Amazing Spider-Man #9 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Could Olivier Coipel draw Spider-Man all the time?  Seriously.  Peter Parker -- all the versions of him -- have never looked better.  Sorry, Dan Slott, despite you telling me not to look at his amazing ass, I couldn't help but look at his amazing ass!  It's somehow even better when he puts on his tights.  Plus, we get sexy blond Ben Reilly and sexy bearded Cosmic Spidey...and...and...it's just a little overwhelming to be honest.  Lots of sexy Spidey sexiness.

The good news is that this issue isn't just great because of the sexy.  (Though, it obviously doesn't hurt.)  Slott does a great job embracing the moment that we all knew was coming, when Peter meets all the other Spiders.  It's confusing and overwhelming to the reader (so many Spiders!), but Slott makes it that way on purpose, so we feel how Peter feels.  He suddenly encounters his daughter from a future timeline, a version of Gwen Stacy from an alternate universe, and his previously dead "brother"/clone plucked from a different past.  It's a lot.  That's not even including "Downton Webby" (Spider-UK), "Spider-Pig" (Spider-Ham), and all the other Spiders

But, Peter is still Peter.  Slott juts has such a wonderful command of his voice.  I loved him declaring half-asleep that "My something-something sense is tinglin'..." right before he realizes that Silk is hanging over his bed.  Besides his "Downton Webby" quip, he also works in calling Spider-UK "Benedict Cumber-bug."  After so many unfunny issues of Octo-Spidey, I still relish the return of Peter's sense of humor.  We all know that it serves as a way to allay his nerves.  Given how funny he is this issue, he must be damn nervous (something Slott himself might want us to conclude).

However, Slott doesn't make it all fun and games.  Although Peter might just be getting in the loop on the war with the Inheritors, Slott reminds us that the other Spiders having been fighting it for a while.  Old Man Spider is skeptical that our Kaine is worth the loss of the Spider-Man of Earth-70105 (a certain Bruce Banner), showing that the Spiders that've been fighting this battle are starting to get weary of the losses.  Mayday is relieved when Cosmic Spidey returns her brother to her, a reminder not only that he's her only family but that some of the surviving Spiders have still suffered terrible losses.  It serves as a great balance to Peter's humor and reminds us that Slott isn't afraid to go to dark places with this series, even if he manages to keep up Peter's sense of humor.

Beyond just the great moments of characterization, Slott also kicks the plot into high gear.  First, we're introduced to the Spiders' "safe zone" on Earth-13.  Slott knew that the Spiders obviously needed some sort of place where they could safely congregate if they were going to be able to regroup sufficiently to plan a counter-attack against the Inheritors (as we're now calling them).  After all, I was wondering how Otto was staying under the Inheritors' radar.  I don't think that he was on Earth-13 when we've previously seen him, but it was pretty clear that he was going to need somewhere like it at some point.  Moreover, the reason why it's safe is brilliant:  it's guarded by Cosmic Spidey, and the Inheritors know not to attack a Spider with the powers of a god.  We also get hints of other stories to be clarified, like Kaine's connection to the Other as well as the identities of Old Man Spider and the mysterious Scion.

In other words, Slott proves that he's the only person that can really write a fantastic event (particularly as Remender is unexpectedly stumbling with "Axis").  Hopefully, the streak continues.

***** (five of five stars)