Comic Info
Comic Name: Amazing Spider-Man (Volume 2)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Humberto Ramos/Neil Edwards/Stefano Caselli
# of Issues: 4
Release Date: 2011
Amazing Spider-Man (2) #650
Reprints Amazing Spider-Man (2) #648-651 (January 2011-February 2011). Peter Parker has finally got his life in order. His identity as Spider-Man is a secret again, he’s got a new job as an inventor at Horizon Labs, a girlfriend in Carlie Cooper, and a side-job as an Avenger. After years of struggles, things are finally coming together for Peter Parker, but a mission with the Black Cat and the arrival of a new, dangerous Hobgoblin could mean Peter’s life is turning upside down again!
Written by Dan Slott, Spider-Man: Big Time is a continuation of Slott’s run on the series. Following Spider-Man: Origin of the Species, the collection features art by Humberto Ramos, Neil Edwards, and Stefano Caselli. The issues were also collected in Spider-Man: Big Time—The Complete Collection Volume 1.
Slott’s run on Amazing Spider-Man was expansive and extensive. It took Peter Parker in new directions, added a lot of new characters, and honestly made Peter Parker Slott’s own creation…but that doesn’t mean I loved it. While I started out kind of strong on Slott’s run, I fizzled out. Spider-Man: Big Time serves as a soft relaunch for Slott’s run. Peter Parker’s life “going great” isn’t Spider-Man, and Big Time seems to drift farther from the Spider-Man I loved.
I don’t have much interest in the Horizon Labs part of the series nor did I ever like Spider-Man as a member of the Avengers. This eliminates two big chunks of everything that encompasses Slott’s run. This collection has an Avengers adventure and the start of the Horizon stuff. Peter’s life has always been about distractions and these are legitimate distractions, but I like Peter as a loner or Spider-Man as a team-up character.
Amazing Spider-Man (2) #651
The Black Cat adventure is fine since I’ve always had a soft-spot for the Black Cat since she always felt like she was trying to escape the shadows of DC’s Catwoman, but the part of the story I don’t like is the treatment of Phil Urich who had his own adventures as one of the Green Goblins. Taking him down the Eddie Brock road seems like a disservice to the character.
This “like” and “don’t like” storytelling is combined with Humberto Ramos art which I also think doesn’t help the story. I liked it on Cliffhanger’s Crimson but that wasn’t set in the Marvel Universe. Here it is too inky and comes off as almost anime which doesn’t necessarily fit with the story.
Spider-Man: Big Time is a nice semi-reset and a “bold new direction” for Spider-Man, but I’m not necessarily on-board. There seems to be a lack of fun or character depth that doesn’t match older storylines. While early Spider-Man seemed like it was for a younger audience while applying older themes, this almost feels like an attempt at nostalgia and to recapture old Spider-Man…but the melodrama is missing something. Spider-Man: Big Time is followed by Spider-Man: Matters of Life and Death.
Preceded By:
Spider-Man: Origin of the Species
Followed By:
