On the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: Renew Your Vows #1

Since his debut in 1962, Spider-Man has always been one of the most popular superheroes, up until 2007 when the third film from Sam Raimi came out. After that, he somehow dropped in popularity. The reboot movies did not do as well as the previous trilogy. Iron Man has seemingly replaced him for most popular Marvel hero. That was for the general public, the reason why a lot comic fans stopped liking him was because of the event known as "One More Day" in 2007, when Peter made a deal with Mephisto to end his marriage with Mary Jane to save Aunt May.

Why was this so bad? Think about it, Peter and MJ had been married for 20 years. They were the comic book couple, right next to Superman and Lois Lane. But because someone, in this case Joe Quesada, decided that Spidey is best left single. So, that event wiped away over 15 years of quality storytelling and character development. Peter was reverted to basically being a young goofball who has one night stands with Black Cat. You can see why it was a terrible move then, and sadly still affects today's comics.

That's why I was quite intrigued with "Renew Your Vows." This story takes place in a reality where Peter and Mary Jane remained married and their daughter, whom in the original storyline, died prematurely, is alive and well. My intrigue was hampered by the fact Dan Slott was writing it. Now to be fair, he wasn't the one responsible for "One More Day," but he has written some of the worst Spidey characterizations since. The current run is embarrassing when compared to runs such as Todd McFarlane's in the late 80's. Slott's writing is extremely juvenile for almost every character, including Spidey himself. (If I remember correctly, it was the first issue when Spidey was reduced to having his pants come off and then civilians taking pictures & tweeting them.)

Still, that's not to say Slott has written all bad stories. Back in the day "Big Time" was exciting. But almost everything since then has been a slap in the face to longtime Spidey fans and continually shows why "One More Day" was perhaps the worst move in comic history. But, that's an article for another day, let's take a look at the comic for today:

THE LAST SPIDER-MAN STORY Not even The Amazing Spider-Man is safe from Secret Wars! In this new Marvel Universe, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and their daughter have to scrape by to make ends meet, but they have each other? Face front, True Believers. This is the one you've been asking for.

The current Marvel event, "Secret Wars" is the backdrop for this story. Despite being part of that, what's cool (or not depending on the reader) is that it feels more like a standalone "What If" story. Dan Slott's writing of a married Peter is pretty solid for the most part. It doesn't compare to the writing of yesterday, but there aren't really any major complaints to be had. We have a Peter Parker who's more mature than the one we're currently seeing.

Mary Jane in recent years has been, well, pretty awful for the most part. In many issues the writer had seemingly no idea what to do with her. Her old role as Spidey's wife just gave her more dimension as a character. As seen here, where she tries to make a plan to help Peter. These two just go so well together in dialogue and chemistry that it's even more painful to think writers have tried (and failed) to give him another girlfriend.

The story is paced very smoothly. Being in the middle of a continuity driven event, Slott assumes the reader knows the history of Spidey being married. There's no backstory; the issue quickly delves into the fact that some heroes are missing due to the Secret Wars. (I'm assuming that's the case anyway, the issue doesn't make clear if that's the case.) But even this is put to the side for the main conflict of the issue, which I'm sure was a surprise to everyone reading...

Venom in the modern comics has been reduced in popularity lately. Ever since the cancellation of his series two years ago, he's rarely been popping up. It doesn't help that the current incarnation is a government agent. It's quite refreshing to see Venom as how he is meant to be: a Spider-Man tormentor. The writing is quite good, especially in the climax, "Oh, the things we're going to do your horrid spawn, HA HA HA! Even if you beat us now, we'll never stop, Parker! We will get her. We will suck out her brains!" The final battle in the burning building was definitely epic, in both punches thrown and the narration. I am not quite sure why artist Adam Kubert chose to use the Mac Gargan design for Venom when it's Eddie Brock who is in the suit, but it's hard to complain when it looks that good.

The art in general is solid. With such great scenes such as Spidey throwing a powerful punch at Venom to the former's up-close shot with the fiery backdrop, it's hard not to want Kubert on art duties permanently. Though, Peter Parker in some scenes, especially in the Daily Bugle, looks much too young considering the time period of the story. The main cover isn't anything dynamic, but its simplicity is perfect. If you're into variants, the Skottie Young one is easily the best. I've never seen a more adorable depiction of Spidey and MJ.

"Renew Your Vows #1" is an excellent comic for longtime Spidey fans. Ignoring for a second that it ties into a big event, it's a fun look at how things were back then, and of course with the added fact of a child. The arrival of Venom was a nice surprise and added some excellent drama to the writing. As a tie-in to Secret Wars however, it could be called disappointing. A part of the issue is dedicated to the Avengers taking on a being called Regent. It's interesting, (one of the reasons being Cap's inverted costume) but how that plays into the event remains to be seen. The final page is apparently a time skip, and it shall be interesting to see where the story goes from there. Dan Slott has written his best Spidey comic since Big Time. To quote the very first line of the issue from Peter himself,

Yes, in a perfect we would be getting quality, mature Spidey stories like this on a monthly basis.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1 Review

"From now on, my name is Peter Parker. From this point on--I am Spider-Man." ~Otto Octavius

The Superior Spider-Man was by far the most anticipated book from Marvel NOW, followed by the upcoming AGE OF ULTRON event. Why? Well, Peter Parker is dead. (They didn't put #700 in the death polybag!) The Amazing Spider-Man ended with its 700th issue last month. In it we saw Peter Parker in Otto Octavius's dying body battling Otto whom was in his body. In the end, Peter's plan of switching failed but he managed to shoot his saddest memories of when he couldn't save some people, convicting the Doctor. Peter died, and Otto vowed to be the new Spider-Man, the superior Spider-Man. It was a pretty big shock for the comic world, getting plenty of hate beforehand, but once it came out, that hate died down. Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 was the perfect 'epilogue' of #700 and 'prologue' of Superior #1, it established just how Otto was going to work as the new Spidey. I was intrigued, there's something really interesting about it, plus Otto is just funny. Peter Parker is my favorite character of all time, so I wasn't exactly welcome to this, but sometimes things have to be shaken up for a new story. Superior Spider-Man #1 is a great opening issue with an awesome yet kinda hypocritical ending.

Let's start off at the beginning. We have Otto paying his respects to his body's grave, a great character moment. After so many years of constantly battling Peter, it's really interesting to see this. Soon he hears on the police band that there's trouble. This trouble comes in the form of..are you ready for this...the New Sinister Six. Not the most original thing since the team just appeared not too long ago, but they'll do. The roster is what's interesting, having Shocker, Overdrive, the Beetle, Speed Demon, the Living Brain and...Boomerang? Probably the most diverse version of the Sinister Six. Once Spidey swings in, things get interesting. There is something definitely 'dark' about this series, Otto is definitely what you get when you combine Peter with the Punisher. Dan Slott writes him well for the most part. In the beginning he sounded like a carbon copy of Peter, but in some scenes such as the dialogue with Max Modell and his referring to the Horizon team as "Dolts" are spot on. Mary Jane is quite clueless though. She knows Peter more than anyone...yet in #700 and here she's not the least bit suspicious. There's something wrong with that, right now she's one of the worst written characters of the book. Some parts of the dinner scene were just...not good. I do like Ryan Stegman's art. Even though Otto is using Peter's look, the art succeeds in making him look different than Parker. One particular scene in the lab when he refers to the team as "Dolts" (I know that's the second time I brought it up, it's just funny) his face looks so 'high and mighty', it's good stuff. This brings me to discussing the biggest thing about the issue, the ending...

So Otto finds the Sinister Six, beats them, but decides to really give it to Boomerang. In fact, he's about to kill him when a ghostly hand stops him. That ghostly hand belongs to Casper the Friendly Ghost and...well, actually it's Peter Parker. The ending was leaked a few days ago, I managed to avoid it, so this came as a shock. This is definitely very cool for fans, because the Peter Parker ghost says "I don't know how, but I am still in the fight! I am Peter Parker. And I swear I will find a way back!" It's good stuff, but also kind of hypocritical when you think about it. The whole point about the Superior Spider-Man was for Otto to become the hero, to be the new Spider-Man. Stephen Wacker even commented last month saying, "Peter Parker fans will sort of fade away over the months and years." So to see this happening makes the whole thing moot. Why? I read an interview today that Peter will be a "very strong presence" in the book, which is great, but at the same time this doesn't leave room for Otto becoming the new Spider-Man. Let's look at it this way...if readers see Peter throughout the story, then they're just going to want him back, it just doesn't make sense. But, these comic surprises keep happening...so I guess we'll see where this goes.

The Superior Spider-Man #1 is a very interesting start. Otto makes for a very funny title character, I'm looking forward to seeing how other heroes and villains react. Mary Jane sadly is not written well at all. The ending is...intriguing to say the least. Where it goes I do not know, we'll find out as the issues go. Superior? Not quite yet.

4/5

Amazing Spider-Man #700 Review

Everything comes to an end they say. But I never thought Amazing Spider-Man would in this day and age. No Marvel comic has ever reached #700, (unless you want to count Wolverine #1000) so that in itself is a huge feat. I've been a loyal fan of the character for as far back as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories was watching the marathons of the 90's Animated Series JETIX would air Saturday mornings, that's how I knew Spidey. My first comic was Amazing Spider-Man #438, guest starring Daredevil. (It's a little out of shape, but I still have it.) In 2002 I went with my dad to watch the big screen film, it was a great experience, I was only six. It was one of my first theater experiences. (Ten years later, here I am, watching the reboot called The Amazing Spider-Man.) What young kid doesn't like Spider-Man? But a true fan remains a fan throughout the years. But then you have to ask yourself...am I Spider-Man or Peter Parker fan? The truth of the matter is we're all Peter Parker fans, because that's who Spider-Man is. Steve Rogers is Captain America. Bruce Wayne is Batman. It's not about the title or costume, it's about the person inside. That is who we are a fan of. #700 is the death of Peter Parker, the rumors that had started as early back as last year are true. I haven't been a big fan of his comics since prior to Brand New Day. I didn't agree with the decision to have Peter and MJ split back in One More Day, and I still think it was one of the worst decisions in comic history. But, the series goes on and one had to choose whether to stick with it or not. I hopped back on the comic bandwagon in 2009, at the end of the Character Assassination arc. I have every issue since. While it has been up and down for me, I've stuck by the series. Here we are with the end. The hype (both good and bad, emphasis on the latter) was astounding. Finally we would see if Peter really would die and who the 'Superior' Spider-Man' would be. It's a truly interesting ending and beginning.

Doctor Octopus had switched bodies with Peter two issues ago in what was one of the most shocking reveals in all of comics. Last issue we saw Peter, being the smart guy is, formulate a plan despite being trapped in a dying body. The plan was one hidden in Doc Ock's memoroy. The Sinister Six (or Sigma Six as it's called in the issue, I wonder if they had G.I. Joe in mind) are formed, the mission is to retrieve Spider-Man. Things don't go exactly as planned, it all comes to a final showdown between the two. This issue was spoiled about a week in advance. Many read it, I stayed away. I was going in only knowing Peter would die. Who the Superior Spider-Man would be was the mystery. I didn't truly think Doc Ock would be, I thought Peter would defeat him and give the mantle to someone else. (Miles Morales was the popular rumor, ever since being mentioned at the end of Spider-Men #5.) Spidey 2009, aka Miguel O' Hara, was also a huge rumor. But this issue put those rumors to rest. Otto Octavius is the Superior Spider-Man. The road to that reveal in this issue was a truly intense one. Despite being in a dying body, Peter is at his finest. Dan Slott was able to balance the fact that he's dying, his care for the people he cares, and somehow his humor. (One of my favorite scenes is when he has the Trapster trapped with the letter "Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Doc Ock.") It's also interesting to see how Dock Ock reacts to things since everyone thinks he's the real deal. The dialogue between the two is handled wonderfully. How he openly taunts Peter saying the people he cares about is in danger is priceless. Mary Jane is handled well. But...I don't think she was suspicious of him enough. Like, his constant reference to her as 'woman' should have made her suspicious.

Everything comes forth into the final battle. It's intense, greatly written, and the surprises don't stop. Peter was never was able to reconnect, but he manages to shoot his memories into Ock. This is interesting, it's through that when Doc Ock sees the value of life. It feels rather rushed however, even slightly forced. After I read that part, I was like,"That's it? Just like that he changes his evil ways and wants to protect the people?" There's a pretty nice scene earlier in the story, where Peter technically died for three minutes. He went into the afterlife and saw all of his deceased friends. The dialogue is really good, especially the parts with Silver Sable and Uncle Ben. I was never a fan of Humberto Ramos's cartoony style. Admittedly this is definitely his strongest issue. It still retains a bit of a cartoony look, but is excellent throughout, really capturing the heat of the final battle. There's also some fantastic panels with Doc Ock Spidey, fully differentiating from when the real Peter Parker wears the suit. There are two backup stories. The first one is about an older man as he tells his 'son' about the days he was apparently Spider-Man. Throwing whatever the heck this continuity this is from, it's a pretty touching story. The other story is a Black Cat-centered one. It was admittedly funny and the art by Stephanie Buscema was cute. I don't know about you, but I love the main cover. It's really cool how all the Spider-Mans make up the red part (did you notice Carnage?) while a bunch of Venoms make up the blue.

The Amazing Spider-Man #700 is a very fine comic. In it we see Peter in a dying body trying to stop an impostor. In it he dies, and Otto Octavius reigns. Peter Parker is dead. Spider-Man is not. So are you a Spider-Man or Peter Parker fan? The Superior Spider-Man will most likely do well in the beginning, but time will tell if people will stick around, because if people stop buying and start complaining, Perter will come back. And I have a sinking feeling they'll bring him back in time for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Even though I am a Peter Parkjer fan, I will be buying the Superior Spider-Man, which starts in two weeks. In the end, it wasn't the Green Goblin or Venom he died in final battle against, it was Dr. Octopus, whom has a lot to do if he wants to earn the respect of Peter Parker fans everywhere. The death is handled well enough, even convincing that it will be permanent. We'll see in a year.

4/5

Spider-Man 3 Review

Ah, Spider-Man 3. It's been two years since I've last seen it, this would be my sixth time watching it. I was one of the few who came out of the theater satisfied, saw it on Blu-Ray, and loved it even more. I remember back in 2006 when it was the most hyped movie of the decade. Ah, the memories of me scouring the internet day in and day out searching for updates on it. I remember seeing the first trailer and thinking "The Symbiote? That means.......VENOM!" My dream of a film. Spider-Man and Venom together on the big screen, that's what I was looking forward to. I kept searching 'Spider-Man 3 Venom' in hopes of finding some info on what our favorite Symbiote would look like. I went through pages and pages of fan-art, it wasn't until the last trailer when we got some Venom action. Best. Trailer. Ever. I wanted to go see it opening day on May 4th, but I ended up seeing it eight days later on May 12th. I went in there in a "unbelivable, I'm actually about to watch it" mood. I enjoyed it, my friend whom I was watching it with thought it could have been better. I don't remember my exact feelings, I just remembered liking it. It wasn't until I got it on Blu-Ray two years ago when I realized just how great it is. Now that I consider myself a pretty good reviewer, I decided to check out this film again. Reading all the hate within those two years made me think "Was it really bad, did I just WANT to like it?" Now that I've seen it again, I can safely say nope. I still loved it. It's still my favorite comic book movie. I'll state my reasons and logic in the coming paragraphs.

Is it really necessary to mention the plot? By now everyone knows what it is. I guess I should mention it anyway. The story follows Peter, who is more upbeat than ever. Spider-Man is known to New York as a hero, and he's going to ask Mary Jane to marry him. Life is good. Until it is found out that the man who everyone thought killed Uncle Ben didn't. It turns out a man named Flint Marko did it, and he's currently on the run. Meanwhile, a small object from space has crash landed. In it, a black symbiote comes out. It eventually attaches itself to a sleeping Spidey. When he awakes, he finds himself on the side of a building in a black costume. He finds that he's stronger and faster with it and goes after Marko, who now has sand powers. Spidey manages to beat and seemingly kill 'Sandman.' Eventually, after a scene with Mary Jane, he realizes the suit is evil. He goes to a church and attempts to take it off. At the bottom floor, Eddie Brock, a fired photographer due to Peter calling him out on a photo-shopped picture, is there watching the whole thing. Peter manages to free himself from the symbiote, and the ladder goes down and attaches itself to Brock. They are bonded and become (you guessed it) Venom. On top of all this, Peter has to deal with Harry, who blames Peter for the death of his father, the Green Goblin.

I remember back in an interview for the now deceased Spider-Man 4 an actor said something like "My character is not dead." It was never known who it was, but it was probably Venom. Originally, Venom wasn't going to be in this film, it was the studio that wanted him in. I've read probably thousands of reviews saying all the negatives of the film. "Too much happening" being a main thing. Let's get one thing straight: I agree. There are too many plots. Sandman, Harry, the Symbiote, and Venom. Venom should not have been in the film, he should have been set up for the sequel. (Of course, now that there is no sequel, I'm glad they used him, imagine seeing Venom after the credits and then finding out Spider-Man 4 was canceled in favor of a reboot.) Sometimes the focus would be on one thing too long, and then another would be lost. Like, the Symbiote appeared, but was forgotten for sometime. And yes, the actual Peter-with-the-Symbiote plot should have been expanded. With all that said, I want to talk about why despite all that, it's still a solid film.

For a film with all that happening, it does a darn good job with making it feel not too rushed. The whole Harry against Peter thing was wrapped up nicely. The first fight between the two was wonderfully executed, everything about it was epic. The second fight between them was appropriately gritty. It's good stuff. In fact, the  fight scenes in this film are some of the best I've ever seen in a comic book movie. The effects and CGI overall are step above from the previous films and still holds up great four years later. (Especially in Blu-Ray.) However, it's the cast that make this film solid. Very interesting cast of characters in this one.

A lot of people consider Toby Maguire's portrayal of the web head to be good, but lacking the character's trademark wisecracks. I agree, but in this film, he gives off the upbeat outlook on things Peter does in the comics. Gotta say, his portrayal in this film was spot-on. He brought the upbeat, humorous outlook portrayal from the comics. And I don't care what anyone says......I liked Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. She had a very 'sweet' outlook, the first couple of scenes with her is proof that she's a good Mary Jane. Her portrayal matches more of the late 80's comic version. It's a stretch, and I'm not saying she was perfect, but well enough. James Franco as Harry Osborn does a very solid job. One of the best in the film, his hatred toward Peter matches the comics well. (And the few scenes with Norman talking to him is amazingly done.)  The 'New Goblin' design I found was cool, but would have been better if it actually had some Goblin features. Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman was superb. I especially liked the scene where Spidey came in and said "I'm the sheriff around these parts." And then Sandman just says "Okay." Now, for the main reason why I wanted to see this film in the first place, Venom.

Topher Grace was a rather interesting choice for Eddie Brock. When I watched Spider-Man 3 for the first time, I hadn't read much, if any Spidey comics with Venom from the Mcfarlane era. It wasn't until later that I realized how inaccurate the portrayal was. What incarnation was Raimi trying to do? The Eddie Brock from the mainstream universe was a rough, weight-lifting guy, not some puny person who gets threatened easily. It gave off more of an Ultimate universe impression. (And even then, it didn't match that.) With that said, the actual performance was mixed. On one hand, this version of Eddie Brock matches the comics 0%, but ignoring that, the performance was solid. (Of course, it's pretty much impossible to ignore that.) The actual transformation into Venom still ranks as my favorite movie scene ever. It was wonderfully executed. (I remember how amazing it looked on the big screen.)

A lot of fans complain at how Venom looked. He didn't match the bulky, Hulk-like look from his first appearances in the comics. While that is true, what a lot of fans don't realize is that in the Howard Mackie run, Venom wasn't his bulky self. In that run, he was thinned down and given more of a horrific look. I think the film's Venom was based on that run's version. So I'm alright with the look. My problem is that when he's Venom, Brock spends more time talking without the Symbiote covering his face. C'mon, that gets annoying. As for Venom's actual portrayal, I thought it was actually pretty good. I mean, I love the part where he has Spidey on the web, then he transforms into Venom, roars, then Mary Jane drops a brick on him, then he roars again and then he Spidey fall and start battling it out. (All of this is executed wonderfully with outstanding effects.) Look, I think the actual Venom portrayal was spot-on, he gave off that horrific feel, it was Topher Grace who brought it down. There is one scene that to this day I still don't like. Venom would never ask anyone for help in defeating Spidey, it just doesn't go. As for the other charaters. Gwen Stacy was one of the big announcements back in the day. After watching the film again, I can say that her character was not needed. She could have been cut off the film, not to mention that the actress who portrays her wasn't that great. Not a horrible job, but not great. J. K. Simmons did another great job as J. Jonah Jameson, and the French guy at the restaurant stole the show. (No joke, every scene he was in was priceless.)

The majority of soundtracks in comic book movies could be better. The soundtrack in this film stands above a lot of comic book movies, it has some great themes. (Spidey's theme never stops being so catchy.) I especially liked the theme where Peter battled Harry in the ladder's mansion, and Sandman's theme was dramatic. One of the big things with this film was the revelation that Flint Marko was the one responsible for the death of Uncle Ben. I still don't like how they did that, but it fits for the film. Then there's the infamous dance scene. Really, the majority DESPISE this scene. What do I have to say about it? The Symbiote plays on emotion, namely anger. I didn't mind the scene all that much, it was slowly turning Peter into an evil entity. Could the scene have been done differently? Of course, but it didn't ruin the film for me.

Overall, Spider-Man 3 is a very solid film. Some parts are rushed I'll admit. The whole Symbiote plot should have been expanded, and Venom needed a heck lot more screen time. Gwen Stacy shouldn't have been added, and there should have been a better Eddie Brock. However, none of it hindered the experience. I've seen this film six times now, and I've gained a better respect for it each time. It has lots of action to keep the viewer entertained, yet still keeps a good, emotional, and dramatic story. The effects are top notch, and looking back at it now as the final film of that continuity, it's a fitting end. I understand all the hate this film gets, but to call it one of the worst comic book movies is absurd. While I was disappointed at how underused Venom was, the film did give us Spidey and him in the same film, with good and decent portrayals of each. (Would have been nice if we got the "We're Venom!" quote.) Spider-Man 3 may be known as infamous, but it will always be my personal favorite comic book movie.

9/10.