Happy Easter!
I've had a hankering for some good, old-fashioned Spider-action, and this trade sure hits the spot. I've been grabbing Spidey trades left and right this summer as I try to catch up with Big Time, and man, I'm glad I picked up this one.
The trade leads off with an excellent one-shot by Fred Van Lente featuring the classic villain The Spot. It's a classic case of powering up a villain and giving him a pretty awesome new status quo (sending a black spot to those he's about to hit). Spot comes off as a great mix of sadness and danger. This story feels like the best of Bill Mantlo's old Spectacular work, which is the highest praise I can give.
The next story is great too. Dan Slott sends the FF and Spidey into the Macroverse to deal with some alien-types they saved a few years ago. The message is a tad heavy handed as Spidey and the Torch deal with the One More Day mindwipe, but man, is it worth it. The Torch and Spidey fit together so well, it's easy to see that these guys are great friends. Slott writes the FF so well, everyone is at their best. There were actually a few true LOL moments for me reading these chapters.
And then the final arc, the actual 24/7 story by Mark Waid. With J. Jonah Jameson elected mayor, Spidey decides to drive him crazy by going into overtime in costume. It's fantastic. Again, I found myself laughing out loud at numerous moments. Waid updates the Vulture concept in a way that makes total sense, and he does it without reducing the fantastic Adrain Toomes version of the Vulture.
The art throughout is wonderful. Barry Kitson and Mike McKone can't top this work, it's beautiful. McKone's Spidey sometimes looks a tad young, but his action is top notch.
Excellent
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