THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by Dan Slott, Peter David, Robbie Thompson, Dennis Hopeless, Mike Costa, Christos Gage
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Will Sliney, Stacey Lee, Javier Rodriguez, David Baldeon, Paco Diaz
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: October 7, 2015
Peter Parker’s going worldwide, taking the Spider…er, Parker Industries, brand global and, well, mayhem ensues.
Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli certainly know how to work with each other by this point in their Spider-careers, and it shows with this issue. They are responsible for the primary story in this issue and they do a great job with it, giving readers a Peter Parker that is loads of fun and capable to boot. The tone of the issue reminded of one of the early arcs in Slott’s run “Big Time” where Peter actually had some ducks in a row…and it was really nice. There’s an optimism here that is great and surprisingly infectious. I was smiling the whole time I was reading, and that doesn’t happen with a lot of comics.
Slott is a master at writing Peter’s banter and there are some phenomenal moments in this comic with some of the guest stars. His choice for “drop-in” characters is perfect and I can’t think of a better foil for Peter’s constant quipping than the lovely guest in the first part of the issue. I’m purposefully avoiding spoilers here, as I didn’t know she was coming and it was a great treat. Along with the great quipping are some really tender and sweet moments with some fun Spider-friends, also calling back to those “Big Time” days. I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane with this crew and Slott writes them as well as ever.
The emergence of Parker Industries as a global company is a really interesting angle that I am excited to read more of. The logistics of Spider-Man being in multiple places and acting as a separate entity from Peter provides a fun challenge for our main character and Slott knows how to maximize that for laughs and story impact. This really does feel like a new age for Spider-Man and I’m excited to see where this story goes.
Giuseppe Camuncoli’s work is strong in this issue and it is obvious that his great work on Spider-Verse was no fluke. His pencils are sharp and crisp, his action is fluid and there really isn’t a poor panel in the bunch. He and Slott work in perfect unison to create an upbeat tone that befits this story and I really enjoyed his subtle touches with respect to Sajani. There is a ton of detail in this artwork but the characters remain upbeat and likable, and Camuncoli is really just on fire here.
As for the backup stories, each teased their series well and I was really impressed with how they built on each other thematically. Subtle touches like including details from the Spider-Woman story in the final ASM tease tickled my funny bone and it was great to see Silk back on the page. These books are being handled by the same teams as prior to Secret Wars, for the most part, so the consistent tone from the past was welcomed. They got me pumped for the rest of the Spider-Verse, and that’s really what their job was. Landmark issues of Spider-Man have included these backup tales for some time now, and this is probably the best crop I’ve ever read.
Amazing Spider-Man #1 ticks off all the right boxes for a major relaunch of a top flight book. It’s entertaining, fun, has a nice cliffhanger and brings a new element to an old character to zap some life into the story. Slott’s run on this character has been amazing and to have a skilled artist like Camuncoli still collaborating with him is just a treat for all of us who get to read these great stories. Spider-fans, this one’s a must read.
The Verdict: 9.0/10
