US Shipping Date: January 2009

Previous Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #576 Next Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #578

Old Huntin’ Buddies Part One
A man delivers a smuggled case from Moses Magnum, but the meeting point is attacked and destroyed by the Punisher and the man with the case attached to him is taken by him!

Peter Parker tries to train as a cabbie but when he’s walking home with books to study he bumps into the Punisher on the busy streets and decides he needs to follow him…

In a dockland warehouse, Punisher watches a DVD from the case. On it Moses Magnum demonstrates his product – a Gamma Irradiated Mutant Growth Hormone that gives its taker violent super-powers! Spider-Man creeps in as the DVD plays but Punisher spots him and the two get into a quick fight. Punisher explains that the warehouse they’re in is Magnum’s store and that Magnum is expected. Punisher takes out Spidey with a high-pitched sound weapon and strings him up in a net. He swallows one of his spider-tracers as Magnum and his forces burst into the warehouse! Sliding out to a speedboat, Punisher cuts the net holding Spidey and he plummets into the water!

A Bookie Minute Mystery
The Bookie bursts in on J. Jonah Jameson as he’s maintaining his routine of relaxation. Bookie accuses him of being the spider-tracer killer, working out that all the facts fit in one way or another. JJJ denies this and, very calmly, shoots Bookie with a tazer! As Bookie lies there twitching he remembers something JJJ said (“Cover your ass…”) and he realises who the killer actually is…!

Old Huntin’ Buddies Part Two
Spidey regains consciousness in time to pull himself to the dockside. He wonders why his spider-sense is still buzzing and realises that a spider-tracer is on board a ship moving out to sea.

Meanwhile, Magnum holds Punisher a prisoner, beating him into saying where the stolen serum is. Punisher tells him it is destroyed but secretly extracts it from his own back where it was hidden in a syringe.

Spidey catches up with the ship and fights his way past the guards towards Punisher and Magnum!

Magnum knows that Punisher has kept the serum so that he can feel how all of his rage can be turned into raw power but Punisher refuses to give in to this temptation, smashing the syringe behind his back. Magnum realises from Punisher’s expression that he’s telling the truth, that the serum was destroyed, so prepares to kill him! Suddenly, Spidey bursts in and frees Punisher! Magnum is about to attack them both with his powers but realises that they’re on a boat and his earthquake powers don’t work! Spidey clouts him and webs him up!

On deck, Punisher explains that he swallowed the tracer and Spidey is flattered that Punisher trusted he would save him in time. Spidey is about to take Punisher in when he shoots Magnum in the stomach, meaning that Spidey has to stop and save the bad guy! Spidey wishes Punisher luck in passing the spider-tracer and he gets away on a speedboat!

Highlight
Paolo Rivera translates perfectly from paint to pencils.

Comments
Paolo Rivera makes this whole issue for me.

I loved his painted style in Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #14 and Mythos but this is something else entirely. He is able to capture the essence of Steve Ditko’s quirky pencils and makes them relevant and fresh in today’s market by keeping lines thin, bold and cramming in so much character into his characters! Part of me loves the simplicity of his panel construction and the rest of me loves the detail of each drawing, telling a perfect story and dotting with eccentricities that make Rivera stand out. I’m talking about the great sound effects, the blurred head turns and the way he contrasts the Punisher scenes with lots of big ink lines with very clean Spidey costume and a sense of fun. More please!

I had very high hopes for the team-up, having loved all of Zeb Wells’ previous Spider-Man escapades, but there’s a strange aura surrounding this issue. It has no importance to the grand scheme but its not that I’m fussed about - the plot isn’t quite as tight or clear as it should be. I think a big mistake is made when both characters watch the DVD and there’s not enough background info given on Moses, especially when the reason Spidey and Punisher defeat him is because his powers don’t work and we’re not given much insight into what his powers actually are. And what’s going on with the taxi-driving? That is a waste of a few pages.

Including The Bookie into this issue is a little odd. We get to catch up with JJJ and reminded that Bookie is searching for the spider-tracer killer but it’s all fairly hammy and little predictable. I could talk on about the creative team but they simply do the job.

I like the two part structure and clever twists with the spider-tracer, the hidden serum, the use of an unfamiliar villain and the respect/credit Punisher gives Spidey but there are a few difficulties in plot that spoil these and the glorious looking pages.

Rating
Cover –
Overall –

Reviewed by Adam Rivett

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Previous Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #576 Next Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #578