Book: Amazing Spider-Man #677
Written By: Mark Waid
Pencils By: Emma Rios
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Pages: 32
Release Date: OUT NOW IN STORES & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (VIA COMIXOLOGY)
I remember my exact reaction when I discovered that there would be a two-part crossover between Daredevil and The Amazing Spider-Man: “Oh god that means I have to read Spider-Man doesn’t it?” In recent years my interest in the Spider-Man books have sadly dropped due to the new direction post-One More Day. I was flicking through the details of the crossover and assumed regular ASM writer Dan Slott would pen part one, to my surprise current Daredevil writer Mark Waid was tapped to write both parts of the story. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t perk up my interests slightly in the crossover.
I’ve been quite a fan of the direction Waid has taken Daredevil in the past year and it’s nice to see him shake some of that magic over my once favorite web crawler. I was always a fan of the Spider-Man/Daredevil team up stories as a kid and its been a while since our last team up. Seeing two of my favorite characters bouncing off each other was a really nice throwback moment for me and it’s a fun entry point for casual readers like myself to get back into Spider-Man.
The story follows Spider-Man & Daredevil as they attempts to clear the name of Felicia “The Black Cat” Hardy after she is framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Dialogue throughout is quick, snappy and almost always funny. There is some slightly clunky expository dialogue in the stories middle to help fill in the gaps for readers who aren’t the most familiar with Daredevil. Not to mention a reference to the awful black spot on DD’s history known as Shadowland (something the core series has gone out of its away to avoid mentioning). The story so far is a lot better than what I was expecting and I actually feel like I give a dam about what happens to characters like Peter and Felicia again. I was planning to buy this issue of ASM and drop the series after its connection to Daredevil had finished however I may stick around for a while to see what it’s like on this side of the pond. Fair props to Marvel, this crossover got me interested again.
Artwork is where I was most surprised throughout #677. Emma Rios pencils were a real joy to behold, characters are dynamic with whispers of Steve Ditko in every panel and this classic feel does help make my return to Spider-Man a little more smoother. I’m quite intrigued by Rios’s style and I’ll be looking out for any of her work in the future.
I was expecting very little from this crossover and I now find myself pleasantly surprised at what has been brought to the table from the creators. If you’re up for a quick fun crossover, pick this issue (and Daredevil #8) up when you go to your local comic shop and enjoy the ride.
Rating: 
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2 Comments
Wasn’t expecting it to be too exciting (I just picked it up because my friend and I decided to start reading ASM), and I hadn’t read any ASM before this, although I did like Ultimate Spider-Man and read the entire run. I was pleasantly surprised, the art provided a much-needed break from the all-too-normal art I’m used to seeing, and the story was quite good. I give it a 4/5, worth the buy.
Terrible comics. Well, actually that not true. Mark Waid writes the best daredevil I’ve ever read. Need to keep him the hell away from spidey though. It’s always been mixed back with Parker. On one hand you have struggling photographer who can’t hold a 9 to five, who lived with his aunt longer than any grown man should’ve, whose best friends turn into super villians. On the other you have MJ, Gwen, and BlackCat. He’s always got his friends backs when they need him and he’s considered one of the greatest superheroes the world has ever known, so much so that Johnny’s version of the Parker luck is completely different from Peter’s. In this Peter is written like a whiney, sobby, horny, dope. And the Black Cat is written like a cheap whore who may as well have never met Spider-Man before given she clearly knows nothing about his character. There were a couple moments. But if you’re a Spidey Fan I’d recommend skipping this… Hopefully Waid redeems himself int he upcoming issues of ASM and AvengingSM