Words: Dan Slott
Pictures: Humberto Ramos
Big Time Begins! After around 100 issues the Brand New Day Era ended and now we hit the Big Time!
Here's the deal: Beginning with this issue we have a few changes. First, Spider-Man is no longer out three times a month, it's now basically a bi-weekly title as it's now out twice a month. We have a single creative team instead of the rotating teams we've had for the past few years. It's page count increases (this issue is at 56 pages) to 40 pages with a main feature then a small back up story that will actually have some impact or interest to the main story. Finally, the price gets the increase to $3.99 from $2.99.
Honestly, if a $1 increase is the price to pay for this series, after all these additions, I'm good with it.
So, Big Time begins..well, big. Spider-Man, along with his side-kicks the Avengers, move to save the city from giant spider (or octopuses or whatever, depending who you ask) which is apparently all part of a plan by (surprise) Doctor Octopus! While the Avengers fight to save the city, The Chameleon and Electro make their move to deliver something in a hanger for Doc Ock, that got me to thinking about the good old days of the Sinister Six until the next page where I see Sandman, Rhino and Mysterio along with the caption "Headquarters of the New Sinister Six" I love it!
Anyway, Doc Ock has a plan, what it is, exactly, we don't know yet but the attack on New York City was a distraction. I'm eager to see where this leads.
Also, we have someone, or something, stalking J.J.J. At least I think it's stalking him...
Michelle, Peter's evil roommate, moves out and leave Peter without a home. He tries to find a place to crash with nearly everyone including his new girlfriend Carlie Cooper (happy to have her!) and, as always, ends up on Aunt May's doorstep. But he doesn't stay there because J.J.J.'s wife Marla takes him to meet some other scientists and BINGO! Peter Parker has a job and money coming in!
So everything is going in a good direction for our favorite web-slinger for once.
(Even the Daily Bugle is back!)
Now, the Kingpin gets involved and is trying to get something that a fellow scientist the Peter now works with is developing. To get this he hires (dramatic pause) The Hobgoblin!
Overall, this is a great kick off to what promises to be a very exciting new era for Spider-Man and I'm very excited for this! Dan Slott was one of my favorite Spidey writers and I LOVED him on She-Hulk. Humberto Ramos has always been one of my favorite artists and I love his Spider-man so this is a win/win for me!
This issue's back-up featured Spider-Girl by Paul Tobin and Clayton Henry and took place during the opening battle of the main story. Not much to say about it, other than it was fun and I'm starting to get a little more interested in this new Spider-Girl.
Words: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pictures: Miguel Sepulveda
All good things must come to an end. That is more than true here. The block of stories, the journey that began in 2006 with Annihilation ends here.
Thanos has seemingly betrayed the Marvel universe in order to be killed again and reunited with Death. But, with Thanos there is the plan then there is HIS plan.His plan was to allow Death to come back and be a part of the Cancerverse's reality again.
It came just in time as in the Marvel Universe (the 616) the defenders were pretty much losing. Galactus needed help fighting the massive Galactus Engine, King Blastaar had fled thinking the fight was all but over and the Nova Corps was doing all it could to keep things together.
Suddenly: Death.
She appears and with her touch it all ends for the twisted versions of the 616's heroes. After getting the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy out of the Cancerverse, Nova and Star-Lord decide that Thanos must be contained, after Death spurns him again he goes quite mad. They need to keep him there for a mere 60 seconds until the Cancerverse ceases to exist.
They seemingly succeed but at a very high cost.
The end of the story is the most touching and makes this feel like it's truely the end. Services are held for those lost in the fight: Adam Warlock, Drax, Phyla-Vel...Nova and Star-Lord. The last two are presumed dead because they cannot be contacted and they held their final battle in a collapsing reality against the Mad Titan Thanos.
I really hope this isn't the end, it's hard to believe it's been 4 years since Annihilation but that hardly seems long enough.
Also, was that an Infinity Gauntlet I saw at the beginning of the issue?
Words: Matt Fraction
Pictures: Pasqual Ferry
Okay, so get this: Asgard has been pretty much destroyed, the Asgardians basically understand that with Asgard on Earth it leave a vacuum that is being filled with something very not good and what is Thor worried about? Bringing his brother, Loki, back. Yeah, the Thunder God needs to get his priorities back in place.
Asgard is being rebuilt while the World Eaters are tearing their way through the Nine Worlds heading towards Earth. We even see the first of the refugees of the Nine Worlds appear on Earth in hopes of finding Asgard and safety.
Thor is in France chasing down a kid who is obviously Loki who seems to have lost his memories...a chase ensues and Loki gets his memories back but it still a child...or young man...whatever.
This is certainly not the strongest issue of Thor that I've read since this run began but I'm not fickle, I don't plan to drop it because 1 issue failed to amuse me completely, this upcoming fight between the Asgardians and the World Eaters has my attention.
I just wish we could get something solid to go with and the artist would stop trying to draw Thor to look like the guy in the upcoming movie.
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