Todd drew one of my favorite Spidey stories in Friendly Neighborhood Spidey #23. Man, I miss that book. Good to see his art again. Sano are you getting this mini for certain? I want to pick it up, but Mackie being on board makes me think “APPROACH WITH EXTREME CAUTION!”
Yeah I’m getting it for certain. If Mackie messes things up big time I’ll just call it an art book. 
I miss MJ too. I dont really care about couples in comics (Jean and Scott made me sick back in the day) but for some reason I really want to see MJ and Peter together.
Follow up - Finished reading the prose book, Spider-Man The Darkest Hours by Jim Butcher. I enjoyed this SOOO much. :lovin:
The story spins out of Morlun’s appearance during JMS’ AMS run, some time later. Spidey is married, teaching and living with MJ so it happens after she returns to him. Pretty much the same time frame Spider-Man / Red Sonja and the Spider-Man video game Web of Shadows takes place. Seems people like this time period to work their stories in. 
If you’re worried about this being another ‘magic’ story then fret not because Spider-Man does apply science here and there and even comes up with lots of scientific explanations for Marvel Universe stuff. Regarding things like why there are so many Mutants in this day and age (pre-house of M), how a smaller guy defeats bigger guys than himself (has to do with inertia / centrific force, fascinating) and things like that.
Rhino is featured in the book a lot and he is shown in a positive light. The MJ / Black Cat / Spidey triangle is in full effect to make things interesting. Doctor Strange and Wong appear also.
There’s TONS of references to older comic book stories but it’s not done in such a way where you have to of read all of them to get it. If you read the stories before then you just know exactly what Spider-Man is describing. This aspect is very cool for both longtime readers and new Spider-Man / Marvel fans alike.
With all of this action going on there’s a side story where Peter Parker has to coach the Midtown High Basketball team since the regular coach is out. There’s a troubled African American teenager on the team that Peter Parker winds up giving some super-powered help in the end. Peter Parker and Felicia Hardy even visit the ghetto, pretty funny! 
The new villains in the book are crazy overpowered and all kinds of broken. Makes for some really cool fights! You know Spidey has troubles when people start flinging parked cars at him with ONE HAND while he’s webswinging through the air OOOH… At one point Spider-Man says one of them moves like they came straight out of an anime! :wow:
There’s lots of funny moments in the book too. Towards the end Spider-Man is forced to work with lots of others and he says he prefers to work alone, that’s why everyone says ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ not ‘Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends!’
Jim Butcher writes Mary Jane really well so fans of her and the marriage will really get a kick out of this book. Oh and Aunt May says she knows that Peter Parker will be a father one day, hey Jim’s as hopeful about that as most of us are! :tup:
Five thumbs up, highest recommendation and the best Spider-Man story I’ve read this year! :rock: It is a prose book so aside from the cover there is no artwork in there whatsoever. However if you’re a Spider-Fan then you owe to yourself to check it out! :tup:
It has a new cover -
I like the original cover better myself with Spidey and Black Cat, the one I have. Never liked Spidey with little eyes heh! Capcom games have brainwashed me good. :looney:
Sounds like an interesting read, Sano. Thanks for talking it up.
What’s up with Spider-Girl in Spider-Man Family this week? Towards the end it says that the story will be continued in Marvel Digital. :crybaby: Is it leaving Spider-Man Family? Well now I have no reason to buy Spider-Man Family it all, if it’s not getting canned anyway. :sad:
There might be a chance that Spider-Man Family just gets relaunched with the title “Web of” according to Bleeding Cool.
That’s good news. Thanks!
Blast it. I was trying to crush your spirit with that news. I have failed this time, but I shall connive some treachery and have my revenge!!!
Alan Cumming as Norman Osborn in the Spidey musical? AAAAALRIGHTY THEN… Lol could be interesting, I dunno… :wonder:
Yeah, I never did post in here with my thoughts on “Darkest Hour”, and now I don’t have to, because Sano said everything I want to. It was one of the best Spider-Man stories I’ve ever read, one of the best Jim Butcher books I’ve ever read, and one of the best books I’ve ever read. So yeah, you guys should read it.
Anyone currently reading “American Son”? First Spider arc I’ve read in…forever, figured his would be good to read for Dark Reign goodness. The end of part 4 was meh, maybe it will shape up well though. The Spidey/Wolvie pound it moment was pretty good though, but I found the whole of this arc hit or miss.
Also why the hell is Aunt May still alive? Even in comic years the woman should be fucking dead, the whole Mephisto thing should be forgotten, Marvel must have issues with change…
Preview of the ASM Annual. So I guess Ben Reilly might be back in 616 also, huh… Someone read it and let me know. That Aunt May and JJJ Sr. merger kinda creeps me out. :wasted: I hope Doc Ock busts the wedding up to claim what’s his. :clown:
I’m a BIG Ben Reilly fan, so I will check it out and see if my fanboy-ism meter fills. Wonder what he will do upon return.
So what’s Spidey doing with Jessica and the baby she had with Luke Cage… Quesada and Bendis are creeping me out… :wasted:
Wow, just saw the Master Planner episode of Spectacular Spider-Man! It was really close to ASM 32-33 by Lee and Ditko, only they swapped out Aunt May needing medicine for Gwen Stacy being in trouble. Very nice! I love that show. :lovin:
Apparently Ben Reilly killed someone’s family. I don’t believe it you know with clones and all but that’s the story. No real reason to think that he’s coming back from the dead. How would that even be possible? He was impaled and then disintegrated.
From what I hear the new Ben Reilly will be a long lost cousin of Spider-Man and not related to the other Ben Reilly. Take that as a rumor for now, I’m not sure how true that is.
DeFalco and Mackie Clone Saga 2.0 Podcast! Haven’t listened to it yet. Will try to get around to it soon.
Great podcast! Really long, like all of the Crawlspace podcasts. I think it’s about 2 hours and change. If you are not going to listen to the podcast then here are the cliff notes. In short I don’t hate Mackie as much as I used to (he clears up a lot of misconceptions about the past) and I’m looking forward to the new Clone saga mini.
Mackie/DeFalco podcast
[details=Spoiler]This new Clone Saga story came up because Mackie found his notes on what he originally intended to do with the Clone Saga.
Regarding the past, he said editorial forced him to bring Norman Osborn back. He was against it at first, he felt Norman should stay dead. He originally wanted to bring Harry back instead. Anyway he said he did enjoy writing for Norman later on. And of course Marvel is thankful he’s alive since he’s everywhere now heh!
Blowing up MJ in an airplane was also Bob Harris - Editorial.
DeFalco confirmed that Spider-Girl will move to the new Web of Spider-Man comic. He doesn’t know anything else about the book, if it will be an anthology book the way Spider-Man Family was or not. He did say that Spider-Girl saved Spider-Man Family, but oddly Marvel still canceled Spider-Man Family. Oh well at least Spider-Girl will be back.
On the marriage, Mackie said he likes Spider-Man both single and married. But if asked to choose he’d prefer him single because it leads to more story opportunities. DeFalco disagreed, saying that he prefers Spider-Man married and with a child (Baby May). He says that being married and having a kid give Spider-Man more responsibility and that’s what the character is all about, responsibility. When speaking of how the Clone Saga was originally supposed to end (and how the new mini will end) they said it was a way in which people on both sides of the argument could have their cake and eat it too, presumably.
They confirmed that Peter Parker and MJ will be married in the story. Hey you laugh but any stories that are in the past now like Venom Dark Origins or X-Men / Spider-Man well… You can’t tell if Spidey and MJ were married back then or not.
They dropped hints about Baby May being born in the story possibly, but questions regarding that well they just remained rather vague.
There were questions if this story was in continuity, a new continuity, if it would retcon the original Clone Saga, etc. They were really vague. They said the story might be a bridge to other things. They did stress that if anyone wanted Ben Reilly to have his own series than they needed to support this book.[/details]