Amazing Spider-Man #2 Review

Peter Parker is back! But should you really care? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• Electro’s power is out of control! And only one person can fix it…

• …the Superior Spider-Man!

• Wait. This book’s the AMAZING Spider-Man now.

• So we’re probably out of luck.

• Plus: That thing that freaked you out last issue? There’s more on that. The return of you-know-who? There’s MUCH more on that. Action! Drama! Surprises! There’s MORE OF EVERYTHING!

I’m not going to lie, so far the post-Superior era is off to a rousing start. We see the continuation of narrative elements from SpOck’s time in our hero’s body while the original webhead tries to pick up the pieces of his now upside-down life. There’s some mediocrity but for the most part this release turned out to be entertaining from beginning to end.

Dan Slott‘s been writing Spider-Man stories long enough that most fans either appreciate the man’s style or downright hate it. For me I recognize the seasoned scribe’s ability to take characters that we’ve all grown up with and portray them in a way that can honestly be compelling. And that’s exactly what happens here as the wreckage left by Doctor Octopus yields some interesting results. That talent effortlessly builds future arcs but there are some inescapably corny bits of dialogue that feel off from the rest of the text.

What was said above about the literary side goes double for the illustrative works by Humberto Ramos. He has his fair share of detractors but for me he’s easily a top notch artist. His characters are quirky, detailed and consistent within the realm of his own personal take which, in many cases, captures the personality of the individual. Add in the colors by Edgar Delgado and you have a book that proves its worth on every page thanks to this visual component.

Amazing Spider-Man #2 has a lot of positives going for it. Peter Parker and his supporting cast plus the wreckage left by his former enemy all add up to a recommended entry.