Back Story
After the reboot of Amazing no one liked (or knew!) what was happening. I have read a few of the issue myself and can make neither head nor tail of why issues like these were even allowed on the shelves. So along came Straczynski to shake things up and use his abilities to batten down the hatches of one of the greatest comics of all time to create more memorable stories than the return of the Scorpion (#1 Vol.2). Wooo. So along comes Ezekiel. We know how it all ends up, we know where it is going now (Sins Past) but how did it start way back in 2001? You are about to find out!

Synopsis
Peter takes out his frustration of MJ leaving by demolishing a building with his bare hands. Later that day, he mopes around the city until he comes across his old school – it looks run down and Peter tries to help a kid who is getting bullied. A teacher comes out and talks to him about making changes. On patrol that evening, as he is teasing some lowly criminal with webbing, Spidey is suddenly interrupted by an older man, a man who sticks to the wall and moves just like him. The man introduces himself as Ezekiel and he knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Peter pursues him over the rooftops until Ezekiel stops and asks him a shocking question – ‘Did the radiation enable the spider to give you these powers? Or was it the spider trying to give you those powers before the radiation killed it? Which came first? The radiation? Or the power?’ Peter is shocked, but before he can get any more information, Ezekiel vanishes. Peter doesn’t want to trust what he says, but notices that Ezekiel reminds him of his Uncle Ben. A man called Dex makes a deal with the port authority to allow his small ship into the port. When he returns to his ship, we are introduced to his master, Morlun, – a being that, after feeding off the life of a German super-hero, becomes energised and announces that tomorrow they find a replacement – Spider-Man!

Highlight
The stunning pencils – absolutely faultless!

Comments
J. Michael Straczynski wastes little time. Within the space of a page we learn of Peter’s situation, then we are suddenly aware of the frustration within himself (and probably all of the fans at the time when this was first published) and the demolition scene acts as a perfect metaphor for the previous 29 issues; all the rubbish and rubble is now demolished, gone, now a new slate is built and, much like the fat foreman, the rest of the writers can go for an early lunch. Straczynski is here to stay and he is happy to take the reigns and let everyone know that this is now his ship.

The creation of Ezekiel, and the way Peter immediately takes a shine to him, automatically makes him familiar and likeable. The charm with which he talks to Peter, in the only real conversation Peter takes part in this issue, and the familiarity produced through his likeness to Uncle Ben, helps to fit Ezekiel straight into the Spider-verse with amazing ease. Obviously the bomb-shell he drops makes him a character that we immediately want to know more about, and this is a perfect and tried-and-tested authorial method used by Straczynski, and takes the very Spidey origin and inserts another possible motive into Peter’s “accident” with great panache and force. I say “force” but imagine, if you will, a nail being hammered into a piece of wood. The special thing about this nail is that it creates a place for itself, in the wood, moments before it actually gets there. This is how Straczynski’s idea works; moments/words before the ultimate question is uttered, it is set up, which allows it to appear naturally and logically. Still, he has some explaining to do!

Also of note is the humour he manages to inject. The German super-hero and the foreman being particular examples of note which lighten the tone to a degree that takes nothing away from the threat of Morlun and the seriousness of Ezekiel’s suggestion.

Romita Jr. is a class act. There is nothing I can even pick at to find fault with. From the breathtaking double-page spread of Spidey rising above it all to the interaction between Peter and Ezekiel, from the first full shot of Morlun to the simple yet inspired everyday backdrops of city life, this man knows how to draw Spider-Man. Perfect storytelling. Need I say more?

And the cover, by J. Scott Campbell; stunning, intricate and really brings out the Spider in Spider-Man.

Rating
Cover – 4½ / 5
Overall – 4½ / 5

Reviewed by Adam Rivett

Back Return to Reviews Home Return to the Homepage