See? Told ya.
When Paul Jenkins focuses on self-contained, one-issue stories, he always comes up with tales that are stronger than this multi-issue arcs. These shorter stories are always character-centered and delve into the more grounded side of Peter Parker's world. Jenkins still finds room for the playful side of the title character, but the main purpose of this issue is to make use of an interesting new subplot established in Amazing Spider-Man a year or so back, and to explore a different kind of emotional fallout than J. Michael Straczynski did.
May Parker has had some time to absorb the fact that her nephew is Spider-Man, and she's decided the time has come for the two of them to talk about it some more. They've already dealt with the fact that Peter has been lying to her for years, but now, she needs to look at her life and Peter's and incorporate that new reality. Peter worries that filling May in on everything else will alienate her, and he doesn't want to lose her.
The simplicity of Buckingham's style captures the Silver Age elements of the main story and the gang-war subplot quite well, while Transparency Digital's dark, muted colors hints at the more mature and emotionally driven atmosphere of the script. Buckingham's cover sums up the nature of the plot nicely, and at the same time, offers a fun retrospective for longtime Spidey fans.
There are times in super-hero comics -- especially those published by companies with long histories like Marvel and DC -- when continuity becomes a liability, when it shackles the writer. But there are others in which the writer can make excellent use of the efforts of those who came before him, and this is one of those times. May Parker re-examines her own life and that of her nephew through new eyes, reflecting back on events with a greater understanding of who he is and how her choices and his have impacted his life and vice versa. It brings the wonder and fantasy of super-hero storytelling down to earth, down to a more emotional, honest and genuine level.
I'll be honest... the multi-cultural gang war didn't do anything for me. The humor Jenkins tries to instill into the situation falls flat, perhaps due to the fact that many real-life gang conflicts are divided along racial lines. Furthermore, I've never found Hammerhead to be an intimidating villain; he's a stereotype, so his claim to brains following the climactic action scene just doesn't ring true.
