*The good thing was we got a very good Spider-Man and Electro fight sequence out of this issue. Course, we knew it was coming eventually and sure, it wasnt like Spidey and Electro hadnt tangled in the past before. But there were three things here that Waid used which I think made their fight worthwhile. One was the fact that Spider-Man pre-planning actually involved a simple but clever way to stop someone who could essentially turn himself into living lightning. Another was that, given it WAS Jonahs old Daily Bugle building, he ironically aided Spider-Man via his Anti-Spider Squad. And that Electros frustration was borne out of the fact that he genuinely saw himself as the hero this time around.
*Also, I didnt particularly mind Azacetas art at all. Sure, it still seems a bit stiff and sketchy, but I did think it was pretty effective showing Electros lightning effects contrasted against the darkened scenes within the Daily Bugle during Spideys and Electros battle--and with Dave Stewart's coloring the night time action--it demonstrated some very nice contrasting between the light and shadow effects.
*Of course, we obviously cannot talk about this issue without the destruction of the Daily Bugle. It is certainly a staple of Spider-Man comics going all the way back practically to Amazing Spider-Man #1, I believe, so it certainly can be seen as historic to see it go. Without question, the most effective panel was the one which showed J. Jonah Jameson, as Spidey was helping get Dexter Bennet to the paramedics and the police officer motioning everyone to stay back, standing alone amidst the falling dust and paper, and looking at what had happened in the previous panel--his beloved Daily Bugle imploding. However
*With regards to the actual destruction itself, this was completely and utterly predictable. It didnt help matters that Marvel pretty much telegraphed the Daily Bugles demise for months, but whatever emotional connection we were supposed to feel for its literal and financial collapse was no longer there by the time it actually happened. After all, Peter (as he even alludes to in the story) hasnt worked there for about a year and a half real time, most of the supporting cast who worked in the Daily Bugle, save Betty Brant, have moved on to other jobs, and quite frankly, and technically, the Daily Bugle was gone the moment it got renamed as the DB anyway (and Im glad to see Dexter Bennet finally get pretty much written out of the comic--and in a creative way, mind you--as he was certainly another example of a supporting character who offered next to nothing interesting to the series). Also, its a sure bet that, within a few years time, Jameson is no longer going to be mayor and will once again be a media mogul with an all new and revamped Daily Bugle anyway? So it really doesnt seem like as big of a loss as its made out to be.
*And speaking of which, the scene with Peter and Betty overlooking the remains of the Daily Bugle had to have been one of the most heavy-handed moments I have ever read this year in Amazing Spider-Man. I understand its supposed to be bittersweet for the two of them given all the history they had together within that place. But as I said, because we all knew it was going to happen and because Peter no longer had been involved with the Bugle, it felt overdone to me. Especially when Peter talks about what Betty was wearing the day he met her and how newspapers are in decline. Then it gets compounded with the whole business of how Electro was once a C-lister and imaging what would happen if his other enemies leveled up in an oh so obvious attempt at hyping up future stories within the Gauntlet.
