Today,
Spider-Man Gets One More Day
Amazing Spider-Man #544 hits the stores
-- will you buy it?
Marvel
has given me an opportunity here, to combine a review with
preview art AND still give you their side of the story.
So...
We've
been building up for "One More Day" for quite
some time. Most of the Spider-Man stories not written by
J. Michael Straczynski for the last few months have just
been time-fillers, reflecting the cosmetic elements of "Back
in Black," but none of the substance. It's JMS who
has had the say, who has been directing Spider-Man's life
(no doubt overseen by Joe Quesada), but even his "Back
in Black" stories had to be drawn out.
Why?
Because he had to give Joe Q time to draw "One More
Day." Wisely, Marvel powers that be have realized that
they can't let this one delay. They can't let this one screw
up continuity in other books, and they can't continue teasing
fans much longer.
So we've
had months of rumor, speculation and a bit of hype. Mostly,
we fear that Mary Jane will be inexplicably not long for
this world. But one of the good things about this arc already
appears to be that we're not settling in for a long, long
time of worrying about Aunt May's coma. (As a cynical fan,
I thought that was coming after last issue.)
Instead,
Peter gets down to something he probably should have done
a couple of months ago -- beating the snot out of Tony Stark
for manipulating him into unmasking. While Peter may not
be on the right side of the law right now, that won't stop
him from seeking justice.
As a
result, Straczynski picks up on a few stray plot threads
that Civil War abruptly snipped and frayed, which means
for this month, anyway, Spider-Man fans will get a lot of
questions answered. He's still not dealing with that House
of M/Gwen Stacy who didn't sleep with Norman Osborn thing,
but you can't have everything.
Was
Joe Quesada's artwork worth the wait? I'm a little divided.
One of the best pin-up guys in the business, Quesada definitely
put his sweat into this one. However, as a stortyelling
artist, he has a tendency to distort and go cartoony as
he plays around with camera angles. It's a showy performance,
occasionally distracting from the straight-ahead narrative
that JMS' script provides.
But
others love him, so let's just say his fans will not be
disappointed, nor should they be. If he can keep this all
on schedule, Quesada will also be making a great statement
about professionalism and keep retailers happy that, hey,
they can count on Marvel's books actually coming out when
they say they will.
Unless
Quesada says, "...we need One. More. Month..."
From
Marvel:
The most controversial storyline in Marvel history
begins today, as Amazing Spider-Man #544 marks the first
chapter of One More Day! As Aunt May lies in a coma, and
Peter remains a fugitive from justice, the wall-crawler
will face the hardest decision of his life. How far do you
go to save the ones you love? What’s the cost of doing
the right thing? Written by the acclaimed J. Michael Straczynski,
who redefined the wall-crawler for a new generation and
penciled by Joe Quesada, one of the industry’s most
popular artists and Marvel’s Editor-In-Chief, this
storyline will tie together story threads seeded throughout
JMS’ six year tenure!
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When
this four-part story concludes, nothing will ever be the
same for Peter Parker, as his decision affects the past,
present and future of everyone’s favorite wall crawler!
Each extra-sized issue of One More Day not only features
two must-have covers—one by Quesada himself and another
by acclaimed artist Marko Djurdjevic—but is also packed
with Director’s Cut style extras!
With
great power comes great responsibility…and an even
greater burden. You can’t afford to miss this emotional
tour de force that will challenge Peter Parker at his very
core and leave readers breathless, beginning in Amazing
Spider-Man #544! And it’s in stores NOW!
AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN #544 (JUL072139)
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Pencils & 50/50 Cover by JOE QUESADA
50/50 Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
"One More Day," Part 1 of 4
Rated A …$3.99
On-Sale—NOW!
FRIENDLY
NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #24 (JUL072140)
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Pencils & 50/50 Cover by JOE QUESADA
50/50 Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
"One More Day," Part 2 of 4
Rated A …$3.99
FOC—9/20/07, On-Sale—10/10/07
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