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As Marvel NOW! sweeps across the publisher’s titles, Joe Keatinge brings artists Valentine De Landro and Marco Checchetto along for a quick swing through “Amazing Spider-Man” #699.1 to set the stage for his January-launching “Morbius the Living Vampire” series. Although Spider-Man is prominently featured on the cover and his name is emblazoned in the title, this really isn’t a Spider-Man comic. Sure, it spins out of recent developments in “Amazing Spider-Man,” but it’s more of an off-panel adventure than a must-read starting point for this series. In fact, Spider-Man only appears for one panel (and almost a handful if you consider Peter Parker’s current status to be an appearance of Spider-Man) and that’s in flashback. That said, Keatinge plays to artist Marco Checchetto’s realistically grounded style by depicting the Raft breakout in the opening pair of pages. That opening segment is a modified interpretation of events that occurred in “Amazing Spider-Man” #699. Keatinge captures

After last issue’s perfectly-executed shock twist, there was a danger that “Amazing Spider-Man” #699 would spin its wheels, relegated to explaining the mechanics of the big switch before #700 came along. Luckily, writer Dan Slott and artist Humberto Ramos manage to advance the story and give readers a satisfying explanation that only increases the tension as they sit and wait for the big finale. The previous issue focused on Octavius in Peter’s body, so there’s a certain pleasing symmetry in this issue doing the inverse. Just as readers saw flashbacks to Peter’s memories last issue, this time the creative team reveals Octavius’ past. Sometimes it’s familiar, sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it’s dark. It’s a credit to Slott’s sense of humor that he manages to wring some jokes out of a situation as dire as this. Indeed, Slott’s management of tone and steady drip-feed of information is key to the issue’s success. Like Peter, readers have no idea what havoc Octavius might be wreaking

If you didn’t believe the hype about “Amazing Spider-Man” #698 and have somehow managed to avoid spoilers, then let me tell you this: it’s a darn good issue and an odd “jumping on” point for new readers, considering there are only a pair (or three if you include the upcoming Morbius-centric Point One issue coming up) of issues left before Spider-Man moves to his new “Superior” Marvel NOW! title. That said, I managed to avoid spoilers. I knew they were out there, but did my darndest to dodge and weave through and around them so I could experience this book as it was intended to be experienced. I’m glad I did. Not only did the “big moment” come as a surprise to me, but the build-up leading to that point played nicely to make it more impactful and, yes, gasp-worthy. Dan Slott sells the story nicely, writing Spider-Man as masterfully as he has done all along. Ready to celebrate a brand new day as things are coming together for him, Spider-Man swings and bounces through his life, giving

With so much hype surrounding the final three issues of “Amazing Spider-Man”, it’d be easy to miss the fact that the current arc, culminating in this issue, has been a pretty entertaining read in itself. Christos Gage co-writes, joining the regular team of Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli for the final installment of the Hobgoblin three-parter, “Danger Zone”. One of the strongest aspects of this story is partnering Horizon Labs head Max Modell and Peter Parker together against the Hobgoblins, with the former proving surprisingly forgiving when it comes to accepting Peter’s explanations about “his friend” Spider-Man. It’s strongly hinted that Max has figured out Spider-Man’s identity (he is, after all, a genius) but whether that’s a long-term plot or something that’ll come up in the final arc remains to be seen. Either way, it’s an interesting development, and one that has been convincingly earned over a far longer time-scale than these issues alone. It feels natural, and that’s impo

“Amazing Spider-Man” #695 appears to be the beginning of the end for “Brand New Day,” launched so long ago. At least that’s what is set to happen if Julia Carpenter’s prophetic visions come true. Without spoiling anything, she’s got visions of everything. Not all that helpful. There’s no denying Dan Slott and Christos Gage provide suspense through slivers of futuristic visions accompanied by exclamations of “An ending approaches…” With Marvel NOW! pumping new creative blood into the characters and concepts of the Marvel Universe, Slott’s run on “Amazing Spider-Man” coincides with the end of the series after issue #700. Who he takes with him on the way out remains to be seen as Peter Parker and Spider-Man face a serious threat from the Hobgoblin (or perhaps Hobgoblins) and Kingpin in “Amazing Spider-Man” #695. Slott raises the stakes for both sides of the Spider-Man coin in this issue, attacking Parker’s identity and Spidey’s senses. It might be exactly what it sounds like, but Slott

Behind a cover showcasing a wonderful tribute to the classic “Superman Vs. the Amazing Spider-Man” comic from 1976, “Amazing Spider-Man” #694 offers up the conclusion to the “Alpha” storyline that heaped yet more responsibility upon the slender shoulders of Peter Parker. Like an iconic cover from yesteryear, Spider-Man and his “creation,” Alpha, square off on the cover, readying for a fight that we never actually see inside the book. Dan Slott used Alpha to do unto Peter Parker as had been done unto, well, Peter Parker. In a sense, Alpha is a character crafted solely to outshine Spider-Man. He’s Spider-Man if Peter Parker were imbued with power in the modern day. With attention spans of the general public already challenging the lifespan of a fruit fly for brevity championships, there is a whole generation coming up who have never read a manual, never waited for a videotape to rewind or even had to have a competent correspondence with someone via postal mail. Alpha is a hero who is

“Amazing Spider-Man” #692 is larger than a normal comic because it celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of everyone’s favorite wallcrawler. So please, join me in singing, “Happy birthday dear Spidey! Happy birthday to you!” Now, just like elementary school, Spider-Man will pass out treats for his birthday to all of us, although not a single one of us gave him anything even remotely resembling a birthday present. Marvel’s gift to Spider-fans includes signing Spider-Man up for the “Sidekick Club.” That comes in the form of Alpha, an until-this-issue normal high-schooler, not unlike Peter Parker back in the days of yore. Alpha’s civilian identity of Andy Maguire is an ordinary C student content with just existing. He’s not a loser, but he sure isn’t a winner. In short, he’s young Peter Parker without any motivation or interest. Dan Slott’s introductory caption boxes for the lead story featuring Alpha’s first appearance were so smartly constructed that I could hear the voice of Stan Le

“Amazing Spider-Man” #691 draws the latest Lizard storyline to a close, just barely before the movie featuring both of these characters leaves theaters as the first sign of fall. This issue continues Dan Slott’s attempts to give more time and development to the cast of characters from Horizon Labs, whether they’re transformed into giant lizards or trying to figure out how to cure their colleagues who are giant lizards. As far as Spidey stories go, the general plot of the battles with the Lizard is Spidey finds an antidote to the Lizard’s transformation, administers it and watches as Curt Connors returns to grieve the results of his actions. The fourth chapter of “No Turning Back” falls to that prescription, but has a slight twist or two. Through the course of the story Slott gives the reader some expected payoffs, but also slips in some surprises and a pair of teases for future Spidey tales. This installment’s artwork is credited to Giuseppe Camuncoli and Mario Del Pennino on penci

“The Cape” was easily one of the most aggressively interesting comics from the past year. In it, we witnessed a regular man overcome with his life and venting through the use of an old blanket/cape that allowed him to fly. “The Cape 1969” by Jason Ciaramella and Nelson Daniel travels back in time to the conflict in Vietnam to deliver the origin of the cape itself — a great idea, but the issue doesn’t do much to get toward the actual concept. It’s a good war comic, but the lack of ingenuity and messed up aspects leaves this falling flat where it should soar. This issue is certainly a two-fisted tale as Jason Ciaramella and Nelson Daniel find new and gory ways to make bullets kill soldiers. A U.S. helicopter is shot down and the soldiers have a hell of a time making their way through the dangerous terrain. As far as this premise goes, the creative team nails the oppressive tone and blood-soaked inevitability of enemy fire and ferocity. They present war as hell after making us care enou

Writer Christos Gage has said in interviews that he intends “X-Men Legacy” to be the quiet player in the “AvX” event, a place for slower, more character-driven stories. To this end, he is successful in “X-Men Legacy” #269 as he explores the motivations that lure and retain the non-Phoenix-Force-powered Rogue to place her loyalty and belief with the Phoenix Five. Under aggressive opposition from the Avengers, the Five have responded with more aggression and less tolerance for dissent. They and the supporting X-Men have become self-righteously invested in their right to use the Phoenix Force for their own ends. Those ends are worthy: survival and service. But what of the means? “X-Men Legacy” #269 is a strictly linear, superhero vs. superhero matchup, so it flows clearly. David Baldeon’s pencils enhance the pleasurably smooth storytelling. He leads the reader around the fight landscape clearly and his action scenes are dynamic, if not especially beautiful in composition. Weirdly, all o