Book Review: Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility by Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility by Brian Michael Bendis is a new way of telling Spiderman’s origin story with a lot of teenage angst. If you know the Spiderman origin you will appreciate the changes, if you don’t know the origin by heart then you might not notice the changes since they are slight. One big change is Uncle Ben stays around longer and you get a feel for Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s relationship. Another change is about Norman Osborn who doesn’t have to figure out who Spiderman’s secret identity is but knows it from the start. In this version seeing how the spider bite has affected Peter Parker inspires him to do what eventually leads him to be the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin is the biggest change so far, where it is not just a man in a mask but a serum that changes Norman Osborn’s physical makeup and turns him into a goblin-like creature. Norman Osborn hates his son Harry Osborn there is no tough love in this version he tries to kill and hates him from the start. This volume is all about Spiderman’s origin and about him choosing to be good instead of not caring. The power and responsibility speech was done well, it is very close to the way it is portrayed in the first Spiderman film with Toby Maguire. The Mary Jane relationship starts from the beginning in this version she is more of a combo of Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spiderman comics. Mary Jane is more smart and studious than the party girl actress from The Amazing Spiderman. Flash Thompson is still a jackass but so far he hasn’t developed a love of Spiderman. Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility collected issues 1-7 of Ultimate Spider-Man. Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility was first published on January 1, 2001, by Marvel.

Plot Summary: Peter Parker is bullied badly at school for being smart and a nerd. He goes on a field trip to Osborn labs where he is bitten by an experimental spider that Norman Osborn has been gearing up for human testing but all the animals that are infected have died. Norman Osborn as Peter follows and plans to kill him and make it look like an accident so they don’t look at the bite. When Norman Osborn orders the hit by a hit and run Parker jumps over the car and from then on Osborn follows him for research, and wants to inject himself with the drug. When Osborn injects himself it is pure so the same thing that happens to Peter doesn’t happen Osborn turns into a Goblin. He kills his wife and attempts to kill Harry, his son, and he remembers Peter Parker is Spiderman and wants to fight him.

What I Liked: The teenage angst and bravado were a little much but it felt very real and how a kid that was bullied constantly would react if he got special powers. I like that it also showed his frustration and anger at constantly getting bullied. I liked the Mary Jane and Peter Parker relationship that even if he did not get the powers they could have dated if Peter only had the confidence. I liked the more we got of Uncle Ben and how when he gets robbed he’s making a joke trying to defuse the situation saying, you probably have more money than I do. The Green Goblin and Spiderman fight is pretty intense. I liked that we got cameos from J. Jonah Jamison, Liz Allen, Captain Stacy, and Matt Murdock (Daredevil) gets mentioned.

What I Disliked: I had some issues with the art, I felt the Spiderman body was too thin and lanky, also there is one drawing where Peter is in a cutoff t-shirt and designer underwear, I’m pretty sure Aunt May is not buying him that, and the art made him look too effeminate and have female characteristics it did not fit. I’m pretty sure Peter Parker would be a tighty whitey man.

Recommendation: I had a good time with Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1. It was nice that Peter Parker’s origin had an update. I like where the volume left off where Spiderman is a wanted man by the police. Are Spiderman and the Green Goblin working together? I recommend you check out Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility if you are a fan of Spiderman the character. This is a great intro for the character if you are unsure where to start.

Rating: I rated Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility by Brian Michael Bendis 4.0 stars out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Star Wars: The High Republic Volume 3 – Jedi’s End by Cavan Scott

Star Wars: The High Republic Volume 3 – Jedi’s End by Cavan Scott is a graphic novel that takes place 200 years before Star Wars: A New Hope. Jedi’s End continues exactly where Volume 2 left off with the Nihil kidnapping Keeve and one of the twins they meet the Nameless who can cut off the Jedi from the force. This novel features a lot of Avar Kriss, who is my favorite of the High Republic Jedi, and have been begging to see more of her in the books, she gets a great storyline and is the lead character of this volume. The action is intense in the story, there is a cool scene with a thrown lightsaber that is controlled by the force to curve and cut through enemies. The Jedi apprentice/Jedi master relationship between Keeve and Ssskeer has been the heart of this series and is still the best part of this novel. The pace of this book is nonstop during the main story, this graphic novel comes with two additional stories about the leader of the Nihil which are very slow-paced and have very few highlights. The conclusion of the main story is intense and will have repercussions in the next volume. Star Wars: The High Republic Volume 3 – Jedi’s End includes Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) #11-15 and Star Wars: The High Republic – Eye of the Storm #1-2. Star Wars: The High Republic Volume 3 – Jedi’s End was published on May 3, 2022, by Marvel Comics.

Plot Summary: Keeve and one of the twins have been taken by the Nihil, Avar Kriss and Ssskeer have to rescue them but they can’t feel the force in them and the other twin is in a coma feeling the pain of his twin. Avar worries about Ssskeer who has been imbalanced in the force, the first thing he does is brutally kill the enemy instead of looking for diplomacy. Avar and Ssskeer arrive to find a trap set by Lourna Dee, one of the main Nihil leaders. Avar is pressed to her limits and shows signs of the Dark side as Lourna pushes her toward vengeance. They think the trap was foiled but the leader of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, just wanted to stall the Jedi as the real plan is enacted. The Eye of the Storm issues show Marchion Ro as he rose to the leader of the Nihil from his father and the events with the Nihil leading to the conclusion of this book.

What I Liked: Avar Kriss is awesome and my favorite character of the High Republic, it was great to finally see her get a big storyline since Light of the Jedi. Keeve and Ssskeer’s master and apprentice relationship is great a lot of good moments and the heart of this story. The action was great in this book the Avar and Lourna fight was great. Lourna is a great Baddie that keeps surviving and thriving despite how many times Marchion Ro has used her as a pawn. The climax is intense I like what it means for Avar going forward. I liked that Jedi died a lot of times Star Wars won’t pull the trigger on recurring characters but not here a few notable Jedis are sacrificed. The Nameless also called “Force Eaters” are a good tool for the Nihil and sed right in the story.

What I Disliked: The pace of the 2 Eye of the Storm comics was way too slow for the end of the book. I would have almost put the first one at the beginning and then the second at the end. Marchion Ro is a fantastic villain who remains one step ahead but his background is boring until he lets his father die, but that is the only good moment.

Recommendation: The High Republic graphic novels have the highest consistency of being the best series within Star Wars: The High Republic in terms of quality, action, and story. Each volume has earned 4 stars and this is no exception and is my favorite so far. I recommend you check this story out. The thing I like is if you read all of Star Wars: The High Republic books these stories will enhance it and give insight, But the story is its own thing and you would not lose anything by just reading the graphic novels.

Rating: I rated The High Republic Volume 3 – Jedi’s End by Cavan Scott 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 17 by Len Wein

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man – Volume 17 by Len Wein is a fun-filled Spiderman adventure from 1977-78 featuring the return of The Green Goblin. The Green Goblin is Spiderman’s biggest nemesis first it was the father of his best friend Norman Osborn then it was Harry Osborn, Peter Parker’s former roommate and best friend, both know the secret that Peter Parker is Spiderman. Harry starts the book in good spirits but will be pushed to his limits and become the Green Goblin again. The book’s first half is all forgettable stories but the second half makes up for it as it is full of great stories. The Punisher returns and now knows Spiderman is a good guy and must work together to save J. Jonah Jamison. Molten Man returns from the dead to seek a cure from Liz Allen his step-sister. I have to say every time I read these old Spiderman stories Molten Man has a killer story arc and is one of my favorites if you asked me before I would have just said Molten Man was lame. Nova is brought into Spiderman but with a weak two-parter storyline that is forgettable. The Rocket Racer is only briefly introduced and the scene is weirdly short like a page and a half. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man – Volume 17 collects issues The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) #169-180, Annual #11 and Nova (1976) #12.

Plot Summary: J. Jonah Jamison confronts Peter Parker about being Spiderman he has pictures that were taken of Spiderman getting rid of the Peter Parker clone. Peter Stumbles into bad guys led by Doctor Faustus who uses a drugged cigarette to poison Spiderman’s mind and help him rob a high-tech lab. Nova believes Peter Parker is a suspect in the murder of his father, Spiderman helps to prove his innocence and find the true killer. Spiderman saves a stuntman in a bad Spider Monster costume that makes a costume designer. Spiderman dresses in the costume and is attacked by costumed Spider monsters on the set. Rocket Racer appears and Spiderman easily defeats him after a chase. Liz Allen is arrested for stealing drugs from the hospital. Molten Man is back and he needs his step-sister Liz Allen to administer a drug formula to him to turn him back into a man again. A hitman is sent after J. Jonah Jamison and The Punisher with Spiderman end up interrupting at the same time. The Green Goblin is back with a big 3 issue twist.

What I Liked: Seeing Harry Osborn driven by anger back into the Green Goblin costume once again. The big twist revealed in the Green Goblin story, no spoilers but it was fun. The Punisher and Spiderman jumping through windows at the same time to save Jonah was fun. The brutal way the hitman dies in a Spiderman comic by The Punisher. Molten Man goes out like a boss. I love the cure angle and the twist with it. I liked that this is the first comic where Aunt May becomes political and becomes a huge part of her character further in the comics.

What I Disliked: The Nova and Spiderman story didn’t do anything exciting to get me to read Nova and I did not like what it did with Peter Parker and Spiderman. The quick Rocket Racer intro was bizarre. The Doctor Faustus storyline was kind of a rehash of what Mysterio has done in the past. I could have gone with a brief explanation of what happened to Silvermane, since the last time he was in a Spiderman comic he was turned into a baby.

Recommendations: Half of this novel is really good and half of it is not so good. I would read the first issue then skip to where Molten Man appears then read to the end. I have to read everything which can sometimes lead to disappointment. The Green Goblin 3-part saga is good with some surprising twists and turns that make it the highlight of the novel.

Rating: I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man – Volume 17 by Len Wein 3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell

The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell is a fun, gory female-led time-traveling superhero adventure. Doctor Strange is a zombie on the cover, so it is not a spoiler to say he doesn’t last long, but he sets the events to fix the zombie outbreak for his young librarian and apprentice Zelda Stanton. I have never read a Doctor Strange comic, I only know of Doctor Strange from the MCU, so I had never heard of Zelda Stanton. I liked her character who would rather be with books than dealing with deadly super-powered zombies, but she rises to the occasion in this fish-out-of-water story. She recruits Nico Minoru from The Runaways, Whom I have read most of the Runaways Marvel comics, Elsa Bloodstone, the monster hunter 2022 MCU Halloween special Werewolf By Night, and Deadpool, The Merc with the Mouth whom I’m familiar with in comics and movies. This is the gang of superheroes left to defeat the super-powered zombie horde. The notable zombies are Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Dr. Strange, Wasp, Iron Man, and Spiderman. The story is fun and gets off to a fast start. The novel does slow down after the characters debate too long about how to defeat zombies and the plan is very convoluted. The plan eventually starts to make sense but it takes a little too long, I needed Zelda to explain it in simpler terms to probably Deadpool, who screws up the plans anyway. The last two fights of the novel are pretty epic the first one I did not think they were going to the top but they did. The action comes all at the end, for most of the novel they avoid the zombies until they have to, I would have preferred the fights to be more spaced out but boy do they deliver. I was given a free copy by Aconyte Books through Netgalley for a review. The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel was published on October 3, 2023.

Plot Summary: A meteor has fallen in New York City and Marvel’s Superheroes are first on the scene, poor Captain America is the first to be zombified, then other superheroes. The uniqueness of the virus is you can’t die like a zombie, but you are just super hungry, so if you eat enough flesh you become sane until the hunger takes over again, also superheroes get to keep all their powers. Doctor Strange was on his way to the site when he felt something was wrong, before he could react fully he was caught in a web of circumstances and Spiderman’s actual web, as he was bitten before he could send Spiderman to a portal to another time. Doctor Strange returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum where he bites and eats Wong (cry). After he realizes what he’s done and has clarity he goes to Zelda as the earth’s only hope and closes off this dimension, so that no one can leave and asks Zelda to kill him and use the library to survive. She can’t kill him but puts him away where he can’t hurt others and can’t hurt himself and use his powers. Zelda looks for other witches to help, The Scarlet Witch is already a zombie and Agatha Harkness is missing, she finds Nico Minoru just as she’s going to get bit and saves her as the other Runaways perish. Nico recommends Elsa Bloodstone the monster hunter, but they get no reads of life but can track her magical artifact the bloodstone. They follow the bloodstone to find Elsa is already a zombie, but a sane one thanks to Deadpool who is in a cage and has been an endless food source the flesh-hungry Elsa Bloodstone. Elsa vows to kill every last zombie and make the world whole again, and Deadpool wants the world saved for chimichangas to still get made. This squad of four has to save the world whom Deadpool nicknames the Golden Girls.

What I Liked: Spiderman biting and attacking Dr. Strange like a spider was pretty terrifying. The time travel aspect was really fun. The superhero zombie horde was written well, with who was chosen to go up against whom. The epic last battle scenes were a lot of fun and very intense. The Stone Age Avengers were awesome, didn’t know they existed but will have to get the comics they are a part of because they were awesome, not a huge part of the book but they make an impact. I like how briefly the history of a relevant hero or villain is explained Morgana Le Fey in particular. I liked how fast the zombie story got going. Deadpool’s jokes are pretty great and his relationship with Max is classic Deadpool.

What I Disliked: The time travel plan needed a layman’s explanation, and the squad seemed confused too. I felt Elsa refusing to tell the story of how she was bitten lasted too long, Zelda should not have to fight that hard and it didn’t even affect the story. As much as I loved the battle scenes I could have had them spread out or another battle scene in the middle and not all at the end, which made the pacing drag in the middle. The pop culture references should have stuck to Deadpool when another character uses it in a metaphor or quotes G.I. Joe it feels fake and out of place. Wong was eaten too soon and Dr. Strange showed no remorse at all. While I liked the action it was sometimes really hard to follow the whole time.

Recommendations: The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel is a fun gory story. It takes characters that the general audience might not know and has a lot of fun with them. I don’t know everything about the characters and felt Rockwell did a great job in staying true to them. I felt Zelda was the most obscure and the book did a fair job of introducing her to the reader. The Marvel Zombies worked really well and this book is a good alternate take on those comics. The Stone Age Avengers were a highlight and made me want to read about them if you know of these characters already they have one heck of a scene, that I did not want to end.

Rating: I Rated The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel by Marsheila Rockwell 4 out of 5 stars.

About Marvel Entertainment:

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

Book Review: Marvel Wastelanders- Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell

Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell is a Marvel Comics story set in the future. The set-up for this story is the question: what if the bad guys won and Earth was turned into a wasteland? This story is adapted from a Sirius XM and Marvel New Media podcast called Wastelanders by Benjamin Percy. The Wastelanders is a six part series with Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord being the first. This story is one of five and the way it ends there is a potential for more. After reading this I hope Aconyte Books writes more in the series. Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord has a fantastic beginning that captures the characters of Rocket and Peter Quill (Star-Lord) so well. The banter is perfect as they are instantly in danger and arguing over whose fault it was and how to get out of the situation. The humor is on point and does not let up, I laughed out loud more than a few times. The novel reads at a rapid pace with not many dull parts at all. When there are no action scenes there are humor scenes and sometimes a mix of both making it a very fun read. This novel also serves as a great pallet cleanser for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. This book like the movie is surprisingly very emotional, and events with Rocket will make you cry all over again. This book is set in the future so the only Guardians of the Galaxy left are Rocket and Star-Lord, the book does fill you in with what happens with Groot, Gamora, and Drax. The novel is filled with twists and turns. There are a couple of twists at the very end that are so good and make you want to read the next book right away. This book features Emma Frost, the sometimes friend and sometimes foe of the X-men equipped with deadly telekinetic powers, Kraven the Hunter, A deadly foe of Spiderman that was raised to hunt and kill, The Collector, a powerful space being that collects objects and people of power, and Victor von Doom aka Dr. Doom, a former scientist that is a genius at robotic wants to rule the world with an iron fist, and is the ruler of the wastelands that is now called Doomwood. I read an advanced copy of Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord in exchange for an honest review thanks to Aconyte Books and Netgalley. Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkwell is published on July 4, 2023.

Plot Summary: Star-Lord and Rocket are on a mission from The Collector to retrieve an object called the Black Vortex. The Black Vortex is an object that once you submit to it gives you unlimited cosmic powers. The Collector knows Star-Lord and Rocket and doesn’t trust them not to steal it for themselves puts an adamantium collar that will tighten in a week and remove them from their heads if they don’t comply. The collector gives them a map that points to the Black Hills of Earth. They end up getting trapped on a ship and meet Cora a Rigellian recorder bot that helps them escape and joins them on the mission. Now they head to Earth and Peter who hasn’t been there in thirty years notices this is not the Earth he left, there are no trees and no life for miles. They run into trouble immediately and find that Earth’s Avengers are dead Dr. Doom rules this territory. Kraven the Hunter is Dr. Doom’s lead enforcer and hunts and kills all his enemies. Dr. Doom’s robots Doombot patrol the streets. Peter learns that Black Vortex is somewhere in Doomwood formerly Deadwood. Peter and Rocket befriend a local and meet either a friend or a foe in Emma Frost. Can Rocket and Star-Lord find the Black Vortex in time or is it off with their heads?

What I Liked: The story is really solid, not just for a Marvel book just a really solid story. The humor is spot on I kept hearing the voices of Bradley Cooper and Chris Pratt in my head as the lines were delivered. This story is emotional and I was not prepared for it. This book will give you all the feels and a potential ugly cry. I loved the twists in this book especially at the end. Kraven the Hunter has some epic fight scenes and he is quite brutal. This book is a hard PG-13 for brutality alone the knife to the eye scene is a brutal one. The side character of Red Crotter is a great character, I was happy with his arc and how he got to serve the characters. Side characters do not get a lot of love it was nice for this character to have some good scenes and great dialogue. I also liked Cora the recorder bot and her story arc. I liked that Dr. Doom has taken over Deadwood and called it Doomwood. I also like how a little bit of Deadwood’s history is inserted into the story.

What I Disliked: The story was great but sometimes how it was told was not. I got a little tired of seeing the word “earlier” and it would bounce back and show what happened earlier. It happens about 6 times in the novel. This was a choice and was probably the way it was in The Wastelanders podcast it was adapted from. I felt it sometimes gave too much of the story away before it had to.

Recommendations and Rating: I can not recommend this story enough. I liked it and was surprised at how good the story was. The novel is a lot of fun that put a smile on my face the whole time. I like that the McGuffin is the Black Vortex, Which was featured in one of the best storylines from The Guardians of The Galaxy comics that crossed over with the X-men. People that read this book that only know the Guardians of the Galaxy from the movies could be a little confused as Star-Lord’s dad is J’son aka Mr. Knife in the comic and not Ego like he was in the movies, but the book does a pretty good version of setting up who J’son is. I rated Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord by Sarah Cawkell 5 out of 5 stars. This is my first read by Aconyte Books and their Marvel titles and will not be my last they set a pretty high bar with this book, but look forward to reading more.

This is a link to the Marvel Wastelanders: Star-Lord Sirius XM and Marvel New Media podcast trailer featuring the voice cast of Timothy Busfield as Star-Lord, Chris Elliot as Rocket, and Danny Glover as the Narrator.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #Review

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 16 by Len Wein

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 16 by Len Wein is the end of Spiderman’s adventures in the 1970’s to the 1980’s. Marvel Masterworks takes older comics and restores them with a newer glossy printing. Marriage is on the mind of many Spiderman side characters as Betty Brandt and Ned Leads get married and Harry Osborn and Liz Allen get engaged, putting undue pressure on Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. This issue leads Mary Jane to go on a date with Flash Thompson since Peter is not around. Peter is thinking about sharing his secret, that he is Spiderman, for the first time. This book is packed full of notable villains and great action scenes. The villains featured are Doctor Octopus, Hammerhead, Kingpin, Jigsaw, The Lizard, and the latest version of the Spider Slayer. It also featured less notable villains, The Tinkler, who was brought back from the second issue of the Amazing Spiderman, The Human Fly, Willow of the Wisp, and Stegon, who was bought back from Marvel team ups and is a mutation of a man to Stegosaurus with the power to take old dinosaurs bones and reanimate them to dinosaurs. This volume also featured a couple of good guys like X-men’s Nightcrawler and The Punisher. The action scenes and Spiderman quips are great and make this volume stand out amongst others. I like how further stories are being set up with a lead into the next issue, there’s an art to this and it was executed very well. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 16 collected Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) issues 156-168 and Annual #10.

Plot Summary: Doctor Octopus is back and he goes to see his almost bride to be… Aunt May. Doctor Octopus was last seen evading a nuclear explosion while he was fighting Hammerhead. Doctor Ock is being haunted by the ghost of Hammerhead, that he’s trying to rid himself of, but things don’t go so well as he accidentally brings Hammerhead back to life. He will go after Aunt May, Spiderman or Doc Ock. Spiderman beats a dangerous robber that puts up a good fight without powers, he gets powers and becomes the Human Fly and he wants to rob weddings he picks the wedding of Ned Leeds and Betty Brandt to rob and ruin. The Spidermobile is back and it’s possessed. The Spidermobile last scene at the bottom of the Atlantic when he battled Mysterio, is gon when Spiderman goes looking for it, then it stalks him. Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler visits New York city for R and R, but he gets caught up in an assignation plot involving The Punisher and Spiderman. Each hero thinks the other was responsible but it was all a ruse to get them together and take them all out. The Kingpin wants to use Spiderman’s life force to bring back his son from the grave, Dr. Kurt Conners helps Spiderman, but an accident sets off his transformation into The Lizard. Stegon captures Billy as he needs Conners to help him bring dinosaurs back to earth. J. Jonah Jamison is sent pictures of Spiderman getting rid of his clone, more convinced than ever Spiderman is evil he teams up with a partner to make a new version of the Spider Slayer to take Peter Parker out.

What I Liked: The Doctor Octopus and Spiderman team up to beat Hammerhead is the best. The Mary Jane and Peter Parker relationship deals with grown up issues. I loved seeing the Kingpin back and has one heck of a fight. The best two part issue is Nightcrawler v. Spiderman v. The Punisher. The Spiderman and Nightcrawler fight was awesome. With Spiderman not knowing Nightcrawler’s transportation ability thinks he killed him. It was a really good story for Nightcrawler which was cool since Len Wein the writer of the issue helped create him. His is kind of the first introduction of Jigsaw one of the Punishers greatest foes. The possessed Spidermobile story was actually not bad and I liked what they did with the car, and how Spiderman returned it.

What I Disliked: The Willow of the Wisp antihero had a good introduction but ended up being pretty lame and the two last issues really brought down a really great volume at the end. It really threw the pace off of the whole book.

Recommendation and Rating: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 16 was a better volume of the series than previous volumes, the stories for the most part were fun, full of adventure and still kept the human nature of Spiderman. I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 16 by Len Wein 4 out of 5 stars. At the same time this comic came out they released a revamped version of The Spectacular Spiderman by former Amazing Spiderman writer Gary Conway that explored the human side a little bit more, which I will start reading to get the whole Spiderman story.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 by Gerry Conway and Len Wein

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 by Gerry Conway and Len Wein is the book which introduces clones to Spiderman which will eventually lead to the Clone Saga with the Scarlet Spiderman ( that is my favorite costume in the Spiderman Video Game. In this series of stories Spiderman questions is he the clone or the real Spider man when a cloned Gwen Stacy returns remembering everything just before her death, just when stuff is starting to get real with Mary Jane. The pace is a little slower in these issues A new writer, the third writer, for the Amazing Spider-Man series is Len Wein taking over for Gerry Conway who took over from Stan Lee. The stores under Len Wein are a little more personable, and Peter Parker is a little more even tempered even when stuff goes wrong. This issue features villains such as The Jackal, The Scorpion, The Sandman, The Vulture, Kingpin, The Tarantula, and the forgettable The Twister. It features both a cured Harry Osborn who doesn’t remember being the New Green Goblin and Doctor Kurt Konnors doesn’t turn into The Lizard. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 collects The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) issues 143 – 155.

The Plot Summaries: Spiderman goes to Europe to stop a plot to kidnap J. Jonah Jamison. The Sandman is back with a new suit. The Jackal is revealed to be someone in Peter’s life. The Scorpion is on the loose and in a rage. The Tarantula terrorizes Spiderman. There’s too issues that don’t have a super villain at all and are more human stories. One is the highlight of this book where an ex-football player turned scientist will do anything to save his little girl. The most emotional story about sacrifices and giving you all to protect your kid, it was really powerful and made me gasp at what happened.

What I Liked: The Father rescuing his daughter hand tied behind his back, racing down the football field with 6-8 men with guns. Really epic storytelling a the highlight issue in this book along with the start of The Clone Saga. The emotions with Peter torn between is past love and present love. I really liked that Spider-Man questioned whether he was a clone and how he convinced himself he’s not the clone. I like that Peter and Betty Brandt have a real adult conversation about here upcoming wedding to Ned Leeds. I love the new suit and look of Sandman and those action scenes were the best in the book.

What I Disliked: I did not like the reveal of who or what the Jackal really was, it was a stretch to make that all make sense. The flow is way to slow I don’t mind a human story but not two in a row. This book was the lowest on Spidey action.

Recommendation: This issue is low on action, not that it has little too none, but low for a Spiderman comic, but is full of more personal stories, some hit and some miss. The birth of the Clone Saga was cool to read, when I started liking comics it was in the middle of the Clone Saga. I ‘ll barely recommend this book because of the birth of the Clone Saga is such a monumental story in Spiderman’s comic. I rated The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 by Gerry Conway and Len Weir 3 out of 5.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 14 by Gerry Conway

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 14 by Gerry Conway is Spiderman getting close to getting over the death of Gwen Stacy and starting to see Mary Jane as girlfriend material, plus a lot of action. The pace of these issues in this volume are fast making it an easy read. The new Green Goblin is Peter Parker best friend and roommate Harry Osborn, and it is pretty terrifying he knows Peter Parker is Spiderman and wants to avenge his fathers death. Norman Osborn was almost more of a gangster, Harry is just crazed and wants Spiderman to feel pain, while Spiderman is pulling punch Harry is going for death. We get to see the death of the infamous Spidermobile hopefully. We get to see the first blossoms of a spark in the Mary Jane and Peter Parker romance. This moment will be featured in the comic series One More Day, which impacts where the current day Spiderman is not with Mary Jane. This book features The Punisher, Morbius, Man-Wolf, Molten Man, Mysterio, introduction of The Tarantula, The Green Goblin, forgettable characters the Grizzly and the Mind Worm, and the return of Peter’s friend and one time love interest Liz Allen. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 14 Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) issues 132-142 and Giant-Size Super Heroes #1.

The Plot Summaries: Ned Leads follows a tip of a burglary and gets burned bad. Spiderman tried to stop it as well, both men come away with radioactivity poisoning at the hands of the Molten Man that is working to stop his powers that growing out of control and cannot contain the heat. Morbius is back and he finds a way to control Man-Wolf to help him get what he needs to change back. Peter goes on a friendly river cruise, but it is foiled my the Tarantula and his band of robbers, but the Punisher shows up and thinks Spiderman is one of them thanks to the theme. Harry having just discovered that Peter Parker is Spiderman blows up their apartment in an attempt to kill him. Peter Parker rooms with Flash Thompson since his place is blown up the Mind Worm controls everyone in the area expect Spiderman. The Grizzly breaks into the Daily Bugle and wants revenge on Jamison. Mysterio thought dead, has returned to torture Spiderman with his illusions.

What I Liked: The Green Goblin returned as Harry Osborn is terrifying because he knows Peter so well, and knows just what would crush him if they died. The Motlon Man I have always thought was lame but he has actually ha some of the best fights and really great story. This on could be the end or not, but I was satisfied how it ended if this is the last we see of the character. I like how Mary Jane and Peter are slow playing their relationship. This was a speacial volume for me becuase when I was collecting comics as a kid I had one older Spiderman comic and it was issue 141 with Mysterio and the death of the Spidrmobile, LOL I had no idea, but when I was 12 I thought the car was lame and made no sense. I liked the action scenes a lot in this it was very easy to follow. I love how Peter and Flash Thompson’s relationship have evolved overtime, they actually made good roommates for the night the spent with each other. I like that Flash Thompson is the only one who is sort of figuring out that Peter could be Spiderman.

What I Disliked: The Mind Word is just odd and did not fit. The Grizzly has some of the worst dialogue I have ever read in Spiderman.

Recommendation: This Volume has some gems the Green Goblin will be the most important, but the blossoms of love that Peter Parker and Mary Jane share are special and effect the current Spiderman timeline. I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 14 by Gerry Conway 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 13 by Gerry Conway

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 13 by Gerry Conway is a very important book in terms of the Spiderman legacy. This book features Spiderman’s second biggest loss with Uncle Ben being the first, the death of Spiderman’s first villain where he was directly involved in it, and the introduction of the Punisher (Frank Castle). It has some moments of infamy like the Spidermobile that Johnny Storm of the fantastic Four invented, and the weeding of Aunt May to Doctor Octopus. We see the beginnings of Peter Parker and Mary Jane, the start of Harry Osborn starting to go insane like father, like son.. Here’s the list of hero’s and villains in this volume, Johnny Storm, Luke Cage (Powerman), The Punisher, Doctor Octopus, The Jackal, Hammerhead, Man-Wolf, Kangaroo, The Vulture, and Green Goblin. This volume had lots of action and really good art work. There was only one bad story and it wasn’t that bad. This volume had the most throwbacks to previous works. The stories really Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 13 collects The Amazing Spider-Man issues 121-131.

The Plot Summaries: Norman Osborn needs someone to blame for his son’s drug abuse and Peter Parker/ Spiderman gets the blame, now he wants to take something from peter. After Peter fails in stopping the Green Goblin he knows he must not fail again. Spiderman is labeled a killer and Jamison hires a ,Hero for Hire, Luke Cage to bring him in. After a woman is killed in Mary Jane’s building, peter fears but when he finds out who the killer is he gets even. Kangaroo wants a rematch against Spiderman, but he must get super powers to do it. The Punisher and The Jackal team up to rid the world of Spiderman, Who’s the true villain in this story? The Jackal and Hammerhead try to team up but one ends up going after Doc Ock and his bride to be… Aunt May.

What I Liked: how many milestone issues were in this volume. The pace of the stories was rapid fast. I liked the intensity and that villain has the stakes for poor Spiderman. When the villain say kill they mean it in this volume. The loved the way the fight scenes were drawn some of my favorite in the series, theres one move where Spiderman does a flip to drop kick to bad guys that was spectacular. I liked the Punisher’s intro to marvel, you definitely want to know more about his character and what makes him tick, this is definitely the PG version of the character that does not want to kill only stun. I liked how the narrative flowed from issue to issue. There was some good classic Spiderman quips in this volume. I was surprised how much I liked the Jackal a character I have never really heard of. I liked that I we see a scene straight out of the original Sam Raimi Spiderman involving the Green Goblin.

What I Disliked: The death of a certain character I built it up in mind to be so epic, I had never read the issue but knew it and it was not epic at all and it so could have been, big missed potential. I did like the cover for this one I would have went with the cover of the introduction of the Punisher.

Recommendation: This is a can’t miss if you care about the lore of Spiderman, so much happens, there’s stuff in this volume that elevated comics of the time. Maybe it was not as epic as I would of liked or imagined, but these issues broke so much ground for the time. I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 13 by Gerry Conway 5 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 12 by Stan Lee

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 12 by Stan Lee is the last volume that Stan Lee wrote a majority of the Spiderman issues, he still has input on the stories but does not write the scripts after this. This volume has only two notable villains Doc Ock and Kraven the Hunter, then no name villains like Hammerhead, the misunderstood Gibbon, The Smasher and the Disrupter. Spiderman battles the Hulk and a hellbent Thunderbolt Ross which was actually the weakest issues even with sometimes cool battle scenes. We finally get the mystery solved of where Aunt May has been missing. This volume had the first reprise issues, a failed release of a new Spiderman series the Spectacular Spider-Man that only had 2 issues and was featured in Marvel Masterworks The Amazing Spider-Man volume 7, was republished. I was a little surprised how much the comic did change one character was dead in the original so I knew they were going to have to go around that, but pleasantly surprised that a story was just okay was made a little better, the beginning is the exact same and the ending is only slightly different. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 12 by Stan Lee collect issues 110-120 of The Amazing Spider-Man.

The Plot Summaries: A man who looks and can climb like a monkey joins the circus, only they wanted him for the freak show not for his acrobatics. He leaves the circus but takes his monkey costume and becomes the Gibbon inspired by Spiderman, but he gets tricked by Kraven the Hunter and eats the berries of power the same ones the Black Panther takes, but it makes him even more monkey like, and Kraven gets him to blame Spiderman. Peter finds Aunt May in an enemies lair, while a gang war goes on. Spiderman spots the Smasher destroying an anti gang/mob candidate, but why and who is the disrupter and what does he stand for? Peter Parker gets sent on assignment to Canada to photograph the Hulk, but the Hulk is hunted by Thunderbolt Ross and won’t stop until the Hulk is dead and he might take Spiderman out too.

What I Liked: The art of Gil Kane, John Romita Jr. looks great they really have captured Peter Parker and give Spiderman some cool moves. The reissue turned into 3 issue was good, and different I thought it was going to be the same but has lots of different beats, and seamlessly brings Peter Parker and Spiderman’s personal problems. The Doc Ock saga is always good, and goes in a direction you’re not thinking.

What I Disliked: I do miss that they took my favorite scene from the reissue when Jamison stands up for journalist integrity. This volume is lacking on good stories there’s great scenes but not great stories. The Hulk Story was the worst didn’t care for anyone the military, and really horrible dialogue by every soldier.

Recommendation: This volume is just okay and does not add anything to the character of Spiderman. Th only on going story line is the trouble with Aunt May, first Peter is worried where she is when he finds her he worries she’s in danger, these character’s switched. I say you can skip this volume, the next volume teases the return of the Green Goblin which I’m looking forward to. I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 12 by Stan Lee 3 out of 5 stars.