How much difference can one man make? Spider-Man is about to find that out that hard way. A decision he makes could affect the lives of millions.
The Good
It's hard to believe that Marvel is now celebrating 50 years of Spider-Man. In that time, the character hasn't gone through too many changes yet still has the same appeal, if not more, he's always had. We've seen Spider-Man fight many villains and often the same ones from his rogues gallery. But the writers always come with a different twist against the same villains.
With this issue, Slott does give us a new twist but he also has Peter facing a different foe. This time, he's fighting against time. Without giving away too much, Spider-Man gets a glimpse 24 hours into the future. There's some bad stuff about to happen and it's up to him to stop it. The question is, how much is he to blame and can that little bit of knowledge be enough to save the day?
The idea of time travel isn't something you often see in Spider-Man comics so it's a refreshing change to see here. What makes it even better is the...line of thinking, or the theory that Slott uses when traveling forward through time.
Slott is joined by Humberto Ramos who has the task of drawing a Spidey issue without your typical Spider-Man/villain action. The action and suspense is captured and the use of various clocks throughout adds to the wonder of what might happen next.
The Bad
Labeled as a two-part story from the beginning takes away some of the suspense. Spidey's dealing with a major catastrophe but we can figure out what the chances are he'll manage to save the day in the next issue. The house ad for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #680 inside also lets you know things will work out. We know the hero pretty much always wins so this shouldn't be a big deal but it still pulls you out of the story a little.
You have to wonder how long Peter can use the "I'm friends with Spider-Man and build him stuff" excuse. We've seen that the mystical defenses protecting his secret identity have been weakened so he really needs to start beinge extra careful once again if he intends to keep his identity a secret again.
The Verdict
Spider-Man in a time travel story. It seems like a strange pairing for Spider-Man to have to deal with the concept but Dan Slott makes it work. This isn't your typical time travel story and he even takes a line of thinking that you don't often see in time travel stories. The very idea of how much difference can one person make and how much the slightest action could affect the future makes a great story. Spider-Man is always portrayed as a true hero and he is the best character to deal with this scenario. Humberto Ramos shines as he gives us some Peter Parker action as well as Spider-Man not fighting the average Spider-Man Villain. You'll be surprised at how much action there is despite Spider-Man not going toe to toe with a costumed bad guy. Because this is part 1 of 2, you have an idea how things might end next issue. Regardless, Slott and Ramos give us a Spider-Man story with a great refreshing twist. It's a fun read with no hints as to how Spidey can possibly save the day.