The Amazing Spider-Man #682, by Marc Alan Fishman – Snarky Synopsis | @MDWorld

April 2, 2012 Marc Fishman 0 Comments

Written by Dan Slott
Art by Stefano Caselli and Frank Martin Jr.

For those who follow my articles over on ComicMix, it should come as no surprise to see me start in on this spidey-book. For those who don’t follow me over there… shame on you. But I digress. Recently it came to pass that I’ve grown weary of DC, and wanted to expand my horizons to Marvel. Admittedly, I’ve never been a ‘Marvel Zombie’. I steer clear of their epic crossovers. I merely dip my toe into their waters, tepidly, to partake of very specific books. Given the track record of Fantastic Four/FF, and Invincible Irons Man, I decided to take the plunge into Spider-Man’s repertoire. What did I have to lose aside from a few bucks? Given that the series has a pretty “noob” friendly arc starting with issue #682, I’ve hopped aboard. Suffice to say, I’m glad I did.

Up until now, my exposure to Dan Slott’s work has been limited at best. I loved his Arkham Asylum: Living Hell series. Past that? I’ve only heard good things. My slate was essentially blank when hopping into this 616 approved Spider-tale. The book itself moves briskly, and for those (like myself) that know nothing of the recent history of the book, all the beats are put front and center. Quite smartly I should add. Aside from a little plot detail involving some fallout of “Spider-Island”, this book brings any new fan up to speed without making it an impossible info-dump.

As it stands, Peter Parker is a research scientist for New Horizons labs, earning a living, and loving it. As I’ve griped before, I never understood how a guy with the genius to design web fluid, and all the other Spider-gadgets, couldn’t figure a way to pay his rent… this offers the best possible solution. It’s great angst when Petey is in high school or college. But presumably now in his late 20’s or even early 30’s, Slott is very right to put him in adult job. J. Jonah Jameson is apparently mayor of New York now, and in spite of the loftier title, is still very much after the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. Of course now he has cops, and guns and stuff, instead of bylines and op-ed columns. And last but not least, MJ appears to be just Peter’s object of affection, not holy-wedded-wife. That one I knew about. But for those who didn’t, you’re up to speed now.

But where is all this headed? The cover makes it very apparent. We’re at the Ends of the Earth! It would seem that Doc Oc isn’t the man he used to be. As I learned in Iron Man a few issues back, Oc is slowly dying from a terminal disease (brought on via super-villainy? I don’t know…). “Ends of the Earth” is his master-plan enacted with his sextet of sinister sycophants. Electro, Chameleon, Rhino, Sandman, and Mysterio (who also had a terminal disease way back in a Daredevil arc by Kevin Smith… right?) are all present for the issue, despite having nothing to do other than pose for the camera. Doc’s evil plan? His network of efficiently placed lenses in orbit around the Earth can speed up global warming 100 fold. Instead of holding the world ransom, he means only to save it from itself. He sends his research to the glut of smartypants scientists around the globe to check his math. He’ll help use his device to reflect the sun away from the Earth, and prevent the decay that is already happening due to our own pollution and misdoings. Noble, eh? Of course we all know this is in tandem to a plot to kill Spider-Man. And now we have a series!

Much like the Fantastic Four of late, this “epic” yarn is confined only to The Amazing Spider-Man series (and 1 other book for an epilogue, according to the checklist on the back page). I’m beyond happy to see this. A very accessible story to bring me into the world of Spider-Man, pitting him against 6 of his deadliest foes (OK… like 3 Deadly, 2 Kinda Deadly, and Chameleon), to save the world? And I don’t have to buy 172 crossover books to enjoy it? Hell to the yes, kiddos.

Slott’s writing is smooth and crisp like a good beer. OK, I don’t drink beer, but I saw a picture of Slott online, and I think he does. His dialogue is varied, and no two voices sound the same (unlike a Kevin Smith who only writes 1 character, and has it divided amongst a larger cast). Peter/Spidey has a real charm, and wit about him. Octavius is menacing, and overtly dramatic. J. Jonah Jameson is the same 1-dimensional buffoon he always is. The plot moves quickly, and if I had only one gripe… it’d be Slott’s ham-fisted allegories peppered throughout the book. Note to you Dan: No one is humming “It’s the End of the World and We Know It” anymore. It comes across like “motifs in short fiction for dummies”, and could have been done with a defter hand. Spider-Man can be a little cheesy, I concede, but in a few places throughout the issue, I had to stop and shake my head a bit. It was like getting Kraft American slices when I wanted a nutty Gruyere.

On art, we get Stefano Caselli doing both pencils and inks, with Frank Martin Jr. on colors. Caselli is at the top of his game here, for sure. His Spider-Man contorts and twists on the page with real fluidity. The extra work put into the details on Doc Oc’s disheveled facade is pitch perfect. His style… a smattering of hard outer contour lines combined with cartoony-nuance in the interiors ultimately presents itself as slick and refined. His characters ooze their emotions perfectly throughout. No doubt this book aims right at the hearts of teens and their ilk, and Caselli rides the rails between Manga and Western Art perfectly. Frank Martin Jr.’s colors are solid, but perhaps a bit too cheeky. He loves to add the extra glow to just about any page with a reflective surface. His palate is also too extreme. Scenes seem to be bathed in monochromatic colors at times, and I found them all to be a bit too vibrant. Given the target audience for the book though, I give it a pass.

So, Spider-Man’s first jaunt into my pull box is a success. Dan Slott’s story is as deep as a wading pool to start, but it’s got moxie enough to pull it off. The balance of action to angst is right where it needs to be. The art compliments the story to make a very slick end-product. Perfect for anyone wanting to jump aboard a new book, “The Ends of the Earth” has started off with a great opening drive. Let’s hope Slott has the wherewithal to keep the score in his favor.