5
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3.0
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1.0
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