Is this emotional outing just what this mini-series needs to find its footing?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• Can the Spider-Men stop Mysterio?

• Peter Parker comes face-to-face with the family he never had!

• ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MOMENTS IN THE LIVES OF BOTH SPIDER-MEN!!!

From the get-go Spider-Men has been a mini-series that has relied heavily on a lot of camp to sell its story.  Each issue has had a certain amount of fun, but entertainment with little substance and good art will only get a concept like this so far.  To be truthful, the tale has been plagued by some poor narrative decisions that have yielded a comic book that was in desperate need for an issue that finally offered some kind of honest-to-goodness depth.  Thankfully this issue does just that.

The script by Brian Michael Bendis, is chock-full of heart and warm feelings as Peter Parker gets to speak with the family he never had a chance to have.  To get to see our hero face-to-face with versions of people he either knew or currently knows from his own world, yielded some rather potent moments.  Kudos to the series scribe for capturing those emotionally charged scenes in a way that felt completely natural.

Sara Pichelli once again does an astounding job with the art.  The panels she set-up were calm but ripe with details, as she executed some rather dynamic shots.  Each and every character was full of expression and emotion, as clean but sure pencil strokes gave life to the narrative meat.   The work done in this issue perfectly frames the script, as this talented artist once again handles her job perfectly.

Since the announcement of this crossover, there have been a certain amount of fan expectations and for better or worse the series has failed to meet them… until now.  Kudos to Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli for turning that around, as they finally gave this mini-series some much needed substance.  Recommended.

4/5