Screaming Enigma's Profile

This is what I've been hoping for this whole time...and, man, did it hurt. I read this and loved it, but it didn't quite get me to cry and I ended up landing on a 9.5/10 (Not that I only give a 10/10 to books I've cried to, but I think you get the point). I began to think that, perhaps, a re-read might do the trick. A few hours later, I re-read it and we got there. I'm solid in my 10/10 score and this did, in fact, get me to tear up. Particularly the last couple of pages, where we actually see Peter where he's been narrating the whole book, along with Mary Jane, whose words were really what sent me over the edge. Just beautiful stuff there, man. Loeb and Sale do it again.more

Really good penultimate issue here. This basically continues on with everything I've praised the book for in previous issues, so I don't really feel that there's a whole lot for me to say here. Loeb and Sale have proven to be a strong duo in the past, and this book remains no exception to that. Looking forward to seeing how this wraps up in the next issue.

Super solid issue, though I wasn't particularly into the stuff with Vulture. It was fine for what it was, but this really shined when he wasn't being focused on. Especially in the first few pages, as we got one of the best quotes, if not the absolute best quote, of the series thus far with "I never, ever, thought I would be burying you before her, it’s just not the way life is supposed to work." J ust hit me incredibly hard when I read it.more

My favorite issue thus far. It just barely crosses the threshold of "greatness" that I mentioned in my review of the previous issue. The villain interactions have consistently been very enjoyable throughout this book, but I've always particularly liked Lizard, so, perhaps, that does some of the work in that regard. Although, the introduction of Mary Jane is really well-done here, as is the persona l drama between Peter, MJ, Gwen, Harry, and the others. Speaking of Harry, that conversation between him and Peter on the last couple of pages was pretty good, as well. Really liked how Loeb handled that.more

This really feels like it should be better than it is. Don't get me wrong, this is really good, hence my rating. But it's just falling short of the "greatness territory' that I can't help but feel like it should be reaching. Sale's art continues to be fantastic, and Loeb continues to write everything very well. It's just missing something to get to that next level, for me. In any case, I'm still r eally enjoying this.more

A super solid start to this. It's far from a perfect issue, but I feel a lot of potential for this to become something great. Really nice interiors from Sale here, and Loeb does a nice job balancing the differing tones here, between more classic Spidey and the more somber stuff we see through Peter's narration. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

It was solid, but definitely one of the weaker issues in the series thus far. The Big Man and the Enforcers were kind of neat, but I wasn't all that invested in them until the very end, in which we get the reveal of Foswell being the Big Man. Furthermore, while I did like the reveal of why Jameson constantly slanders Spider-Man, I think there was a better way to execute it, rather than just having him randomly go on about it. Though, I did think the action was enjoyable here, as was the character/personal drama.more

One of the best issues thus far, which is especially good when you consider my feelings on the previous issue. In any case, this was a stronger issue that had a nice balance of super-heroics and personal-life/character drama. Electro is a neat villain, I must say, and one that I enjoyed more than the likes of Vulture and Chameleon, but, perhaps, not as much as Doctor Octopus or Lizard. Anyways, ye ah, this was really good. Especially interested to see how things progress between Peter and Betty.more

Definitely my least favorite Spider-Man issue up to this point. I thought the story with the Living Brain, itself, was solid, but thing swerving into a boxing match between Peter and Flash was just super weird to me. Everything aside from that, in the main story, was good for what it was. Though, that's the thing. This has the return of a second story to the title, and I wasn't particularly into t his one. I didn't really see the point for it existing in the first place, but it just didn't end up doing a whole lot for me, unfortunately. This is still an issue I liked overall, but I'm hoping it's more of a minor bump in the road, rather than a sign of things to come.more

Glad to say that I enjoyed this more than Vulture's first appearance back in Issue #2. The wordiness has toned down since then, and I enjoyed seeing Spider-Man have a second encounter with a villain for the first time. Vulture isn't particularly the first villain I wanted to see return, but I liked him in his first story and I liked him again here. Though, Doctor Octopus is really the guy to have return after how good his issue was, in my opinion.more

Another very solid read. I particularly enjoyed Spider-Man's confrontation with J. Jonah that leads to the latter taking Peter with him to Florida. Additionally, I thought Lizard was a fairly interesting antagonist, especially considering that he's the first person Spider-Man has fought that doesn't really "want" to be a bad guy. While everyone prior to this (ex. Chameleon, Vulture, Doctor Octopus , Sandman, etc.) has had immoral motives, Curtis became Lizard while trying to heal himself, with the antagonistic actions/tendencies/etc. coming as an unintended "side effect."more

A bit of an improvement over the previous issue, but still not perfect. This does benefit from the fact that this is Spider-Man's first time facing a preexisting villain, in Doctor Doom, so Lee doesn't really need to get into any origins. Additionally, Doom is a fun character, so it works well here. I think Doctor Octopus was still better, but Doom facing Spider-Man was definitely still enjoyable. Some good non-superhero stuff here, as well, particularly with Flash.more

I'll be honest and admit that I do not find Sandman to be a compelling villain. I've never really read a Sandman story that, off the top of my head, really stuck with me. And his introduction here is kind of the same way. He presents a unique challenge for Spider-Man to overcome, but he doesn't really have the enduring personality to match. He's defeated by a vacuum cleaner! I don't care how indus trialized it is, that's not cool.

The reason to read this issue is the Peter Parker soap opera stuff. Betty Brant was introduced in issue two, but she's finally named here. She and Peter actually interact on panel, it's quick but it's a big deal since she's going to become Peter's first love interest. On the flip side, we see that Liz Allen is willing to date Peter. She's another early love interest, and soon that sort of thing will be brought to the forefront.

There's some fun here with Jameson. Seeing him standing behind his desk in his underwear is a very funny image. Otherwise, he sounds like any Conservative anyone's ever met, and Conservatives are unintentionally funny too.

I said in my last review that I felt I wouldn't have enough to say about the issues I liked, but honestly this issue is proving to be more difficult. Not a ton happens in this issue, and the villain isn't as compelling as Doc Ock. So... Within the span of a single issue, we see how the longer format can help *and* hurt the storytelling. Sandman would've been a much better villain for an 11 page story. I think so, anyhow.

Quote of the issue: "Ever Get Any Love Taps From a Guy's Rock-Hard Head?"more

Probably the weakest issue of the series thus far, which is a shame considering how good the previous issue was. Sandman just isn't the most interesting here, unfortunately. I think his powers are cool and I felt that they posed an intriguing challenge for Spider-Man, but I found his personality to be a bit lacking, particularly when compared to someone like Doctor Octopus. Also, him breaking into Midtown High and confronting the principal for a diploma was certainly a...choice.more

Okay, Doctor Octopus is one of my favorite Spider-Man villains, possibly my favorite altogether, so I may be a little nicer to this issue than the last.

Honestly, I fear that this review will be too short in comparison to my last two. This was bound to happen due to this issue only consisting of one story, but I find myself having less to say when I truly enjoy something. It's much hard er to articulate positive thoughts over negative thoughts for me, but I'll try.

This is my favorite issue of the run so far, and I know that doesn't mean much when I'm only 3 issues in, but when people tell you to read the Lee/Ditko Era of Spider-Man, it is issues like this one that truly bolster that recommendation. That, despite the antiquated feeling, the story shines through as something worth reading. This is the first full-length Spider-Man issue, and you can tell that the extra space has given Lee and Ditko more freedom. Things don't have to be quite so rushed. The villain gets his time to shine, and as a whole, things are fleshed out. Spider-Man can have more of an character arc as well.

We finally get to see a villain that actually puts Spider-Man to the test. The Chameleon, the Vulture, the Tinkerer and gravity itself have nothing on Doc Ock. Spider-Man gets handily defeated, and it's not through some bullshit blindsided kick to the head like Vulture. Spidey is simply bested by Doc Ock, in a fair fight. The ego exuded from Doc Ock when he bitch slaps Spider-Man is character defining. And what happens next? Spider-Man adapts; he uses his smarts and he proves he's not reliant purely on his powers. Now, I'm aware that this issue kind of mirrors the Vulture story from last issue, but it's done better and we get a nice little character beat for Peter where he doubts himself. It's just a lot better.

Continuity wise, we get a few more big events here. The introduction of the Spider-Signal. It does come out of nowhere, which is something I praised last issue for *not doing.* But I am pretty sure they eventually get into more of why Spider-Man has it. J. Jonah Jameson is back at the Daily Bugle, as it should be. There's not much focus on the Parker financial woes, but I'm sure that'll come back soon enough. We also get to see the first inkling of the friendship Spider-Man and the Human Torch will form. That's covered more in the Strange Tales second annual that would soon be hitting shelves. But I'm not covering that, because taking on all the Spider-Titles themselves is more than enough of a workload. But we see the friendship start to bud here and that's what's important.

Overall, like I said, the longer story format works better and Doc Ock is one of the biggest Spider-Man foes for a reason. He's great.

Quote of the issue: "Where Are Your Brave Words and Taunts Now, Spider-Man?" more

The best issue of the series up to this point. Doctor Octopus is, easily, the best villain Spider-Man has had yet, as he's not only just a super solid villain, but he also challenges Peter in a way that he hadn't been before. Furthermore, with the space that's been used for two stories being used for one, Lee is able to flesh things out a little more and he has a lot more room to work with for one story, which, I think, led to a stronger outing here.more

Not as good as what's come before, but definitely still enjoyable. The first story, with the Vulture, was cool and I liked a lot of what was there, although, it was also incredibly wordy. I've been expecting this book to have a lot of words, but this was a bit of a level above #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15. It was slightly unnecessary, in my opinion. As for the second story, with The Tinkerer, I thou ght it was good and it was less wordy than the first story, but just not quite as interesting and engaging. Spider-Man facing aliens wasn't where I was expecting things to go, though I thought it was neat. Anyways, yeah, this was solid.more

Super solid first issue for Amazing Spider-Man. The first story is really good, with Spider-Man trying to clear his name from Jameson's editorials...just to continue to get slandered in the end. The second story with him meeting the Fantastic Four and having to deal with the Chameleon was nice as well, but definitely not as good as the first story. It's definitely not bad whatsoever, but it, to me , was a little bit of a dip in quality when compared to the first story. In any case, Spider-Man continues to be a well-crafted and compelling character, with both stories here being proof of that.more

This really does a great job of establishing Peter's character and setting the stage for a lot more stories to come. Really nice interiors from Ditko here, and Lee does super solid work here. I think a lot of the ideas are stronger than the execution, but he did especially well considering that Spider-Man's entire origin was only, like, 12 pages long. Anyways, yeah, this was very, very solid stuff .more

Not the best issue of the series, but, for this series, even that can mean it’s still great, which it is. Cole’s conversation with Martin was incredibly tense, which was a majority of the issue. I do think the ending here could have been a bit stronger, though, and I do understand the criticisms of Tynion making it so Cole is a, kind of, “chosen one” in this world, but I don’t mind the latter part too much. Both things said, I still loved this issue and I’m still loving this series.more