Comics Amazing Spider-Man #553

[iloveclones]

The original CaptainStacy rules apply (although, I think people coming into these threads have been pretty polite, considering how they feel.)


Got this over the weekend. And I think I see where they're going with Freak:

Spoiler

Curt Connors goes to see the crime lab where they're working on the samples left behind (who's there, of course, Forensic Specialist Cooper). It turns out that she was just referencing some of his papers on stem cells.

Now, let me interject with a personal anectdote: My girlfriend is getting her PhD in Molecular Pathology. So any time we go to see a movie with fake science, I usually get an earful. She gives me somewhat of a break with Marvel movies, but not much. I spend a fair amount of them watching her sigh and roll her eyes. She even pointed out to me during Spider-Man 1 that there is "No way a spider would bite him like that." Now dig it, she didn't have a problem with him crawling up a wall, but the spider bite: totally ridiculous And don't even get me started on Fantastic Four (actually, the biggest flaw she found in that movie was that anyone was taking Jessica Alba seriously as a scientist. Or an actress. She took great offense at that.)

Me, I love the fake, goofy science. I loved it when I was watching (the original) Star Trek and Lost in Space as a kid, and I love it now. Radiation, Super Soldier Serums, Artificial Hearts, Unexplained Energy Sources, Mutations, bring 'em on.

So it seems as though Freak is going to have his origins in the realm of Stem Cells, which I think they've warped into a adaptive ability for him. And since they mention that they are animal stem cells (I imagine because they don't want religious picketers outside Marvel's office) they can play around with animal abilities, too. And I like it. Nice way to takle something that's kind of fresh in the news and turning it into a fresh origin. Spidey even makes a joke about all the newbie villains.

I won't give away any more. Good issue. Can't wait to see what you guys think of it....

 

[Donald Thomas]

The original CaptainStacy rules apply (although, I think people coming into these threads have been pretty polite, considering how they feel.)


Got this over the weekend. And I think I see where they're going with Freak:

Spoiler

Curt Connors goes to see the crime lab where they're working on the samples left behind (who's there, of course, Forensic Specialist Cooper). It turns out that she was just referencing some of his papers on stem cells.

Now, let me interject with a personal anectdote: My girlfriend is getting her PhD in Molecular Pathology. So any time we go to see a movie with fake science, I usually get an earful. She gives me somewhat of a break with Marvel movies, but not much. I spend a fair amount of them watching her sigh and roll her eyes. She even pointed out to me during Spider-Man 1 that there is "No way a spider would bite him like that." Now dig it, she didn't have a problem with him crawling up a wall, but the spider bite: totally ridiculous And don't even get me started on Fantastic Four (actually, the biggest flaw she found in that movie was that anyone was taking Jessica Alba seriously as a scientist. Or an actress. She took great offense at that.)

Me, I love the fake, goofy science. I loved it when I was watching (the original) Star Trek and Lost in Space as a kid, and I love it now. Radiation, Super Soldier Serums, Artificial Hearts, Unexplained Energy Sources, Mutations, bring 'em on.

So it seems as though Freak is going to have his origins in the realm of Stem Cells, which I think they've warped into a adaptive ability for him. And since they mention that they are animal stem cells (I imagine because they don't want religious picketers outside Marvel's office) they can play around with animal abilities, too. And I like it. Nice way to takle something that's kind of fresh in the news and turning it into a fresh origin. Spidey even makes a joke about all the newbie villains.

I won't give away any more. Good issue. Can't wait to see what you guys think of it....

Aloha,
First off, who do you know at Marvel to get these issues so early. You go broSecond, once again, at least Marvel is sticking to the game plan of Breevorts Bibile regarding using New villians before they bring in old tried and true bad guys. Just as in the 60's, radiation was the thing that people feared, now it's things like stem cells,cloning,etc. so this is a great way of making things fresh at the House of Ideas.I'll get my copy on Thursday. See you then.
Spidey rules

 

[Dangerous]

The original CaptainStacy rules apply (although, I think people coming into these threads have been pretty polite, considering how they feel.)


Got this over the weekend. And I think I see where they're going with Freak:

Spoiler

Curt Connors goes to see the crime lab where they're working on the samples left behind (who's there, of course, Forensic Specialist Cooper). It turns out that she was just referencing some of his papers on stem cells.

Now, let me interject with a personal anectdote: My girlfriend is getting her PhD in Molecular Pathology. So any time we go to see a movie with fake science, I usually get an earful. She gives me somewhat of a break with Marvel movies, but not much. I spend a fair amount of them watching her sigh and roll her eyes. She even pointed out to me during Spider-Man 1 that there is "No way a spider would bite him like that." Now dig it, she didn't have a problem with him crawling up a wall, but the spider bite: totally ridiculous And don't even get me started on Fantastic Four (actually, the biggest flaw she found in that movie was that anyone was taking Jessica Alba seriously as a scientist. Or an actress. She took great offense at that.)

Me, I love the fake, goofy science. I loved it when I was watching (the original) Star Trek and Lost in Space as a kid, and I love it now. Radiation, Super Soldier Serums, Artificial Hearts, Unexplained Energy Sources, Mutations, bring 'em on.

So it seems as though Freak is going to have his origins in the realm of Stem Cells, which I think they've warped into a adaptive ability for him. And since they mention that they are animal stem cells (I imagine because they don't want religious picketers outside Marvel's office) they can play around with animal abilities, too. And I like it. Nice way to takle something that's kind of fresh in the news and turning it into a fresh origin. Spidey even makes a joke about all the newbie villains.

I won't give away any more. Good issue. Can't wait to see what you guys think of it....

Hey that's rad- Your gf is a science whiz like Petey!
I'd ask after web-shooters for my B-day.

 

[Blader5489]

I remember reading a long time ago, before BND started, that Freak would become something different every time he transformed.

 

[Themanofbat]

Hey that's rad- Your gf is a science whiz like Petey!
I'd ask after web-shooters for my B-day.

He should ask her to play with his web-shooter... he's got an organic one... t: t: t:

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

He should ask her to play with his web-shooter... he's got an organic one... t: t: t:

LOL!

 

[Themanofbat]

LOL!

Shush... you're far too young to laughing at jokes like that...

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Shush... you're far too young to laughing at jokes like that...

Lol, trust me, I've heard more "adult only" jokes than that before. t:

 

[Dangerous]

He should ask her to play with his web-shooter... he's got an organic one... t: t: t:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

That was a good one.



I'm sure she prob does that already tho, it's part of the deal.

 

[Miss Webb]

He should ask her to play with his web-shooter... he's got an organic one... t: t: t:

Naughty, naughty...

Though I'd like to see Pete shooting webs from THERE...t:

 

[Themanofbat]

Naughty, naughty...

Though I'd like to see Pete shooting webs from THERE...t:

Given time, you'll see a Vertigo series with this as a concept... t:

Just read ASM #553, and while Gale has been my least favorite ASM writer of the three (thus far), he sure tells an interesting yarn with a modern feel yet with a cheesey Stan Lee-ish style origin for Freak.

The art has been great, but I have a hard time with the big eyes...and I love how the stories just flow from issue to issue...

It's all very, very good.

 

[nobndfan]

Given time, you'll see a Vertigo series with this as a concept... t:

Just read ASM #553, and while Gale has been my least favorite ASM writer of the three (thus far), he sure tells an interesting yarn with a modern feel yet with a cheesey Stan Lee-ish style origin for Freak.

The art has been great, but I have a hard time with the big eyes...and I love how the stories just flow from issue to issue...

It's all very, very good.

I'm not reading the book, but the only thing that would tempt me (it won't) is that anyone who could create a character like Dr. Emmett L. Brown would HAVE to write an interesting story. In addition to the wonderful Back To The Future, Gale and Zemeckis also wrote, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" (a very funny movie about Beatles fans during the Ed Sullivan show, and "Forrest Gump."

 

[DestinyMakerX]

I just read this issue and I found it fantastic. Gale is an incredible writer!

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I picked up the Issue and I thought it was great! Phil Jeminezs' art is very cool, but like I said, it's not my favorite. I really enjoyed the fight between Spidey and Freak. I also thought it was a cool shot of Spidey with mask off and a picture of the Green Goblin behind him. So anyway, this issue was very enjoyable and I'm looking foward to BND part 9.

 

[Miss Webb]

I'll read this only if Pete chases everything with a pulse. I wanna see ridiculous, contrived and hoplessly complicated relationships.

 

[moraldeficiency]

just got through reading it in the shop, my thoughts:

The art: worse than last weeks, several of the body shapes especially arms and legs were just off (on pete not freak) and out of place. It's not too distracting, but it does take away from the impact when I'm going over the art again trying to make sense of it.

The dialogue: the absolute low point for this "arc". How many times can you place the term china white in one comic? Read this issue to find out. Both Slott and Gug. have pete pretty nailed as far as his voice in this SOS senario but gale falls epically in this sector delivering by far the worst of the group, and if you asked me before this I would have bet my kidney on the gug. being winner in this category but suprisingly he was at least as crisp and on target as slott if not slightly better.

The story: ok, freak has some real potential here. In terms of a drug addict turned super he's more creative and cooler than the sentry, but he still fails to set himself apart with a personality other than the standard drug addict characterization. Hey another villian that's mad at others for his personal choices and failings. Sorry but pete already has the lizard as a three dimensional freak with a far better back story. Not saying freak couldn't be turned around, but at this point it's walking up hill in the snow with no shoes on.

Other points: yeah, stan lee isn't writing this, and while I get the nod to the past thing, it's getting old. There's little brand new here and the notes popping up constantly to tell us the same thing that was covered by the recap page or just common sense isn't helping unless they're trying to appeal to the vast ADD market.

Overall: worse than last issue but not terrible, just a standard tale with nothing too original or noteworthy to really discuss. The dialogue stands out as the extreme low point. While I don't mind the constant 70s feel so much the writing teams need to inject something of their own into this and not just crib of Stan. The villians thus far have nothing that makes them stand out, and that makes me sad. The one real hope I had for this SOS (until marvel comes to their senses and gets rid of this concept) was to get some new villians in the mix, but I can do without a knock off of the kingpin/silvermane (negative), another goblin without any of the osborn charm (menance) and this second rate lizard. My god, I'm actually beginning to think paperdoll might be the coolest thing we get from all this.

 

[The Lizard]

Why is Spidey's head drawn so elongated? He looks like a gray alien.


When I saw Forensic Specialist Cooper's fawning over Dr. Connors, I wondered if maybe Curt might finally be ready to start dating for the first time since Martha died. I'm also wondering if Connors being the Lizard is still common public knowledge like it used to be in recent years.

 

[spider greg]

Got it yesterday at the comic shop, and once again paid full price and read it in bed. It was a very good solid read, and the thing I'm really liking is the fact it took me a while to read the entire issue. For the last couple of years (and this is especially true of JMS's run) it seemed like I could read an issue in what felt like 5 minutes. I always felt cheated and that I didn't get my money's worth, so even though comics (along with everything else it seems like) are more expensive then ever, at least I feel like like I'm getting something out of it.
I like the part where Pete was testing the sensor to make his camera go off. He used to have it on his belt I believe, but on his chest makes more sense. And I especially liked the internal dialogue on the roof when he was changing, very classic, it's probably been 10 years or more since we've seen that.
I liked the art a lot, but ironically Spidey is Jiminez's weak points. His strong points are drawing things realistically (which is a good thing) but the comic book part of drawing doesn't quite come through very well, still the man is no slouch.
Not my favorite issue, but a good one regardless.t:

 

[Rambo, John J]

He should ask her to play with his web-shooter... he's got an organic one... t: t: t:

MOB, you old scoundrel!

 

[Dangerous]

just got through reading it in the shop, my thoughts:

The art: worse than last weeks, several of the body shapes especially arms and legs were just off (on pete not freak) and out of place. It's not too distracting, but it does take away from the impact when I'm going over the art again trying to make sense of it.

The dialogue: the absolute low point for this "arc". How many times can you place the term china white in one comic? Read this issue to find out. Both Slott and Gug. have pete pretty nailed as far as his voice in this SOS senario but gale falls epically in this sector delivering by far the worst of the group, and if you asked me before this I would have bet my kidney on the gug. being winner in this category but suprisingly he was at least as crisp and on target as slott if not slightly better.

The story: ok, freak has some real potential here. In terms of a drug addict turned super he's more creative and cooler than the sentry, but he still fails to set himself apart with a personality other than the standard drug addict characterization. Hey another villian that's mad at others for his personal choices and failings. Sorry but pete already has the lizard as a three dimensional freak with a far better back story. Not saying freak couldn't be turned around, but at this point it's walking up hill in the snow with no shoes on.

Other points: yeah, stan lee isn't writing this, and while I get the nod to the past thing, it's getting old. There's little brand new here and the notes popping up constantly to tell us the same thing that was covered by the recap page or just common sense isn't helping unless they're trying to appeal to the vast ADD market.

Overall: worse than last issue but not terrible, just a standard tale with nothing too original or noteworthy to really discuss. The dialogue stands out as the extreme low point. While I don't mind the constant 70s feel so much the writing teams need to inject something of their own into this and not just crib of Stan. The villians thus far have nothing that makes them stand out, and that makes me sad. The one real hope I had for this SOS (until marvel comes to their senses and gets rid of this concept) was to get some new villians in the mix, but I can do without a knock off of the kingpin/silvermane (negative), another goblin without any of the osborn charm (menance) and this second rate lizard. My god, I'm actually beginning to think paperdoll might be the coolest thing we get from all this.

You are the only person in this thread who it would seem read the same issue as me.

Overall it was pretty lacklustre. This is my least favourite creative team since BND began. Gale’s story is less interesting to me than the preceding two and Jimenez, while good at most of what's going on draws a real crappy webhead. What's up with the front cover? It looks like Spidey's dome has been reshaped in a vice -Yuck. The premise of Freak was pretty cool and as a new villain, he has potential, but as you noted the standard cliché of- 'I blame the world for everything that is wrong with me' is tiring to say the least.

 

[iloveclones]

Hey that's rad- Your gf is a science whiz like Petey!

We both work in research, but she's definately the heavy lifter. And just to give her some more props: I was as sick as I've ever been in my life this week with the flu, and she bought my comics for me! Smart, Beautiful, and understanding of my one lifelong passion. God help me if she ever wises up...

And TMOB, shame on you for your dirty old man jokes...

... besides, we all know that the web fluid starts to run low after 40

 

[iloveclones]

Aloha,
First off, who do you know at Marvel to get these issues so early. You go bro

About 60-70% of my subs come 3 or 4 days early, some on time, and some a few days late. The funny thing is that a title will consistently come on it's own schedule. If it's early, it's always early. Except with this 3x Spidey. Almost like clockwork, I get the first two a few days early, and the third one a few days late.

 

[hero-madman]

I bid thee an enemy of thee. Art though not thy SpiderManfan, or Art Thou a childish infant-boring Superman hailer?[YT]http://youtube.com/watch?v=pDb8LZq93ck[/YT]

 

[Blader5489]

I like the art just fine, but Gale's dialogue is pretty cringe-worthy; it lacks any kind of subtely. To quote the robot devil from Futurama:

You can't just have your characters announce how they feel. That makes me feel angry!

 

[Themanofbat]

And TMOB, shame on you for your dirty old man jokes...

... besides, we all know that the web fluid starts to run low after 40

I didn't think the web fluid started to run low...

But I KNOW that the web-shooter starts to lose it's pep...