Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #2

It’s felt like a long wait for this to come out, Dan Slott’s Spider-Man stories are always an absolute joy to read.

It took less time than I expected for Anna Maria to find out the truth and I’m glad they didn’t let this plot line linger for too long, it would have seemed like character assassination for Peter to keep her in the dark about this for much longer. I also liked that Anna Maria’s intelligence was front and center here and how it seems like they’re setting her up as something of a tutorial on Peter’s life circumstances at present. Her reaction to the revelation that she’s been in a relationship with Doc Ock this entire time was excellent, I really enjoyed the frantic baking which left Peter about as confused as she is.

Spidey’s reconciliation with The Avengers was great as well as his reaction to finding out that Venom is currently Flash Thompson. Hitting Captain America like that took real conviction and I like that Cap took his lumps because he felt that he had them coming.

The fight with Electro was cool to, I really liked that Electro was so sympathetic and blames Spider-Man for what has happened to him, it’s rare to see a villain so justified in the revenge they’re carrying out.

My favourite parts of the issue were Spidey comparing notes with Cap and The Human Torch comparing notes on death, they’ve all been there and come back so have a particular insight. Peter seems to be handling being alive again quite well considering how angst ridden he could have been. I also love that Johnny is keeping him up to date on what he feels is important, that being TV, movies and music.

Overall, I loved this issue. Dan Slott’s Spider-Man stories are a joy to read. They always feel fresh and exciting while staying close to the underlying character. It’s interesting how he can make a character that’s been around for so long still relevant and interesting. There’s nothing I didn’t like here really. The drama was spot on, the comedy was laugh out loud funny and the action looked great. This is Spidey at his best people.

Avengers World #6

I’m not really going to analyse this in any traditional way as I’ve decided that with this issue I’m going to be dropping this book from my rotation. It’s not bad by any stretch it’s just very difficult to follow. The cast of characters keeps changing up and lots of them aren’t people I’m outwardly familiar with, no fault of the book as such but it doesn’t give me enough information to be invested in them.

The characters that do appear are fun to read and I’m sure have the rich backstories that come with many Marvel characters but I’m just not privy to those details. Thor and Captain Marvel appear here but the rest are relative unknowns to me. I’ll still read the normal Avengers title and if any stories tie into this book I might revisit for those. As such, no rating will be given.

Daredevil (2014) #3

What I Liked

I just love how fun this series is so far, their is an element of tongue and cheek to the tone of this but it never crosses the line into being too cheesy which I find impressive. The Owl is really nicely established as being a credible threat, something he hasn’t been for quite some time and there was more great stuff about Matt adapting to his new surroundings.

What I Didn’t Like

Some of the story elements felt a little disjointed and The Shroud wasn’t used as well as he could have been given his interesting set up in the previous issue.

Verdict.

Overall, an excellent book. I really like what they’re doing with The Owl who seems really sinister, the part where he appears shrouded in darkness almost like a horror movie villain is particularly effective. Nice to see that Daredevil is fun again.

Hulk (2014) #3

What I Liked

Always good to see The Avengers take on The Hulk. The issue was almost total action which was great. Hulk was as destructive as ever and we finally get to find out what The Hulk’s mental state is currently. Another great moment is the reminders that The Avengers are Hulk’s friends which means they have his best interests at heart.

What I Didn’t Like

Banner’s memory light switching was a bit questionable. I was looking forward to seeing what possibilities a brain damaged Bruce Banner who doesn’t have his intelligence to fall back on can bring. I’m sure that this will all be reset fairly soon which is just a waste.

Verdict

The issue was lots of fun, Hulk vs Avengers is always a lot of fun and the action was well drawn. I really didn’t like Banner remembering things one minute and forgetting them the next, it just seems to be on the fast track to a reset button on an interesting story.

Original Sin #2

What I Liked

I really liked the pacing of this issue, there was a lot going on but none of it felt especially extraneous. Nick Fury was his classic self, spouting gruff one liners like the good old days. It was awesome to see some unlikely pairings, my personal favourite being Doctor Strange and The Punisher. Seeing the villain perspective throughout the issue was a good idea as well.

What I Didn’t Like

The cliffhanger ending was a little underwhelming given the game changer style buildup it was getting and some of the villains are very much among the Z-List. Some of the action was a little undercut as well, there could have been more to some of them.

Verdict

Overall this was great, the mystery of The Watcher’s murder is deepening and suspicions are rising on all sides. The plot surrounding his eye is fascinating despite the poor cliffhanger. It seems that this event is overcoming the problems that some of the previous ones had, namely feeling too large and lacking focus on individual characters or themes. Thankfully this doesn’t appear to be the case here.

Batman Eternal #7

What I Liked

The transition from the end of last issue was seamless, it really felt like an extension of the same story so it was very easy to follow and offered some nice payoff. Catwoman goes on the offensive in a big way this issue, I liked how she handled herself. Penguin was used well too, who doesn’t love a peng-cam?

What I Didn’t Like

The story isn’t moving forward all that quickly, we’re seeing a lot of focus on individuals and their conflicts but the overall story arc hasn’t actually progressed all that much in the past few issues. Catwoman was quite annoying in this issue as well, she comes across as frustratingly arrogant most of the time.

Verdict

As said above, the overall story is stagnating somewhat. I feel like there are so many minor details to remember that when they all start becoming important many of them will be forgotten. The issue was good with some really well done action set pieces and the concept of the villains all up against each other is really nicely done.