The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38

The Story

     Peter is working a late night at Horizon Labs when Dead-Pool and some thugs break-in. The goal of this break-in is to use an inter-dimensional portal, being developed at Horizon, to steal money. Dr. Bruce Banner, who is doing some after hours work for Horizon, gets dragged in by one of the thugs and the situation quickly escalates. Spider-man, Dead-pool, and the Hulk all get pulled into a parallel dimension. Where Peter meets the Amazing Spider, a perfect version of himself, or is he?

The Good

      So the usual argument you hear about Annual issues is that they aren't related enough to the ongoing series or they don't evolve the character in any way. But this issue is a great example of why an Annual doesn't have to be directly related to make sense and its potential to cause some serious character development. This issue poses a lot of great question's about Peter's life and why he is a hero. First we see what Peter's life could be like if he never had money troubles. Peter also gets to be a beloved hero of the people, something that even at the best of times, he rarely gets to enjoy. And even though Peter discovers that this seemingly perfect world is actually perverted, he has the strength to turn away and I think that that moment speaks to his amazing heroism. However, this perfect dream turned nightmare could also have Peter questioning the possible effects of his new found success in his own reality. Also I really enjoyed the art in this issue, I think it gave perfect feel for the opposite reality and the Amazing Spider without making Spider-man a stranger in it. All of these aspects made for a great read.

The Bad

     I don't follow Dead-Pool or Hulk so I can't complain about the book's relation to their ongoing issues or their portrayals. However, the only compliant I do have is that Peter as the Amazing Spider never simultaneously drop-kicks Dead-Pool and Death Wish in the face.

Verdict

     This issue is simply a must have for any die hard Spider-Man fan. A great story, that asks a lot of big questions about Peter's life accompanied by fantastic artwork.

Two web-shooters way up!