Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth #1 Review


Doc Ock is holding the world ransom, he’s captured the Avengers and turned Spider-Man into a global public enemy.  So who’s going to help Spidey save the world?  Titanium man, Big Hero Six, Sabra, Union Jack and… Kangaroo?  Yep, we’re doomed!

The official description from Marvel:

Spider-Man isn’t the only hero fighting to free the globe from Doctor Octopus’s treacherous tentacles…what heroes rise to the challenge?

What we have here is a tie-in issue that connects to the current story arc (of the same name) in Amazing Spider-Man.  We see the global stakes very clearly as heroes put their lives on the line trying to stop the sinister plans of Doctor Octopus.  For $3.99 we have an issue that contains two short stories that finally succeeds in giving Ends of the Earth that global feel the main story arc had been missing but fails to give readers a solid reason to pick this issue up.

In the first part Rob Williams does a great job giving life to these characters as he makes you aware of the stakes and lets you see the ultimate cost of leadership.  In the second part Brian Clevinger stumbles, giving readers an overburdened script that does nothing to serve the overall plot but instead feels like an excuse to introduce all the members of Big Hero Six and their rogue’s gallery.

The art in this issue is more than up to the task of carrying this issue as Thony Silas draws all the characters rather well.  The art is so good that it makes even the overly wordy second half still look nice.  The action is there, the emotion behind these scenes is clear and the world looks great even under the threat of Doctor Octopus.

The ultimate question here is if this issue is worth picking up or not.  If you’re a diehard Spidey fan than the question is a no brainer, but this issue is by no means required reading.  For the most part it’s engaging but because of the lackluster second half this comic is very hard to recommend.

2.5/5