We have read them, throughout the years and have followed them like a cult following and even now as they create more films with our favorite characters we cant help but buy the DVD. Marvel comic books have been around for a long time and have entertained us as kids and still do for most people as adults too. Who can even forget the famous words of the Hulk smash em or Hulk Smash which usually where the only words he spoke and of course my spider senses are tingling which was what Peter Parker, who is basically Spiderman would say when he felt trouble was on the way.

Over the years the way the comics were changed and infact they can now be downloaded from internet or read online, which now takes comic books even further than they could get before, and they are now reaching people who had never heard of Daredevil or Electra nor read about them.

The Marvel Comic Books have through the years changed with different artist taking over the helm of drawing the character according to the original only with their design, making also the theme of the comic books change. The new ones have even changed the outfits with Wolverines tight yellow spandex suit being replaced with leather black and blue. The story has also changed with the times and the presidents that have come and gone as well as the disasters that have happened.

Even with all the changes that has gone on all over the world we still see fit too look for a comic store so as to see what is new in the life of Spidey, X men, Fantastic Four and many other characters that have been portrayed in the Marvel Comic Books.

By Joe Kelly (writer),Eric Canete (art)

The Story: Everyone’s favorite merc with a mouth, Deadpool, is hired to whack our Friendly Neighborhood wallcrawler. Hijinks ensue as the wisecracking masked men kick and punch each other around NYC, culminating in the inevitable “Yo’ Momma” insult showdown between the two. Meanwhile, Kraven the Hunter’s teenage daughter and her mom (who appear to be the same age and evidently enjoy Eskimo kissing) prepare for next month’s Gauntlet event by plotting against other spider-themed characters while Spidey’s distracted.

What’s Good: Skottie Young’s cover to this issue is one of the funniest sight gags I’ve seen in a while. Admittedly, some knowledge of the excess prevalent during the 1990’s age of comics is necessary to get the joke. However, if you have even the slightest acquaintance with that era, this cover is guaranteed to at least elicit a smirk from you. Sadly, it’s the only humorous thing about this comic book.

What’s Not So Good: “Trying too hard” is a phrase that I use often. It inevitably comes to mind when I notice that someone or something has gone overboard in attempting to “be” something that they’re obviously not. Women older than 40 shopping at Forever 21 while wearing UGGs? Trying too hard. Flash-Forward aping the structure and tone of Lost? Trying too hard. Anyone driving a Hummer? Trying too hard. Amazing Spider-Man #611 doing it’s best to be irreverently funny? Trying. Too. Hard.

To be fair, Joe Kelly and Eric Canete gave me exactly what I expected when I picked up this issue. Whenever Deadpool shows up in a comic, starring or guest-starring (I believe this is appearance #62,658 this Fall), it’s to be expected that the creators will do their best rendition of a wacky, slapstick routine that happens to involve people in tights. The fact that this issue is written by the writer who is in someways synonymous with Deadpool only serves to cement that expectation. Unfortunately, too many ingredients have been thrown into the “wacky pot”; from farcical editorial interjections to the fumetti-styled recap page to the “worst day ever” direction of the plot. It doesn’t help matters much when on top of everything crammed into this package, a fairly serious side-story that leads into next month’s Gauntlet story-arc is thrown in too. Not only does ASM #611 try to be chock-full of funny and fall far off the mark, but it also attempts to be a prologue to another story. There’s biting off more than you can chew, and then there’s biting off more than you can chew. Kelly’s script falls into the latter category for me, regrettably.

While Canete’s artwork is far from bad, it does add to the unfortunate over-the-top approach prevalent throughout the issue. A perfect example is his double-page splash depicting Spidey battling Lady Stilt-Man (okay, that name is sort of funny, I’ll admit) over the streets of Manhattan. Spidey’s anatomy is, in a word, distorted. Lady Stilt-Man is (I can only assume) supposed to be standing upright on stilts that seem to be flapping around weightlessly. The entire piece has the feel of being reflected in some sort of funhouse mirror. I’m sure the exaggerated approach to the visuals was intentional, and it certainly fits with Kelly’s equally excessive plot, but it only serves to confuse in an already overburdened piece of work.

Conclusion: While I appreciated the raw energy apparent in the work, this issue of Amazing Spider-Man never rises above being the equivalent of someone explaining the punch line of a joke, and then asking, “Get it? Get it?” I got it. I just didn’t like it very much.

Grade: D

- Joe Lopez

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