Amazing Spider-Man #507

May 16, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: The Book of Ezekiel Chapter Two

As an army of spiders swarms over Manhattan Ezekiel tries to tell Spider-Man how to save the world from the invasion.

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: Matt Milla
Letters: Cory Petit
Editor: Axel Alonso
Cover Art: John Romita Jr.
Publisher: Marvel Comics

J. Michael Straczynski seems to have divided up Spider-Man fans into two camps: those who love what he’s doing and those who just can’t get into it. I’m in the former camp. Sure, Spidey is supposed to be New York’s cuddly hometown superhero, but Straczynski is giving him something he’s never really had before: an epic. In this issue we finally learn why Ezekiel tracked down Spider-Man in the first place and the truth of his origin.

What works best about Straczynski’s writing is the way he manages to craft a long-term story. He plants seeds months or years in advance, then cultivates them, then unleashes them all at once. Things explode in this issue , everything comes to a head, and you’ve got to believe the rest of this storyline is going to be spectacular. (Or amazing. Choose your own spider-adjective.)

In addition to the big epic, the big revelations and the moments where you slap your forehead and go “Ooooh, that’s so obvious,” Straczynski finds time to play with Mary Jane as well. She heads out on an audition and learns that getting taken seriously as an actress won’t be the easiest thing for someone with her resumé. He’s doing some really good things with the character, and there’s still plenty of room to grow.

John Romita Jr. continues to be my favorite Spider-Man artist. His sensibilities are similar to the classic artists like his father, but he still have his own take on the character and his world that’s a bit more modern, a bit more detailed. His scenes with the legions of spiders crawling across New York are genuinely chilling. It’s hard to imagine anyone who, if faced with a tidal wave of John Romita Jr. spiders, wouldn’t run like hell.

This issue encapsulates everything I’ve loved about J. Michael Straczynski’s run on the title. If you’ve been enjoying it as much as I have, you’ll love this issue too.

Rating: 9/10