As much as I've been enjoying the relaunched "Amazing Spider-Man," I have to say that I'm not a fan of this issue. Slott reverts to some bad habits here, juggling so many scenes that he's forced to take narrative short-cuts that make little sense.
The exchange between Cindy and Peter at the start of the issue is perhaps the worst offender, since the two of them unexpectedly zag against the way that they were zigging last issue. Cindy was ready to kill Peter when she discovered that he had released her from the bunker despite Morlun still living, but she simply shrugs off the threat in this issue, declaring that the damage has already been done. Peter is apparently less outraged about the bunker than he was, since he suggests that Cindy returns to it while he tries to get more information about Morlun. Moreover, he also decides that he's not entirely sure that he believes the story that the same spider bit the both of them, despite Slott giving us no real reason for him to doubt it.
Beyond just the narrative short-cuts, I also don't buy where Slott's taking us with the Black Cat. She claims here that her beef with Spidey is that he "outted" her, but I'm pretty sure that her identity was never really all that secret. Slott keeps trying to get us to believe that it was, but I really just don't buy it. If it was, it certainly wasn't secret like Martin Li or Phil Urich's identities as Mr. Negative and Hobgoblin, respectively, were despite her drawing exactly that comparison here.
Finally, Jésus effing Christmas, I'm over Peter getting kidnapped due to his connection to Spidey. Does Slott really have no other tricks up his sleeve? I mean, sure, from an equity stand-point, it's better than Anna Maria, Aunt May, or Mary Jane getting constantly Women in Refrigerator-ed, but it's still as annoying. I could flip through my most recent reviews to point out all the times that it's happened over the last two or three years, but anyone who's been reading this series during that time already knows that. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Peter's proclamation that no one should attack him after he held a press conference announcing that he wasn't Spidey's friend anymore.
Ugh. How disappointing? I'm sure Slott will recover, and I'm still excited about "Spider-Verse." But, this issue was a step far off beat.
** (two of five stars)
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