Can Spencer duplicate his success with the first issue? Will MJ decide that she can’t take being with a superhero again? Will Hypno Hustler show up? The answers to those questions are No Yes No, but not necessarily in that order! Read on as Dark Mark reviews Back to Basics part 2!
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Story Title: Back to Basics: Part 2
Writer: Nick Spencer
Penciler: Ryan Ottley
Inker: Cliff Rathburn
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover Artist: Ryan Ottley and Laura Martin
Designer: Anthony Gambino
Asst. Editor: Kathleen Wisneki
Editor: Nick Lowe
Published: July 25, 2018
Remedial ASM 101
Peter lost his doctorate degree that he never earned and now has to take classes with Curt Connors, A.K.A. the Lizard, to earn it back! And MJ’s back. And they love each other. And they are not constantly fighting or having MJ tell Peter that someone else is perfect for him.
The Story – Pay Attention, This Will Be on the Test
Spidey comes out swinging to stop MAN MOUNTAIN MARKO and THE RINGER from robbing a… book fair! And on top of it all, Spidey supports literacy so he gave them two books so that they could read while in jail. Peter and Mary reassure fans that they are together and that it is for the long haul and that MJ won’t run away to a fireman or Iron Man because she can’t bear to be with someone who risks his life. Peter goes to class where we learn that the Lizard is his teacher, but Conners has control of it with an inhibitor chip (but encased in adamantium so he doesn’t go all Doc Ock on the world). Due to the money the college gets off of his grants, he is allowed to continue teaching.
His current field of study is using the Isotope Genome Accelerator (I believe the name of the device was already established in the Spider-Man: Final Adventure, but I’m not going back into that story just to confirm it) in an effort to separate his human DNA and his lizard DNA. Taskmaster and Black Ant burst in to steal it, Peter uses science to mask his costume change and saves the day. Then he turns around and helps up Peter Parker?!?!?!
What Passed:
Hmmmm….
Man Mountain Marko & The Ringer robbing a book fair – this is just awesome. I love how in Spencer’s world, the villains support each other and occasionally the hero too! And since Spencer called out the Ringer is also a great website, I thought I’d post a link for you here.
Mary Jane and Peter are set for long-term – this isn’t a fool the fans moment. Plus, Ottley puts in an MJ montage just for our very own Chi-Town Spidey.
Task Master & Black Ant – Boy did they pick the wrong day to rob ESU. Plus, BLACK ANT! Eric O’Grady is the perfect character for Spencer to stick in here. Black Ant is the LMD of Eric O’Grady, the Irredeemable Ant Man. If you are unfamiliar with him, then you are going to love our homework assignment coming up!
The art team – spot on again, and I think even better!
Peter using science, Spidey kicking butt! ‘Nuff said!
Pretty much the whole issue!
OOTI (Onomatopoeia of the Issue) – Because fans demanded it! (well, only PeterParkerFan demanded it, but that’s close to plural!)
On a scale of 1 (POW) to 10 (BLRKBQRKPQRBLNB), Krak! rates a 4.5.
What Failed:
Nothing. Absolutely nothing failed. If I had to nit-pick on something, I would say that it sounds like Peter is getting ready for his first class AFTER learning about the Lizard reveal in the last comic, but once we got there, it seems that it was at the SAME TIME as the big Lizard reveal. That and the big game hunting PSA on the first page was a bit odd.
Analysis:
Many of us older readers have a nostalgic soft spot in our hearts for the hokey ‘70s stories. Aunt May getting married to Doc Ock? Spidey with six arms? The Spider-mobile? These stories are absurd, but we remember them fondly. I’ve always felt that there is no real way to recapture that sort of crazy “Hey, comics are going out of business any day now, so let’s just have fun with it until there is no more paycheck!” feel of the stories being produced. Comics are more sophisticated now and we just can’t make those sort of stories fly. I am happy to say that Spencer has shown me that I was wrong. Boomerang is Peter’s roomie? The Lizard is Peter’s professor? Yet, he makes them fit enough in today’s more sophisticated manner that it works!
This is only the third issue (counting FCBD), so this is a bit early to tell, but Spencer’s pacing is very compressed compared to that of Bendis or Slott, who can draw a story out. I feel like I got a full Taskmaster and Black Ant story in this issue and, oh hey! Spidey and Peter? I’ll pick up the next issue to read that one. That is a very ‘80s style of pacing. Plus, the character interactions feel decidedly ‘80s, which is a huge boon for me.
Roll this into Spencer’s knack for writing C and D list villains and these comics are fun! Spencer said in an interview that the Peter/MJ thing is not a set up. He wants to tell a story that fans will love, not that fans will react to. You want Peter to be smart and responsible, here you go! You want MJ? Here you go! You want street-level Spidey? Here you go!
I am excited for the romance between Peter and MJ. I am excited to see how Spidey is going to get out of this crazy situation. I am excited to see the next D-lister.
I AM EXCITED ABOUT COMICS AGAIN.
Homework
You are required to go to Marvel Unlimited and read the 12 issues of The Irredeemable Ant Man for background reference. There will be a test and it will be on the final exam. You should take notes. You should also, after doing so, come back to this post and put in a comment in the comment section about how awesome a homework assignment this was. If you do not wish to post a comment, build a diorama and send us a pic of it.
Extra Credit
Tell us which C/D List villain YOU want to see Spencer write.
Final Grade
This is everything I want in a comic book about Spider-Man. Another home run for Spencer and Ottley!
A
Your Turn:
What grade do YOU give it?
What’s Next?
Things are crazy for Spider-Man. His personal life is in turmoil AND the giant TRI-SENTINEL has returned to attack NYC!
Not a big fan of the Tri-Sentinel, but in Spencer’s hands – I CAN’T WAIT FOR IT!
Nick Lowe has asked people to let the Spider office know how they are doing by sending an email to spideyoffice@marvel.com and to make sure you mark it “OK to print”. If you get published, make sure to draw our attention to it!
‘Nuff Said!
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
Pandora
Amazon Music
iHeartRadio
Podbean
Amazon Alexa
Player.fm
Listen Notes
Stitcher
@Jason – Hey, that’s OK! You can still contribute to the conversation, even if it is a few weeks late! My LCS is too far away as well. My other comics sit in the the subscription box for weeks until I’m down by that way to pick them up. I get AMS online so that I can put out the reviews and get digital captures of panels I like to put in the reviews.
That idea of another person being in the mask jumped into my head too as a possibility.
@Justin
I hate being behind on the reviews as well. My “local” shop is 30 minutes away and for the three books I get a month, it doesn’t pay to go every week. So by the time I get to read the “latest” issue, everyone has moved on.
I honestly thought it was Hobey or Clayton (I forget which) disguised as Spider-Man. I didn’t think the device would create a whole new person.
@Marcus Alford and Adam Schingle —
I now recall the Lizard’s transforming his [cloned] wife and son into lizards, and I remember that I found that final panel showing their family quality time rather disturbing. No wonder I forgot about it. Yay, repression!
@Know-it-All Vic
I got more of a “Captain Kirk split into two people” vibe.
@Marcus Alford and Adam Schingle — You guys are not going to believe this, but I completely forgot about Clone Conspiracy. Well, actually, maybe you will believe it. Thanks!
Yeah and to my understanding, the last we saw of them was that they were living in the sewers as one big happy lizard family.
So you know what’s worse than clone flour? Reptilian clone flour.
@Evan
The short answer is that they were both brought back as clones in Clone Conspiracy, and Curt gave them the Lizard formula to prevent them from degenerating. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
@Mark and PeterParkerFan —
Forgive my confusion, but didn’t the Lizard eat Billy in Shed? Has something happened since then that resulted in Billy’s return? I had thought his wife was dead, too, but I tried to forget Shed after I read it.
Yay! Onomatopoeia! And a great review, too! But onomatopoeia!
@Shaun – I’ll have to pick that up on Marvel Unlimited!
@Sinclair – I thought that as well. If Know-It-All Vic says it too, then that golden! You can’t just get a title like Know-It-All unless you’ve proven yourself, you know.
@Know-It-All Vic – I did see some sketches of Richard Pryor on Ottley’s Instagram page….
@PeterParkerFan – I assume that they are still Lizards living in the sewer and that the push for the Accelerator is really a push to get them back.
Another A+ issue from Spencer and Ottley! Loved the Peter/MJ dynamic (Spencer writes them well) and the action parts with Spider-Man.
Though I wonder how’re Dr. Connors’ wife and son doing? IIRC, he turned them into Lizards to stop them from dying.
@William Sinclair That’s my bet, too. So… Superman 3? =P
Fight banter I actually enjoyed? Genuinely charming character dynamics? MJ and Peter talking about their problems and being willing to work through them? Yeah, a totally solid issue once again. Also, I’m assuming that the reverse-engineered Isotope Genome Accelerator was the cause of the doubles we see at the end?
Remender’s Secret Avengers would be good to add to the homework, it really gets into the LMD part.
Justin, Chase the Blues Away, and Chi-Town –
@ Justin – I love my LCS, although it isn’t very local. In order to do the reviews, I’ve been getting my issues on Comixology. I still use my LCS for my non review stuff, but if Spencer keeps hitting it out of the park like this, and you don’t *have* to have the hard copy, then I would say grab it online!
@ Chase the Blues Away – You and me both! I had quit the title to save money (why spend it on bad comics?) right before BD asked me to review it. I am so glad that I feel like I am getting my money’s worth! I hope he keeps up the pacing so that I feel like I get an actual story each time I pay for a comic. And I’d love to see the Spot with Spencer too!
@ Chi-Town – I couldn’t agree more with you agreeing with me! 🙂 I’m walking around singing the “Everything Is Awesome” song!
Ugh. Not being able to pick up my issue until the Friday of the relevant week is hard in the age of internet.
I loved this issue, and this review is absolutely spot on. (Speaking of, I’d like to see Soencer take on the Spot.)
It was a pleasure to spend money on Amazing Spider-Man this morning. Something I never thought I’d say, much less do, during the last ten years.
“Mary Jane and Peter are set for long-term – this isn’t a fool the fans moment. Plus, Ottley puts in an MJ montage just for our very own Chi-Town Spidey.”
Your damn right he did! LOL! Great review Mark. This issue was solid! I’m loving Spencer and the ride he’s taking us on. I haven’t felt this good in a decade and Amazing is on my pull list! Spidey is back where he should be. Mary Jane is back where she should be! Everything is just PERFECT in this issue!