Broken Frontier

This issue of Amazing Spider-Man kicks off the much-anticipated story, "Spider-Island."

Spidey's old enemy, the Jackal of Clone Saga fame, is back and is the mastermind behind granting spider-powers to not only thugs and miscreants, but many normal people in Manhattan, like Spider-Man's girlfriend! It's fun, chaotic, dynamic storytelling as Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos bring you one of the most interesting storylines of the year.

There are many writers who can write a good Spider-Man, but only a few can write a great Spider-Man. Dan Slott belongs to that second half: his Peter Parker is witty, awkward, noble, and caring, while the characters around him are three-dimensional, all trying to survive a story with high concepts, and epic fun. Manhattan is crawling, literally, with thousands of people who all find themselves with Spider-Man's powers, and none of his responsibility. The Jackal, backed by his own cadre of spider-thugs, is planning on wreaking havoc, and while the full extent of his plans are unknown, he's already caused massive damage to the city as well as Spider-Man's reputation, and this is only part one!

Humberto Ramos is a great fit for this book, if only for his wild and frenetic artwork. The fact that his character designs and expressions are spot on, and his layouts are dynamic only adds to his achievements on this book. From the multitude of spider men populating this book, each with their own distinctive look, to the moments of shock and awe as Peter discovers the true threat of Spider-Island, Ramos' art makes this an immensely enjoyable book to read.

In a lot of event books, you always see taglines of how things will never be the same, and so on; yet, inevitably, most days, the status quo is brought back at some time or another. "Spider Island," under the guidance of Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos, not only has the opportunity to further the mythos of Spider-Man, but may also live up to the expectation that nothing will ever be the same for Peter Parker after this.