COMIC BINGE: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: FAMILY BUSINESS
PLOT: Someone has Spider-Man in their crosshairs and the only person in the Marvel Universe who can save him is… Peter Parker’s sister?! As the web-slinger meets family he never knew, will she end up becoming his greatest ally… or the one who damns him? And what does the Kingpin have to do with it?
REVIEW: This is an original graphic novel published this year on April Fool’s Day, and it has taken me awhile to get around to reading it. Mark Waid and James Robinson take the helm to create their own story, and Waid has certainly proven himself in the past with great stories so my expectations were high. I generally like Spider-Man but it is usually the more light-hearted and funny stories that I gravitate towards. This is a little darker of a story, but it was a pretty good one. The book starts with Kingpin and reveals its central villain right up front. Also not a big fan of Kingpin, but the way he’s drawn on the page was the first thing I noticed. Not only did everything have a great look, but the art just sells the story from the beginning until the end of the book. It is always great when a book is serviced by the art just as much as the writing.
Gabriele Dell’Otto knocks this book out of the park artistically, and his Italian background could probably explain some of the art choices in the book. It has a painted and very grim look, and gives it even more of that original graphic novel feel. The Spider-Man title for Marvel NOW! has been pretty spectacular (or… Superior?) but it was a nice change of pace to read a new graphic novel with Peter Parker as Spider-Man. For those who don’t know, the big title for Marvel NOW! that features Spider-Man is Superior Spider-Man and it is different because Doc Ock is actually Spider-Man and left Peter to die in his body as they switched. The only thing I could really complain about is that there weren’t any covers every 20 or so pages to look at, because the entirety of this book was so damn beautiful.
Even though the art is the part that grabs the attention, the story is completely original and unique in its own right. Peter Parker is having a bad day when his Spider Sense just will not turn off. Before he knows it, he’s been swept away by his supposed sister to assist her in finding out the truth about their parents. They then go on a whirlwind tour about town while chased by all kinds of soldiers and eventually a big bad or two. The final result of the story was something you could probably figure out, but the impact was pretty significant all the same. I really dig the idea of Peter Parker having a secret sister or something, because considering how important his adoptive family has been to him throughout his life, any other “closer” family member could really shake his world up. I would highly recommend this to Spidey fans and those looking for a good self-contained original Marvel graphic novel. It’s a treat for the eyes.
RATED : ( PG-13 )
STORY : ( 8 / 10 )
ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )
COVER : ( 8 / 10 )
AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )
FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )