Amazing Spider-Man
vol.2 nos.32 & 33

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Penciler: John Romita Jr.

� � � � � �J. Michael Straczynski is slowly winning me over in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man.

� � � � � �Issue No.32 (or 473, as the dual-numbering informs those of us who resent the numerical reset) sees Peter settling into his duties as high school science teacher - a move I've approved of from the start. The unfolding mystery of Ezekiel, and his teasers concerning the source and nature of Pete's "spider" powers gets the most space in this issue, and my fears have been allayed somewhat by an explanation that hints more at a totemistic man & nature source, and along the way makes a strong point by using much of Spidey's own rogues gallery to show how many of his foes have exhibited a totemistic leaning - from Dr. Octopus, to the Vulture, Rhino, Scorpion and Lizard.

� � � � � As I said, this has allayed my fears somewhat, as I don't mind Ezekiel being a member of a secret association of people each with his own human-animal connection and powers who've banded together for their mutual financial benefit and protection from the small handful of ancient predators wandering the Earth looking to feed on them. My objections were strong, though, when I thought it was going to be the sudden emergence of a secret society of Spider-Men, and worse still that they were in some way responsible for his origin. No, instead we have a much more palatable mix - albeit one that smacks strongly of what Grant Morrison set up as an explanation for Animal Man's powers some years back.

� � � � � Upon examination even my fanboyishly technical quibbles with Straczynski have tended to evaporate. For instance, I was momentarily seeing it as a glaring error that the special chamber Ezekiel constructed for Peter's use (to hide out from the vampiric predator Morlun) would have two feet of steel wrapped around an adamantium core. After all, I thought, adamantium is next to indestructible, and if someone had the molecular scrambler needed to reshape or breach it, then the steel would fall even faster. Then I saw that part of the design intention was to make the chamber "radioactively neutral", which I'll presume is a clumsy way of saying it's well-shielded to conceal the radioactive traces in Pete's blood, and then the two feet of steel made sense again.

� � � � � Ezekiel's line about finding out who Spider-Man was by employing "six of the best private investigators on the planet", having them work on "individual pieces" and then collating it himself strikes me as asinine, though, leaving me to wonder if it's a mistake Straczynski made or a clue as to Ezekiel's game being not quite on the level. I mean, come on. This makes the notion of having isolated translators work separately on individual words in translating The Killer Joke in that old Monty Python sketch seem reasonable by comparison. I'm hoping it turns out to be a key to a general weave of deception rather than questionable plotting at best. Pete has to be asking himself just how Ezekiel and his associates used their powers to amass their fortunes, too.

� � � � � The main item to gripe about is the sheer ugliness of most of the faces John Romita Jr. draws. But, hey, he's a "fan favorite" and it could be worse. They could have pulled in Humberto Ramos�

� � � � � Issue 33 was a mainly knock-down action issue as the relentless threat posed by Morlun becomes clearer to Pete. The issue ends with our hero in a desperate state and dire straits.

� � � � �They've gotten my attention.

MJN

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