Following the oddest of “cute” couple in Aunt May and Doc Ock catch-up, a cure for Peter’s malaise has been used. Now out of his coma, but still on bed rest, Peter and Marvel’s sexiest nurse this side of Night Nurse, MJ, are up to Peter’s bed pan in trouble as terror stalks the hospital.
Saladin Ahmed writes a creepy little chapter of Amazing Spider-Man. having spent some time in hospital a few years back, I can say that the comings and goings across the wards can be unsettling. The trust you have to have in those providing care is pretty intense. A relatively powerless, definitely weakened Peter and his ward mates are in this exact predicament. Ahmed does well to show both the vulnerability of the patient, coupled with the powerlessness of the visiting family in friends, with the exception of MJ of course. The horror vibe is evident throughout the book as is the sense of impending doom; though there is a massive plot hole that never gets explained that does kind of take the reader out of the scary vibe, although I suppose some could say that the “hole” works as a trope.
Jorge Fornés, probably not the most spectacular of artists, fits the vibe of the story extremely well. Its a quieter look, darker in places and the pared style engenders an effectively creepy feeling. Fornés manages to make Peter and MJ look like their 60’s selves, everyone else is interchangeable. The pacing of the art is ok; a mix of panels allows for more focussed parts of the story, the necessary steps shown, at least for the most part. As well as the art fits, it is the colors from Dan Brown that steal the show for me. Brown uses an interesting mix of hues that if defined as turgid is meant as a compliment rather than an insult. Letters are supplied by VC’s Joe Caramagna whose font feels hard to hear, which matches the hushed tones used when you are in hospital as a patient or a guest. There a raft of covers to choose from, n one of which are particularly story accurate. That said, the Devils Reign covers is interesting.
I am truly on the fence with this book. There are bits I like and there are bits that don’t quite work. For regular buyers of Amazing Spider-Man, there is a sense of logic in letting readers see the steps of Peter’s recovery al long with hints and teases featuring Colleen and Misty to help move the Beyond storyline along.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 3.5 Stars
Written by; Saladin Ahmed
Art by; Jorge Fornés
Colors by; Dan Brown
Letters by; VC’s Joe Caramagna
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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