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60 |
Cosmic Spider-Man |  |
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| -Spectacular #158-#160 Web of #59-#61 Amazing #327-#329 | |||||
| This cool crossover brings the "power and responsibility" theme of Spider-Man to the next level by giving him almost limitless power and showing how he reacts to this huge new responsibility. The story is set during the "Acts of Vengeance" arc, which was an event that had supervillains agreeing to fight each other's enemies because they felt that their own foe's had grown too accustomed to their strengths and weaknesses over the years, as such it gives a nice opportunity for showing Spider-Man getting into battles and interacting with people he wouldn't usually run into, such as Magneto or the Hulk. | |||||
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59 |
In the Hands of the Hunter |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #47 | |||||
| Possibly my favourite silly-60s issue, this one is filled to the brim with fun scenes of Pete's supporting cast, and there's loads of Stan Lee's crazy slang and alliterative dialogue. In the issue Kraven the Hunter crashes a party in honour of Flash Thomson going off to war, he had a deal with Norman Osborn before he lost his memory of being the Green Goblin and goes after his son Harry as collateral, intending to kidnap him. The issue is just likeable and packed with a whole load of goofy charm. | |||||
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58 |
Point of View |  |
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| -Web of Spider-Man #13 | |||||
| A smart issue from Peter David that does a better job than any other of highlighting just how damaging Jonah's grudge against Spider-Man really is, going a good way to explaining how the people of New York can still treat Spider-Man with such suspicion after he's done so much good. The story also does a good job of explaining some of Jonah's perspective and is an interesting departure from the usual routine. | |||||
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57 |
Ends of the Earth |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #682-#687 | |||||
| The Sinister Six again, this time in an all-out blockbuster style story from Dan Slott that has Spidey jetsetting around the world with the Avengers and Silver Sable in an effort to stop Ock's latest plan. The story is just some pure brainless action really, with high stakes, lots of big set-pieces to see, and all of the Wall-Crawler's most popular rogues in one place at the same time (again!). | |||||
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56 |
Keemia's Castle |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #615-#616 | |||||
| Here Sandman has learned of a way to separate his consciousness into multiple independent Sandmen as a way to multi-task, and his first course of action is to kidnap his ex-girlfriends daughter whom he helped raise. Unfortunately Sandman's ex turns up dead soon after and of course he's the main suspect. Well written and thoughtful issue that shows another side to one of Spider-Man's oldest foe. | |||||
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55 |
Spider-Man Goes Mad |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #24 | |||||
| Spider-Man's seeing things, is he going crazy? a noted European psychiatrist on vacation in New York thinks so and believes a mental break-down is likely imminent unless Pete goes to see someone fast. A smart done-in-one issue from the Stan Lee and Steve Ditko era. | |||||
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54 |
Grim Hunt |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #634-#637 | |||||
| Here Pete's errant clone, Kaine, turns up at his door step bloody and injured with a warning, someone is hunting all of the "Spiders". Kraven the Hunter's family have decided to resurrect the villain after his iconic death during Kraven's Last Hunt and doing this properly requires a very specific human sacrifice, it has to be Spider-Man himself. The story goes for a darker and grittier tone than the average Spider-Man tale and has some memorable horror-themed artwork. | |||||
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53 |
Ashes to Ashes |  |
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| Spectacular Spider-Man #25-#31 | |||||
| Frank Miller's first ever work with Daredevil! Ashes to Ashes is a team-up story where Spider-Man is blinded by a villain named the Masked Marauder and is helped by Daredevil, who teaches him to rely on his other senses. The main plot concerns the introduction of new villain Carrion, a creepy character that can rot organic matter with his touch who has mysterious links to Miles Warren, the Jackal. | |||||
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52 |
Let Fly these Aged Wings |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #224 | |||||
| Great issue about growing old and its effects on self-sufficiency starring one of Spidey's earliest villains. Vulture's days of crime are seemingly at an end, he's now living in an old people's home, patronised by the young staff and feeling tired and washed up, that is until befriending the cantankerous Nathan Lubensky, Aunt May's beau of the time. The Vulture was lucky to have a fan in one of the greatest ever Spider-Man writers, Roger Stern. Stern really had a feel for the character and fleshed out his personality beautifully as a cranky, tough-as-old-nails man. | |||||
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51 |
New Ways to Die |  |
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| -Amazing Spider-Man #568-#573 | |||||
| Crowd-favourite Eddie Brock gets brought back to the fold after a long period of absence after being diagnosed with Cancer and selling off the Venom symbiote during Mark Millar's run. The character gets another chance at life when he runs into the super-powered healer Martin Li, who cures him and inadvertently leaves behind some of his healing ability in Brock. The story gives us some great action, another memorable odd-couple Spider-Man/Venom team-up (of sorts) filled with funny exchanges, and a memorable grudge match between Brock and the new Venom owner Mac Gargan, the Scorpion. | |||||
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