Amazing Spider-Man #562-#563: "Brand New Day" (the Bookie story arc)

*** (three of five stars)

Favorite Quote:  "I don't have fond feelings for Spider-Man, but he came in quiet and didn't start this.  And he's definitely on the hot list.  So if he wants to get tanked without getting hassled, he gets a pass."  -- the bartender at the "Bar with No Name"

Summary

After getting fired in the last arc for refusing to stay on the paparazzi beat, Peter discovers that having principles costs something when he learns that Dexter Bennett is blackballing him across town.  Betty Brant, who Dexter made the crime reporter a few issues back, tells Peter that Roy Dreimeyer, a vehemently anti-masked vigilante writer, was one of the "Tracer Killings" victims, just as he was going to publish several anti-Spidey screeds.  Meanwhile, the Bookie from the "Bar with No Name" fixes a bet by paying the Basher (a "villain" I don't remember ever seeing in a Spidey book) to challenge Spidey publicly to a fight; the Bookie heavily tilted the bet toward Spidey not dignifying the challenge by appearing and hired Screwball to appear so he could collect the winnings.  Peter is trying to keep his now-unemployed status from Vin and, meanwhile, decides to check out the Basher "fight" to make sure no one gets hurt.  When the fake Spider-Man appears, the real Spidey chases her down, thinking "he" might be involved in the "Tracer Killings."  After her unmasking, Screwball directs Spidey to the "Bar with No Name," and the bartender there directs him to the Bookie's parents' house in Jersey.  The Bookie's dad tells Spidey his son has information about Spidey being framed for the "Tracer Killings" and leads Spidey to Coney Island, where the Bookie is being playfully abused by some of the hoods who lost money on his fake bet.  Spidey learns from the Bookie that at least two of the killer's "victims" died of natural causes and that, indeed, he is being framed.

The Review

This story arc was good fun.  The banter between the Bookie and his dad came close to being annoying, but didn't actually cross the line.  I'm starting to wonder whether Vin is the "Tracer Killer," trying to set up Spidey to "prove" he's a villain.  I have nothing to support that hunch, just that Vin would probably have access to dead bodies easier than most folks given he's a cop.  Anyway, just a thought.  Again, it's like the original Hobgoblin mystery all over:  guessing is half the fun!

The Good

1) I'm really enjoying the frequent appearance of the "Bar with No Name."  It's yet another flashback to Spidey of yore and continually adds a sense of fun.  It's the type of the device that keeps a book light, and I hope they use it when, inevitably, the happy-go-lucky "Brand New Day" Spidey encounters some darker realities.

2) I liked how the Ox just kind of quietly surrendered.  It actually showed a real thoughtful, deft touch on the part of Gale since, in most comic books, Spidey would've just won the fight, yadda yadda yadda.  By making him surrender, it kind of added to the somewhat surreal Spidey-hanging-with-small-time-hoods theme, making the whole arc have the same kind of vibe as the "Batman" TV show from the 1960s.

The Bad

1) I'm still confused by Screwball.  Is she, or is she not, afraid of Spider-Man?  In her initial appearance, she surrendered to the cops because she thought him tagging her meant he, the "Tracer Killer," was targeting her for death.  But, in this interaction, she doesn't seem too concerned about it.  My only thought is that she surrendered to the police not because she was afraid Spidey was the "Tracer Killer" but because she didn't want Spidey to capture her.  But, she'd rather the police arrest her?  Really?  That doesn't make too much sense either.  I know it's a small plot point, but it's been kind of bothering me.

2) As a Jersey native, I was offended by Spidey's reluctance to go to Jersey and belief he'd need a mullet.  For someone who just recently moved out of his aunt's house in Queens, he's a little cocky. 

On Betty Brant

I'm glad to see Betty back on active duty.  Again, she definitely seems younger than she has in the past, given that, you know, we haven't mentioned her dead husband, the Hobgoblin (or, at least, who used to be the Hobgoblin before someone got all ret-conny).  It's nice to have her back.