Given my general opinion about the Spider-Man books right now, it might not sound like high praise to say that I think this is the best Spider-Man comic Marvel will probably produce this year. But even in a year when the regular books were offering stronger competition, I think the two stories in this volume would stand out as entertaining and effective looks into the life of the webslinger. Beland's story almost veers into the saccharine territory for me at first, but he brings it around nicely to a genuinely touching ending, and Gage's tale of a fourth-string (at best) villain trying to reform and help Spidey is the best kind of character-based comedy, reminiscent of Paul Jenkins's best work on Peter Parker: Spider-Man. And if the writers' names or those concepts don't wow you, consider that the artwork is by Mike McKone and Sean Phillips, both exceptionally talented artists who do terrific work on Spidey (and his amazing friends).
Gage, McKone and Stucker offer up probably the least-demanded return of all, as they bring back the obscure Spider-Man villain Big Wheel. If that's not enough Marvel obscurity for the fans, one of the villains of the piece is Stilt-Man. If you were to guess that "Amends" is a comedy, you wouldn't be wrong, but Gage's script has heart as well, and while I'm not ready to call for a Big Wheel limited series or anything, this is a terrific example of using the very fringes of the Marvel Universe to good effect. Gage introduces a couple neat ideas like Vil-Anon and the ultimate destination of Big Wheel as far as hero or villain goes, and it reads for all the world like a cross between Dan Slott's She-Hulk and Jenkins's Peter Parker: Spider-Man.
Of course, both of those books also had great artists like Paul Pelletier and Mark Buckingham, and Mike McKone is certainly in that league. McKone and Stucker give the whole story a classic, realistic look and really capture the hilarious physical comedy required when dealing with Big Wheel and Stilt-Man, and Brown's colors are bright and perfect for the tone of the tale as well. The second story features darker, more stylized art from Sean Philips, but it's perfectly suited to the story as well, and while I'm not 100% sold on some of Phillips' versions of the superheroes (the splash page introducing them makes them all look a little too regular guy for the effect they're supposed to have), he has a number of effective moments in this issue, many of them being one-panel moments with the heroes that show them having the desired effect on the young man in the story.
Tom Beland writes that second story, and it's a good Marvel debut from a guy whose self-published book I've always enjoyed. I haven't been all that happy with the execution of some of the changes in Peter Parker, from his job as a teacher to his role in the Avengers, but I thought both ideas had potential, and Beland realizes that potential here, using the teacher job for the obvious (and previously unexplored) parallels between his high school experiences and those of his students as well as showing off how being a member of The Avengers can help him beyond providing muscle for superhero fights. Beland captures the magic of superheroes in the same universal way that he captures the magic of romance in True Story Swear to God, and while I thought having the kid make meta "clone" jokes and acting upbeat with Spidey right after his parents died was a bit off, the rest of the story is note-perfect.
Spider-Man Unlimited has the sales and reputation of an "also-ran" Spidey book, full of material extraneous to the main stories of the character. However, this is not the first time that these short stories, by new or untapped talent, have nailed the appeal of the character in a way that the bigger Spidey titles haven't. Spider-Man Unlimited is the perfect book for the casual Spider-Man fan or those with more old school tastes, and this issue in particular is definitely worth checking out. Hey Marvel, how about giving us a "Best of Spider-Man Unlimited" trade? Based on the general quality of the book so far, I know I'd buy one.
