Good Ol' Spidey
I haven't read an ASM issue in quite a long time. They've just been piling up from my trips to the comic book store. Today I read this issue and realized this is one of the best things about ASM: it just draws you back into the world of Peter Parker without any struggle. Many comic book readers on this site are heavy-readers, some are up over 20 books a month, for example. I allege that not all of those titles, however, are as accessible, fun, and exciting as ASM. Sure, since Brand New Day there have been a couple sluggish issues and some plodding storyarcs - but overall it's been a success. This issue (#678) is a prime example of that.
Ramos and Slott present an NYC that seems real. The mix of characters are interesting and diverse, which helps the title no matter which storyarc is continuing. In this issue, the art is very good; Ramos' art is pretty distinctive and I think it works well with a Peter Parker character. (Yeah, the hair....)
Julia Carpenter has a few frames in this issue, which is a cool treat. But it's Spidey's indefatigable hope and energy that Slott and Ramos depict with perfection. The cover tells us NY is destroyed - but the reader knows that if any hero will fight to the last second, it's gonna be Spider-Man. There's really nothing in this issue that shouldn't make a comic book reader happy. So even though I had not read an issue of ASM in months, after reading this: I'm on an ASM tear!
