AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #43
"Cold Arms"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: Dan Kemp
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
I've thoroughly enjoyed the last few issues of Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man. His sense of humor suits the title character well, and he's brought a mature tone to the ongoing plotlines. Here, though, the story didn't really work for me. The character-driven subplot struck me as a mite harsh as well, and Romita and Hanna's artwork isn't as tight and focused as it has been in the past.
Dr. Octopus meets with the man heading up the Nexus Corporation to discuss the possibility of doing some consulting work for the company... or so he thinks. The corporate vulture has different plans in mind, though. Meanwhile, Peter Parker's on summer break from teaching, and Aunt May, in an effort to encourage him to work things out with Mary Jane, accompanies him on a trip to Los Angeles, where she's shooting a new movie.
Romita's artwork here looks a lot more rushed than what we saw in the last issue. In #42, there was a dark, sleek and tight look at Spider-Man's world (and that of Dr. Strange), but that darkness and focus is gone here. The difference is quite striking. Even the olors aren't as rich. It seems that in an effort to get this title back on a regular schedule, something was sacrificed in the process. I trust, though, that this is not the new norm for the book.
As this issue opened, Straczynski immediately grabbed my attention with an obvious reference to the mess that's been made of the stock markets in recent months by companies such as Enron, Arthur Andersen LLP and WorldCom. So I was disappointed to discover that instead of dwelling on the notion of questionable corporate ethics, the writer shifted the story and the character of Carlyle into a typical super-villain mode. I don't even see why Carlyle covets Doc Ock's power so much; it's not as though it's served him all that well over the years.
Straczynski's sense of humor still serves the title well. The airport scene was priceless, and it capitalized on the potential of Peter and Aunt May's new dynamic wonderfully. I'm also thoroughly interested in the tension between Peter and Mary Jane, but their marital problems come off as rather one-sided. Mary Jane is presented as just too bitchy. I want to know more about why she decided to leave Peter, not that she's ticked about being stood up. MJ has good reason to question the relationship, but it's not apparent here.
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