Amazing Spider-Man #699 Review


With just one issue left before the end of this storied series, does this release live up to the hype?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• This is the MUST READ issue that turns over all the cards and reveals secrets that have been set as far back as ENDS OF THE EARTH, SPIDER-ISLAND, and 99 issues ago in ASM #600!

• Doctor Octopus has hours left to live. He knows Peter Parker’s secret. He has no master plan—all he wants is vengeance. Which members of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery will heed Ock’s call to arms?

• Special appearances by the Lizard, the Spider-Slayer, Morbius the Living Vampire, and some surprising Spidey Foes!

It’s a sad time for Spider-Man fans as this long-running and classic saga follows a unique path toward its own imminent end.  The good news is that we have a committed creative team that seems hell-bent to take us all down this path no matter what the positive or negative reactions from their base might be.

Dan Slott pens the script and the series writer does a masterful job allowing this entire comic book to be told from the perspective of Peter Parker.  We get to see our hero in some uncomfortable situations as he compromises his principals in order to attempt an escape from his current plight.  In this penultimate issue the author attempts to attack our hero’s very core, while offering revelations and some much needed exposition.  But there were a few times where the dialogue just didn’t flow as well as it honestly should, yielding some clunky and even corny moments.

At this point you either enjoy Humberto Ramos and his quirky art style or you don’t.  For my money I happen to be one of those that simply digs it, so when I found it he was handling this issue I was simply elated.  His ability to capture the spirit of this character and the world he inhabits to me is simply uncanny.  He freely uses brilliant pencil strokes to offer just enough detail to sell a scene while imbuing it with a life and kinetic energy all his own.

Amazing Spider-Man #699 is a good continuation that offers moments of greatness mixed with some rather underwhelming revelations.  Overall though this creative team delivers some of their best work to date, which easily nets this release a solid recommendation.

3.5/5

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