Amazing Spider-Man Vol 5 #2/#803 Review: The Bogenrieder Perspective

“You failed, by the way. Your parents are disappointed and wondering why you couldn’t be more like your cousin. She got into Brown.”

OH NO, DOCTOR CONNOR’S CLASS.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 5 #2 (Lgy #803.)

“Back to Basics, Pt 2”

Writer: Nick Spencer

Pencils: Ryan Ottley

Inks: Cliff Rathburn

Colors: Laura Martin

Editor: Nick Lowe

Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

Plot:

After a page of African hunting that not-so-subtly teases Kraven the Hunter, we find Spider-Man fighting the Ringer and Man Mountain Marko. After beating the crap out of them, he buys two books from the book fair they were trying to rob. (Aw, how nice!) We then transition to him lying in bed with MJ, with him expositing to us why she’s the greatest love interest. However, she convinces him to get out of bed, reminding him that OH NO DOCTOR CONNOR’S CLASS. (I’ll stop.)

So, yeah, the Lizard is Peter’s teacher. As opposed to the cover, Doctor Connors is actually in control of the Lizard, having surgically implanted an adamantium-coated inhibitor chip in his neck to paralyze the Lizard in the event that he goes out of control. (It would be a SHAME if something happened to characters wearing inhibitor chips, hmmmm?) The class also has their hands on the Isotope Genome Accelerator, which, if you recall from Spider-Man: Final Adventure (God help your soul if you managed to keep it while reading that dreck) gave the spider that bit Peter the radiation that enabled his powers to manifest; Doctor Connors, however, has been trying to use it to separate the lizard DNA in his body.

But enough of that, I want to see things break!

Crime duo Taskmaster and Black Ant (Heck yeah!) break into the lab, searching for the Accelerator. Lizard tries to stop them, but the inhibitor chip stops him. (A shame, hmmm?) Peter manages to provoke Taskmaster into throwing him near a chemistry table, where he combines chemicals to create a smokescreen. Using this distraction, he changes into Spider-Man and easily beats them, and helps up a fallen… Peter Parker?! (What a tweeeest!)

Thoughts:

After the high praise I gave Nick Spencer, you’d think that I’d be fully optimistic and ready to just take the series all the way to the end. Nothing can stop Spencer, right? Well, after ten years or so of getting the rug pulled out from underneath you, I’m a little cautious. Was Spencer’s first issue just a fluke, or was it a deliberate attempt to make us complacent?

I’m happy to say that this isn’t the case, and I feel safe knowing I placed my bets right with Spencer on ASM.

Let’s start off with the negatives, just because they’re few and far between and more nitpicks than anything. The first page, while being a nice tease for Kraven the Hunter, doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the issue, nor does it seem to have anything to do with the upcoming issues that have been solicited so far. (I’d say that the Tri-Sentinel was to throw us off, but given pages from the next issue were shown at SDCC, it’s gonna be legit.) It just seems to be there, with no purpose. Another nitpick, and I know all you Mary Jane fans are pointing sharp objects at me now, but Ryan Ottley’s renders of her lips are a little weird, at least at certain angles, which might have to do with the more geometric style he draws with. (Though Ryan Ottley has gone on record and admits that he’s still working on improving, so I’m willing to give him a pass.)

Aside from that? It was a fantastic experience.

The highlight for me was the character interactions. Peter and MJ are obviously the big win today, and it’s something I’ve missed for a long time and has made a comforting warmth in my cold dark heart. (I haven’t felt anything ever since I started college, so it’s nice to feel again.) Contrast this with Peter and Bobbi’s relationship, where there was no cuddling, no real love, no anything; it was hollow and I felt nothing. Even though I’m not one of those people who read the book simply for the marriage, it’s a very important to me that they get back together. It’s nice to root for a couple as opposed to begging them to break up, and now that I’m fairly convinced that MJ is the new love interest for the long haul, I’m thinking celebrations are in order. It’s also important to note that Spencer seems to be taking pot shots at Slott again, as he makes a very big point to emphasize she’s THE girl for Peter. (A plot point, methinks?)

Another major win for Spencer is this issue’s villain(s): the duo of Black Ant and Taskmaster, who have become somewhat inseparable since Slott joined them at the hip during Avengers: The Initiative. (Which is yet another case of “Slott makes something and everybody else makes it better”, but Slott at least made that a fun new dynamic and it was before I was called a contrarian for liking Slott’s writing.) As a huge fan of Eric O’Grady and his Irredeemable Ant-Man tenure, (As well as Remender’s Secret Avengers where he became Black Ant and explains the whole LMD thing) it was good to see the two partner back up together. Spencer used them together during HydraCap and Secret Empire, and they have excellent chemistry with each other. Though Black Ant making a joke about how “your parents are disappointed” is a bit too real and hard-hitting for me, so after this review I’m probably going to sit down and rethink my life.

It was also a nice character moment for Peter to be nice to his villains. I’m not adverse to Spider-Man, when it calls for it, lashing out and being aggressive towards his rogues, but him being nice to his villains is a nice touch, especially obscure ones like Man Mountain Marco and Ringer, who really don’t even come close to Peter’s power level. (And as somebody who hates powerleveling, I’m willing to admit that Man Mountain Marko and Ringer are way out of Peter’s weight class.)

It’s also nice that Spencer even remembers these C and D-list villains even exist, and that he’s using lower-tier villains instead of simply recycling Doc Ock, Green Goblin and Venom over and over again. We’re getting the Tri-Sentinel– let me repeat, the Tri-damn-Sentinel– again, along with Black Ant, a character who only Spencer seems to remember.

Is Spencer’s second issue better than his first? Not sure, I’m still on the high of reading a great comic, which is a great indicator of how this run is turning out. I’m excited to be moving forward, and the fact that I’m actually excited for what’s coming is a testament to how good this has been so far. But so far, Spencer seems to be hitting consecutive home runs, and potentially getting better with each issue. Please, Spencer, take me money. You’re earning it.

Final Grade: A