Review: Spider-Man is Good Again!

Everybody loves a holiday weekend, but getting back on track can sometimes be a pain. One of the biggest drawbacks to the holidays, if you're a comic geek, is the fact that new comics get shipped a day late. I would have liked to do a comic review for you guys earlier, but was delayed by a day.

When I finally got a hold of this week's comics, I was pleasantly surprised to find not one, but two great Spider-Man comics waiting for me. Good news everyone, Spider-Man is fun again!

I go in and out of reading Spider-Man. I pick it up when it's good, I drop it when I get bored. As Amazing Spider-Man #595 featured the start of the "American Son" storyline that Marvel has been advertising all of the place, I figured I'd give it a whirl. I'm digging the whole Osborn-run Marvel Universe right now and this was the storyline that would see it spill over into the Spider-Man stories.

By the time I was done with the issue, I was pleased as punch with what I had just read. Putting Norman in charge of... well.. everything, really put a new spin on the same old dynamic between these two rivals. Wolverine makes a cameo in this issue to give Spider-Man a lesson on doing what "ain't pretty" and tells him that if he ever gets a chance to take Osborn out, he should do it. Spider-Man tangling with these dark issues makes for a fascinating read as Spider-Man realizes that Wolverine just may be right.

What really made the issue for me, however, was the redemption of Harry Osborn, which is proving to be one of the better results to spin out of the Brand New Day story-arc. Harry and Norman finally get their first confrontation with one another after Norman's promotion to head of H.A.M.M.E.R. and the shocker ending? Puts a whole new spin on the title American Son huh?

All in all, if you've been thinking of possibly getting back into Spider-Man, start with this issue and if you've been with him all along, you know what I'm talking about!

I also picked up Spider-Man: The Short Halloween because it was a one-shot story written by Saturday Night Live funnymen Bill Hader and Seth Meyers. As a writer working in the field of comics, I get a little wary about the sudden rise of celebrity writers because I start to feel like the competetion is getting a bit out of my league. However, I completely endorse this comic!

The Short Halloween takes place on, well, Halloween and follows a hilarious mix-up between a drunk guy in a Spider-Man costume and Webhead himself. And the villains? They're a D-List ragtag group called the Furious Five whose only competant member is the homocidal furball named Badger Teeth.

The humor is spot on and it really captures the fun of being an average joe who lives in New York and actually gets to meet Spider-Man. There is an entire fight sequence that the reader is unable to really get a clear view of because it's shown entirely in blurry cell phone pictures that one of the characters is trying to take. Little touches like that make the book a great read and play out almost like a Spider-Man sitcom.

I did have one or two complaints. Although Hader and Meyers are great writers, its clear that comedy scripts are their forte and that they had never worked in comics before. There were three panels in a row which contained nothing but random exterior shots because there were so many word bubbles crammed in. Rough spots like these should really have been smoothed out by the editorial department. The other thing that seemed off was the timing of the release. This was a great Halloween story and would have been an even better read in October. Why the chose to release it in May is beyond me.

With these two releases I think it's safe to say that Spider-Man is back on top of his game for now. Get it while the gettin's good!