Rating:  -
Anyone that is even remotely a fan of spider man should pick up this book. I just started reading graphic novels recently and this is one of the best ones I have read so far. I loved spider man when I was a kid, now I remember why.
Rating: -
Marvel Knights seems to be aimed at a more adult audience (and thank God for that) with a more gritty presentation in the art, story and dialogue. Seeing Electro and the Vulture score hookers is just not something you see everyday. The bottom line is the writing is compelling and very well done. I wish the other Spider titles read as maturely as this one.
Rating: -
I like Spider-Man but I have never read the regular comics because of the convoluted history and cross-over disease they have always suffered while I was a kid.
This book offers a BRILLIANTLY written and better than average drawn story which is so entertaining and most of all, complete!
It doesn't start at the beginning, but rather, the middle of Spider-Man's career. There's no wasting time on the origin here. It's all action and characterisation in a great balance.
I was also grateful the themes in this book are a little more adult than the regular comics. Like Mark Millar's exploration into domestic violence in THE ULTIMATES, he looks at the uncertainty within a less than normal marriage while under extreme stress with great success. I feel like I've grown up (now I'm in my mid 20s) and this is where Spider-Man is now in his world too 15 years later.
This book is right on par with Mark Millar's work on Ultimate X-Men and Wolverine too. And the gorgeous oversize hardcover is a nice addition to anyone's bookcase.
Rating:  -
I was hesitant to buy this oversized hardcover since I really can't stand Terry Dodson's art that always lacks background work and is nothing but a poor carbon copy of Adam Hughes' stylings. But Mark Millar made it tempting. I'm glad that I listened to the little devil that popped up on my shoulder and said 'Go ahead, buy it. Who are you hurting?'.....
It seems that for the past 15 years, Spider-Man stories have been intertwined, complicated, possessing a forced sense of sensation and just plain morbid. I'm not suggesting that Marvel Comics turn back the hands of time to the simplistic storytelling of yesteryear but whatever happened to giving the audience one hell of an action-packed, blockbuster type story to remind us that it's about the powers, the costumes, the secret identities... and the villains.
Millar does not reinvent the wheel but he throws everything including the kitchen sink at the reader. He just uses what has made Spider-Man the icon that he is today without resorting to cheap theatrical story telling to cover up a lack of skill & talent like most writers do.***
*** ==== glares at the over-rated Judd Winick who's likely contemplating to bring back Pedro from the dead with a sequel to Pedro & Me ======
Sure it's not the first time that Aunt May has been kidnapped (and her dilemma reeks of Kraven's Last Hunt) or that Mary Jane's life is in danger because of her association with Spider-Man. However, Millar conveys the dramatic for the reader with Peter going head-to-head with his greatest enemy, The Green Goblin, who seems to be at the core of Spider-Man's wretchedness since his high school years. There is also a great battle royale between Spidey and a few of his most distinguished foes but most notably with an Eddie Brock-less Venom. I really enjoyed the return of the symbiote being the focus instead of a lacklustre character that shares its unique properties.
On the visual side, it's exactly what I abhor in a comic book. Terry Dodson can give the illusion of beautiful women with bowling ball breasts but it simply covers up the shallow artwork that is low on detail and high on facial expressions with lots of sexual poses. To add insult to injury, this one-dimensional styling is not even well rendered by being inconsistent from panel to panel. IF this is what the editor and Mark Millar were aiming for, they should asked Frank Cho to illustrate the whole story arc instead of being a fill-in penciller for a couple of issues. At least he gets it right.
While this hardcover edition is not on par with some of the greatest Spider-Man sagas, it does bring the character back to the action-swinging, hard luck hero that we have come to know and love.
...Now if only Marvel can get rid of Mary-Jane...
Review by Brian Grindrod
Rating: -
The title of this review was a little difficult for me to admit - the first two arcs of Paul Jenkins/Hunberto Ramos' "Spectacular Spider-Man" were phenomenal reads that perfectly captured everyone's favorite wall-crawler (check out "Venomous" or "Countdown" if you dont believe me). So what sets Mark Millar's 12-issue paced-for-the-trade stab at the Spidey universe so good? Sometimes, bigger is better.
Spider-Man is the ultimate hard-luck hero: he's been getting his butt kicked since Amazing Spider-man #4, Doc Ock's first appearance - and he usually wins with a heroic combination of brains, braun, and sheer tenacity. Millar understands this, and reacts accordingly: the story opens with Spider-man beaten and nearly dead, the Green Goblin barreling down on him. After narrowly pulling out a victory and saving another ungrateful group of spectators, Spidey finds his Uncle's grave desecrated and his beloved aunt kidnapped by someone who knows his secret identity.
The book then goes on a wild trip throughout the Marvel Universe and the classic Spidey rouges gallery, as Peter tries to solve the mystery: who now knows his greatest secret?
Millar's writing is top notch - fun, witty, suspenseful, and staggeringly violent when neccesary (re: Venom's appearance). Though the artist changes more than once on the twelve issues collected, the style remains intact, and the story doesnt feel puzzle-peiced together, which is a good thing.
If I have a complaint about the book, its that it wouldnt feel nearly as satisfying if I'd been reading it issue by issue: the story is definitely paced to be digested in one extended sitting. But even then, its worth the read.
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