Synopsis:
Several years before his death at the hands of Doctor Octopus, Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, is patrolling the streets of New York City. As November hits with longer, colder nights, Peter thinks on how each of them begin and end the same way, with the hope that people won't need him, and that even Spider-Man can run out of strength.After listening to J. Jonah Jameson ranting about Spidey at the Daily Bugle. Peter pays a visit to his Aunt May, telling her he feels worn out, as if somethings drawing his heat from him. May tells him about how Uncle Ben would say that November was nature's way of telling people to rest, and that there's nothing so sad it doesn't bring something positive. Peter leaves the conversation more optimistic, thinking it's probably just the November blues getting him down. He arrives back at his apartment way behind schedule on his patrol. He prepares to suit up, but instead winds up falling asleep.
Everyone begins taking shelter as the storm hits, with New York covered in snow by the time Peter awakens. A fire breaks out in an apartment block and the city is soon engulfed in darkness when a branch falls on the lines. Peter tries to check on May, but has no signal on his phone due to the power cut. The furnace at May's house has also stopped working, and things don't get any better as a tree branch breaks through the bathroom window (Man, the trees really have it in for New York this winter?). Peter's worry for his Aunt is compounded further by his Spider-Sense starting to tingle, so he decides to go and make sure she's alright, not as Peter Parker, but as Spider-Man...
Thoughts:
It's hard to believe that it's nearly been a full year since Peter Parker was bumped off in the final issue of Amazing Spider-Man. While it's successor, Superior Spider-Man has improved since it's hit-and-miss first issue, we've been so inundated with Doctor Octopus' twisted incarnation of the wall crawler (not to mention the use of the word Superior), that the mere presence of Peter is refreshing, even more so since David Morrell is doing something more meaningful with everyone's favourite web-head instead of just making this first story a fluff piece.The tone in particular is what made me enjoy this issue. It's very similar to J. Michael Straczynski & John Romita Jr.'s run on the series (one of my personal favourites), providing us with a slightly somber take on Peter's earlier exploits as Spidey, which feels all the more relevant given his death. We're given a more serious and brooding Spidey, which in the context of this story, actually works to it's advantage, and it's likely that the other stories will feature a more jovial web head. That's not to say that this issue is entirely humourless. The scene with Jameson, while not laugh-out-loud funny, is an amusing diversion from Peter's troubles and it's also refreshing to see Jonah in charge of the Bugle since his position as Mayor is starting to run it's course.
Klaus Janson's work here bears a slight resemblance to Romita Jr.'s, which makes sense given that the former inks a lot of his titles, but Janson's pencill's are still distinct enough that they maintain their own identity. The atmosphere of New York in the grip of a vicious winter is rendered superbly and Spidey himself looks awesome. There's the odd facial expression here and there, but otherwise this is a very good looking comic. This opening issue does a very good job of re-introducing Peter and shows that there are plenty more stories to tell with him. It's funny that I can have so much phrase for an issue where Spidey almost never cracks a joke...
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