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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: COMING HOME TP
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: Dan Kemp & Avalon
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $15.95 US/$23.95 CAN |
When J. Michael Straczynski was announced as writer for this book, reaction was definitely mixed, especially after an interview about where he'd be taking Spider-Man made a lot of fans especially nervous. Fortunately, Straczynski showed off the skill that made his Babylon 5 such a hit, balancing terrific action with an ongoing internal monologue
from Spider-Man encompassing hope, anger, melancholy and a sense of
responsibility. The story pushed Peter Parker to his limits, and in so doing
helped to really define what makes him tick. Joined by John Romita Jr. and Scott
Hanna, doing some of the strongest art I've seen from the two of them,
Straczynski came in and gave us an excellent and maybe even instant classic
story.
Straczynski won me over early
on, when he showed that he can write the character so well. Peter's inner
monologue really conveys the sense of character, whether it's a humorous
monologue about zippers on super-hero costumes or his more serious thoughts
about Mary Jane or the deadly fight he finds himself in later in the story. In
addition to understanding the character, however, he used that knowledge to
create some new allies and adversaries, and to suggest possibilities about his
origin without invalidating what we know. Giving Spider-Man a tie-in to shamanic
power and animal totems makes a reasonable amount of sense (especially with
Straczynski's clever references to Vulture, Scorpion, Doctor Octopus and other
perennial Spidey foes) and expands the breadth of possibilities for allies and
enemies in the future. It also laid the groundwork for this story, contrasting
the "could have been" possibilities of Ezekiel with the dark path of Morlun.
Morlun, though not a villain
who is likely to make a return appearance, meets the high standards necessary to
match up with Spider-Man's terrific rogues' gallery. Straczynski builds him up
in the script and then backs up the hyperbole with an extended and powerful
fight sequence, one that gives a sense of power and danger to Morlun. More to
the point, Morlun's persona is that of a polite and even likable character,
because while he's murderous and intent on destroying Spider-Man, his view of
the outcome as inevitable robs him of any passion or enjoyment of the hunt which
might make the reader angry about his actions. His reaction to Spidey's jokes
was the exact opposite of what Spidey hopes for with those ever-present verbal
jibes, and it was a chilling moment even as it provided a bit of nervous
laughter for the reader. And seeing Spider-Man begin to realize that he could
lose this fight, making a call to his loved ones in case things didn't pan out,
was a sobering moment.
Even more impressive, despite
the amount of power and the unbeatable feeling that we get from Morlun at first,
Straczynski delivers a clever and believable way for Spider-Man to defeat him.
It made perfect sense, and it was foreshadowed, but it wasn't telegraphed. It
hadn't dawned on me what Peter was trying to do in choosing his location for the
final battle until the revelation was upon us. One of the worrying elements of
Straczynski's plans for the title was that he was going to muck around with his
origins, but instead he showed a perfect understanding of what gave Spider-Man
his powers, and used all of the elements to provide a balancing tool for the
fight. Seeing Spidey finally able to fight back effectively, after the pummeling
he's taken throughout most of the book, was definitely satisfying as well.
In addition, though the story
focuses on the story of Ezekiel and Morlun, Straczynski also sets up an
intriguing new status quo for Spider-Man's secret identity. Seeing Peter Parker
return to high school as an adult is a clever way of getting back to the core
character without simply reverting him back to basics, and giving him a job as a
science teacher is an interesting touch, allowing Straczynski to explore the
high school dynamic and how it has changed, which should be interesting to view
through Peter's eyes.
Romita Jr. is really at the
top of his game with the work on this story arc. Incredible backgrounds, some
nifty layouts and a portrayal of Spidey's acrobatic style combined with power
are the defining aspects of his style. Though the story is fairly focused on a
big fight, he gets to play around with various settings and ideas, including an
urban school, a fantastic car chase and flashbacks to various villains and
events. About the only place he falls down is that Ezekiel sometimes looks like
he's wasting away rather than merely older, and his work in general on facial
expressions continues to vary in strength from page to page, although it's
entirely possible to lay that at the feet of Hanna as well.
Where Romita Jr. and Hanna
really shine, though, is in bringing Straczynski's massive battle to life.
There's a two-page spread where it looks like the script might have said "Peter
beats on Morlun, and vice versa. Go nuts." and they did. The power of the two
adversaries shows through in the collateral damage and the movements of the
characters, and the artists do a fantastic job of showing a fight that begins in
one place and moves through the city, a seemingly endless fight that helps us to
feel that Peter must be getting tired. Their depiction of a beaten and torn
Spider-Man is very powerful, and reinforces the notion of what he's been going
through. He's got various bruises, scrapes and cuts, and in most of the panels
where we see him, he's shaking from the sheer effort of staying up. And the
collateral damage of the battle, whether it's police lines in the distance or
shattered cars, buildings and signposts, is pretty impressive as well.
This isn't to say the book is
completely perfect. The dialogue or narration is sometimes a little clunky, with
lines like "There isn't a sonar in existence that can sound out the depth of her
compassion" sounding particularly goofy. And Straczynski does take the easy out
in a few occurrences, moving Ezekiel through a fairly predictable story arc and
then moving him off the stage just as he was getting interesting or allowing
Spider-Man to sidestep the moral dilemma of what to do with Morlun, given the
danger he presents.
Overall, however, this is a
great story, one that lives up to expectations and stands alongside the high
quality of other Spider-Man books coming out right now.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
