Hex's Profile

I think this is the weakest issue of this run. Not to say it's bad, it's still enjoyable read, but not on level of previous issues. Since it is mostly fighting.

I do like how well Kelly wrote Peter here. He seems to have a good grasp on his voice.

But JRJR was a disappointment. The blueprint is still there, I love how his makes the story move from panel to panel. It lacks foc us. But if his inker currently is undergoing cancer treatment, I can't be too hard on the art.more

The art brings the issue down. Story is great. More allusions to May's deteriorating health that Peter is too oblivious or preoccupied to notice. The colorist JRJR has really saved a lot of his work so they will continue to get compliments from me. Hellgate's design sucks though.

At least Ultimate Spiderman is interesting... I knew this was basically a comic previewing upcoming spiderman stories. It's all crap though.

Ultimate Spiderman and Superior Spiderman are good, but they have not much to do with what's in here. I hate Zebs Wells Peter Parker, it's the worst take on the character that has ever been in comics, I hate what's happened to Ben Reilly, and now they want to screw with Kaine. Why revert to degenerating again? He's progressed beyond that. It's like all the writers know about the characters is a quick Wikipedia scan. How do these people even get jobs as writers? Tell better stories Marvel. You won't get my money for the crap you put out, and I advise others to skip the garbage they hinted at here.

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There's a new sheriff in town. By that I mean a new top mobster who has taken over, much to the surprise of the other crime lords and Batman, who learns about by threatening a scared punk, way to stay on top of things Bruce.

Also, Fraction writes a diatribe about the death of the daily newspaper industry. I have news for him, daily newspapers started dying after WW2. Most big cities wer e down to one paper long before the Internet or cable news.

Also Bruce meets a wacky female scientist. I am sure humorous adventures will ensue but she will also play some major role in fraction's long term plan. Her brother will be the masked villain or something like that. I really look forward to a story where the villlain is a complete stranger to the hero.

Also, story elements that should be huge are dropped. The cop shooting, Gordon as a beat cop, Tim Drake and whatever he's up that's the problem. These elements were set up opin previous issues, only to disappear. This story arc is running in Six different directions all at once. The result is not much gets done in any issue. Even writing for the trades, this is real molasses territory.

Good art. Scattershot story. Or I could be wrong.more

Batman read like what I hate most. Boring low rent Tom King. We just pick up new storylines because we feel like focusing on those at this time. Gone is the Minotaur. The joker. The ninjas. All gone. Instead we get Alan Scott who not long ago was trolling for ass at docks. And coffee chats with Batman. I almost fell asleep 3 times reading this book.
Poison ivy is mayor ? She’s kill ed as many as savage who is also an elected official. This issue was a huge miss after last issue which was also flat. But at least that one kept my attention. Just awful stuff. Get this title back on track and enough side quests. Avoid this comic. more

Did I miss something? The entire Joker thing from last issue was forgotten. Now we have Poison Ivy is mayor and Vandal Savage is still commissioner. I am serious, when did Ivy become mayor? What kind of buildup went into that?

Something like a major super villain becoming mayor should be talked about. Bruce/Batman not being able to stop that goes to show just ineffective he is. The vill ains are really winning, and the people of Gotham are really stupid.

Bats spends most of the issue talking to Alan Scott Green Lantern about Savage. The whole thing which took pages would have happened in a single page when I was young and kids stayed off my lawn. When we first see Scott he’s walking through Chinatown and is accosted by a gang of thugs. They are dressed like cliched coolies. Not a good look.

This issue is, again, all set up. Again the writer is going six directions all at once. That may work writing for the trades, but this isn’t a trade. It’s a monthly book and the result is a lot of money spent on an issue where nothing happens.

Also Batman having coffee in a diner not attracting a thousand people taking photos with phones because someone tweeted it just wouldn’t happen in this in this day and age. I wish the writer would realize it’s 2026 and make the appropriate adjustments to his plot. I’ve mentioned this before but it stands.

I will give credit for Savage calling Batman and sidekicks a cult. As written now, he’s not wrong.

Overall the issue is a treadmill going nowhere.

Or I could be wrong.more

This was astounding. This could have had so much more importance to the history of Spider-Man and it's a shame nothing really came from it.

I can't believe Aunt May still hasn't been told Peter is Spider-Man. That's not an issue with this story, it's editorial's fault but still ridiculous. This was a good wrap up to a fun story. Very reminiscent of older 80s and 90s storytelling. Small arc, not bearing a ton of weightiness to it. Can be read in a vacuum or as a part of the larger whole. I think Spider-Man works best like that.

Larraz is amazing and the MVP here. Otherwise, this was really fine. Nothing groundbreaking, but enjoyable read.

Solid writing and art all around. Would be more excited for what comes next if not for knowing JRJR is back. A lot of this first arc has been elevated by the incredible art. What happens when the writing doesn't have quality art to lean back on?

I'm having a blast reading this. Is it peak Spider-man? No. Is it better than more recent non Ultimate Spider-man? Absolutely.

I'm enjoying this book a lot more than I thought I would. Big up Joe Kelly! Pepe Larraz is aa big portion of that enjoyment because he delivered absolutely gorgeous art. Kudos to Marte Gracia on colors!

The potentially retconning flashbacks/drug induced hallucinations make me a little frustrated because that's not how I want Peter to have been with May and Ben but it's very realistic. I did very similar things as a kid and it's written with real weight. It doesn't feel artificial. Kelly is doing good work here.

I liked this! The run still continues to be very solid and I remain interested what happens next! I've missed ASM being consistently good....

I cannot stress enough that the art in this arc is phenomenal. There are some incredibly well composed pages in this issue that blow me away. The writing is solid too. The plot is coming together, I like how this all feels genuinely planned out unlike a lot of arcs under Lowe's tenure. There were subtle hints towards the reveal in this issue about what exactly was the cause of Rhino's poisoning in the previous issues, and if you picked up on them, it's so satisfying to have it confirmed.more

I like that we're getting more exploration with Itsy Bitsy and the amazing dynamic between Peter and Norman. Also cool to have something of a mystery/ detective work. Nice when Spider-Man does Batman things and gets ginseng in trouble.

ASM: Writing is good. Art is bad. Nothing really... happens. Which is a cop out of a review but Spider-Man fights a guy and he disappears. That's it. That's the issue. Not even sure if he'll ever come back.

Nothing here begs me to keep reading, though nothing here is bad, either. Except JRjr's art.