Amazing Spider-Man #626: "The Sting"

** (two of five stars)

Favorite Quote:  none, really, if I'm being honest

Summary

Peter comes home to find Michele talking to a rough-looking guy who sets off Peter's Spider-Sense.  He follows the guy to an abandoned construction site, only to find that Parker Robbins (aka the Hood) is holding open "auditions" for the next Scorpion, after he bought the costume off Norman Osborn.  While observing the scene, Spidey is surprised by the new (female) Scorpion, who injects him with a power-dampening bite.  She throws Spidey to the guys below, but they instead wind up pursuing her when she steals the Scorpion costume.  Depowered, Peter changes into his street clothes, only to encounter Michele, who reveals the guy was a former client who she's trying to convince to go straight.  They track down the guy, who reveals that he committed the crime Michele thought he didn't commit and tries to attack her.  Peter helps her and sends her away.  With his powers back, he rescues the new Scorpion from the mob.  At the bar where he agreed to meet Michele, Peter apologizes for the "incident" of a couple of issues ago and makes a truce with Michele.

The Review

[Sigh.]  I have no idea why this issue wasn't considered part of "The Gauntlet."  In fact, of "The Gauntlet" stories, it has a helluva lot more to do with "The Gauntlet" than most of them (such as Electro, Sandman, Mr. Negative, Morbius, or Mysterio, just to name a few), with the Kravinoffs actually directly manipulating events, rather than just approaching the super-villain after the fact.  But, it wasn't under "The Gauntlet" banner, yet we still get the Kravinoffs appearing in the last panel of the issue.  I'm really over this storyline.

The Good 

Given that he's the one who originally began portraying Michele as an unhinged escaped mental patient, I'll give Van Lente credit here for resolving issues between her and Peter.  I've spent most of the last few issues hoping she'd just disappear, but I'm happy for her to stay if we see more of who she was during the issue where Aunt May got married than who she was in "Red-Headed Stranger."  I will note that I'm not entirely sure why Michele feels like it's Peter's responsibility to apologize, since she was as willing as a participant as he was.  But, whatever, I'm trying to throw Van Lente a bone here.

The Bad

The art in this issue is pretty bad.  The Scorpion's body is almost always out of proportion and everyone is pretty indistinctly drawn.  I think Gaydos was trying to convey that most of this issue happens in the quasi-dark, but instead it all just looks more or less sloppy.

New Comics!: The Non-Bat "New 52!" Edition

Justice League #3:  I'm having a problem with almost all the "New 52!" series where I can barely remember what happened in the previous issue.  For example, I don't remember Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman battling winged-monkey cyborgs, but I know they fought something, so I could be wrong.  Plus, something attacked Victor, so I'm assuming it was the winged-monkey cyborgs.  (You'd think winged-monkey cyborgs would be a little more memorable.)  Despite this problem, Johns and Lee give us some great moments here.  I thought everything involving Diana was great, from her sharing an ice-cream cone with the little girl to her meeting the other superheroes for the first time.  I also loved the buddy story we essentially have with the guys, with Bruce badgering Green Lantern to concentrate, Flash expressing shock that Bruce doesn't have powers (and informing us he thought Bruce was a vampire), and Hank getting jealous after everyone marvels at Superman using the truck like a baseball bat.  Other moments are less great.  I thought Aquaman's arrival was a little ho-hum and I'm still confused by the exact nature of Victor's "Promethium skin graft."  (It seems like his dad just magically had on hand the right pieces for the exact parts of Victor's body that got burnt.  To be fair, I'm not sure how Cyborg originally got his cyborg parts, so maybe Johns isn't deviating too far from Cybor's origin story here.  At any rate, though, it seemed overly convenient that Victor wasn't killed in the attack and that his dad knew just how to fix him.)  Looking ahead, it appears that Victor now has some sort of link to Darkseid, so I'm assuming next issue the team is going to find him and take the fight to Darkseid.  One of the problems with this arc is that, knowing that it happened five years ago, I'm impatient for it to end so we can see how they all interact now.  I'm particularly intrigued to see where we leave matters with Darkseid and how it sets up -- or doesn't set up -- the events of "Final Crisis."  Although I understand Johns taking his time getting the chance to re-tell the origin of the Justice League, something no one else has really gotten to do, he still needs to keep the story interesting enough to make me not want to hit the fast-forward button.

Superboy #3:  Another "meh."  Another "I don't really remember what happened last issue and I don't really care enough to go look."  I realized halfway through this issue that I need to divorce myself from the idea that I'm reading about Conner Kent, the former Superboy.  Although this Superboy may technically be a rebooted Conner, he's not the Conner we knew, the somewhat confused but seriously earnest young man trying to overcome his troubled legacy to make a better world.  However, the problem is, if I'm not reading about the old Conner Kent, then why am I reading this series at all?  I can't say I'm particularly interested in the new Conner Kent or his struggles.  The original "Superboy" series' first few issues did a great job covering similar ground, Conner learning about life outside the tube, while still delivering a fun read.  This series is just pretty grim.  I also can't say I'm all that interested in "Red" or her powers.  I hate to say it, but I'd say this series is the first one on the chopping block for the DCnU for me.  I'm giving all the DCnU series until issue #5 to convince me, but I don't know if this one can do that.  We'll see, I guess.

Teen Titans #3:  [Sigh.]  OK, I didn't dislike this issue exactly.  I enjoyed Bunker and Red Robin's banter.  I laughed when Kid Flash remembered he needed to go to the bathroom when he started unfurling the fire hose.  I'm still intrigued by N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s plans for teenage metahumans.  But, Lobdell is relying WAY too much on coincidences to make me feel like I'm reading a well scripted story.  I mean, Red Robin himself notes that it seems a stretch to believe that Bunker happened upon him by coincidence.  As I've said before and will likely unfortunately say again, I don't consider having your character acknowledge how ridiculous your plot is to be an excuse for having a ridiculous plot in the first place.  I also don't remember seeing Bunker on television in issue #1, as I'm told we did, so I'm confused why Red Robin thinks he's working for N.O.W.H.E.R.E.  (Of course, Bunker working for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. would be the only understandable reason why he winds up "stumbling" upon Red Robin, since, if he is working for N.O.W.H.E.R.E., he was likely sent to find him.)  I'm excited to see how the fight with Superboy goes next issue, but, honestly, something needs to happen in this series soon, or I'm thinking, sadly, it's also on the chopping block.

New Comics: The "New 52!" Bat-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batgirl #3:  OMG, SQUEEE!  I love this issue.  I love that Simone gave us this issue early in the run.  She covers so much ground here it's hard to put it all into words.  Let's talk about Mirror first.  Simone does an amazing job portraying Barbara's sense of dejection after she fails to stop Mirror from blowing up the train.  Her conversations, both imagined and real, with her father in his office establish how on edge she is, struggling to be this sort of superhero again.  We get our first hint here, both from the Commissioner and Nightwing, that she's pushing her physical limits, and I feel like Simone is doing a great job using these reveals to show that Barbara didn't just magically wake up one morning all healed.  She's driving herself possibly too hard, something we'd expect from Barbara.  Only three issues into this series, you can tell that its Barbara's drive to succeed, in spite of the consequences, that's going to give us an endless number of compelling stories.  Now, let's talk about Nightwing.

I don't think I've ever read a better sequence of seriously intense flirting and heart-felt conversation than this one.  My heart raced as Barbara narrated the chase, because Simone has such a great ear for her inner narrator and an amazing ability to convey real feelings.  I really felt Barbara's emotions, from struggling with her complicated feeelings for Dick while at the same time trying to make him see her as something other than a charity case.  Their chemistry here is electric, because Simone takes us beyond tired clichés and gives us real people.  I mean, who wouldn't have a crush on Dick Grayson?  Seeing him portrayed here -- cocky and sensitive at the same time -- makes me wish Simone was writing "Nightwing," because it's this type of story that shows us how different from Bruce Dick is.  I particularly enjoyed that Simone let's Barbara be a red-blooded, sexual being.  She doesn't just want Dick because he's nice to her.  She actually wants him.  Women are so often neutered in comics (see Wonder Woman) that I love that Simone had Barbara talk about Dick physically, how the look he gives her melts her, how having the former Boy Wonder wrapped around her makes her "think of something other than trains and explosins."  It's this desire for him that really drives the issue, that takes it to the next level and made my heart race. The final images of the book -- frozen images of Barbara watching Dick somersault into the night -- were the topping on the cake.  An amazing issue of a great series.

Batman #3:  First things first:  Greg Capullo's Bruce Wayne can accost me in a dark alley anytime he wants.  [Shiver.]  Yes, I know he looks Dick's age and, yes, I know the reboot shouldn't have affected the time steam, but, seriously, I don't care.  I could stare at Capullo's Bruce all day.  The dreamy eyes, the toussled hair...  [Deep breath.]  OK, now that we've gotten that part done, let's move onto the plot.  I love this Court of Owls business.  It's what I had hoped "Batman:  Gates of Gotham" was going to be, but, disappointingly, wasn't.  I love the attention to detail that Snyder characteristically brings to the tale, having the owls "nest" in various buildings built with Alan Wayne Trust funds, as actual owls do in the homes of actual bats, their natural enemy.  Now, the Waynes weren't associated with bats until Bruce, so I'm intrigued whether Snyder is going to make a more direct connection between the Court of Owls and Batman, or if it's just going to be coincidence that Bruce happens to be Batman, given that bats and owls are natural enemies.  Either way, truthfully, it works, because the Waynes are the enemy in whose homes the owls are "nesting."  Snyder keeps this issue moving at a brisk pace.  I realized I hadn't breathed in a while as Bats made his way into the first owl nest and kept on not breathing during the creepy sequence where he made his way to various other owl nests.  (Again, Capullo really brings it here, with those creepy photos of Talon posing with the people wearing owl masks really adding to the tense atmosphere.)  I also marvel at the fact that Snyder has changed his tone for "Batman."  Whereas his "Detective Comics" always focused on the dark threat that simmered underneath the surface -- the approaching menace whose movement you could see from the corner of your eye but on which you couldn't exactly focus -- he's giving us more traditional straight-up threats in "Batman."  I mean, they still bring his careful plotting and amazing storytelling, but they fit more in the tone of "Batman," which focuses on him more as a superhero, than that of "Detective Comics," which focuses on him more as a, well, detective.  Awesome stuff.  I'm also glad to see Lincoln March survived, because, seriously, Bruce could use a friend.

(NOTE:  I always write my reviews before reading anyone else's review.  But, I usually have a lag of a day or so between when I write a review and publish it, because I usually just want to let it sit a day to make sure I'm, you know, coherent.  In that time, sometimes I read reviews that make me think of something new, and I figure it's worth mentioning here.  In the comments on the IGN review of this issue, a lot of people focused on how they like this arc because Batman gets proven wrong, something that, obviously, doesn't happen often, because the Court of Owls does exist.  I hadn't quite noticed it, but, in fact, one of the things bothering me throughout this arc is that Bruce didn't think the Court existed in the first place.  He's been dismissive of it since it was revealed, at one point even making a comment to the effect that he's the only shadowy operator operating in Gotham.  It's bothered me, because I'm surprised Bruce, who, let's face it, has seen a lot would be so quick to dismiss a shadowy organization.  I mean, he believes in Leviathan, but not the Court of Owls?  I also think Snyder is a good enough writer that he's leading us down this road on purpose.  Someone mentioned that Alan Wayne might've built the 13th floor on purpose because he was associated with the Court of Owls.  Maybe Bruce was raised having it drummed into his head not to believe in them because, as Lincoln said, they weren't ready for him to know about them yet.  At any rate, I thought it was worth mentioning that I will be either slightly disappointed at Snyder for Bruce adamantly insisting they didn't exist or seriously impressed when it's revealed that Bruce having the blind spot in the first place was the work of a criminal mastermind.)

Batman and Robin #3:  Tomasi continues to take a restrained approach to this series.  As such, you can just feel the tension behind every conversation had.  In the end, this issue at its core is a pretty standard tale about Robin defying Batman and Batman having to save Robin when everything goes badly.  Tomasi puts a twist on it, though, with No-Body identifying the killer instinct in Damian and encouraging him to embrace it.  You can tell that Damian is a little distraught, after his rage subsides, at the damage he's inflicted on the muggers, and No-Body catching him in that moment of weakness doesn't help.  I'm intrigued by this movie we're going to watch next issue, as well as some eventual information about No-Body and how he knows all of Bruce's secrets.  Tomasi pretty much gets a pass for why we haven't previously heard of this guy, given the reboot, but he's still going to have to give us some details at some point.  I can't say this series is setting my world on fire, and I think it's officially on my potential axe list.  I more or less enjoyed Damian when he was with Dick, because the various Bat-book authors were doing a great job of telling a compelling story portraying his redemption attempts and contrasting him with the more light-hearted Dick.  But, so far, Bruce isn't exactly bringing out the good side of Damian and, now that Damian is confined mostly to "Batman and Robin," the idea of dropping this title -- and his drama -- is tempting.  We shall see.

Batwoman #3:  Honestly, this issue was sort of odd to me.  Williams and Blackman are keeping the Weeping Woman case and the D.E.O. investigation on a slow burn, and, rather than moving forward either plot in this issue, they add Kate "firing" Flamebird and introduce Kate's father.  At this stage, it's a lot of angst but not a lot of progress.  I'm not really sure why Kate breaks down crying at the end.  I mean, sure, she "fires" Flamebird, but I didn't get the sense it was that emotional of a decision, particularly because, based on her conversation with Batman in issue #2, it seems like it's a temporary one.  Plus, it seems like a ridiculous one, given that any reasonable person would predict that someone told not to do something is going to go do it, as we see at the end of this issue and as we saw in "Batman and Robin" #3.  Moreover, it's a little abrupt.  She climbs in the window, fires her, and lies on her bed.  I mean, it was probably upsetting, but Williams and Blackman didn't really show anything here that convinced me it would leave her in tears.  Similarly, the Weeping Woman incident was probably upsetting, but I don't feel like Williams and Blackman drew a direct enough line between that incident and Kate crying on Sawyer's lap to explain why she was so upset.  I just felt like the pace of this issue was off a bit.  Hopefully, we'll get more clarity on where the various plots are going next issue (and, you know, something might actually happen).

Nightwing #3:  OK, I have to say, I had trouble focusing on this issue, because I was so distracted by the "A cornfield in Iowa, five years ago" banner that began the issue.  Are we really supposed to believe the entire sum of Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian being Robins happened within a five-year period?  (I'm not sure if Stephanie Brown even exists in the DCnU, which is why I didn't include her in that list.)  In the previous continuity, Dick was usually identified as 12-years-old when his parents were killed.  (Dick mentioned in "Batman" #710, before the reboot, that, "The first time I came through this window I was twelve.")  If that time frame holds, he's 17-years-old now?  Really?  Shouldn't he be in high school, not living by himself in an apartment in a bad neighborhood in Gotham?  I mean, at most, he's no more than 16-years-old in the flashback scene, because it's not like Bruce was going to adopt a 17- or 18-year-old.  In fact, I'd probably put him at no more than 14-years-old.  So, we're supposed to believe he's 19-years-old now?  Everything in the Bat-books so far has been a pretty soft reboot, so we're lead to believe that everything that happened before the reboot -- including Dick becoming Batman -- happened.  (Jason Todd makes reference in "Red Hood and the Outlaws" #2 to all the times he tried to kill Dick, which he only really did when Dick was Batman.)  As such, it seems like a stretch to ask us to believe that it all essentially happened in five years.  I mean, was Jason Todd Robin for, what, three weeks?  Was Dick Batman for only two or three days?  The rest of this issue was fine, but I just couldn't get past this blatant attempt at ret-conning to enjoy it fully.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #3:  OK, this issue was based around a pretty obviously forced conceit.  S'aru the Proctor, the guy at the heart of the All Caste citadel, takes the Outlaws' most cherished memories as collateral for their entry into the Chamber of All, which they need to enter to retrieve a clue left for them by the Untitled.  To be honest?  I have no idea what the hell happened here.  I don't remember the Untitled from last issue, so I certainly wasn't clear on why he would simply enter the Chamber of All to leave Red Hood a clue to follow as opposed to stealing some object or gaining some power and or doing any number of thing that motivate villains to enter these sorts of places.  Moreover, it wasn't clear to me why exactly S'Aru needed collateral.  Was it to ensure the Outlaws didn't remove something they weren't supposed to remove?  Speaking of the memories, I was fine with the fight between Starfire and her captors, but the conversation between Croc and Roy was just ridiculous, because I don't believe for a minute that Cros would spare Roy's life simply because he realized Roy was trying to commit suicide by Croc.  At the end of the day, though, all these details don't matter.  The whole point of this issue and the forced conceit was the last page, seeing a sick Jason asleep on Bruce's shoulder.  Lobdell reminds us that Jason is still the fucked-up kid he was in the DCU and he still has a lot of unresolved issues with Bruce and the Bat-family in the DCnU.  The fact that he tells S'aru to keep the memory, for me, was just heart-breaking.  Since hearing about this series, I've hoped we were going to start working toward some sort of resolution of the issues between Jason and Bruce et al.  This issue serves as a reminder of how far we have to go.  I'm hoping Lobdell starts going somewhere with this Untitled plot because, although I'm happily distracted by the great characterization we saw in this issue, I would like to be able to reasonably understand what I'm reading.  At this point, the plot has simply become a framing device for banter and emotions.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

X-Factor #227:  This issue continues the "X-Factor in Hollywood" arc, with the team finally coming face to face with Bloodbath, who's been lurking in the shadows since issue #224.1.  He's as mentally unhinged as you'd expect a "freelance demon" to be, though his constant references to Hollywood make me wonder if he's actually possessing a former actor, rather appearing in demon form in and of himself.  If he's not a possessed human but actually in demon form, it seems weird that he would use Hollywood jargon to the extent that he does here.  At any rate, most of this issue is pretty unremarkable, with the team engaging in a standard battle with Bloodbath.  Even the resolution -- Guido being able to take down Bloodbath because he doesn't have a soul for Bloodbath to consume -- felt fairly predictable.  But, everything goes crazy at the end, with a Bloodbath-possessed dupe driving an axe through Madrox's chest and Madrox awakening seemingly in a dream, with a dead Layla lying on a bed and a dying dupe lying on the floor and telling Madrox not to let Rahne escape.  Bloodbath seems to have transported Madrox to some sort of pocket dimension, but I guess we're going to have to wait until next issue to see.  David, as usual, takes even a standard story and makes it a memorable one.

X-Men Legacy #258:  I'm not a huge Carey fan, but I find that every arc he delivers an issue I really enjoy, like issue #252 of the Legion arc.  The reveal that Sorel had slipped Rogue a two-way teleportation device was great, since it had seemed uncharacteristically concerned of him to have given Rogue a "stun baton" in the first place.  I actually followed the fairly complicated plot about turning the sun into a black hole to save the station, a sign that Carey took the time to make sure it was explained well.  (I'm still not sure, though, how Rogue got the idea of pushing the station through the black hole.  If I'm not mistaken, she had just intended to repair the gravity generator.  Did she absorb from the scientist the idea of pushing the station through the black hole as a back-up plan?  Rogue doesn't generally gain the ability to think like someone else when she absorbs them, so it would be weird if Carey is arguing that she "used" the scientist's smarts to arrive at that solution.)  I also liked how Carey didn't wrap up everything nicely, with Sorel and his crew -- in addition to the billion people living on the Gul Damar station -- finding themselves stranded in Earth's orbit.  It's a great ending to an OK arc, particularly since it results in Havok, Marvel Girl, and Polaris arriving home.  I need to do some research about who's going to be on this team after "Regenesis."  Given that I don't really enjoy Carey, I think I might be able to lose this title if no one I really like is going to be on it, the reality of Marvel pushing out WAY too many X-Men titles.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #13:  First, I was excited to see that James Asmus is taking over this title.  Gillen did amazing work with this title, but I also loved Asmus' "Escape from the Negative Zone" annual cross-over.  In fact, I liked his version of Hope better than anyone's, including possibly Gillen's.  He portrayed her as the arrogant teenager she is, and it worked.  I'm glad to say, it also works here.  Asmus picks up the personalities of the Lights so well, you'd be forgiven for thinking Gillen was still on board.  But, he makes the characters his own fairly quickly.  I'm intrigued by the Hope/Laurie dynamic.  If they find a way to work together, they'll be a great pair.  We see it here, with Hope reminding Laurie that sometimes you don't have time to plan, and Laurie reminding Hope that you should plan when you can because it results in better outcomes.  If they don't find a way to work together...well, we'll see.  I loved that he had Kenji fall in love instantly with No-Girl.  It wasn't an obvious call, but it shows a real insight into his character, to know that Kenji would be drawn to her and her ability to manipulate the way people perceive the world.  Velocidad is also great here ("Yeah, but one of them is Boom-Boom."), though we probably don't need him noting that his powers are killing him every issue, particularly since we only really established that he feels panicked by the prospect last issue.  But, his "I'm a teenage boy, I should be hitting on girls while I can" schtick is great.  Again, he could probably use some adult supervision (or at least an older brother figure) to help get him through this trouble.  But, the lack of attention to him shows that Cyclops is really just interested in them as warriors, as we see in the opening of the book.  I'm intrigued why the Cuckoos hid the newest Light from Hope, even though it appears it's because it's Sebastian Shaw's powers re-manifesting themselves.  It's a great first issue for Asmus, and I'll definitely be there next issue.

New Mutants #34:  So far, so great.  DnA give us a fun start for the latest iteration of "New Mutants."  First, looking at the overall story DnA are starting to tell here, I love the idea that the New Mutants are now living like "real" people, particularly with the proviso that Bobby isn't allowed to fund them.  Are they all going to get jobs like Amara?  Is Nate going to be a fry cook?  Will Bobby be a bus driver?  The mind boggles.  I also like the Bobby/Nate dynamic.  I'm hoping we're going to see them interract more, given that Bobby's only really itneracted with Amara for almost every other issue of this series.  Moreover, forcusing on this arc in particularly, the next "loose end" case is awesome.  I had't realized that we had resurrected Blink.  I still remember how surprised I was at the end of "Phalanx Covenant" when they seemingly killed her, so I'm glad that, based on my Wikipedia reading, they managed to "resurrect" her in a way that more or less made sense (or, at least, as much sense as these sorts of things can make).  She seems like an ideal candidate for membership in the "New Mutants," so I'm excited to see where DnA go with the story.

X-Men #21:  This issue is just as fast-paced and fun as the last one.  I'm even willing to overlook the sudden arrival of Symkarian jets that broke the no-fly zone and conveniently allowed War Machine to join the X-Men in their fight against the Sentinels.  (How did the Symkarians discover that Puttanescaland had Sentinels?  It wasn't like they took out an ad.)  The revelation that the Puttanescans had been obtaining Sentinels thanks to the wealth they've stockpiled from uranium mining was cool, as was the revelation that the scientist had successfully reprogrammed Sentinels to think anyone the Puttanescans wanted was a mutant.  This issue is picking put the thread of the disastrous disarmament conference that Scott and Wolverine attended in "X-Men:  Schism," and in fact shows us that the world is the dangerous place Scott predicted -- for humans and mutants alike -- with this many Sentinels in play.  Gischler manages to shows the Puttanescan governor's hatred of the Symkarians without getting too preachy, and it really instills the book with the sense that some serious shit is going to happen if the X-Men don't get their asses in gear (and maybe even if they do).  Again, Gischler is making it really hard for me to drop this book...

Wolverine and the X-Men #2:  Ok, wow.  I certainly did not expect that the monster attacking the mansion was Krakoa.  Excellent, excellent idea, Aaron.  I mean, who better to kill Wolverine and his new school than the monster who Wolverine and the other "new" X-Men fought on their first mission?  (I'm not entirely sure how it works, logistically, though.  First, how did the Hellfire Club fit an island under the mansion?  Is there enough room?  Second, at the end of issue #1, he seems poised to eat the school.  Yet, when this issue starts, he's nowhere to be seen, like he suddenly decided, mid-bite, to go somewhere else.  Confusing.)  I can't say I've been that fond of the kiddie Hellfire Club, but I might change my mind after this issue.  Turning the school inspectors into Sauron and Wendigo?  Sending "Frankenstein monsters with flamethrowers" after the X-Men?  Wanting the students "charred and melted" so that Wolverine has to contemplate his failure every time he looks at them?  I can respect the fact that these kids are not joking.  It's been a while since the X-Men have faced a villain (or group of villains) this committed to evil, and I can be convinced that this new Hellfire Club could surpass the old one in terms of constituting a deadly constant threat to the X-Men.  (I think I'm actually becoming fond of Kade and his downright evil-ness.)

Bachalo is pretty on fire in this issue.  I have to make particular mention of his work as a colorist.  I hadn't realized he colored last issue, but I had actually noticed the color, particularly the scene where Quentin was lying on the floor surrounded by markers that he had used to write "I'm a political prisoner" on the floor.  I noticed, at the time, that the colorist had colored outside the lines; the red of the marker was a little past the black of the border.  I thought it was interesting, but now, seeing Bachalo here, I realize it just adds to the kinetic sense of his art, the sense that the characters are literally breaking beyond their borders with action.  I mean, yes, you get some of the usual problems with Bachalo.  For example, I wasn't entirely certain what Bobby did, and it took me a second reading to realize he essentially went Multiple Man on himself.  (I thought he had maybe taken control of the Frankentsein monsters.)  But, the good outweighs the bad here, because Bachalo, as usual, just propels you through this issue at full speed.  (Also, I LOVE Rachel's new look.  Thank God she's not wearing a bikini top as a costume anymore.)

I also enjoyed Aaron's attention to the characters, particularly Bobby.  As I think I've mentioned, I'm excited about this series in part because, to put it in Logan's words, I'm anxiously awaiting Bobby getting the chance to "step up."  We see him do it here, not only in terms of his powers but also by kissing Kitty.  I can't say that pairing ever dawned on me, but, now?  I'm all for it.  Team Kibby.  I also loved Broo's infatuation with Idie, which I hope continues to be cute and endearing.    All in all, a great issue that I'm going to have to read again to get all its nuances.

Amazing Spider-Man #625: "The Gauntlet: Endangered Species"

***** (five of five stars)

Favorite Quote:  "I hate that samovar."  "I bought the table on Bleeker Street --"  "Shut up."  Oksana and Alexei, admitting some truths

Summary
Peter, feeling low on the unemployment line, calls MJ, hoping to see her.  She suggests that that maybe isn't such a good idea.  Later, Pete accompanies Norah to a naturalization ceremony to take some photos on the sly; at the cermony, the old Rhino's wife, Oksana, is receiving her citizenship.  The new Rhino crashes the event in an attempt to draw out the old Rhino (Aleksei).  He issues a challenge to Aleksei, and then departs; Aleksei promises to Spider-Man that he will keep his promise to be a coward, and he and Oksana join the Witness Protection Program.  However, the new Rhino attacks the caravan carrying Aleksei and Oksana; when she dies in the attack, Aleksei decides to return to the costume.  Despite Spider-Man's attempt to stop them, the old Rhino and new Rhino battle.  The old Rhino wins, and, again, despite Spider-Man trying to stop him, kills the new Rhino.  He then tells Spider-Man that he will never forgive him, blaming Oksana's death on his attempt (inspired by Spidey) to be someone he wasn't.  Peter returns to the unemployment line, but leaves it without filing his claim, totally broken.

The Review
This issue, honest to God, is perfect.  From the use of an interesting narrative device (Norah "narrating" the story through her article for "Front Line") to the sheer emotional impact, it's one of the best comic books I've ever read ever.  We all knew, the minute we met Oksana, in the "Rage of the Rhino" issue, that she was doomed.  But, I spent this entire issue just hoping against hope that it wasn't true, hoping that Kelly would throw us a curve ball by letting her survive, by letting her and the old Rhino successfully enter the Witness Protection Program.  When it doesn't happen, despite knowing it wasn't going to happen, it's devastating.

The Really, Really Good
1) Norah's narration is pitch perfect.  I could cite any number of passages, but I particularly liked when, describing it "raining" people, she commented, "All of a sudden I don't want to play reporter any more."  It not only captures something about Norah, revealing the conflicted young woman behind her brash everyday facade, but it also builds on the sense of dread that you've already started having by that point.  I am awed my Kelly's ability to give us some really great character development for Norah and set the emotional stage for the nightmare of events around the corner.

2) The art is awesome.  Seriously, I want Fiumara to work on every Kelly story ever.  From the full-page scene of the old Rhino storming at the new Rhino to the delicate few panels where Aleksei and Oksana register for the Witness Protection Program, Fiuamara captures the tone of Kelly's story perfectly.

The Good
1) OK, I still have no idea why this storyline was pitched as part of some overarching scheme on the part of the Kravinoffs (see below).  But, we are really dealing with a broken Peter here.  Between the unemployment as a result of his doctoring the photo of JJJ, Jr. to his heartbreak over the loss of Aleksei to crime, Peter is in a bad, bad place, which, I guess, was the point of "The Gauntlet" in the first place.

2) We actually get slipped a "Brand New Day" clue in this issue, which I only caught on the second reading.  MJ refers to "the Cat" to Peter, showing that he apparently knows that she knows he's Spider-Man.  Interesting.  I feel like we're now back to the possibility that they both know about the deal with Mephisto.  The only other possibility is that it was part of the mindwipe (about which we know nothing...still).  Either way, it's interesting, even if it's getting a little old...

The Bad
Speaking of "The Gauntlet," seriously, WTF, Marvel?  (I'm not holding the concept against Kelly, since it's not his fault, or, at least, not just his fault.)  I've complained enough about this subject over the last few posts that I don't want to just repeat myself here.  But, for a storyline sold as being a series of trying events that Peter had to endure at the hands of the Kravinoff family, I'd say this storyline was a moderate success on the first part and a big fail on the second part.  You'd have to seriously stretch the limits of credulity for me to believe that the Kravinoffs were behind even 50 percent of what happened during this storyline.  In fact, the only events for which they are directly responsible are the freeing of the Vulture and the return of the old Rhino (though, to be honest, it's unclear if that was their intention).  Everything else -- Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, even what the Vulture himself did once freed -- pretty much had nothing to do with them.  So, why sell it as this event?  I think we'll actually get some clarity once we see what "The Gauntlet" put into motion (which is clearly the reformation of the Sinister Six, not just because of the characters involved but the "Sinister" hint on the recap page).  But, I feel disappointed at the end of this storyline, which ends with a whimper not a roar, a disappointment I don't think I would've felt if it had just been a regular 14-issue run.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #12:  OK, I need to pare down my monthly pull-list, because, honestly, I can barely keep afloat with my reading at this point.  I had identified this book and "X-Men" as the ones to go.  I never really enjoyed the latter (and am not particularly interested in the current team), and, although I've always thought Gillen has done an amazing job with "Generation Hope," I figured I could skip it because it doesn't tie directly into the core books that closely.  But, then Gillen writes an issue like this one, and I'm totally sucked into his world again.  I thought this issue was one of the best books I've read all year.  The stuff with Velocidad was great.  It's actually proof positive that Scott is failing the kids.  You've got a teenage boy totally afraid of dying young because his powers are slowly killing him and, because the adults won't level with him, he's starting to act impulsively.  I mean, hello, recipe for disaster.  But, no one notices.  Velocidad tells Kenji, who's not exactly the type to worry, but no one else.  As such, no one who can do anything to help him knows, because the adults don't care.  Do you need any more proof that Logan was right?  The rest of the issue is equally good.  Scott and Kitty's conversation at the end is a highlight, not just because it shows the danger everyone knows we're facing with Hope, but because it shows how little control anyone has over the Lights.  The next few months -- particularly with the addition of Pixie and the love triangle between her, Hope, and Velocidad -- are going to be interesting.  I'm here to stay. 

New Mutants #33:  Of course it's Dani who's smart enough to reject, to put it in Warlock's words, the binary choice between Cyclops and Wolverine.  I accept her argument that she's staying with Cyclops because he believes in her, but I love the fact that she feels the need not to be on Utopia (and under Scott's thumb) to stay true to herself and mission.  DnA also do a great job with Nate here.  Although I'm a little slightly skeeved by the, um, obvious, um, chemistry between Hope and Nate (even if they're not exactly blood relations), they do seem like a great fit (in a non-sexual way, hopefully).  They both come at life from a similar perspective and you can tell they feel relieved to have someone to whom they can talk about their experiences who won't have to get over the time-travel confusion and the bizarre family ties.  I'm hoping this iteration of the "New Mutants" is the last one for a while.  We've gone through so many new starts over the last 30 or so issues, mainly because of the various events forced on the title.  I'd dig it if they actually spent the next 30 or so issues in one place with one mission and one team.  Here's hoping.

X-Men #20:  OK, so, my plan to drop this title is complicated, yet AGAIN, by Gischler's excellent writing.  His Spider-Man arc has been the highlight of this title for me, and he's gotten off this War Machine one to a great start.  To be honest, though, I liked this issue not so much because of War Machine, who's mostly just annoyingly obstinate, but for Storm, who we finally see leading a X-Men team again.  Moreover, Gischler gives us the sort of international intrigue and high espionage that I've been expecting -- and not really getting -- from "Secret Avengers."  He picks up the thread from "X-Men:  Schism," with the world suddenly flush with old Sentinels and new ones created by the Hellfire Club.  The team is tracking down a shipment of stolen Sentinels (I'm unclear on whether they're old or new ones), who now appear to be this season's must-have accessories for every irredentist and separatist movement in the world.  If this team is going to be a moral X-Force, if you will, fighting in the darkest corners of the X-Men's world, it's going to be hard to convince me to drop it.  Damn you, Gischler.  My wallet isn't talking to you.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm posting these reviews in the order I read them, which came from the checklist, of sorts, published in the back of "X-Men:  Schism" #5.  I'll get to my thoughts on the whole enterprise at the end.  Enjoy!

X-Men:  Regenesis #1:  For all my bitching about "X-Men:  Schism," I have to say that Gillen does the best he can with the hand he's dealt here.  I've never seen more character development in a single issue.  It's hard to break down an issue that essentially consists of 20-30 conversations, but I'll do my best.  First, the framing scenes of Cyclops and Wolverine as tribal warriors were brilliant.  Tan does an amazing job artistically with them, and they convey the message Gillen is highlighting here, that the X-Men are now officially two different tribes.  Second, I thought all the conversations were great.  Tan has a gift at drawing faces that actually convey emotions, making him an inspired choice for an issue that, at its core, is all about emotions.  Stand-out conversations for me were Dani/Sam and Scott/Storm.  Despite my initial skepticism, I actually buy Storm staying.  I thought Gillen would go this route, that Storm would serve as the moral conscience of the team, and I think Gillen really sells it here.  (Of course, I'm left to wonder how she's going to commute to be on the Avengers as well.)  I also thought he did a great job with Dani and Sam, making it about the places where they find themselves in their lives and what they need at the moment to be the people they want to be (and, one day, be together).  Somehow, as he also does with Magneto and Rogue, Gillen actually makes their burgeoning relationship seem more viable for the decision to be apart.

At the end of the day, I can't point to any conversation that didn't ring true to me.  I loved Emma showing her commitment to Scott by liquidating her corporate holdings to fund Utopia (and still being Emma about it, telling Scott not to get all weepy).  I love that it looks like Bobby and Dazzler finally are going to get the leadership roles it's time for them to have.  As shocked as I am to say it, I'm probably most excited about "Wolverine and the X-Men," since it's where most of my favorite characters are.  (Actually, I'm most excited about Alex and Lorna re-joining "X-Factor," but it's always existed more or less outside the sphere of the rest of the mutant world.)  But, I'll keep getting "Uncanny," because, well, it's "Uncanny."  I am, though, to be fair, also intrigued by how Scott handles the divide.  We just saw him get delivered a major loss, and I thought Gillen did a great job showing his desperation as he handles his team dissolving around him.  That should be interesting to follow in the coming months.

I've made it clear that I think the premise of "Schism" -- that Wolverine decided that kids need to be allowed to be kids -- is flawed.  It's hard to see how it's Wolverine leading the school and not Storm.  But, I'm willing to look past it, because of the amazing work Gillen does here.  I think we're going to get some really great stories over the next few months as the mutant world re-arranges itself, and I can't wait.

Uncanny X-Men #544:  After the awesomeness of "X-Men:  Regenesis" #1, I have to say, I was a little disappointed with this issue.  Previously, in "Uncanny X-Men" and in "X-Men:  Regenesis" #1, Gillen gave us my favorite Cyclops, showing him with a sense of humor and a semblance of humanity.  But, the Cyclops we get here is more in line with other portrayals we've seen of him in the last few years, as completely detached from his emotions as he is his teammates.  "He's more machine now than man," to quote Obi-Wan.  Bobby tries to get a tearful good-bye, but, in the end, realizes it's simply time to go.  By using Mr. Sinister as a framing device, Gillen gives us a sign that maybe we're going to see Scott really tested here.  I think I could enjoy "Uncanny X-Men" in this post-schism world if it's about taking down Scott a peg, and I don't think anyone could do that better than Mr. Sinister.  In other words, I'm excited to see where Gillen takes us in this title, even if my favorite characters are in "Wolverine and the X-Men."  Speaking of the devil...

Wolverine and the X-Men #1:  Reading this issue, it's hard not to think that you've suddenly awoken from a dream -- a dream where everything was just a little wrong, a little off-kilter -- and found yourself relieved to discover it was, in fact, just a dream.  The X-Men return to Westchester and suddenly I realize why "X-Men:  Schism" was necessary.

Seeing the X-Men in the Westchester campus again makes you realize just how much Wolverine was right, that Cyclops had failed the younger generation, to the extent he even thought about it.  Aaron throws a lot at us in this issue, establishing a number of patterns and schticks that I'm sure we're going to see in future issues.  Given the scope of ground he covers, I'm not going to try to mention everything.  I will say that the idea of the entire mansion becoming the Danger Room is emblematic of what Aaron does here, taking core concepts of who the X-Men are and always have been and modernizing them.

It's all not glitz and tech, though.  The most poignant scene in the book, for me, was Logan running past the statue of Jean, asking her to wish him luck.  It's another nod to who the X-Men were and who Logan is trying to make them be again.  Along those lines, Logan's conversation with Charles is excellent, particularly their mutual acknowledgment that he's the last person they thought would be re-opening the school. Aaron also hits a home run by making much of the issue focus on Kitty and Logan.  We haven't really seen them together in this way in ages, something I hadn't realized until I saw them standing next to one another and thought, "Of course, Kitty would be the Headmistress.  Why didn't I see that coming?"  All these scenes -- Logan and Jean's statue, Logan and the Professor, Logan and Kitty -- accomplish what Aaron intended them to do, reminding us that, of the two core books, this one is the one rooted in history, in the relationships these characters have had for almost 50 years.  Cyclops has his rock full of murderers and psychos; Logan has his school full of family and friends.  (Speaking of friends:  Lockheed!  'Nuff said.)

Aaron underlines these changes by having members of "New Mutants" and "Generation X" in teaching roles, showing us just how far we've come (and how old some of us are).  (By the by, I LOVED the staff chart.  I'm a little surprised that Cannonbal is a "junior" staff member, though.)  But, lest the issue descend into touchy-feely hugs, Aaron kicks it up a notch by introducing Kade Kilgore to the mix at the end.  You spend most of the issue thinking it's just going to be a new take on the standard story you'd see every once in a while, particularly in "New Mutants," with the state inspectors playing the square.  Instead, we end the issue with an enormous monster poised to eat the mansion.  I mean, wow.

I began this issue the least excited about this title and end it possibly the most excited about it.  I'm on board, folks.

Uncanny X-Men #1:  Gillen goes where I was hoping he'd go here, giving us a Cyclops here who seems increasingly unhinged and an X-Men team slowing sliding into becoming the bad guys.  I loved Storm polling the room about who has gone through a "mainly super villain" phase and telling Scott he might be acting too quickly when he raises his hand saying he hadn't.  I'm glad Gillen is putting Storm at the center of this book.  She's been gone for so long, and it's great to see her back here.  You can just feel her discomfort, with Scott comparing the X-Men favorably to Iraq and North Korea and Magneto appearing at her side in combat.  The fight with the Dreaming Celestial was awesome.  This book is going to be pretty grim, so Gillen is going to have to keep delivering these sorts of epic battles if it's going to be fun to read.  I also hope it doesn't focus entirely on the "extinction team" but also gives us some of Dazzler's street team.  We shall see.  Overall, it's a pretty solid start.

Final Thoughts:  As I've mentioned before, I didn't buy the central conceit of "X-Men:  Schism," that Wolverine would get all touchy-feely and Scott would be all militant warrior.  But, Gillen and Aaron actually more or less get me to buy it here.  We see a changed Wolverine, particularly in "Wolverine and the X-Men," showing that Aaron all along wasn't arguing that Wolverine was the same person he was, but that he had actually come to the end of a journey.  I'm still not entirely sure I buy it, but I'm not going to hold it against this new enterprise, because these issues were some of the best "X-Men" issues I've read in a long time.  In the past, the X-Men would occasionally go on walkabout and leave Westchester, only to return in the end, the school being the X-Men' symbol of rebirth.  Aaron puts that pattern on its head by only having some of the X-Men be reborn, if you will, giving us, for the first time, both the more aggressive walkabout stories with Cyclops' crew and the more redemptive school ones with Wolverine's.  It almost makes you wonder why no one thought of it before.  But, here we are now, and I'm excited to see where Gillen and Aaron take us.

New Comics!: The Avengers Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers:  Solo #2:  Van Meter yet again does a good job of telling a complicated story with a lot of moving parts without losing the narrative thread.  I'm impressed by the fact that I was pretty much able to follow the story without having to re-read "Avengers:  Solo" #1, given how many characters appear here.  However, even with the reveal that Marcia is Alicia is Trace, I still have the question I have from the first issue:  why were Trace and Tuli fighting at the start of that issue?  It made no sense when we thought that Trace was "helping" Marcia, as we did last issue, and makes even less sense now that we now that Trace IS Marcia.  My only guess is that Marcia was using the Trace persona to scare off Tuli so that he didn't get hurt (which, of course, didn't go so well).  At any rate, I'm hoping we get some clarity next issue.  Otherwise, the only other eyebrow-raising moment for me is something that Hawkeye himself notes, the fact that Emi is pretty combat-ready for a doctor.  She says something about getting a call that her husband was killed in action the same day she took her boards, but I don't see how they have anything to do with one another.  Her husband was presumably in the military and, because he was killed in action, she...decided to learn how to fight and get herself involve in some sort of weird hospital study.  She directly connects her involvement in the study to those events, saying "Vanished myself out of a great residency because of all this..."  I'm assuming we'll learn more, but everything involving Emi -- from the ability to handle herself in a fight to the her involvement in the study to her lack of concern for her friends -- made little sense to me.  But, we'll see.  Rule #1:  More Hawkeye, less [blank]. 

Captain America #4:  OK, first, I have to say, I love McNiven's work.  The page of Cap and Sharon on the moon in spacesuits looking at Earth?  Amazing.  Writers have always complained that it's almost impossible to give Cap depth, because he's such a goody two-shoes.  He doesn't ever really face a moral conflict, because he always just does the right thing.  He's boring, in other words.  As such, he's also really lacked much in the way of interesting romantic relationships, because he never has any sort of sexual tension with the girl.  He always just...does the right thing.  The relationship inevitably ends because duty gets in the way.  Again, dull.  Brubaker has made a go of it with Sharon (and generally does the best job of any writer I've ever read of giving us Steve as a real person and not just a legendary hero).  But, on some level, I've always felt like it was forced, like they're just trying to make it work because they're trying to avoid turning Cap into a eunuch.  (The closest I've ever come to feeling them as an item is when he was dead and she was mourning his loss.  The fact that he had to be dead for me to buy their relationship shows you how weird it is.)  However, seeing McNiven's work here, I'm wondeirng if it's just been because no one has drawn Steve sexy enough.  He's downright beautiful here, as is Sharon, and you really get the sense of two people in love in the prime of their life.  McNiven just infuses the scene with something that I can't exactly describe, perfectly playing up the dream world, giving us an idealized version of the two.  (Steve looks like he's about 22 years old here.)  In so doing, he conveys more emotion and meaning than I think anyone else, writer or artist, has ever managed to do in terms of showing Cap's love life.  You somehow see how much looser a carefree Steve would be and realize how much the weight of his responsibilities affects his ability to interact with people, lovers included.  McNiven gives us all that in just three or four panels.  Yeah, he rocks.

Turning to the main plot of the issue, Brubaker (who, I can't believe I'm saying it, but has been the weaker link of the two) finally reveals his hand.  I was never clear exactly why Bravo wanted revenge on Cap, since, as Steve himself says, it wasn't like Cap left him in the dream world on purpose.  But, it makes total sense that the guy snapped when he was re-introduced to the real world and realized just how far it was from the Utopia he had created in the dream world.  Brubaker and McNiven do a great job of making both stories exciting, giving us the tension of Cap's slow realization that he's in the dream world and the excitement of his crew trying to hunt down Jimmy Jupiter.  I'm not exactly sure who this Queen Hydra is, but it's clear we're not supposed to know, given that she herself alludes to the mystery of who she really is.  At the end of the day, Brubaker really saves the concept here, and I'm excited to see what happens in the next issue.  (Also, I realized that I was still pretty much reading this title in a state of protest, annoyed that I wasn't getting Bucky, no matter how much I like Steve.  The fact that I know Bucky is alive and coming to me in comic form in February clearly made me much more excited about this title.)

Captain America and Bucky #624:  Brubaker gives us a one-off issue here, giving us a looking into Bucky's time as the Winter Solider.  The issue serves as a prelude of sorts to "Winter Soldier," with Bucky visiting his Alzheimer's-ridden sister to let her know that he's still alive after the events of "Fear Itself."  I actually wish we were getting a longer arc dealing with Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier, but my guess is that Brubaker is going to cover that topic in detail in "Winter Soldier."  (On a side note, I hope Brubaker is really proud of what he's done with Bucky.  Resurrecting him just could have gone so spectacularly bad.  Instead, he created, to my mind, one of the best characters in comics today, and he essentially did it from scratch.)  I loved the scenes with Bucky and Natasha.  Brubaker and Andreyko show us Bucky's charm at its best, and Samnee does a great job making the obvious attraction between them apparent to the reader. (Unlike Steve and Sharon, something about Bucky and Natasha has never felt forced.)  It's a really great issue and I can't wait for "Winter Soldier."

New Avengers #18:  Huh.  OK, I didn't hate this issue.  In fact, I found it pretty intriguing.  It answers the main question I had from "New Avengers" #17, showing how the Hand and HYDRA threw in their lot with H.A.M.M.E.R.  We also see Osborn assemble his new team of Dark Avengers.  (I only recognized Ai Apaec, from "Spider-Man:  Deadly Hands of Kung Fu," and Barney Barton, from "Hawkeye:  Blindspot."  I intellectually know who Skaar is, though I had no idea he was living in the Savage Land.  I'm not entirely sure who Dark Ms. Marvel and Dark Scarlet Witch are.  I'm assuming Dark Wolverine is Gorgon.)  I'm willing to give Bendis some time to develop this story, but I'm not entirely sure what the point of a new Dark Avengers would be.  The whole point of the previous Dark Avengers is that people thought they were the Avengers.  Given the events of "Siege," it's going to be pretty clear that any Avengers team led by Norman Osborn isn't going to be the Avengers.  So, why reform them?  I'm sure we'll get an answer, so I'm more intrigued than annoyed.  Bendis definitely seems to be setting up an enormous story here and, despite my disappointment with "Avengers" #19, I'm still excited about it.

Secret Avengers #19:  Ellis has been hit or miss on this title for me, but this issue is a hit.  Once again, Ellis gives us a somewhat "out there" story, with the team going after a drug kingpin who grinds up the bones of "ancient beings" whose bodies contained multiple souls and uses the powder to create super-soldiers.  But, the way Ellis tells the story, as a more or less straight-forward espionage tale, is what I expected to see from "Secret Avengers," but, for reasons I still don't entirely understand, haven't seen all that often.  One of my main complaints about this title is that the rotating door of writers has meant that very little focus has been paid to building a team, showing us the conflicts and relationships that make a title like the "Avengers" work so well (when it works well).  Ellis actually does that here; I loved Natasha's snarky comment about the wisdom of trusting a guy who thinks he was resurrected by an Egyptian god and of Steve telling Natasha to can it when she was questioning his decision to attack.  All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable read.

Amazing Spider-Man #623-#624: "The Gauntlet: Scavenging"

** (two of five stars)

Favorite Quote:  "Sheesh!  Doesn't anybody nice need a hero?  So far today I've risked my neck for Jonah, who never stops browbeating me, and for the mob, who...well, they're the mob.  I wonder if the Red Skull needs cheering up?  Or maybe I can mow Dr. Doom's lawn."  -- Spidey

Summary
Electro, acting on Kraven's wife's orders, breaks out the new Vulture from Ryker's Island.  Meanwhile, Spidey is facing a "villain" ("Super Simon") who reveals that he's part of a reality TV show, "To Be a Villain."  Spidey is outraged when he learns the City of New York authorized permits for the show, and vents his anger by webbing shut JJJ, Jr.'s phone.  Meanwhile, three mafioso discuss over conference call the liberation of the Vulture and their fear that he's remembering his past.  One of them is kidnapped, resulting in the other two deciding to launch "Plan J."  The kidnapped mafioso tells the Vulture that JJJ, Jr. was behind his creation, and the other mafiosos "leak" information to implicate JJJ, Jr.'s role.  Spidey sees the news and goes to talk to the Mayor, not believing he could be responsible.  He gets there in time to see the Vulture attacking Jonah.  Spidey chases off the Vulture, and Peter returns to City Hall to check on Jonah.  Hearing how despondent Jonah is over the situation (and the death of a security guard who was trying to protect him from the Vulture), Peter decides to doctor a photo showing Jonah fighting the Vulture.  The Vulture finds one of the other mafiosos, who reveals his origin:  the Vulture was a mob fixer who proposed creating a super-villain to thin out the herd of incompetent mafiosos who were getting into too much trouble, and the mob bosses liked his idea so much they used him as the text subject.  Finally, JJJ, Jr., exonerated in part by Peter's photo, holds a press conference revealing Peter's doctored photo, ruining his career.

The Review
I don't know how I feel about this arc.  Taking away Peter's career smacks of something that's eventually going to be ret-conned, just like him revealing his identity.  It's a bold move, particularly in the wake of the destruction of "The DB!"  But, I question whether it's legit and find myself doubting it's going to stick, making it just one more gimmick in a long line of "The Gauntlet"-related gimmicks.

The Good
I'm glad we get the Vulture's origin story here.  That's about it.  I mean, it's an enjoyable read, so I didn't give it a one.  But, still...

The Bad
1) OK, at the end of the day, my biggest problem with this arc is I don't know if I buy that Peter would create a doctored photo.  Even if he wanted to help Jonah, he does seriously compromise his journalistic ethics, even if he knows that Jonah is innocent.  The minute I saw him doctoring the photo I knew he was going to get caught...and Peter probably would know that, too.  To be fair, it's not like I've ever gotten the sense that Peter really views himself a journalist; as we can see from his musings at the end of the issue, taking photographs has always been a way to pay the bills.  We saw him ruminate on how he was able to defeat Doc Ock through sheer brain power during the "Mysterioso" arc, leading him to wonder what he's doing with his life.  The only positive development we could see from this incident (and hopefully the reason behind it) is that Peter takes it as an opportunity to return to his Ph.D. program or work for Stark or something that better suits him intellectually.  That said, it's hard to tell if that much thought went into the matter, or if, again, it's just a "Gauntlet"-related stunt.  I know I'm supposed to be anxiously awaiting the next issue to see the fall-out from the incident, but instead I just find myself hoping it doesn't get dragged out too long (like the "corrupted" Aunt May has been).

2) We probably see the most active involvement on the part of the Kravinoffs here as we've seen the entire storyline.  But, more and more, I realized that this entire affair should've been called "Prelude to the Gauntlet."  I think, if I'm guessing correctly, we're just setting up some really titanic "Return of the Sinister Six"-esque battle that will come as a result of the actions the Kravinoffs have taken during this storyline.  But, as a result, calling this storyline "The Gaunlet" and raising the expectations that come with that name was really a bad call on the part of the Web Heads.  I've been whining for issues about how unclear the whole "The Gauntlet" name has been, and, if they hadn't used it, I would've just been enjoying (for the most part) the return of Spidey's classic rogues' gallery for the first time since "Brand New Day" began.

Amazing Spider-Man #673: "Spider-Island" Epilogue

*** (three of five stars)

Summary
With the Spider-Queen defeated, everyone infected by the Spider-Virus reverts to his human self -- fully naked.  The Avengers and X-Men help Damage Control begin cleaning up the scene of the final battle, and Iron Man confirms that the Queen is indeed dead.  Meanwhile, elsewhere on the site, the Jackal -- who did not die, thanks to having used a clone to deal with the Queen -- directs his clones, dressed as members of Damage Control, to steal pieces of the Spider-Queen's corpse for use in cloning her.  Spidey and MJ chat on the top of the Empire State Building, but Pete is called to Newark Airport to see off Aunt May, whose flight to Boston had been delayed due to the event.  Jay, May, and Pete watch the news, where Mr. Fantastic declares Eddie Brock the "true hero of Spider-Island."  After Jay and May depart, Kaine approaches Pete, revealing that he came to see off Aunt May -- from a distance -- as well.  He tells Peter that he's leaving town, since the Avengers know he "is -- was -- a stone cold killer."  Elsewhere, JJJ, Jr. and Joe Robertson share a drink, with Joe telling JJJ, Jr. he has to give credit to Spidey for saving New York and JJJ, Jr. just promising he'd make a call.  A construction worker sees Spidey webbing across the city and calls to him, telling Spidey that he used to think Spidey was a menace but now he thinks Spidey's "good people."  Pete returns home, where Carlie is waiting.  She tells him she's leaving him for lying to her about being Spider-Man, which she deduced based on how good he was at using his Spider-Powers, and forces him to admit to it before she leaves.  Pete goes straight to Dr. Strange, asking how Carlie could've deduced his identity (since the spell required Pete unmasking himself or being unmasked).  Dr. Strange tells Pete that the "magic whammy" he placed on him no longer works, since Pete revealed himself on the Internet (in "Amazing Spider-Man" #668).  Dr. Strange tells him that everyone still forgets that he was Spidey, but now anyone can learn.  Pete goes directly to Horizon Labs to get a vial of antidote, but runs into Madame Web on the roof.  She tells Pete that "fate" is offering him a reward, allowing him to use the antidote on himself.  Pete declines, saying that it would undermine the responsibility he has to use his gift.  Madame Web bids him farewell, telling him he will suffer a loss in the future.  Pete then goes to find MJ, who had retained her Spider-Powers thanks to her "immunity" (and was the person for whom he went to get the antidote).  Pete gives her the antidote and they talk.  He tells her about Carlie and about how he wishes he could've just once gotten the win (noting that Eddie was getting the credit).  MJ tells him to look at the Empire State Building, which is illuminated in Spidey colors (clearly as a result of JJJ, Jr.'s "call").

The Review

My main problem with this issue is that it feels pretty rushed.  Slott covers A LOT of ground, and the story suffers for it.  He does the best that he can, and it's not like it's not an enjoyable read.  But, the story moves so fast that you wind up skipping over some of the smaller, but still significant, moments while you try to keep track of the larger developments.

The Good

1) The clean-up scenes, with everyone reeling from his nakedness, were good fun.  I thought Clint, Misty, and T'Challa's conversation was particularly well done, given that I'm pretty sure a bunch of superheroes would just more or less stand naked, discussing recent events, while everyone else was somewhat panicked by his lack of pants.  (Angelica peeking through her fingers at Hercules was also great.  I mean, who wouldn't?)

2) I loved Eddie Brock being the hero of "Spider-Island."  As I said in my review of "Amazing Spider-Man" #672, I wanted "Spider-Island" to mean that people respected Spidey more.  Slott does a good job of letting us see that again in this issue, with the construction worker telling him he's good people and the Empire State Building lighting its lights in his honor.  But, at the end of the day, it's still Spidey.  He's never going to be recognized like Captain America, and Slott gets that.  It's just nice that he gave us a few moments before everything returns to normal.

3) I thought the Kaine part was handled well.  I mentioned throughout "Spider-Island" that Kaine's history as a murderous vigilante wasn't exactly something Marvel was going to be able to sweep under the rug like it never happened.  It's nice to see Slott acknowledge that here.  I'm hoping that his title is dedicated to him exploring his past and seeing whether he wants to be a hero in the mold of Spidey or a "hero" in the mold of the Punisher.  I think watching him on that journey could be really interesting.

The Mixed

1) I give Slott all the credit in the world for having SOMEONE figure out a superhero's identity.  Honestly, other than Tim Drake, I think Carlie Cooper is the only character I've seen do so.  However, I'm not entirely sure I buy the way it goes down.  Carlie really can't understand why Peter wouldn't tell her he's Spider-Man?  Comparing him to her criminal father and super-villain best friend feels like a serious stretch, particularly for someone as smart as Carlie.  Although I'm definitely Team MJ, I'm hoping that it's not this simple, that Carlie comes to her senses and realizes that Pete had a good reason to keep his identity secret.  Otherwise, it's a fairly ignominous end to a character I had finally started to like.  Moreover, it would seem almost a shame that we're not going to get to see Pete make a choice between Carlie and MJ.  I can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true.  I don't want him to chose MJ by default.  We'll see how it goes, I guess.

2) Speaking of Carlie, we find ourselves, when you take a step back, at essentially a pre-"Brand New Day" equilibrium here, or, to some extent,  even a pre-"Civil War" equilibrium.  The only people who know Peter is Spidey are the people to whom he's unmasked, but, now, the Dr. Strange/Iron Man/Mr. Fantastic mumbo-jumbo no longer works.  Carlie Cooper is gone and MJ is in the picture again.  It's not exactly the same, obviously; it's not like the deal with Mephisto was undone and Pete is suddenly married to MJ again.  But, if Pete were to get together with MJ again, it would be really difficult to distinguish this status quo from the previous one.  I actually like that Slott's toying with us in this way…but it's again something that we flash past as Slott's trying to put all the pieces in place.  (We don't even get Dr. Strange, just his astral projection, to learn about the defused mumbo-jumbo.)

The Bad

1) The revelation that the Jackal was still alive is exactly what I mean when I say that this issue feels rushed.  We see and hear him for only four panels.  It's a pretty big deal that the Jackal managed to survive "Spider-Island" and an even bigger deal that he essentially manipulated events so that he could harvest the Queen's DNA.  But, in his rush to move through the other plot items he's decided to raise in this issue, Slott presents all that information in just those four panels.   It undermines some of the credit that I gave Slott in my last review for killing the Jackal and the Queen, even if I knew they'd eventually return. 

2) We damn well better see JJJ, Jr. face SOME sort of repercussions for his actions, given that he escaped trying to assassinate Massacre without apparently even a slap on the wrist.  Slott makes no mention of Smythe here.  I'm assuming JJJ, Jr. didn't kill him or even the NYPD wouldn't have been able to let him leave the emergency center to meet Joe for a drink.  But, even if JJJ, Jr. isn't going to face some sort of scrutiny for his actions, Slott probably needs at some point to let us know that JJJ, Jr. is not, in fact, a murderer.

3) I know Slott's doing it to keep us reading, but I hated the stuff with Madame Web and Pete's upcoming loss.  I feel like we're meant to believe it's going to be Aunt May or MJ (or maybe Jay), and suddenly we ARE in the old status quo again, where the book is all about the danger Peter's loved ones face.  I trust Slott enough not to fall into the trap of constantly threatening us with their fates…but I trust him a little less after this issue.  Fingers crossed.

Final Thoughts

As I mention above, Slott really puts us in an interesting place at the end of this event.  He delivers us the Queen (one of the last open question marks from the "Brand New Day" change), returns Peter's Spider-Sense, ends the power of the "magic whammy," ditches Carlie, brings back MJ, and resurrects Kaine.  Suddenly, everything looks a lot different, a lot like it used to look, before "Brand New Day," before "Civil War."

I'm actually excited about most of the changes.  I think the "Scarlet Spider" series is going to be awesome, and I'm really glad Pete's Spider-Sense is back (particularly given its union with Pete's Spider-Fu).  I wasn't a fan of the mumbo-jumbo (even though it also accomplished something that had to be done, re-secreting Peter's identity) and I'm anxious to see how MJ fits into the coming months.  However, I'm less excited about some of the changes.  As I said above, I think Carlie is getting a raw deal if this issue is the last we see of her, particularly since she had actually started to grow on me, and I find Madame Web's vague warnings about Pete's upcoming loss to be more annoying than intriguing, paritcularly because they harken to the days of Aunt May and Mary Jane constantly being threatened (more or less the whole reason we got "Brand New Day" in the first place).

However, at the end of the day, I can live with some mild disappointment.  This event was a textbook example of how events are supposed to work.  These sort of cross-over extravaganzas started because it was fun to see the various superheroes interact with each other and work toward defeating a common enemy.  It's amazing the extent that writers have forgotten that they still need to tell a story that readers want to read (and understand).  The problem with "Fear Itself" was that it was too big to comprehend, with too many heroes and too many villains, and the story wasn't sufficiently interesting to make you want to put in the work of following everyone.  Slott returns us to the glory days of cross-over events.  By keeping the focus on Spidey, the story was easy to follow, even if you got all the tie-in issues, and, most importantly, fun and interesting to read.  Slott changed the entire status quo of Spidey's world, but it was easy not to realize that and just enjoy the fun.  "Amazing Spider-Man" is a stronger book because of it and when was the last time you could say that a cross-over event made a title better? 

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Avengers #19:  OK, because I'm still awash with the warm fuzzy feeling from "Spider-Island," I'll start with the good.

First, Hawkeye and Spider-Woman flirting makes me a happy camper.  Seriously, I love Mockingbird, but I can't say I ever felt their relationship the way I feel Hawkeye and Spider-Woman.  Something about it brings out the smart ass in Clint and an actual personality in Jessica, and I'm all for it.  Second, I think the idea of recruiting old friends was a good one.  The Avengers have been shaken to the core, have lost two founding members (the Wasp and Thor), and need a way to re-connect with who they were.  Along those lines, Cap's scenes with T'Challa are the best in the issue, and maybe the best Bendis has written in a while.  Reading them, I was excited by the prospect of him joining the team, along with some other old friends.  Maybe Captain Marvel?  Or Ant-Man?  I was excited to see.  Third, the art is great.  I really dig Acuna's painted style, because it conveys a lot of emotion that you don't get with just pencils.  Finally, thank freaking God that Spidey and Wolverine are no longer on both teams.  Maybe I can almost tell apart this title and "New Avengers" now.  OK, the good, there.

Now, unfortunately, the bad.  First, Quake?  Fucking Quake?  Second, I don't see why we continually need ten people on the roster.  On some level, the traditionalist in me wants five or six, no more.  But, more importantly, I just feel like this series is going to continue to be dominated by three or four characters, with occasional moments for the members of the back bench.  I mean, do we really believe that the Protector and Quake are going to contribute as much as Hawkeye and Red Hulk, let alone Cap and Tony?  Hawkeye himself barely managed to get in a few lines before "Fear Itself," and he only started recently getting them because of his relationship with Jessica.  Third, we don't really get any new friends.  Cap approaches the Black Panther, and he suggests Storm.  Done.  We do get Vision, but I'm so enraged by the fact he's just magically inserted into the comic that I can't really go there right now.  (I mean, he's clearly here just for the war with Ultron, right?)  In the end, we replace Spider-Man, Thor, and Wolverine with Quake, Storm, and Vision.  Um, OK.

If Bendis would've left out Quake, Storm, and Vision, you'd have the following team:  Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, the Protector, Red Hulk, and Spider-Woman.  I mean, there you go.  You've got a six-person team, and the Protector could actually be the newbie who manages to get some character development.  You get Spider-Woman, who can more than stand on her own on a team with five dudes, so the whole series doesn't devolve into a sausage feast.  Perfect.  I just don't understand why Bendis insists on these huge casts.  I mean, Storm?  QUAKE?

All that said, I'm still intrigued by the way Bendis is setting up the war with H.A.M.M.E.R.  Quake's conversation with Cap does a great job of building the tension, and I'm excited to see where it all goes.  The only problem is that I was also excited to see some character development along the way.  With nine characters on the full roster (plus Maria Hill), I'm guessing we're still going to get a non-stop slug-fest with everyone throwing out occasional one-liners.  [Sigh.]

Amazing Spider-Man #672: "Spider-Island" Part 6

***** (five of five stars)

Favorite Quote #1:  "YOWZA!  Now that's what I call a Spider-Woman!"  "Standing right here."  "Oops." -- Thing, (the real) Spider-Woman, and Thing, observing MJ's entrance

Favorite Quote #2:  "Ewww.  Stretchy neck.  That really freaks me out."  "No, it doesn't.  You've seen it a billion times."  "So?  You and Spider-Man?"  "Clone.  Just go with it." -- Kaine, Peter, Reed, and Peter, commenting on Peter's appearance at the side of Spider-Man

Favorite Quote #3:  "Wait.  You can't call 'dibs.'"  "Why not?  Why should you always get the best of everything?"  "Can't believe there were times I asked Aunt May for a little brother."  -- Spidey, Kaine, and Spidey, commenting on Kaine calling "dibs" on the stealth suit

Favorite Quote #4:  "C'mon, partner!  Parker Brothers away!"  "That is not our catchphrase.  We'd get sued."  -- Pete and Kaine, again with the banter

Favorite Quote #5:  "Hey, idiot.  Spider-Man never made you special.  Being Peter Parker makes you special!  So nerd up!  Be clever.  Build something!  Get us out of this!"  -- MJ, telling Pete to get his ass in gear and save the day

Favorite Quote #6:  "You said we needed a distribution system?  I have an app for that."  -- Spidey telling Reed he's using the octobots to distribute the cure

Favorite Quote #7:  "Ah!  Not liking this!  Every time this many heroes show up...someone always dies!  Usually a third-guy-from-the-right like me!"  "Focus, Gravity!  No one is dying today!"  "Well, not me!  I've got a brand new baby girl to come home to!"  "Why'd you have to say that, Luke?  Now you've jinxed it!"  -- Gravity, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, discussing why "Fear Itself" sucked

Summary
The issue begins with a different perspective on the ending of "Venom" #8, with a conversation between the Secretary of Defense and Steve Rogers' pilot narrating Steve and Venom's battle against the Queen, Venom "killing" the Queen, and the Queen being resurrected as an 28-storey-tall mutated tarantula calling herself "Spider-Queen."  At Horizon Labs, Reed and the Horizon Labs employees are attempting to enter Lab Six after Spidey's battle with the Tarantula.  Spidey has Kaine switch clothes with him (hoping a "half out of it" Eddie Brock doesn't see him unmask) so he doesn't have to explain to the Horizon Labs employees why Spider-Man is standing next to a "scruffier, longer-haired clone version of Peter Parker."  Before Reed et al. can enter, the perimeter alarm sounds.  They rush to investigate, finding MJ, who has led the people who had taken refuge at Our Lady of Saints Church to the safety of Horizon Labs.  Everyone observes that she's the only person left at Stage Two, and Reed hypothesizes it's "from all the years of being so...close...with Mr. Parker."  (Heh.)  They all then return to Lab Six, where they encounter Spider Man and an em-boxer-ed Pete, who sends everyone away so he and Spidey can build an "anti-Queen" suit.  In reality, Pete gives Kaine his stealth suit to block the Spider-Queen's sonic scream and the two head to confront her.  Along the way, they run into Madame Web, who informs Pete that the Spider-Queen is a god now, feeding off the Web of Life.  She reminds Pete that she has foreseen him killing the Spider-Queen, though he insists, as he and Kaine continue on their journey, he'll find another way.  The assembled Marvel Universe heroes protecting the various Spider-Sense Jammers observe the Queen's transformation and subsequent rampage and head to engage her.  Spidey and Kaine get there first, but Pete gets thrown at a wall by the Spider-Queen.  He's saved by MJ, who's with the assembled heroes as they arrive on the scene.  MJ encourages Pete to "nerd up," telling him that the heroes can handle the Spider-Queen but only he can save the day.  Pete has a brain wave and brings MJ to the superhuman evidence locker, where he retrieves Doc Ock's octobots.  The assembled heroes take on the Spider-Queen while MJ and Spidey head to the Empire State Building with the octobots.  Pete puts on Doc Ock's control helmet and dispatches the octobots first to Horizon Labs, where they fill up tubes of the cure, and then throughout the city to begin injecting the mutated tarantulas.  The assembled heroes continue battling the Spider-Queen, and Spidey tells Cap, who's surprised by the arrival of the octobots, that he and the assembled heroes have got to hold the line while Spidey inoculates all the mutated tarantulas.  The Spider-Queen begins losing powers as Pete takes more and more mutated tarantulas off the Web of Life, with MJ protecting him as he does so (and quietly telling him she loves him, which he doesn't hear).  Ms. Marvel and Kaine observe that the Spider-Queen is weaker and, using a move she developed with Spidey, Ms. Marvel hurls Kaine at the Spider-Queen.  He uses his stinger thingees to fly right through her, killing her.  Pete and MJ enjoy a moment on top of the Empire State Building, with Pete observing that everyone got to walk a mile in his shoes and MJ correcting him, telling him that they only got the wall-crawling parts, with everything that matters still being unique to him.  (Awww...)

The Review

So...much...awesomeness.  It was hard not to compare this event to "Fear Itself," given that it did everything "Fear Itself" didn't do.  First, Slott did a masterful job pulling together the plot points of all the previous issues (including the tie-in issues), delivering a conclusion that felt like the logical culmination of the various storylines that ran through his event...whereas "Fear Itself" just sort of ended, ignoring almost all the events happening in the numerous tie-in issues.  Second, Slott used the event to tell a story about the main hero, revealing why he's unique and why's he's the heart and soul of Marvel Comics...whereas Fraction killed his two main heroes.  At the same time, Slott used the various secondary and tertiary characters to great effect, with even Gravity getting in a funny one-liner...whereas everyone in "Fear Itself" just seemed to stand together in a group and watch the events unfold.  Third, Slott sets up several future stories here, everything from where Peter's relationships with Carlie and MJ are going to go to how Kaine is going to find a new place in the world...whereas "Fear Itself" pretty much returned everything to the way it was, but took three epilogue issues to do it.  Finally, as the SEVEN "Favorite Quotes" show, these issues were FUN and exciting...whereas "Fear Itself" was maudlin and dull.  I hated "Fear Itself" and I hate it all the more reading this event and seeing how well it was done.

The Good

1) Wow, the Queen did kill the Jackal, and the heroes killed the Queen.  As Gravity said, I was half expecting someone to die in this issue, because Marvel just can't seem to have an event without killing a hero.  But, Slott only kills the two people who pretty much had to die.  I mean, I don't believe for a minute that the Jackal won't appear again one day, given the number of clones of him that exist.  But, his "death" and the Queen's death both made sense in the context of the story and didn't feel like cheap stunts meant to make the event "mean" something.  (I'm looking at you, Fraction.) 

2) I thought using the conversation between the Secretary of Defense and Steve Rogers' pilot to recap the events of "Venom" #8 was really clever.

3) Um, seriously, Ramos can draw naked Peter Parkers forever in my book. Sexiness!  I'm so glad they put him on this event.  So much of the energy and fun of this event came from him.  I mean, the conversation recapped in "Favorite Quote" #2 was so great in part because of the faces Ramos drew, hilariously conveying Peter's annoyance at Kaine and Kaine's disgust at Reed's "stretchy neck."  Ramos also drew amazing battle scenes, like the one where Gravity, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage have their conversation in "Favorite Quote" #7.  Ramos delivered the whole package, and this event wouldn't have been as amazing without him.

4) Speaking of Peter Parkers plural, I thought everything with Kaine was great in this issue (as you can tell from his prominent role in the extensive "Favorite Quotes" section above).  I don't know how, but I really didn't see coming that Kaine, and not Peter, would fulfill Madame Web's prophecy that "Spider-Man" would kill the Queen.  It seems so obvious now, but the fact that I didn't anticipate it shows just how good Slott is at playing his cards close to his chest, making the reveal all the more exciting.  But even the smaller moments, like the two of them switching costumes at Horizon Labs, were great.  Slott does an amazing job of selling Kaine as a character in his own right, making him similar to Peter in the good ways (sense of humor, sexiness) but also different in intriguing ways (sense of doom, lethalness).  As I've said before, Kaine has always been a hodge-podge character subject to the whims of every new author.  Slott himslf take some liberties here, gives him a relationship more akin to the one Peter had with Ben.  (I certainly don't remember them being this chummy, given that, you know, Kaine was usually trying to kill him.  But, I'm sure as hell not re-reading the "Clone Saga" to fact-check the characterization.)  In the end, though, I'll allow it, because it's giving us a cool new character, an alternate vision of Peter Parker, that should be fun to explore.

5) Slott once again works in previous plot developments, like the octobots from "Amazing Spider-Man" #600 and the stealth suit and Peter working in the nude from "Amazing Spider-Man" #650.  He is just so good at this.  I thought the use of the octobots was particularly inspired.  I was wondering how Slott was going to have Peter cure the infected persons AND defeat the Spider-Queen.  I love that Slott answered both question by tying them together.  Brilliant.  It made perfect sense, since Slott had made sure we understood that the Queen's power came from the Web of Life by mentioning it in several issues.  As such, it didn't come from left field, feeling like a deus ex machina, but instead a logical conclusion to the story.

6) I actually loved MJ's Peter Parker immunity.  Was it a little childishly funny (like Ben thought)?  Yes.  Was it still funny?  Yes.  I can't believe Slott got it past the editors.

7) Speaking of MJ, I love everything about her here.  I loved her saving Peter, I loved her telling him to "nerd up" (and having that inspire him to have the idea that saved the day), I loved her telling Peter she loved him.  Slott hasn't used MJ so well in the past, often portraying her as a nag for most of his tenure.  But, in this arc, he really gives us one of the better characterization of her since "Brand New Day" started and I applaud him for it.  She serves the role she used to serve, propelling Peter into action when his doubts get the better of him.  (She was also the one to send him into the Bryant Park fray in "Amazing Spider-Man" #668.)  I could be all for a Peter-MJ-Carlie love triangle (assuming it's well done).  After all, as it says up top, we're Team MJ here, no matter how much I've started liking Carlie.  You need nothing more than this arc to remind you why.

8) I like how Slott brings in the Queen storyline, probably the last one not to be revisited since "Brand New Day" began.  He also took some of the work that had been done by other authors -- namely, Guggenheim's Raptor story and Kelly's "Grim Hunt" arc -- in revisiting the "Clone Saga" and brought it to a new place, giving us a resurrected and revived Kaine.  We've largely moved past the fallout of the deal with Mephisto that gave us "Brand New Day," but it's always nice to get confirmation that the past is what we thought it was.

9) I thought, given Parker luck, when Peter announced that he was going to save everyone, that MJ was going to die or something.  Instead, Slott actually lets him do it.  It's one of the things that I've liked the most about Slott's run:  he's no longer letting the Parker luck be an excuse for having Peter always face tragic consequences to his heroic actions.  Sometimes, he actually lets Peter get the win.  Awesome.

10) Similarly, I liked that Kaine won the day.  I mean, he even got to swing in front of the flag and that totally makes him a hero!  I also liked that he gave the credit to Peter.  As I've said throughout this arc, I was hoping that the events of "Spider-Island" would mean that people would appreciate Peter more and we definitely see that here.  I mean, you essentially get every Marvel superhero in play JUST to buy Peter time to save the day.  Along those lines, I loved MJ telling Peter that people only got to walk a mile in his wall-crawling shoes, that everything that makes him unique was still his.  Awesome.  It's exactly what I wanted someone to say, though I couldn't quite put my finger on how I wanted it said.  It essentially sums up the whole event, showing that anyone can get Spider-Powers, but only our man Pete can be Spidey.  Slott has focused on his awesomeness before (in "Amazing Spider-Man" #600, in fact, when he uses his brains to defeat Doc Ock).  I'm glad he does it again here.

The Bad

1) We never found out how the Jackal maintained his knowledge of Peter's identity even after the Iron Man/Mr. Fantastic/Dr. Strange mumbo-jumbo.  I feel like this lack of explanation is the biggest oversight of this arc, though I'm wondering if Slott is going to wrap up this loose end in the epilogue.

2) If the Jackal knowing Pete's secret identity is the biggest oversight, the fact that I'm still not sure how the Spider-Sense Jammers created a psychic barrier quarantining New York (that somehow also didn't affect the Queen) is the second biggest.  This one is even more essential to the plot.  I feel like I might get it if I re-read the event, but I feel like Slott probably should've made it a little clearer if, after 20-something issues, I still don't get it.