Review: The Amazing Spider-Man #10

“While The Amazing Spider-Man #10 does buckle a little under its own weight—editorial notes alert readers that certain characters’ tales will continue in the spinoff titles to Spider-Verse—that’s only a small hiccup. Slott and Coipel once again showcase a Spider-Man story at its best: combining impossible odds, high stakes, gravitas, and humor.”

The Amazing Spider-Man #10

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Olivier Coipel
Release Date: Wed, November 19, 2014

Cards on the table: I quit buying Avengers & X-Men: Axis as of this week.

While I have come to expect angst from these sorts of Big Event storylines, I also expect my comic books to be somewhat enjoyable to read. However, as Axis seems to have become stuck in neutral, the plodding pace and the joylessness of the story made me keep money allocated to Axis in ol’ Mr. Pocket.

Which is why writer Dan Slott’s “Spider-Verse” tale, continued in The Amazing Spider-Man #10, continues to be such a delight. When the publicity for the event promised EVERY SPIDER-MAN EVER, I was skeptical that Slott could a) make Peter Parker, “our” Spidey stand out in the crowd; b) make certain that every Spider-Man and Spider-Woman got their moment in the sun; and c) keep the story sensible and streamlined with a yarn packed with so many characters. However, Slott proves as agile a storyteller as Spider-Man is a webslinger, keeping Spider-Verse on track while continuing to keep the tale from feeling overstuffed.

Amazing #10 is part 2 of the Spider-Verse story, showcasing everyone’s favorite snide wall-crawler, the Superior Spider-Man, the Doctor Octopus-controlled web-head who took the reins of Peter’s body up until recently. Set out of time, Doc Ock has assembled his own Spider-People to stave off the threat of Morlun and his Inheritors brethren and the danger they pose to the Spider-Folk crisscrossing reality. Doc Ock lets his arrogance trip him up, though, because that’s what Doc Ock does, and that arrogance might have endangered the whole of the Spider-Clan.

As I mentioned, Slott is able to pack Amazing #10 with plenty of wonderful character moments, particular a brief-but-poignant interaction with Peter and Spider-Gwen Stacy, making her wonder why Peter is so protective of her. (Gwen doesn’t know she’s allergic to bridges.) It’s also nice to see Peter interact with Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales, as their partnership in writer Brian Michael BendisSpider-Men miniseries might be one of my favorite Spider-Man tales. Even barely-there web-heads like Spider-Punk manage to shine.

Of course, as with last issue, these characters wouldn’t be able to stand out without artist Olivier Coipel pulling art duties. His facial expressions for each member of the cast really sells the idea that each of Spider-People are fully realized characters, making you believe that even the ones created for this event have their own rich backstory.

While The Amazing Spider-Man #10 does buckle a little under its own weight—editorial notes alert readers that certain characters’ tales will continue in the spinoff titles to Spider-Verse—that’s only a small hiccup. Slott and Coipel once again showcase a Spider-Man story at its best: combining impossible odds, high stakes, gravitas, and humor. While he certainly has his detractors, books like Amazing #10 prove once again that Slott is the best thing to happen to Spidey in a very long time.

Review: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #10
This book features Doc Ock-as-Spider-Man, Spider-Monkey, Spider-Ham, and Spider-Punk. The question is why wouldn't you buy this book.
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