Amazing Spider-Man #686
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Stefano Caselli
Cover: Stefano Caselli
In what seems to be the norm for Dan Slott, it’s as if his Spidey events are “out eventing” Marvel’s big events. After reading the fifth chapter of “Ends of the Earth,” it’s very easy to see why. With the devastating cliffhanger in the last issue, our three heroes are faced with a burning Symkaria and its citizens in peril. However, things may not be as they seem, but when it’s all said and done Spidey ends up removing another member of the Sinister Six in a most unexpected way.
This story has been firing on all cylinders since the beginning, and Slott really doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. There’s been several confrontations between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, but this one has got to be one of the best. Most of it is due to the great amount of character building Slott has been doing over the past year concerning Peter Parker and his supporting cast. It gave moments like the phone call between Jonah and his father a lot of impact. Slott has also managed to make Mysterio pretty interesting (at least to me, anyway), which is pretty good, since he got plenty of face time this issue. While also giving us the awesome main plot, there seem to be some subtle hints toward possible future story lines here, as well. One that sparks particular interest would be between the Chameleon and the Kravenoff family.
Another reason this has been a great story is the rotating art team of Stefano Caselli and Humberto Ramos. This one gives us Caselli, who brings yet another great looking issue that strengthens Slott’s script. His expressive style really puts the situations over the top and gives them more weight. Whether it be the moment between Jonah and his father, or something lighter like the banter between Mysterio and Chameleon. Frank Martin Jr. also gets credit for his work on the colors in this issue. Page after page pretty much jumps at your face, and the splash page of the new Sinister Six is a great example of that.
Amazing Spider-Man has been one of the stronger of Marvel’s mainstream titles for quite some time now. The combination of great writing and artwork, along with precise character building, has made this title a worthwhile buy every time it hits the shelves!
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