Hello everyone, the review of Peter Parker: Spider-Man #6 has been posted, but I urge you to purchase the comic before reading the review, as it basically runs summarizes the whole issue, and this is one comic I think you'll enjoy reading much more on your own! Anyway, here ya go!
The Amazing Spider-Man #6
Writer: Howard Mackie
Penciled By: John Byrne
Inked By: Scott Hanna
Editor: Ralph Machhio
Summary/Review:
The opening page is a nice one, serving as one big picture of an upside-down Spidey discussing his current marital problems with some freshly apprehended criminals. After Spidey drops the webbed-up bad guys off to some local cops, he swings on over to his luxurious apartment, and returns home as Peter Parker. MJ then answers the phone and immediately hangs up, as seen in the previous issue. Apparently still bruised from his previous encounters with Spider-Woman, Peter winces when MJ hugs him, which leads her to directly ask whether or not he is still Spider-Man. To this Peter flatly replies, "No." The phone rings again, this time its Robbie from the Bugle and he tells Peter of an appearance of the evil Spider-Woman downtown, that he should be photographing. Spider-Man promptly swings down where he finds a disoriented Spider-Woman. Spidey learns that she is apparently being manipulated against her will, when she suddenly lunges at Spider-Man. We are then taken to the hospital room of Mattie, the newest good Spider-Woman, who is being visited by her aunt, Marla and her husband J. Jonah Jameson. After they leave, a much younger Madame Web appears with a job for Mattie. Next, we see Spidey webbed up and his two captors, Spider-Woman and her manipulator, Doc Ock standing over him triumphantly! Doc Ock tells Spidey how kidnapped a woman and after many painful experiments creating his loyal pet, Spider-Woman. Spider-Woman then goes for the kill, but Spidey breaks free, and in the ensuing battle breaks a glass containment unit which floods the place. Doc Ock and his creation escape, and Spidey swims to the surface of the East River. Apparently, he was in an underwater laboratory. Anyway, Peter Parker then meets up with Jill and MJ to see Aunt May's new "look", which is really, really stupid. The final scene is Flash Thompson alone in his apartment answering his door, with eyes wide open in terror, and only able to say one word, "no."
Overall, a fairly good issue, with some interesting sub-plots developing. The revitalization of Madame Web was a great idea, and the three sub-plots developing, Peter telling MJ about becoming Spidey again, the constant phone calls, and the Flash Thompson bit, are all very intriguing and I can't wait to see how they turn out. The whole Aunt May's new look bit was completely unnecessary, stupid, and took away from an otherwise fairly good issue.
Peter Parker: Spider-Man #6
Written by: Howard Mackie
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Inked by: Scott Hanna
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Summary/Review:
This issue was one of the better if not the best issue since Peter Parker: Spider-Man underwent the re-launch. From the front to back this issue kicked ass! The front cover has the Kingpin featured on it tearing Spidey’s costume in two. The back cover was much better than the usual crappy ad as it featured a mock newspaper with the headline, “Spider-Man Movie Web: Untangled” and Spidey holding the paper wondering who would play his character. Even the ads in this issue were awesome! They ranged from a hilarious Futurama ad, to the Spidey credit card, an ad for Joe Kubert’s art school, and they also had an insert previewing three new “teen” books! Now for the comic itself, the very first panel has a man being thrown out a skyscraper window, and right away we know that John Romita Jr.’s dark, gritty type of art is back, and there’s one hell of a story line to go along with it. The story line concerns Kingpin’s attempt to rise to power once more, after he was taken down by Hydra and Daredevil a few years back. Bullseye is back as a mercenary for Kingpin and early in the issue we learn that Kingpin has hired Bullseye to kill more than just that one man. We then are taken to the middle of Spidey’s brawl with some Hydra goons, whom are after Senator Ward. Spidey defeats them only to be thanked by the Senator who pretends Spidey was part of the attack. Spidey then swings on home where Arthur Stacy is in need of Peter’s assistance. Arthur meets him to contact Spidey for him, but MJ still under the misconception that Peter is no longer Spidey informs Arthur that Peter can be of no help to him. MJ receives another of the disturbing phone calls, and when Peter lives Aunt May tells her that she can’t go on like this. Arthur Stacy is then taken into a limo by some of Ward’s goons, but Peter is able to tag them with a spider-tracer before they speed away. We then see Arthur and Ward on top of some building, with Ward gloating how he won’t be exposed before its too late. Suddenly Ward’s men are attacked and killed by razor-sharp metal playing cards, as we see Bullseye emerge. Mackie wrote in some rather humorous dialogue for Bullseye concerning his likeness to Gambit. As Bullseye approaches his last two targets, Arthur takes a dagger in the back for Ward, which makes no sense as he clearly despised the man. Spidey then appears, battles with Bullseye, and as Bullseye leaves he takes the whole roof with he, but not before Spidey can web-parachute to safety with Ward and Arthur. Senator Ward is picked up by a limo, leaving Spidey with what appears to be a dying Stacy whose last words are that Ward must be stopped.
As I’m sure you could tell by now, I thought this book was spectacular! The art was absolutely outstanding, and Howard Mackie brought up a story line that’s one of my all-time favorites, as most concerning the Kingpin are. He also wrote Bullseye very well, and certainly left me filling more than satisfied with one heck of a comic cover to cover!
