Spider-Island may be over and this issue serves to close out the storyline but so much more is going on here.
The Good
We rarely get to see the aftermath of the epic battles in comics. Spider-Island involved all of New York City and seeing part of the clear up process gives a sense just how big the story was. This isn't to say we should always see the clean up part but clearly it's deserved in this case. With so many superpowered and normal people involved, it's great that Dan Slott took the time to show how everyone deals with it. It adds a little more to the arc and doesn't make it feel like everything was conveniently resolved.
That being said, there isn't a lot of full on superhero action going on here. Once you see all the seeds Slott is planting for future storylines, you won't even notice the lack of action. It's important for a write to look ahead and while it puts this story to rest, it shows that the action isn't over. Spidey may be getting a tiny period of rest here but there is plenty yet to come. If you've been reading then you know issues with Kaine, Mary Jane, Carlie and more need to be dealt with. How will the people of New York City look at Spider-Man now? Will he be hated more than ever after being turned into giant spiders? It's Spider-Man's visit to Doctor Strange that could have the biggest repercussions for him.
Stefano Caselli handles the art in this issue and does a great job in simply giving a sense of size to New York City. When the scene shifts to other characters, you do feel like it's taking place in a completely different part of the city. Many times stories will feel like the everything is happening in the same place. Caselli's art also looks a tiny bit different. It might be Frank Martin's color art and it all looks very nice.
The Bad
Dan Slott is a funny guy. If you think about what happened to everyone during their transformation and how they would be left after reverting back to human, you can imagine the...awkwardness they might be facing. Slott totally addresses that. It's borderline as to whether or not he pushes it too far when the heroes confront each other in this state.
I am a big fan of Caselli's art but there are minor details that stuck out like Carlie (and others) having their glasses after spending time transformed into a giant spider and people's hairstyles. Hawkeye's hair is way too neat for what he must have just gone through. I've brought up the question before about how can Peter's hair be so styled when he spends a huge portion of his time wearing a skin tight mask. We've all experienced 'hat hair' and you would think 'mask hair' would be worse. Even Mister Fantastic looks like he visited a stylist before making his appearance. Of course this is just a teeny tiny complaint.
The Verdict
I was happy with the way Spider-Island ended but this epilogue adds so much more to the story. It's great to see the actual aftermath after a major story to add that tiny bit of realism. Too many times we see mass destruction only to find everything nice and neat in the next issue. Slott's dialogue adds some more realism as we get to see people's reactions to what's going on. The humor might be a little too much as characters are talking about quirks readers are aware of with other characters' designs. With most epilogues, the issues just wrap everything up and not much else happens. We do get to see the clean up and there might not be a ton of actual action going on but there is a lot to see here. It's a little strange seeing Caselli's art after Humberto Ramos handled all of Spider-Island but that's not a complaint. Caselli always captures the mood of characters through their expressions and Frank Martin's color art really adds a something to the already great artwork.
While putting Spider-Island to rest, the stage is being set up for future storylines and seeds are being planted all over the place. Slott is in full control of Spider-Man's future and it's easy to see that he has it all mapped out. Reading this issue gave me a feeling of excitement in what's to come and I can't wait to see what Slott has planned next. There might be a couple things I wished turned out a little differently but Spider-Island was a welcomed surprise and this final issue adds so much more to it. Spider-Man may have been given a moment to catch his breath but it's clear Slott is about to unleash more in the issues to come.