1-12 written by Mark Millar
13-24 written by
1-4 pencilled by Terry Dodson
5 pencilled by Frank Cho
6-7 pencilled by Terry Dodson
8 pencilled by Frank Cho
9-12 pencilled by Terry Dodson
13-18 pencilled by Billy Tan
19 onwards pencilled by Pat Lee

Defined as the gritty, realistic and mature Spider-man title, Millar pushed Spidey to his limit, grounding his problems within a dark and dangerous world. Having planned the first year of this book to a tee, you can expect to read multiple character appearances from many of the traditional rogues’ gallery, as well as seeing Spidey going through the most brutal, important and dangerous battles he has ever had. In Year Two, Hudlin takes over as Spidey becomes a New Avenger and deals with Peter Parker finding his place in the chaos of The Absorbing Man and a brand new superhero!

Issue highlight - Issue #3 defines Electro as a serious villain for the first time in his history and contains one of the most brutal fight scenes I have ever seen!

Volume highlight - Down Among The Dead Men sets up the tone for this gritty title and for the year and provides a masterful example of Millar’s no-nonsense, direct storytelling.

Volume One - Down Among The Dead Men - Issues 1-4
Spider-Man finally defeats The Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, and sends him to jail. Soon after, Peter is called to the vandalised grave of his uncle. Whilst there he gets a call from a mysterious man telling him that he knows he is Spider-Man and that his Aunt May has been kidnapped. Going to the Avengers, then the crime-lord known as The Owl for help, he determines that Electro and The Vulture are the two responsible and proceeds to battle the two. Spider-Man learns that the two are not responsible, and that he is simply doing The Owl’s dirty work for him. Electro leaves Spidey bloody and beaten, and then Vulture attacks him at his hospital bed. Spidey is only saved by the timely intervention from Felicia Hardy – The Black Cat. She proceeds to beat Vulture to a pulp and leaves him, and Electro, at the hands of The Owl. As Spidey recovers, JJJ is shown some pictures taken in the hospital of Spider-Man. What he sees is a very familiar face….. Rating – 4/5

Volume Two - Venomous - Issues 5-9
Venomous (Parts 1-4)
Eddie Brock, Venom, arrives at JFK knowing that he only has hours to live. Across town, Peter recovers at home, presuming his secret identity is ruined. However, The Bugle picture is bloody, masked and pulped and Peter has something else to worry about – MJ has about $25,000 debt! Later, Spidey battles a drugged out Doc Ock, as he escapes his police escort. He visits the X-Mansion to speak with Rachel Summers and undergo a psychic test to determine Aunt May’s whereabouts. Rachel believes May is dead. Across town, an auction is held for the Venom symbiote. Don Fortunato wins it for his meek son, Angelo, and a new Venom is born and attacks Peter at a school reunion. The fight rages across the city, the brutal force of Venom killing an innocent Spidey-pretender. The symbiote leaves Angelo, letting him fall to his death. Elsewhere, Eddie Brock slits his wrists. Peter doctors several photos to end The Bugle ransom hunt and the deaths it causes. He convinces JJJ and his son, John, is Spider-Man. Later, Peter receives a phone call from the kidnapper, and is invited to lunch… Rating - 3˝/5

Volume Three - The Last Stand - Issues 9-12
The Last Stand (Parts 1-4)
Peter meets with Mac Gargan, The Scorpion, who explains that Aunt May is alive and that all of this is a Norman Osborn masterpiece. Gargan tells Peter about the manufacture of super-villains that were contracted to specific super-heroes and creating a balance in the world. Osborn was one of the greatest contractors before he turned into The Green Goblin. Now he is in jail and a marked man he is more powerful because of everything he knows, which is why Doctor Octopus has been brainwashed to kill him. Gargan tells Peter that he has to break Osborn out or May dies. Peter agrees and, with the Black Cat’s help, they succeed in breaking him out. However, Osborn double crosses them by forming the Sinister Twelve. One of the Twelve is the new Venom, Mac Gargan! As the battle begins, The Avengers and The FF join. Meanwhile, Osborn flies to MJ and kidnaps her. After taking out the new Venom, Peter and Osborn fight atop a bridge. The brainwashed Doc Ock joins the fray and the two villains are hit by lightning. Osborn’s body is not found and Ock survives. Peter figures out where Aunt May is being held and rescues her. Rating - 3˝/5

Volume Four – Wide Blue Yonder – Issues 13-18
Wide Blue Yonder (Parts 1-6)
The Absorbing Man, Creel, escapes and heads straight for NYC. Spidey tries to take him down alone, but Creel escapes. Being late for his teaching job, he is fired and later goes to The Bugle to see if there is any work there. Creel soon teams up with a mysterious blonde woman, who is employed by The Owl. In return for narcotics, Creel is to take out a list of threats to The Owl’s empire. Meanwhile, Peter and Wolverine get into a spat over MJ and Peter is stabbed! At the Bugle, JJJ teams Peter up with Ethan Edwards. Ethan has healing powers, X-ray vision and can fly, but is so new to being a super hero that he asks Peter (whom he knows to be Spidey) to be his mentor. The Fantastic Four also find out that Ethan is a Super Skrull, genetically designed to conquer the Earth. Ethan becomes more and more unstable and takes out the FF when they interfere by questioning his “parents”. In the meantime, Spidey is successful in incapacitating a rampaging Creel, after he was fired, killed the mysterious blonde and tried to kill The Owl. Ethan then confronts Spidey but he has the New Avengers with him this time. It eventually turns out that Aunt May talks Ethan into being calm and controlling his destiny. We later see Ethan using his healing powers for good. Rating: 2˝ / 5

Volume Five – The Other – Issues 19-21

Reviewed by Adam Rivett

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