Spider-Man's Amazing Friends Review: Spider-Gwen #2

Spider-Gwen #2: Spider-Gwen has what I refer to as "super hero hangover". That's what happens when a super hero gets the crap kicked out of them so bad that they end up feeling hung-over the next day, and wallowing around feeling terrible, sorry for themselves and shamed. You know, like having an honest to God hangover. Add to this, some heavy stuff with Captain Stacey, a cartoon pig, and you've got a pretty jam packed issue!
The Good: There's a LOT going on this issue, but guess what? It's never overwhelming or confusing or tough to follow or unbelievable in the least. Gwen wakes up on a garbage barge after battling The Vulture and she's pretty beat-up. Luckily, Spider-Ham is there (not literally),to be her "Jiminy Crickett" and help her make some wise choices. Meanwhile, Captain Stacy is looking for his daughter and in the midst of that, he's got to deal with officer Frank Castle, Jean DeWolff, and The Kingpin. A lot of familiar characters from the 616 Marvel Universe show up, all in unfamiliar rolls. It's a fresh change of pace and is really quite entertaining.
The Bad: This is a tough one. I mean, NO comic is perfect, right? Well, if you find anything wrong with this issue, drop me a line and let me know. I enjoyed the whole thing from cover to cover.
The Verdict: Snap it up! Between Jason LaTours writing and Robbi Rodriguez's excellent artwork, this is a hell of an awesome comic!

Spider-Man's Amazing Friends Review: Spider-Woman #5

Spider-Woman #5: In case you've been living under a rock, yes, this is the issue where Jessica gets a new costume, a new status quo, a new artist, prett much a new everything. Jessica, having just quit the Avengers, tries to return to a "normal" super-hero life by helping regular people and not having to deal with cosmic threats and universe-ending events every other day. Um...I guess nobody told her about Secret Wars?
The Good: Actually, there's a lot of great stuff this issue. I have to admit, I didn't really feel a new costume for Jess was necessary or "long over-due", but seeing the new costume in something besides publicity pics, made me realize that this new costume is really cool. It's got everything a new costume should have. It's modern, yet timeless, and it's instantly recognizable as the the hero that you know. At first glance, you know it's Spider-Woman, and that's the best and most important part. Besides the costume, Jess's new status quo is a lot of fun. She returns to her old stomping grounds,..and let's just leave it at that. I don't want to spoil anymore than I all ready have.
The Bad: There's a supporting cast member that's introduced, who's not a new face at all, just new to Jessica Drew. I have to be honest, I really wish it was a brand new character. This person brings a lot of baggage to the book, and I mean a LOT, and if he stays around, things are going to get complicated. This character is not your typical "Doctor Watson" and I hope his history doesn't overtake Jess.
What You Should Do: BUY THIS ISSUE!!!! Dennis Hopeless is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers, and the art of Javier Rodriguez is a total home run! I went into this book expecting disappointment, but was VERY happily surprised when I get into the book. It's a total thrill ride from start to finish. I really think I'm going to enjoy this series, and I bet you are too.

Spider-Man's Amazing Friends Review...Spider-Gwen #1

Spider-Gwen #1
Written by Jason LaTour
Art by Robbie Rodriguez
Colors by Rico Renzi
Letters by VC's Clayton Cowles
Editor: Nick Lowe
-The events of Spider-Verse are over, and we're back in the universe where Gwen Stacy is Spider-....well, to US she's known as Spider-Gwen, but to everyone in her universe, she's known as Spider-Woman. But, as not to confuse anyone (myself included), here on this blog, she's going to be refered to as Spider-Gwen.
The Good: Just about everything. Things in this universe are very familiar, but yet there's some pretty big differences. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. There's so many GREAT artists, doing FANTASTIC work in this issue, it's very easy to overlook someone. So, I'm going to start with Rico Renzi's colors. They literally make the book.He gives the book an almost water color like feel, but also, the colors in this book pop right out of the page. The letters by Clayton Cowles play a giant part of the book, and they're just as fantastic as the rest of the components that make up this issue. I don't really need to mention Jason LaTour's writing and Robbie Rodriguez's art, do it? They're both just plain AWESOME!!!
The Bad: The only complaint that I have about this book si that it uses a LOT of Marvel characters, but in this universe, they're not at all what they are in the 616 Marvel U. It gets to be a little much by the end of the book, so I hope that this has less of a role in future issues. I'd rather see some original characters show up in this book than "Police Officer Ben Grimm",
What you should do: Holy crap, you have GOT to get this book. And add it to your pull list. Or subscribe to it on Comixolgy. Whatever you have to do to read it, do it. Except for illegally downloading it. That's just wrong. My point is, go get this NOW!!!!!

First Look at The Amazing Spider-Man 16.1-SPIRAL by GERRY CONWAY!!!!

 Marvel has given us our first look at the brand NEW story from legendary Spider-Man scribe, Gerry Conway entitles "Spiral". This storyline deals with the New York Underworld since The Kingpin's demise in Shadowland, and includes a TON of classic Spidey villains like The Black Cat, Mr. Negative, Tombstone and Hammerhead, just to name a few. Check it out!

 If you're subscribed to The Amazing Spider-Man at your local comic book store, you SHOULD get these issues, as they're #16.1 (like the Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl story arc), ect. But, you might want to check anyway. Be sure to pick this up when the action starts in March!

Spider-Man's Amazing Friends Comic Review: Silk #1

Silk #1
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Stacey Lee
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letters: VC's Travis Lanham
Covers by Dave Johnson, Stacey Lee & Skottie Young
Assistant Editor: Devin Lewis
Editors: Ellie Pyle & Nick Lowe
-Cindy Moon swings right from the mega-crossover Spider-Verse into her own series! Making the transition from locked in a bunker for the last 10 years to a full-blown productive member of society isn't as easy as she thought it would be. Despite that, she's got a full-time job, a roommate, and the start of her very own rogues gallery. And, of course, there's always Spider-Man and their spider-attraction to each other.
The Good: Honestly, I don't get the online "hate" for Cindy Moon. I think she's an interesting character, and after reading this book, I can see a TON of potential for some great stories to be told in this series. Thompson gives us a fantastic old-school Spider-Man story, updated for this character and for modern times. It's got all the classic hallmarks of a story set in the Spider-Man Universe. Cindy's got job problems, roommate problems, money problems, and the added "fun" of being VERY out of touch with society. The art in this book is just as solid as the writing. Stacey Lee does a great job at creating a whole new "world" for Silk, yet it's kept solidly in the Marvel Universe.
The Bad: I could've used a little more super-heroics in this issue. As it stands, the book was about 4 pages of Cindy fighting villains, and the rest of the issue in her civilian identity. Besides that, there's not a lot of major complaints that I have about this issue.
What you should do: Pick this up! As I mentioned before, it's a really good, solid first issue, and there's a lot of potential in this character. Great writing, great art-what's not to love?

Spider-Man & Related Titles for May, 2015

This afternoon Marvel Comics released their FULL May solicitations. It's a pretty packed month, with the launch of Secret Wars and all it's mini-series and tie-ins. Here's a look at the Spider-Man related titles (and everything he'll be appearing in) shipping that month:

SECRET WARS #1 (OF 8)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (w) • ESAD RIBIC (a)
Cover by ALEX ROSS (FEB150650)
VARIANT COVER BY ESAD RIBIC (FEB150656)
PARTY VARIANT COVER BY CHIP ZDARSKY (FEB150663)
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY SIMONE BIANCHI (FEB150653)
VARIANT COVER BY AMANDA CONNOR (FEB150655)
VARIANT COVER BY Jim Cheung (FEB150651)
CLASSIC VARIANT COVER BY Butch Guice (FEB150652)
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG (FEB150657)
BLANK VARIANT COVER (FEB150658)
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (FEB150654)
PARTY VARIANT SKETCH COVER BY CHIP ZDARSKY
• THE FINAL INCURSION IS HAPPENING!
• THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS COLLIDING WITH THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE!
• AND NEITHER WILL SURVIVE!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SECRET WARS #2 (OF 8)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (w) • ESAD RIBIC (a)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
VARIANT COVER BY ESAD RIBIC
VARIANT COVER BY YASMINE PUTRI
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY SIMONE BIANCHI
CLASSIC VARIANT COVER BY Kevin Nowlan
• WHEN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS GONE, ALL THAT REMAINS IS BATTLEWORLD!
• LEARN THE SECRETS OF THIS BRAVE NEW REALM IN THIS SPECIAL OVERSIZED ISSUE!
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SECRET WARS: BATTLEWORLD #1 (OF 4)
JOSH WILLIAMSON & ED BRISSON (w)
MIKE HENDERSON & SCOTT HEPBURN (a)
Cover by PACO MEDINA
Variant Cover by JAMES STOKOE
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
• When the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe collide, there is only…Battleworld!
• Featuring the fights, battles and blow-ups that are just TOO BIG for Secret Wars!
• When a Dr. Strange-possessed Punisher goes on the run, only Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider can track him down!
• Question: What happens when M.O.D.O.K. recruits every single M.O.D.O.K. ever for his evil schemes? Answer: M.O.D.O.K. M.A.D.N.E.S.S.!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-VERSE #1
MIKE COSTA (w) • ANDRE ARUAJO (a)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant cover by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
• Spinning out of the SPIDER-VERSE event, a team of Spiders finds themselves face-to-face with Battleworld! Starring SPIDER-GWEN, SPIDER-MAN NOIR, SPIDER-MAN: INDIA, MAYDAY PARKER, SPIDER-UK and SPIDER-HAM!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #18
CHRISTOS GAGE (w) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (a/C)
VARIANT Cover by STACEY LEE
NYC VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• A huge chapter in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN history comes to a close!
• Peter’s choices as CEO of Parker Industries come home to roost!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #18.1
GERRY CONWAY (w) • CARLO BARBERI (a)
COVER BY YASMINE PUTRI
VARIANT COVER BY Greg Land • SPIRAL continues!
• The gang war continues to rock New York City as Spidey and the Wraith do their level best to keep it contained.
• But Wraith and Spidey’s methodologies don’t always gel.
• And Spidey’s methodology makes him a nail for Hammerhead to smash.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SILK #4
ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • STACEY LEE (a)
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
• Silk and Johnny Storm’s first date! Nuff’ said?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-GWEN #4
JASON LATOUR (w) • ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (a/C)
NYC VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• Learn what really happened the day that Peter Parker died!
• Gwen comes face to face with Ben and May Parker!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-WOMAN #7
DENNIS HOPELESS (w) • JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (a/C)
• Jessica Drew, A.K.A., Spider-Woman, gets closer to figuring out who has been kidnapping villains’ significant others to blackmail the villains!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN 2099 #12
PETER DAVID (w) • WILL SLINEY (a)
Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
• Miguel O’Hara finds himself in the middle of bidding war between Parker Industries and rival Alchemax!
• Not only that, but his traveling through time has put the people he cares about in the year 2014 in imminent danger!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MARVEL UNIVERSE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: WEB WARRIORS #7
Adapted by Joe Caramagna
• The Lizard has made his lair in the sewers beneath Midtown High!
• Spidey and Mary Jane venture into the depths, aided by the Janitor Stan (the Man!)
32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

ULTIMATE MARVEL OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, BILL JEMAS & MARK MILLAR
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, ADAM KUBERT, ANDY KUBERT & BRYAN HITCH
Cover by VARIOUS
Witness the birth of a new world, in which the heroes you know are reinvented for the modern era! The bite of a genetically engineered spider gives Peter Parker great power, but a harsh lesson will teach him responsibility. To prevent war, Charles Xavier recruits his X-Men — but Magneto’s Brotherhood reaches Wolverine first. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp and the Hulk — these are not the Avengers. They’re Nick Fury’s Ultimates. Young genius Reed Richards’ efforts to reach the N-Zone will forever change the lives of his fantastic friends. In a single volume, watch the Ultimate Universe — which helped make superstars of its architects, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar — take shape through the opening acts of its core titles. Collecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000) #1-7, ULTIMATE X-MEN (2001) #1-6, ULTIMATES (2002) #1-6 and ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #1-6.
768 PGS./Parental Advisory …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9750-8
Trim size: oversized

MARVEL FIRSTS: THE 1990S OMNIBUS HC
Written by HOWARD MACKIE, GREGORY WRIGHT, FABIAN NICIEZA, PETER DAVID, DAN ABNETT, DG CHICHESTER, CHRISTIAN COOPER, TOM DEFALCO, JOHN OSTRANDER, JORGE GONZALES, TOM PEYER & MORE
Penciled by JAVIER SALTARES, JACKSON GUICE, MARK BAGLEY, ANGEL MEDINA, STEVEN BUTLER, RICHARD CASE, RON GARNEY, ART THIBERT, RON FRENZ, GABRIEL GECKO, TOM TENNEY, SCOTT MCDANIEL, PASQUAL FERRY, JIM CHEUNG & MORE
Cover by VARIOUS
Revisit comics’ most divisive decade with a giant-sized compendium of daring debuts! All your favorites are here: Deadpool! Nomad! X-Force! Scarlet Spider! Quicksilver! ClanDestine! Venom! Nightwatch! Gambit! Vengeance! Spider-Man 2099! The Thunderbolts! Plus: Ghost Rider and Deathlok, reinvented for the ’90s! Guns! Swords! Leather! Clones! Pouches! Don’t dis the ’90s, they’re totally dope! Collecting GHOST RIDER (1990) #1, DEATHLOK (1990) #1, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #1, FOOLKILLER (1990) #1, DARKHAWK #1, SLEEPWALKER #1, X-FORCE (1991) #1, X-FACTOR (1986) #71, WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH #2, DEATH’S HEAD II (1992A) #1, SILVER SABLE AND THE WILD PACK #1, TERROR INC. (1992) #1, NIGHT THRASHER: FOUR CONTROL #1, DARKHOLD: PAGES FROM THE BOOK OF SINS #1, NIGHTSTALKERS #1, SPIDER-MAN 2099 (1992) #1, VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR #1, CABLE (1993) #1, DEADPOOL: THE CIRCLE CHASE #1, THUNDERSTRIKE (1993) #1, GAMBIT (1993) #1, WAR MACHINE (1994) #1, BLACKWULF #1, FORCE WORKS #1, BLADE THE VAMPIRE-HUNTER (1994) #1, GENERATION X SAN DIEGO PREVIEW, FANTASTIC FORCE (1994) #1, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #118, BISHOP #1, X-MAN #1, ELEKTRA: ROOT OF EVIL #1, GREEN GOBLIN #1, CAPTAIN MARVEL (1995) #1, HEROES FOR HIRE (1997) #1, MAVERICK #1, QUICKSILVER #1, SPIDER-GIRL (1998) #1, SLINGERS #0, SPIDER-WOMAN (1999) #1, DEATHLOK (1999) #1 and WARLOCK (1999) #1; and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #9, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #100, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #147 and #158, and TALES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE.
1288 PGS./Rated T …$125
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9816-1
Trim size: oversized

SPIDER-WOMAN VOL. 1: SPIDER-VERSE TPB
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS & ARCHIE GOODWIN
Penciled by GREG LAND & SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by GREG LAND Jessica Drew has been an agent of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D., an Avenger and more — but nothing could prepare her for the multidimensional insanity of Spider-Verse! A war is brewing, and every spider-character in the multiverse is a target! But being a target is something Jessica Drew just won’t abide. She’s a woman with a mission. And with Silk — the newest spider on the block — at her side, she’ll need to put all her training to the test if she wants to make it out of Spider-Verse alive! Now, undercover in the most dangerous place in the multiverse, Spider-Woman is in the tightest spot she’s ever been in. What if even succeeding with her mission means her death? And can Silk handle a solo mission? Plus: Spider-Woman’s classic debut! Collecting SPIDER-WOMAN (2014) #1-4 and MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #32.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5458-7

VENOM BY RICK REMENDER: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TPB
Written by RICK REMENDER
Penciled by TONY MOORE, TOM FOWLER, STEFANO CASELLI, LAN MEDINA & SHAWN MOLL
Cover by JOE QUESADA
Flash Thompson is Spider-Man’s biggest fan. That hero worship inspired him to join the Army, where he became a decorated war hero. And though he lost his legs, Flash never lost his dignity — or his desire to serve. Now, the government has offered him a chance to don the alien Venom symbiote and be a hero once again! Flash Thompson is Venom, the government’s most lethal special operative. But Flash soon finds himself losing control of his own mind to the symbiote! And when his nemesis, Jack O’Lantern, blackmails Flash into serving the merciless Crime-Master, can Venom complete his mission and save his loved ones? Plus: What if the Venom symbiote bonded with…Deadpool?! Rick Remender’s gripping run is collected in two volumes! Collecting VENOM (2011) #1-12 and VENOM/DEADPOOL: WHAT IF?
320 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9352-4

-Also listed (without picture) was a Spider-Verse Poster:

SPIDER-VERSE #1 BY BRADSHAW POSTER
FOC 4/13/15 ON-SALE 5/13/2015 - 24x36…$8.99
5960605400-50121

-Wow!!! It's a pretty full month of Spider-Goodness, and from here on out, things are NOT slowing down! Plus, don't forget to go to your local comic shop on May 2nd and pick up the Free Comic Book Day issue of Marvel's Secret Wars #0!!!

Comic Review: The Amazing Spider-Man #14

The Amazing Spider-Man #14: The end is HERE! The ultimate chapter of Spider-Verse has arrived! Who lives? Who dies? Find out answers to this and more right here, in this very comic!
The Good: This issue had almost everything that I wanted in Spider-Verse. All my favorite Spider-People (save one), show up to the final showdown with the Inheritors. There's some great moments and beats in this story. Not going into spoiler territory, but there's a moment with Spider-Ham that had me cheering out loud! Plus, getting to see all my favorites again. Spider-Girl, Spider-Ham, Superior Spider-Man, ect, was really nice. The art was really great, and I look forward to the titles that are going to spin out of this story.
The Bad: Surprisingly enough, I wasn't really 100% in love with the ending. It seemed a little rushed. I'm not sure if this issue was oversized, but if it wasn't, it probably should've been. It ends on a nice enough last panel, but we're left with a TON of questions about The Inheritors, the other Spider-Beings, and not to repeat myself, but it the story seemed to come to a screeching halt within the last 5 to 6 pages. It was abrupt, and I mean REALLY abrupt.
The Verdict: If you've gotten the rest of the Spider-Verse story, there's no way I'm going to tell you not to get this one, you absolutely should. But, I have to say that overall, I was disappointed with this issue. ALTHOUGH, in this book's defense, it's pretty hard to get emotionally invested in ANY Marvel book right now, knowing that everything in the Marvel Universe is going to change once Secret Wars is finished.