Customer Reviews

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Coming Home

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book does demonstrate the wisdom of Marvel continuing with the 'classic' Spider-Man in light of the Ultimate Spider-Man revamp. While Brian Michael Bendis is doing a great job with the teenage Peter Parker learning to be a hero, it's nice to see writers like J. Michael Straczynski work with the older, more experienced Peter, a hero who knows what he's doing and has a higher degree of self-confidence as a result.

Straczynski seems to be trying to shake up the status quo a bit here, with questions about the nature of Spider-Man's powers. Unfortunately a lot of the supposedly dramatic revelations feel like things that we've seen before in superhero comics. It's all solidly crafted, but it's not revolutionary, so the plot doesn't have a lot of edge-of-your-seat suspense. (The epilogue, on the other hand, is a bit of a cliffhanger separate from this book's plot.)

The book is a worthwhile read nonetheless, because Straczynski does a solid job with the characterization and, for the most part, the dialogue. Peter's inner monologue and interactions with villains, allies and bystanders are all entertaining. There's a good balance between light moments and action-adventure. Straczynski seems to be enjoying himself here, and that carries through to the reader.

The art by John Romita, Jr. and Scott Hanna with colors by Dan Kemp and Avalon Studios is solid on both the character moments and the action sequences. Romita is a fine storyteller whose pencils have a distinct style well-suited for an urban hero and his exploits, and the rest of the team complements him perfectly.

Here is the deal: J. Michael Straczynski took over as the writer of Volume 2 of "The Amazing Spider-Man" with issue #30 and has been effectively "re-inventing" the character (but in a decidedly different way than what you find being done by Brian Michael Bendis in "The Ultimate Spider-Man," which is more a "re-imaginging"). "Coming Home" reprints issues #30-35 of the title, in which Straczynski come up with a striking new interpretation of the Spider-Man mythos. Clearly, then, the point of this trade paperback volume is to help new readers get on board and if not totally up to speed, at least within shouting distance. Taken together with the follow-up volume, "Revelations," these two books can do the trick.

"Coming Home" suggests that there is great significance to the fact that Spider-Man has been fighting villains like Doctor Octopus, the Vulture, the Lizard, the Scorpion, the Rhino, ad infinitum, all these years. Peter Parker meets Ezekiel, one of those mysterious stranger types who brings havoc to a superheroes life, who suggest that Spider-Man's powers might not be quite as unique as he thought. In other words, the idea that a bite from a radioactive spider would give someone the powers of a spider is a bit far fetched and there is another explanation. To drive the point home Spider-Man has to tackle Morlun, a being who feeds on the power of humans with totemistic powers and apparently the only way to survive the encounter is to hide his powers from his new opponent.

Unlike what Alan Moore did with Swamp Thing, the twist on Spider-Man's origin that Straczynski has come up with does not threaten to unravel the entire Spider-Man mythos. At that same time that Peter is being told that Spider-Man may well be the avatar of the Earth's spider population, he also takes a job as a high school science teacher. Meanwhile, there are still those marital problems with Mary Jane and at the end of this book Aunt May finds Peter him bruised, beaten, and bandaged, in a deep sleep, his tattered Spider-Man costume at his feet. This sets the stage for the next trade paper back collection, "Revelations," as Straczynski and artist John Romita, Jr. continue to turn the world of Peter Parker and Spider-Man upside down and inside out.

This trade paperback book was actually released as "Spider-man: Coming Home".

J. Michael Straczynski, the mastermind behind Babylon 5 and Rising Stars, has penned a brilliant story of Peter Parker, aka Spider-man. This trade paperback is a self-contained book that covers Peter's battle with a creature that wants to steal his life essence!

Peter first meets Ezekiel, an old man with powers much like his own. Ezekiel warns him of a creature that has been hunting super beings for hundred of years, and it has come to New York to hunt and feed on Peter. Ezekiel gives Peter a question which may forever change his conception of his powers: "Was it the radiated spider that gave you those powers, or was the spider trying to give you those powers before the radiation killed it?"

The question is almost as perplexing as the answer may be. However, there is not time to delve into it, as the villain has decided to destroy parts of the city to lure out Spider-man. The first battle does not last long, as Peter realizes that his opponent is near invulnerable. He runs away, only to find that his enemy can find him anywhere he goes. Peter's body is utterly broken, and he decides on a last ditch scheme that will allow him to defeat his opponent, but will probably kill him in the process!

This is a fantastic book for any fan of comic book. Straczynski is clearly a masterful storyteller, keeping the reader glued on every page. You can hear every thought Peter has as he tries to understand his life. You can feel every pain Peter has as his immortal opponent beats him to a pulp. Straczynski is doing what he does best - tell a story.

The artwork is also strangely very good. I have never been a fan of John Romita Jr, but the color-artist that works on his artwork does a fantastic job of bringing every page to life. The reader is treated to a wonderful ballet of colors and excellent flow of story imagery. I was definitely surprised by the quality of artwork in this book.

I highly recommend this book for all comic book fans out there, as well as anyone interested in literature in general. This is truly a fantastic story that is hidden in the format of a comic book. Great Story, Great Artwork, and possibly the best last page of any comic book I have ever read.

I'll admit it, I've always favored good old Spidey over most other super heroes. And, well, anything J. Michael Straczynski writes turns to gold, so I was expecting big things.

Stracynzki's Spider-Man has been a superhero for quite a while, so he's fairly confident in his routine. None of that "Peter Parker learns how to deal with his newfound powers" jazz. What's so interesting about this volume is that, rather than questioning the origin of the hero, it questions the nature of his powers.

Ever thought about the villains that the webslinger has had to fight over the years? Doctor Octopus, The Rhino, The Vulture, other such animalistic fellows. As the mysterious Ezekiel tells Peter, "the kind of enemy you get tells a lot about the kind of person you are." So Spider-Man is the totemistic reflection of all spiders, and his enemies are all pretenders. Interesting stuff.

What follows is some standard (if not well done and drawn) action, balanced well with the light moments the comic is known for. Not exactly straying from formula, but I enjoyed it.

Through reading these and other recent Spider-Man books (25 issues worth) one thing comes to mind: even through bad stories, Spider-Man is still the man. It may be controversial but I like the idea of Ezekiel, Morlun, the Spider totem, all of it. Spider-Man has to be changed up every once in awhile and this is a much better way to do it then killing people off, or a new costume. As Straczynski's run goes on he shows a new side to Spider-Man/Peter Parker, MJ, Aunt May, even Uncle Ben. Spider-Man is firmly in the Marvel Universe in this series, with random comings and goings from other heroes. On the other hand, Peter Parker is firmly in the real world during this run. Peter Parker in college has been tried before, but Peter Parker (as an adult of course) in high school? Well, that's different and incredibly entertaining. The new villains are memorable and the older cast reminds you why you loved them to begin with.

As Spiderman stories go, this is tight. Straczynski's writing is excellent. He gets Peter's babbling and his narrative is strong. The introduction of Ezekiel is excellent and he provides mystery to a series that I often feel is lacking mystery. As always, John Romita Jr's artwork is excellent. He is one of the most underrated artists in the biz. His work is strong, always dynamic, and never unsure of itself.

This is good storytelling, people. Pick it up!

When Babylon 5 creator and Rising Stars scribe took over writing duties on Amazing Spider-Man, he did something that hadn't been done to the title for years. He made it amazing again. Straczynski introduces a new spin on the Spider-Man mythos in Coming Home, in the form of the mysterious Ezekiel who wreaks havoc on the web-head's life. And, as Peter discovers, there is more to his origin than he had ever thought. After years of some lame storylines (clone saga anyone?), Straczynski re-injected the magic and awe into the title, while at the same time putting his own spin on the classic Marvel character. Not to mention the superb art by legendary John Romita Jr. gives the book an ultra slick yet classic look, and fans of his work over the years will surely marvel here. All in all, while Ultimate Spider-Man may try to re-invent the web crawler mythos, it's Amazing Spider-Man that is really the defining Spidey title (Mark Millar's Marvel Knights Spider-Man title is also worth checking out), and any of Straczynski's works on the title is definitely worth your time.

I read this story as it came out, but while some hail this story as excellent and the best Spidey story in years, I was rather underwhelmed.

First, the good things. I did enjoy some scenes (Peter talking to the spider, the destruction of the abandoned building, etc.). Aunt May's characterization is definitely improving under JMS. The first Morlun/Spidey fight scene is a wonder. And JRJR's art is simply excellent (loved the shiny effects they had on the art, too).

However, for the most part, I didn't feel I enjoyed this story as much as I should have. One problem was the continuity errors. Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn didn't go to Peter's high school, for instance. And what was with that line where Spidey said "I've never fought with someone who had the same powers as mine." What about the Spider-Women? Or Venom? Or BEN REILLY? All of them had similar powers. Why did they get ignored?

Also, I didn't really like the school shooting scene. While I don't mind Spider-Man tackling an issue like this, I didn't find it very realistic. A kid sends a spray of bullets at a large crowd of kids and NONE OF THEM get hurt? I didn't buy that.

Nor did I buy into Morlun's menace. I felt that he was hyped far too much within the story. "The first villian to ever tick [Spider-Man] off?" I think when the Green Goblin killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man was a BIT ticked off. "Nobody's ever hit me harder than that." That may be so, but for such a big threat, he went down pretty damn easily.

Speaking of the end, I didn't really like it either. I felt the humorous lines in the end were just way too out of place. The whole "radiation" thing was also pretty tasteless. (I will concede I liked the last page, though, and am looking forward to the new storyline.)

Oh, one last thing. I HATED Ezekiel.

So, all in all, the story was enjoyable, but I felt it misfired on quite a few things. Maybe I'm a cynical fangirl, but I would have liked a bit more.

I am pretty new to the world of graphic novels and comic books. My favorite super hero has always been Spider-man but just recently I started actually reading the comics. This is one of the first ones I read, and I've got to say that it is excellent! It is pretty easy to follow as long as you know at least a little bit about Spider-Man, and the main villain in this book is incredible! He is very sinister and just seems completely unbeatable. It makes you keep wanting to read to see how Spider-Man wins (because let's face it, he has to win, he's the hero). From start to finish, this book had my interest and I hope you enjoy it.

Through the long-running and storied history of the Marvel Universe, the highly recognized and sometimes misunderstood mythos of our friendly neighborhood superhero, Spider-man, has been the basis of many story plots, ranging from the clone saga to the more recent Spider-man movies. So for Straczynski to create a satisfying and entertaining story walking through that beaten, treaded path is a feat not to be underestimated.

He didn't just bring back accounts of Spider-man's mythos (or past for that matter) but he went one step further by challenging the assumptions many, including probably even past creators of the book, have taken for granted. Technical aspects of the radioactive spider who bit Peter gets expounded in a great way, with Straczynski putting forth a bold and audacious dialogue between Peter and Ezekiel, the new guy in the block who just so happens to possess the same powers as Spider-man's.

The ideas are pretty complex, even with the light and playful atmosphere displayed at times, but they were handled with such concise and yet flavorful stylishness that it seems Straczynski has been doing this for years and not mere weeks. There is no question as to the veteran scribe's knowledge being lavished upon most of the more critical dialogue scenes. How can one not be intrigued with an idea implying that the Spider could be passing on his powers to Peter before dying to the radiation rather than the radiation itself being the source?

If that somehow influences public perception to see this book as overly technical and thus boringly tedious, think again. Straczynski applied a soft touch, perhaps as a much-needed balance to the information-laden sections, to the more kinetic action scenes as well. Could anyone else have done as well as having a lady, taken hostage, scream at the sight of the often shocking and extraordinary Spider-man? Could such delicate inferences be made at the rate of three pages each?

But it seems Straczynski never had a problem achieving such quality in his pants-on-fire writing, where the reader can no doubt see the hungry passion overflowing from every page of this trade paperback. The Babylon-5 creator pours so much effort into the first arc of his run as if he would be losing the book right after. Just bask at the absolute brilliance of the few but oh so poignant and delicately done Aunt May scenes, and understand just how much of a good first story (and Spider-man story) this is.

That is without the shocking conclusion taken into account even. That is how smooth, warm, smart and hard-hitting, the writing in here feels, like a roller-coaster ride that will surely climax into a mind-numbing peak.