The Amazing Spider-Man #648

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Spider-Man. There's been a lot of push towards the new direction of Amazing Spider-Man. With "Big Time," the series is switching from being published three times a month to two and instead of a rotating team of writers, we now have one with Dan Slott. I have to admit I was a little skeptical with all the hoopla surrounding this issue before it's release. 
 

The Good 

Wow. This is such a massive issue. If you look at the characters that appear on the issue page here, you'll see that it's practically an Amazing Spider-Man reunion. There are so many characters that pop into this issue. At first it felt like it was a little nod to old time readers and was done as a slight gimmick. But this is Dan Slott we're talking about. He has shown many times in the past that he does things for a reason. I can only assume that each character that appeared here will drop in again in future stories. You really get a sense of 
 
Spider-Man has usually been a loner and it's a nice change of pace to see him interacting and getting some respect from the Avengers and Fantastic Four. There's a couple times in the issue where Peter's great intelligence is acknowledged. Too many times in the past it felt like writers forgot how brilliant he is. 
 
Are there fights? Are there villains? Yes! This isn't the first time Slott has written Spider-Man, obviously, but I almost feel like he's been holding back. And as far as the last page of the story, all I can say is "Thank you!" to Dan Slott.
 
What about the art? If you've seen Humberto Ramos' art before, you know you're in for a treat. His distinctive style is welcomed and simply adds a new dimension to the story. 
 

The Bad 

There really wasn't anything bad. My only complaint is with Ramos' art. I really dig and respect his style but a couple times the characters are a little too stylized, like the way Hawkeye and Bucky appear on the first page. 
 

The Verdict 

This is a Spider-Man book for new and old readers. There's so many nods and acknowledgements to Spider-Man's past and all the supporting characters and villains but they are presented in a way that won't overwhelm newer readers. Hands down, my pick of the week. I cannot wait for the next issue.