Vinny’s Comic Picks of the Week!
The Amazing Spider-Man #800 (Marvel Comics)
Runners Up: Harbinger Wars II #1 (Valiant Comics), Super Sons/ Dynomutt and The Blue Falcon #1 (DC Comics)
There were a few buzz books this week, Justice League: No Justice, The Man of Steel and Harbinger Wars II (which I’ll get to in a minute), but one stood out above the rest and it did so by a grand margin. Though not his final issue on the book, The Amazing Spider-Man is the culmination of years of development by Dan Slott. Go Down Swinging is perhaps the most hyped Spider-Man tale since the launch of The Superior Spider-Man five years ago. Yes, Slott’s run with the hyphenated hero has been much debated, but what is not up for debate is his influence on the character. Regardless of anyone’s opinion, Slott has established himself as one of the most prolific Spider-Writers. The cover to the issue proudly proclaims “80 Pages! One Story! No Holds Barred!”. Though not atypical of the industry, few issues actually live up to the hype that this has. Make no mistake, this issue is packed top to bottom.
True Story: I thought I had almost finished it and then realized that I had just made it to the middle.
Slott and his team packed what felt like half a year of issues into one. The team itself is remarkable as well, with art from Stuart Immonen (who has really done some great stuff in Amazing), Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Jim Cheung, it truly feels like a visual summation of the past few years. Honestly, it goes far beyond that as well. This issue, with appearances from many characters – including a few surprises, truly feels like an anniversary for the book. A lot happens, and while I’ve seen some places throwing up articles referring to some particular moments, I’m not telling you anything.
If you love Spider-Man, buy this book.
If you love Dan Slott’s run on the character, by this book.
If you haven’t read Spider-Man in years, find a way to catch up and by this book.
The Amazing Spider-Man #800 is the love song it should be. Be sure you read every page, especially if you’ve been following since Slott started.
Matt Kindt has been killing it on X-O Manowar, and he and artist Tomas Giorello bring that momentum to Valiant’s latest event, Harbinger Wars II. I was a fan of Valiant even before its reemergence, and I couldn’t help but feel that this event was the first that gave me the same emotional reaction of the great Marvel and DC epics. Over the past few years, Valiant’s teams have worked to add depth to their line, and it is palpable in this book.
Last up is Super Sons/ Dynomutt and The Blue Falcon, one of this week’s DC/Hanna-Barbera crossovers. Though it didn’t sell incredibly well, Super Sons was one of the coolest books at DC, and I’m glad too see the concept picked up here and in an upcoming mini-series. As Peter Tomasi penned this, I expected it to maintain the tone from the now cancelled title. What I didn’t expect was an especially poignant story for Blue Falcon. Unlike the other specials, this one could easily be dropped into continuity and shines with just how seriously it takes the concept of Dynomutt. This is fortified with the expert art of Oclair Albert. I hope Tomasi gets to revisit the cartoon pair in the future.