Spider-Man, Sins Past

Sins Past by J. Michael Straczynski
The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 8

Pages: unpaginated
Finished: Mar. 13, 2009
First Published: 2005 (compilation of comics #509-514)
Genre: graphic novel, superheroes
Rating: 5/5

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

First sentence:

"...and I said to him, I said why are you touching me like that?"

Comments: Volume 8, collecting issues #509-514, has an intense plot with one main story arc running throughout. Spider-man has always been haunted by the death of Gwen Stacy, his former "love of his life". Now that day has come back to haunt him in the present as two people arrive determined to kill both Peter Parker and Spider-man for their respective parts in Gwen's death. The events of the past, his relationship with Gwen, are relived as Peter discovers the connection between that relationship and the two would-be assassins. There comes a time when the fateful day of Gwen's demise is relived in the present as Peter determines not to let the same thing happen twice.

This volume was absolutely riveting. The one continuous plot of the book makes for a fast, page-turning read. With this volume Peter's character, and Spider-man's, becomes much more real and multi-layered. Spider-man is a man with issues but one who will never give up on choosing to do the right thing, no matter what the risk to himself.

My only complaint is that the volume has a different illustrator and while the characters have kept the same basic components; there was no attempt to make them identically the same as previously drawn. It was a weird feeling at first as I didn't immediately recognise some of the characters and it took some adjusting to get used to the new renditions. It felt like watching your favourite TV show to find that all the actors have been replaced with similar looking, but obviously different, actors. We'll see if the next volume keeps this new look or if the old illustrator comes back.

Despite the illustration, this is a fabulous entry in the series that will be one of my favourites, if not the top favourite, of the whole canon.

Spider-Man & Fables

With these two GN's, I've earned my Masters and am ready to take the dive into receiving my Doctorate!


The Book of Ezekiel by J. Michael Straczynski.
The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 7

This series is really getting better as it goes along. This is a brilliant volume. We start off with a story arc continued from the last book. Seems that when Spider-Man came back from The Void an evil goddess came back with him. She has now taken over the body of a human and the god Loki comes to help Spidey fight this villainess. Then we move on to the series about Ezekiel. So far he has appeared off and on and we are not sure whether he is a bad or good character. Now we find out his true colours and fights a vicious battle of souls and true character. Very gripping plot and a quick read as it's certainly a page-turner. 4/5



Storybook Love by Bill Willingham
Fables, Volume 3

Wow, in volume three this series really picks up with a bang! First we are presented with a few tales of Jack during the Civil War and how he often beats Death. Thus, giving the reader a bit knowledge of Jack's trickster personality. Then we follow a two issue caper involving a journalist who has been watching the fables for many years and keeping files and pictures. He comes to Bigby with the news that he will be publishing a story shortly and is giving Bigby the opportunity to respond. The journal has figured them all (or so he thinks) out and is going to expose them to the world. Another issue takes us back to the story of Goldilocks and we find out what the fugitive is up to now. The Lilliputians enter the story here as major characters and we learn their story. And finally we get to the series mentioned in the title, Storybook Love. This continues for the rest of the volume and I really don't want to give away any of the plot. It was riveting to say the least.

This is a big scale issue with lots of violence, thus lots of blood, a bit of s*x, and not a few deaths. I was surprised at the blood but must say found the story arcs very compelling reading. If the first two volumes haven't convinced you this is adult reading material this third volume will settle that for you. This is my favourite volume to date. It is amazing how deep the characterization and intricate the plot can be in a graphic novel. Willingham certainly shows the rest of us how this medium can be used to utmost advantage over plain text. If you are one of the few people on earth (ok, in the online book community) who hasn't read this series yet, I'm asking you: "What the heck are you waiting for?" Highly recommended. Can't wait to read the next book!

Spider-Man and Serenity

Better Days by Joss Whedon (Serenity, Vol.2) - This graphic novel takes place sometime during the regular time frame of Firefly. The crew finally have themselves a heist that ends up in uncovering a huge amount of cash. As they daydream what they will do with all the money, someone is chasing them down coming to kill Malcolm Reynolds, but little does he know that it is in fact another member of the crew who he wants. Fun romp with the wonderful Firefly/Serenity characters. Nothing too special but a bit of fun to read. The artwork is fun and an introduction by Adam Baldwin (Jayne) is an added bonus. 3/5






Happy Birthday by J. Michael Straczynski (The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 6) - This is my favourite volume so far. While engaged in a battle, Spidey (with the help of many other superheroes, including the Fantastic Four) finds himself called by Doc Strange. Seems they've made a big mistake and the world is now about to end. As Doc fights the ultimate bad guy Spider-man steps in to help and finds himself warped into the Void with the Dr. The Dr. can send him home but he must follow the trail from the beginning of his life to just before his current present so he can fix things. Lots of action and superheroes/villains abound in this volume as Spidey relives his life fighting all the bad guys of his past: Sandman, Green Goblin, Doc Oc, Electro, Hulk and many more. 4/5

Fables and Spider-Man

Animal Farm (Fables, Vol.2) by Bill Willingham. Now having read this second book in the series I am officially a fan and can't wait to get my hands on the next volume. This is very different from the first one which had a classic noir feel to it. This time around Animal is indeed an Orwellian reference. The non-human fables and those unable to to take human form live on a large plot of land that has been enchanted with a spell to keep humans away. This is called "The Farm" and a large amount of the population is unhappy with the rather prison like conditions. Though the place is nice enough and not lacking in any way there is still the fact they can't leave. I loved the thematic cross between Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies. Lots of new characters were introduced while Snow White and Rose Red remained main characters as from the first volume. In this book we meet the three little pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, giants, a dragon, several animals from The Jungle Book including Baghera and Shere Khan plus many others. 4/5


Unintended Consequences (The Amazing-Spiderman, Vol. 5) by J. Michael Straczynski. This is a great volume with lots of deep issues for Spider-Man to deal with and contemplate. A nuclear test revives 12 mob bosses from the fifties who were killed and buried out in the desert in an old chemical waste hold. The combination of the chemicals being nuked brings together a creature formed of each of the men with an oozing Hulk type of appearances. It's main goal is to kill the man who put the hit on them but it doesn't care who gets hurt along the way. Spider-Man has to deal with the issue of helping people whether they be good or bad. In the last couple of issues Peter Parker is back to teaching and helping a student who especially needs some help with her life. He eventually meets up with Ezekiel again and finds out a bit more about this mysterious man and is posed with a question for contemplation. Sure, he gets the bad guys but what happens to them after they go to prison and should he just be getting the bad guy or should he be doing something to prevent people from becoming bad in the first place? An interesting proposal that makes me anxious to see where the character goes next. 3.5/5


With these two that gives me my Major and I am now working on my Masters. Having lots of fun. I'm obsessed with these graphic novels now!
Nicola

The Life & Death of Spiders (The Amazing Spider-Man)

The Life & Death of Spiders by J. Michael Straczynski
The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 4

Pages: unpaginated
First Published: 2003 (contains previously published comics)
Genre: graphic novel, superheroes
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

So let's run a summary of the week's work, shall we?

Comments: Once you get to this point in a series it's hard to summarize without giving away what happened in previous books. To keep it brief, the issue with MJ is resolved in this volume. Spider-man discovers he was followed from the astral plane by a creature out to destroy him and Ezekiel shows up again with lots of information on the early folklore of the Spider-Man.

This was a great volume, probably the best so far, with plenty of villains and appearances by old favourites. The Fantastic Four make a cameo appearance as does Captain America. We also see Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom make appearances. This is a good volume to showcase what Spidey is all about also showing his conflicting emotions with doing what is right over his natural instincts. If you are reading the series this one is great. Can't wait for Vol. 5.

Nicola

Until the Stars Turn Cold by J. Michael Straczynski
The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 3

Pages: unpaginated
First Published: 2003 (collected previously published comic books)
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Science tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Comments: Things move along and the story lines expand in this volume. The homeless children story arc is finalized when Spidey has to enter the Astral plane to fight The Shade. MJ comes back on the scene and whines and moans about being 2nd place to Spider-Man (Can you tell I don't like Mary Jane?). Aunt May deals with the Spider-Man issue and continues to campaign for his image. And a new story is introduced and wrapped up in the final two sections. Dr. Octopus is kidnapped and a younger bad guy duplicates his apparatus and leaves Doc Oc to die. The end sees Spider-Man and Dr. O fighting the against the same enemy for once.

Lots of action and fighting with villains especially towards the end of the book. Dr. Octopus is one of my favourite Super Villains so I enjoyed seeing him this time around. This issue pretty much finishes up all storylines to this point except that of Peter's relationship with Mary Jane. I love the artwork in this series. The blues and purples fit the mood perfectly. Now on to Volume 4!

Nicola