This issue serves as the final stop before writer Dan Slott reaches the end of his massive Spider-Man saga. As with the other chapters of "Threat Level: Red" this issue is devoted to arranging a few pieces and generally setting the stage for what's coming. The key difference, however, is that while previous chapters toward engrossing stories in their own right, issue #796 struggles to deliver a very memorable Spider-Man adventure. It's a surprisingly unremarkable comic given how close to the end we are.
With this tale, Slott and co-writer Christos Gage deliver a loose follow-up to last week's Amazing Spider-Man Annual. This issue fails to build on that foundation in a meaningful way, unfortunately. For the most part, this script cycles through a lot of familiar tropes. You have the scientific demonstration interrupted by opportunistic villains and Peter forced to put his professional life in jeopardy in order to protect innocent civilians. The script does introduce a couple key plot points in advance of "Go Down Swinging" (click here for more on one of those), but neither really hinges on the core plot points. With the previous couple issues, there was a sense of frustration in that Slott and Gage were telling good stories that really deserved more room in which to breathe. Seeing this arc wrap up on such a bland, formulaic note only exacerbates that sense of frustration.
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With this tale, Slott and co-writer Christos Gage deliver a loose follow-up to last week's Amazing Spider-Man Annual. This issue fails to build on that foundation in a meaningful way, unfortunately. For the most part, this script cycles through a lot of familiar tropes. You have the scientific demonstration interrupted by opportunistic villains and Peter forced to put his professional life in jeopardy in order to protect innocent civilians. The script does introduce a couple key plot points in advance of "Go Down Swinging" (click here for more on one of those), but neither really hinges on the core plot points. With the previous couple issues, there was a sense of frustration in that Slott and Gage were telling good stories that really deserved more room in which to breathe. Seeing this arc wrap up on such a bland, formulaic note only exacerbates that sense of frustration.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...