*** (three of five stars)
Summary
Summary
Pete and his family and friends (including MJ) go to see Carlie's roller-derby team. MJ, seeing Peter happy -- with his professional, personal, and costumed life all coming together -- gets jealous, wondering why he could do it now and not with her. After the game, she confronts Peter about whether he's going to tell Carlie his secret; Pete says he's not ready because he wants her to like Peter Parker, not Spider-Man (as opposed to MJ, who knew he was Spidey from the start). Peter is invited by his boss, Max Modell, to help with the launch of the Vertex Shuttle the next day, which will be piloted by John Jameson. Pete's Spider-Sense goes a-tingling during the launch preparations, and he leaves Modell and another Horizon scientist to go investigate. In the background, the Scorpion climbs onto the shuttle, while, in the control center, Alistair Smythe reveals himself, taking control of the shuttle and announcing that the booster rockets are rigged to explode. Meanwhile, Smythe sends his Insect Army after JJJ, Sr., who's with JJJ, Jr. and Glory Grant at the observation area. Spidey tries to protect them, but JJJ, Jr. orders him to go after John Jameson and the shuttle, since the people on the ground have a slim chance of escaping the Insect Army without Spidey's help, but John has no chance at all. Spidey catches the rocket with a Web-Line, only to discover the Scorpion on the side of the rocket waiting for him.
In the back-up story, Spidey is receiving the key to the city thanks to Captain America essentially blackmailing JJJ, Jr. into doing it. During the ceremony, Spidey's attacked by Power Man, a new protégé of Iron Fist. In a flashback to a training session, Fist revealed to Power Man that Spidey was the one person he couldn't beat, making the young Power Man eager to prove himself. Spidey defeats him, and Power Man reveals that he had really come to the ceremony thanks to a tip that revealed that the giant, novelty key was a bomb. However, Spidey wasn't receiving a giant, novelty key, and he realizes that the fight was a diversion for someone to steal the key. Power Man reveals the name of the guy behind the bomb -- Norman G. Fester, aka the Looter. The Looter, receiving the key from his agent, reveals that he's after something that has been kept hidden for three centuries, which he can get thanks to the key.
The Review
In the back-up story, Spidey is receiving the key to the city thanks to Captain America essentially blackmailing JJJ, Jr. into doing it. During the ceremony, Spidey's attacked by Power Man, a new protégé of Iron Fist. In a flashback to a training session, Fist revealed to Power Man that Spidey was the one person he couldn't beat, making the young Power Man eager to prove himself. Spidey defeats him, and Power Man reveals that he had really come to the ceremony thanks to a tip that revealed that the giant, novelty key was a bomb. However, Spidey wasn't receiving a giant, novelty key, and he realizes that the fight was a diversion for someone to steal the key. Power Man reveals the name of the guy behind the bomb -- Norman G. Fester, aka the Looter. The Looter, receiving the key from his agent, reveals that he's after something that has been kept hidden for three centuries, which he can get thanks to the key.
The Review
OK, we knew Slott couldn't maintain five and four stars forever. This issue is a fairly solid Spidey story. It doesn't do much more than set up the events that are going to happen in the rest of the arc, but it does that more or less well. I'm not sure about the back-up stories, which seem to be done just to justify the $3.99 price tag. But, we'll see where it all goes.
The Good
The Good
1) The Insect Army is a pretty clever device. It's comprised of people like Smythe and the Scorpion, who have grudges against JJJ, Jr. For example, "Fly Girl" had her family business destroyed after the "Bugle" under JJJ, Jr. published an exposé about it.
2) The art is pretty great in this issue. Caselli has some trouble with faces every once in a while (Peter's face while he's sitting in the stands watching Carlie and observing his family and friends is just...odd) but he draws a really nice action sequence. Caselli was the new regular artist with whom I was least familiar, so I was really glad to see that I enjoyed his work for the most part.
The Meh
2) The art is pretty great in this issue. Caselli has some trouble with faces every once in a while (Peter's face while he's sitting in the stands watching Carlie and observing his family and friends is just...odd) but he draws a really nice action sequence. Caselli was the new regular artist with whom I was least familiar, so I was really glad to see that I enjoyed his work for the most part.
The Meh
The secondary feature was OK. I'm not getting "Heroes for Hire" so I know nothing about this new Power Man. I don't entirely buy that he's so brash that he wants to beat up other good guys just to prove himself, so that whole sequence didn't make much sense to me. But, I'm willing to give Van Lente some time to develop the story, since it could be fun. (I actually thought Slott wrote this story at first, but then, on checking, saw it was Van Lente, whose work I've never enjoyed. But, again, I'm willing to give him some time.)
The Bad
The Bad
I'm not exactly sure why Slott decides to make MJ into a jealous ex-girlfriend here. My guess is that it's partly because Pete's new job reduces one source of drama in his life (his constant lack of cash) so we're going to have to see some trouble in his personal life to keep things interesting. But, it's pretty out of character for MJ. After all, she was the one who told Peter he had to find someone else, someone stronger to be happy. (Maybe Slott hated "O.M.I.T." as much as I did and he's pretending it didn't happen. I'd be totally fine with that, actually.)
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