Amazing Spider-Man # 692-694 Written by Dan Slott.
Amazing Spider-Man # 692-694 Art by Humberto Ramos; Victor Olazaba; Edgar Delgado; & VC’s Chris Eliopoulos.
1st Page Artwork by ‘Van Lente;’ John Romita Jr.; ‘Janson;’ & ‘White.’
Avenging Spider-Man # 11 Written by Zeb Wells.
Avenging Spider-Man # 11 Art by Steve Dillon; Frank Martin Jr.; & VC’s Chris Eliopoulos.
1st Page Reprinted Panels Written by Stan Lee, with Artwork by Steve Ditko.
Amazing Spider-Man # 695-697 Written by Dan Slott & Christos Gage.
Amazing Spider-Man # 695-697 Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli; Dan Green; Antonio Fabela; & VC’s Chris Eliopoulos.
Collection Cover Art by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado.
SUMMARY:
Released by Marvel Comics in 2013, this 156-page trade paperback compiles The Amazing Spider-Man # 692-694, an interlude with The Avenging Spider-Man # 11 (which occurs offscreen during the “Alpha” arc), and then The Amazing Spider-Man # 695-697 – all from the previous year.
Issues # 692-694 depicts the three-issue arc: “Alpha.” Tiberius Stone’s resentful sabotage of colleague Peter Parker’s Horizon Labs scientific demonstration for Midtown High School students has a stunning repercussion. In a mishap mirroring his own fateful teenage accident, Peter witnesses young Andy Maguire being struck by a reactor’s blast of alpha energies.
Hence, teenage slacker Andy escapes his average life (including neglectful parents) by becoming an instant superhuman. Andy is mostly oblivious to how much of a potential threat he is, as Andy’s cosmic power levels are growing exponentially. A guilt-ridden Spider-Man subsequently steps up as his mentor. Yet, Andy’s immaturity to grasp his newfound powers and self-absorbed celebrity status as a super-hero build towards a recipe for mass disaster.
The scheming Jackal, along with his female spider-ninja entourage, intends to make Andy his next cloning subject. Meanwhile, Andy’s ignorant attitude as ‘Alpha’ towards battling massive foes like Giganto and Terminus endangers civilian lives – including Peter’s Aunt May and her husband, Jay Jameson.
Guest stars include the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men’s Beast, as all (especially Spider-Man) recognize the threat an inexperienced Andy is. Meanwhile, Peter seeks Mary Jane’s insightful advice at her nightclub over the Alpha crisis, along with his recent work-related neglect of Aunt May and Jay Jameson.
Avenging Spider-Man # 11’s untitled story depicts Peter and Aunt May visiting Uncle Ben’s gravesite. Once more, Peter tries to confess his guilt-ridden role in Ben’s tragic death.
A ‘War of Goblins’ begins in Issues # 695-697 (the three-part “Danger Zone”). With Norman Osborn comatose, Wilson “The Kingpin” Fisk seizes a chance to steal Osborn’s hidden cache of Green Goblin weaponry and top-level intelligence secrets. Aided by Phil Urich’s new Hobgoblin and a corrupt Tiberius Stone, Fisk deploys an experimental spider-sense jammer that leaves Peter reeling with the pulsating equivalent of an intense, never-ending migraine.
With Peter held captive, his Horizon Labs employer, Max Modell, risks his life exchanging Osborn’s mysterious briefcase to save his protégé. Meanwhile, a desperate Julia “Madame Web” Carpenter sends out a psychic warning to Peter before collapsing into a deep coma.
The original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, resurfaces to unleash his own sinister vengeance. Mentally drained, Peter realizes the likelihood of his secret identity being exposed again is at a crescendo. Caught between two feuding Hobgoblins, Peter must protect Max and Urich’s unsuspecting Daily Bugle rival from these homicidal, self-involved hooligans. Kingsley’s surprising next move is revealed.
Note: This title is also available digitally and in hardcover.
REVIEW:
Unsurprisingly, The Amazing Spider-Man: Danger Zone comes off as a reshuffled deck of familiar Spider-capers. Hence, the Jackal, multiple Hobgoblins, and Norman Osborn’s ominous shadow all play updated roles in Dan Slott’s stylish rehashing. Longtime Spider-fans will likely deduce most of Slott’s slick plot twists ahead of time.
Case in point: Slott’s contrived Alpha character is likely to go one of two directions. Either A. ‘Alpha’ quietly goes to Marvel’s dustbin, or B. The set-up for a resentful, Shaggy Rogers-like Andy becoming a future Spider-villain is now in place. This “Alpha” arc is by no means a must-have; an asset, however, is the art team’s consistently solid visuals.
In terms of déjà vu, look no further than the reprint of Avenging Spider-Man # 11. Apart from the very rudimentary artwork, Marvel Comics resorts to this very sentimental Peter-and-Aunt May sub-plot for the umpteenth time. Mining Peter’s guilt and May consoling him (presumably, to homage Spider-Man’s iconic 50th Anniversary) isn’t so much the issue. It’s more that writer Zeb Wells is shamelessly rehashing the poignancy of May and Peter’s grief, as it were a classic TV rerun, and ensuring the status quo doesn’t actually progress.
As for the three-part “War of The Goblins,” Slott’s plotting is chaotically entertaining, though it is hardly memorable. This assessment applies equally to the mostly unremarkable artwork. With its worthwhile page count, the business-as-usual Amazing Spider-Man: Danger Zone, overall, makes for a decent library read.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each issue’s full-page cover precedes its story. The cover artists are: Issues # 692-694 (Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado); The Avenging Spider-Man # 11 (Chris Samnee & Javier Rodriguez); Issue # 695 (Steve McNiven); and Issues # 696-697 (McNiven & Simon West).
Also included are artist Marcos Martin’s five 50th Anniversary variant covers (two per page) for Issue # 692. That same issue’s Fan Expo variant by artists J. Scott Campbell & Edgar Delgado completes the mini-variant gallery. The last page is Issue # 692’s letters-and-answers column, including a lengthy letter to fans from Dan Slott.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
