Straczynski divides this issue's focus between Peter Parker's recovering relationship with his wife and the ongoing hunt for the superhuman mobster killer that's been rampaging through New York as of late. The former plot element is heartening, but the narration slips into the area of cliche in its description. And while the Digger plotline offers plenty of action, there doesn't seem to be so much potentiak in it to be dragged out for this long. Overall, this was a fun issue of Amazing, but it was kind of ordinary as well.
Peter tries to tell Mary Jane about his confrontation with Digger, the gamm-irradiated amalgam of 13 dead goodfellas, but MJ has more important, more personal matters on her mind that she wants to tackle. Meanwhile, as Spider-Man, Peter discovers that "working" for a mob boss brings with it some surprises, and a voice of experience points out that the wallcrawler is wandering into some ethically ambiguous territory that could prove to be his downfall.
What I love the most about Romita's work on this title is how he manages to capture the title character's slight stature. Spider-Man never seems like a big guy, but at the same time, Romita maintains a clear look of power and extraordinary ability. His style is a rather simple one, but it also fosters a darker, more mature atmosphere. The grittier leanings in his style suits the monstrous villain quite well, and Hanna adds some detail to Romita's linework.
Straczynski captures a grown-up and emotional tone in the continued development of Peter and Mary Jane's efforts to renew their bond of love. Unfortunately, the narration crosses the line into Cornballville, even borrowing -- without sarcasm -- the horribly overused Jerry Maguire line of "you complete me." It's a moment in the script that makes the reader's eyes roll, instead of allowing him or her to enjoy the strengthening of a classic comic-book relationship.
Furthermore, Straczynski hits us with another cliche: the mobster who's trying to shield his daughter from the life of violence and corruption that he's embraced. Straczynski telegraphs Digger's next move and robs the story of suspense in the process.
The Digger concept here is a fun one, but I don't see that he's such an interesting villain so as to merit this long a storyline. The story feels padded out. Perhaps it'll work better in a collected format, but as an episodic story, it feels drawn out. I keep waiting for something to happen already, and at this point, we really don't know much more than we did two issues ago.
