The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

[Victorian Squid]

Geez someone pass Zechs the bong already.

[fieldy snuts]

Still being pissed about OMD enough to link it to every story is like using HoM as a justification to hate today's X-Men books simply because of the "No more mutants" thing.

Yes, it led to a status quo that we see today, but he story isn't dredged up unless someone feels the need to grind their axe again.

Now if Mephisto was roommates with Peter and would always rub it in, that's different....but so what if some issues have him lamenting over his ex?

[guitarsmashley]

Still being pissed about OMD enough to link it to every story is like using HoM as a justification to hate today's X-Men books simply because of the "No more mutants" thing.

Yes, it led to a status quo that we see today, but he story isn't dredged up unless someone feels the need to grind their axe again.

Now if Mephisto was roommates with Peter and would always rub it in, that's different....but so what if some issues have him lamenting over his ex?

I still blame Avengers Dissembled for ruining the entire Marvel Universe.

[alaska1125]

Still being pissed about OMD enough to link it to every story is like using HoM as a justification to hate today's X-Men books simply because of the "No more mutants" thing.

Yes, it led to a status quo that we see today, but he story isn't dredged up unless someone feels the need to grind their axe again.

Now if Mephisto was roommates with Peter and would always rub it in, that's different....but so what if some issues have him lamenting over his ex?

I only hate X-Men books these days because they aren't good reading (to me, of course). But I suppose the beginning of the e nd for me was House of M.

Despite what you say about OMD not being dredged up, however, I felt this issue practically smeared it in my face. The whole scene with Peter and Ben just felt like a wedgie/swirly combo. I get it. He's f-ing single. Super. I've mentioned the parts that I actually liked, but this being the first issue for me in a while (and I only bought it for my LCS "special" cover), if this is a regular thing, I'm keeping it off my list. Yes, I still hate OMD. Sue me.

[Starlord]

I was just telling you what I thought of the book and my reasons why I didn't like this issue.I didn't realize we got to tell each other why we are wrong to feel the way we feel. Unless of course we all feel the same way you feel. I rate things on how I FEEL about them. Feelings, Punchy. Bloody British Vulcan.

[Punchy]

I was just telling you what I thought of the book and my reasons why I didn't like this issue.I didn't realize we got to tell each other why we are wrong to feel the way we feel. Unless of course we all feel the same way you feel. I rate things on how I FEEL about them. Feelings, Punchy. Bloody British Vulcan.

Well maybe you should try and rating things on what you think?

[Starlord]

Well maybe you should try and rating things on what you think?

What I think and what I feel are usually intermixed, my dear boy. For instance I get the feeling that you are being a douche about this, therefore, I think you are being a douche about this.

Now I feel as though I have said all I needed to say and therefore I think I am no longer going to participate in this conversation. If you think you need to say more and feel compelled to write it out and post it, please feel free to do so, but don't think I'm going to respond to it because I honestly don't feel it at the moment. You feel what I think here?

[Punchy]

What I think and what I feel are usually intermixed, my dear boy. For instance I get the feeling that you are being a douche about this, therefore, I think you are being a douche about this.

Now I feel as though I have said all I needed to say and therefore I think I am no longer going to participate in this conversation. If you think you need to say more and feel compelled to write it out and post it, please feel free to do so, but don't think I'm going to respond to it because I honestly don't feel it at the moment. You feel what I think here?

I think you smell

[Starlord]

I think you smell

then get your tongue out of my ass. Problem solved.

[False Prophet]

It's kind of like the extended conversation about previous DD runs that occurred last week. Previous runs and stories can have an impactful effect on how you view current runs and stories in a self-contained universe. We do it all the time.

[Starlord]

It's kind of like the extended conversation about previous DD runs that occurred last week. Previous runs and stories can have an impactful effect on how you view current runs and stories in a self-contained universe. We do it all the time.

and why shouldn't we, right? I mean we've seen the best Marvel has to offer and the worst *coughsentrycough*. Like anyone that has spent years watching both good and bad movies or television, we gage a lot of things from what we feel is quality and what isn't.

Also, I do want to apologize for telling Punchy to get his tongue out of my ass.































I'm missing it.

[fieldy snuts]

Amazing Spider-Man #666

Best event book on the stands right now simply based on this prelude issue. Slot gave us a fun rapid-fire issue that firmly set all the storylines that Spider-Island will feature into effect...and unlike most of the others I didn't get a jarring feel of scenes jumping all over the place without a chance to digest it. It's been ages since I've seen a Spidey event and the prelude did its job in whetting my appetite for #667.

To be honest I wasn't sure what to expect of this given that it was dredging Clone Saga stories with the return of the Jackal. But what was a truly pleasant surprise was Kaine and possible Ben Reilly getting thrown into the mix. The story so far really is a Clone Saga reunion with only Spidercide out of the picture.

Best way to sum up the story itself is is a day in the life of Peter Parker as he juggles being a solo hero, FF member, Avenger and plain old Peter Parker's personal life in a typically hectic day with kung fu lessons from Shang Chi thrown in to boot. Oh yeah, and obviously there's the small flashes of formerly ordinary people now with spider powers ranging from nobodies to low level criminals to even Peter's new girlfriend Carlie Cooper setting the stage for next month where all New Yorkers gain these powers in what looks to be an absurdly fun, crazy event where EVERYONE is pretty much on equal footing with Spider-Man in the powers department.

But it seems like this is what Slott excel's at: using these oddball concepts and writing some of the best Spidey stories I've read in years. The book is once again fun after writers were trying to make the book as dark as they could for the sake of conformity with the changes in comic book tones. Not to say there is no darkness, Slott may have not hit truly twisted peaks like his "Arkham Asylum" mini did, but at its core the book is just fun. Which is how a Spider-Man book should be...and Dan Slott gets that.

On the art, big fan of Caselli's art and this issue was not a letdown. Gracia's colors complemented him very well too...at times it felt like the panel helped tell the story just as much as the dialog did.

Story: 8
Art: 9
Overall: 9

[Punchy]

Amazing Spider-Man #666 - 'Spider-Island Prologue: The One And Only' - Slott, Caselli and Gracia

Story - Nowadays, there's a whole lot of Spider-Man out there. His solo title is out twice a month, he's on two Avengers teams and on the FF. He makes about 5 guest-appearances in other titles a month, and there's always the occasional mini-series. That's a lot of Spidey, some might say too much. There's a lot of disparate threads (or webs, if you will) which Peter Parker is involved with, and sometimes even the most dedicated fan can get lost, and confused as to just how exactly he finds the time for so many adventures. This issue of Amazing Spider-Man does a wonderful job of twisting all of these webs into one compelling story, and sets the stage for what looks to be an exciting event.

Dan Slott was pretty much born to write Spider-Man, and this may be his best issue yet. In this issue we see every side of Spidey, and Slott gets each one. We see him as the solo hero, stopping a bank robber, we see him teaming up with other heroes, as he and the Young Allies take on Hydro-Man (this scene also did a good job of showing how he's evolved as a character, he has matured, looked up to by other heroes, and is able to use his scientific mind to fight crime like he never did before). We see Peter at work at Horizon Labs, we see his personal life, chatting with his girlfriend Carlie Cooper, then Norah Winters and Phil Urich (secretly the Hobgoblin! And still really fun as a dark reflection of Peter) and then his ex, MJ Watson. We see Peter's family in Aunt May and Jonah Jameson Snr.

We see how Spidey functions as both a member of the Future Foundation and then as part of the Avengers, and how each team is different (I loved how Sue Storm expressed the same disdain some online fans do at the New Avengers, that they just sit around hanging out). And finally we see him train with Shang-Chi, Master Of Kung-Fu (you always have to use his full title) and Madame Web, which is not only a timely reminder that he's lost his Spider-Sense, but that there is a mystical side to Spidey too. Add to this cameos from J.Jonah Jameson as NYC Mayor, Flash Thompson as Venom and his girlfriend Betty Brant, and the past year or so of Spider-Man stories all across the Marvel Universe are brought together almost effortlessly, and it's a lot of fun.

But that wouldn't be enough on it's own, a story like this might satisfy continuity heads and people who spend most of their time ranting on the internet about how "SPIDER-MAN AND WOLVERINE ARE ON TOO MANY TEAMS AAAAAAARGHHHH!!!", but it would be pretty boring without a looming threat, and I think Spider-Island provides a good one. There are multiple enemies being set up here, the first is that a load of random New Yorkers are getting powers very similar to Spider-Man, which can pretty much only be a bad thing. Thousands of people with all the power of Peter Parker, but none of the sense of responsibility. For the last few issues there have been back-ups featuring these new Spider-people, but this issue is a veritable explosion of them. It's going to be really fun to see how people handle becoming Spider-Men, and the fact that characters we know like Carlie Cooper are getting these powers will be fun to see. Compare the first page of this issue to the last, the same skyline, but one with only Spider-Man, the other with loads of them.

The villain behind all of this is the Jackal, a character most famous for being behind the Clone Saga, and I think Slott has a lot of fun with him, he's crazy, but smart, and you know that when he shows up, there's a big plot. The fact that he has Kaine, the failed Spider-Clone with him is equally exciting. And then there's the tease that Ben Reilly, the actual Spider-Clone is back, which is just... wow, awesome.

But then, is the Jackal actually behind this? It appears he's acting under orders from someone else, a mysterious woman. I have literally no idea who this is, and that's just how I like my mysteries, too often these days, ostensible mysteries are way too easy to guess, but this? I'm stumped. My only wild guess is the clone of Gwen Stacy, but that's just insane.

This was just a great issue of Spider-Man, it featured every aspect of the character, and made them all fit together, and also set up an exciting new threat, that's a lot more than I expected. If you're not reading Amazing, then Spider-Island is a great jumping-on point, and you can even tweet about it! Event comics get a lot of stick, but when they are done right, there's little better in Mainstream comics, and this looks set to be a good one.

Art - Stefano Caselli has been one of the most underrated artists in the industry for a long time now. From Avengers: The Initiative, to Secret Warriors, and then to Amazing Spider-Man, he's kind of gone under the radar, by being on smaller books, or being overshadowed by Marcos Martin. But I think this issue may propel him to another level, as it's his biggest exposure yet. It helps that this is the best his art has looked, he was always good, but this stuff is just perfect.

Best Line - 'You're from Yancy Street. Girls next door are missing prominent teeth'

9/10

[Rockman]

Amazing Spider-man #666

I wasn't going to pick this book up on saturday but my LCS had a bunch of issues with their name on them so I bought one of those variants.

Now I went into this fully expecting to hate the issue, I've been woefully underwhelmed with Slott's take on the character. That said I didn't 'hate' it, but I didn't like it very much either.

The issue opens up like Spider-man 3. Everything is going perfect for peter and of course when things start going well for peter he starts acting like a jerk to everybody which leads to a groan inducing look at how he handles his relationship. It isn't long before we are introduced to our super original plot concept where our heroe's powers are replicated in multiple no name characters. Actually its not so original we've just seen this exact plot in the pages of Captain America and the Hulk with in the past year and Green lantern has been doing it for years. So our plot isn't unique.

We are also reintroduced to the Jackal, I don't know how he was originally written, but this character is annoying and not menacing in the least.

So we have an overused plot, a lame villain, a jerky peter, cheesy dialouge, horrible uses of Jonah Jameson (look to the pages of Ultimate fall out to see how this character can be used well) and more references to OMD just so that fans of the previous incarnation of Peter Parker will never feel comfortable with this new direction.

I take it back I did hate this book, but the art was nice.

Writing-0
Art-9

Overall
1

[Punchy]

Where was the reference to OMD?