Collecting issues #519-524 of Amazing Spider-Man
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Mike Deodato Jr. (p), Joe Pimentel (i), Matt Milla (c), Tom Palmer (finishes)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
With the launch of Brian Bendis New Avengers in early 2005, J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man was one of the most directly affected titles of Marvel's superhero stable. As such, there was no getting around the significant changes that JMS would have to make to his book in order to accommodate Spidey's new status as an Avenger. However, rather than merely work these elements into the background of his plans for the book, Straczynski embraces the opportunity to write a more traditional superhero team story than New Avengers could offer, creating an entirely original plot about a radical new branch of Hydra instead of simply rehashing the events of Bendis' book from a different point of view.
The cast of New Avengers is used sparingly for the earlier issues of the arc, allowing JMS to focus on how the move to Stark Tower is affecting Peter and his family on a personal level rather than dazzling us with team super-heroics from the start. Significant subplots deal with the ramifications of the new status quo for Aunt May and Mary Jane, with a burgeoning romantic relationship with Jarvis developing for the former and false rumours of an affair with Tony Stark plaguing the latter (thank goodness it was that way round)! In taking the time to reaffirm the importance of the two ladies in Peter's life, Straczynski demonstrates his understanding of the core elements of Spider-Man and gives the story a strong emotional core. Yes, there are elements which don't quite work, most notably Straczynski's humour. This aspect of the book has always been hit-and-miss (particularly the more overt 'drum-roll' gags that Spidey cracks during his inner monologues) but it's stronger here than usual, with Wolverine acting as a whipping boy for the writer on more than one occasion (at the hands of Peter and, hilariously, his Aunt).
Just as JMS' smart writing adds depth to the bare bones of the plot - and there are some interesting details here, comparing the new "radicalised" Hydra to the rise of Hitler's SS during the Second World War and outlining a fairly original plan for bringing America to its knees - Mike Deodato's artwork enhances the story, coping well with the various demands of Straczynski's writing. Yet again, he excels with the more intimate and personal scenes, bringing a new level of emotional complexity of character to Mary Jane in the subplot that deals with her career as a stage actress and her anxieties about jeopardising Spidey's superhero career. His command of body language is also put to good use in developing the beginnings of a subtle and believable relationship between Aunt May and Jarvis, the Avengers' butler. However, that's not to say that Deodato's action scenes are lacking either, and he demonstrates a real improvement over his previous work with the sequences which see the New Avengers battle evil doppelgangers, building the action to a visual crescendo with the explosive climax to the heroes' disarming of Hydra. The action is clear and thrilling, the book's environments are well-defined through the art (even when dealing with multiple locations across just a few pages) and his Spider-Man has become noticeably more slick and streamlined, with less of the excessive musculature that was present in some of the artist's earlier issues. The only notable flaw is some slightly inconsistent inking, which is fine and delicate in places but rough and chunky in others, but it doesn't detract from the story too badly.
Some details of this story are more interesting in light of the recent Civil War miniseries, with elements such as Tony Stark's evident interest in Hydra's ability to duplicate Thor's powers artificially or Peter's new paternal relationship with Iron Man suggesting that JMS was laying the seeds for some of that story as far back as these issues. Unfortunately, the final instalments of the story also lead directly into the better-left-forgotten 2005 crossover of Spider-titles that was The Other - although those elements don't dominate proceedings to such an extent that they overshadow the stronger elements of Straczynski's story. This is a decent no-frills collection (a couple of penciled and uncoloured versions of two of the book's covers are the only extras) of one of the more successful of JMS' recent Spider-Man stories which is definitely worth a look for fans of Spidey and/or the New Avengers, but doesn't quite surpass the average standard of superhero books to such an extent that it can be recommended as a truly great read.
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