Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Civil War Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus HC (2019 Marvel) By J. Michael Straczynski comic books. This item is not in stock. If you use the "Add to want list" tab to add this issue to your want list, we will email you when it becomes available. Volume 1 - 1st printing. Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1998-2013 2nd Series) #30-58, #500-514 and #509 DIRECTOR'S CUT. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Fiona Avery. Art by John Romita, Jr., Scott Hanna, Mike Deodato Jr., and John Romita, Sr. Cover by J. Scott Campbell. Acclaimed screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski begins a run that established him as one of the all-time Spidey greats - joined by the legendary John Romita Jr.! And they kick things off by introducing an enigmatic stranger with a startling secret about Spider-Man's origin! Wrestling with his separation from Mary Jane, Peter goes back to his roots with a new job: science teacher at his old school! But how will Aunt May react when she learns Peter is really Spider-Man?! Plus : Spidey battles Doctor Octopus, Morlun, Dormammu and more, and teams up with Doctor Strange, Captain America and. Loki?! And as Spidey copes with the horror of 9/11 and relives his heroic career, shocking sins of the past catch up with the wall-crawler! Hardcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 1,120 pages, full color. Cover price $125.00. Mike Deodato, Jr. Cover. Volume 2 - 1st printing. Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1998-2013 2nd Series) #515-545, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005-2007) #1-4 and 24, Marvel Knights Spider-Man (2004-2006) #19-22, Sensational Spider-Man (2006 2nd Series) #41, Spider-Man: The Other Sketchbook (2005), and Spider-Man: One More Day Sketchbook (2007). Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Peter David, and Reginald Hudlin. Art by Mike Deodato, Jr., Joe Pimentel, Tom Palmer, Mark Brooks, Jaime Mendoza, Ron Garney, Bill Reinhold, Tyler Kirkham, Jay Leisten, Sal Regla, Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel, and Pat Lee. Cover by Mike Deodato, Jr. J. Michael Straczynski concludes his Amazing run - and everything changes for Spider-Man! First, Spidey gets some new digs - but can he stand living with the New Avengers? In the shocking story line "The Other," the vicious Morlun takes Spider-Man to the brink of death - and beyond! If Peter Parker has any hope of surviving, he has two choices: evolve or die! Then, Civil War erupts - and things really get wild! Spidey in red-and- gold armor! Spidey back in black! And Spidey unmasked in front of the world! But brace yourself for the big finish: As Aunt May lays dying, what would Peter and MJ give for One More Day? Hardcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 1,120 pages, full color. Rated T+ Cover price $125.00. This item is not in stock. If you use the "Add to want list" tab to add this issue to your want list, we will email you when it becomes available. Ron Garney Cover. Volume 2 - 1st printing. Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1998-2013 2nd Series) #515-545, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005-2007) #1-4 and 24, Marvel Knights Spider-Man (2004-2006) #19-22, Sensational Spider-Man (2006 2nd Series) #41, Spider-Man: The Other Sketchbook (2005), and Spider-Man: One More Day Sketchbook (2007). Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Peter David, and Reginald Hudlin. Art by Mike Deodato, Jr., Joe Pimentel, Tom Palmer, Mark Brooks, Jaime Mendoza, Ron Garney, Bill Reinhold, Tyler Kirkham, Jay Leisten, Sal Regla, Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel, and Pat Lee. Cover by Ron Garney. J. Michael Straczynski concludes his Amazing run - and everything changes for Spider-Man! First, Spidey gets some new digs - but can he stand living with the New Avengers? In the shocking story line "The Other," the vicious Morlun takes Spider-Man to the brink of death - and beyond! If Peter Parker has any hope of surviving, he has two choices: evolve or die! Then, Civil War erupts - and things really get wild! Spidey in red-and- gold armor! Spidey back in black! And Spidey unmasked in front of the world! But brace yourself for the big finish: As Aunt May lays dying, what would Peter and MJ give for One More Day? J. Michael Straczynski. Joseph Michael Straczynski is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is also a playwright, journalist and author of a well-regarded tome on scriptwriting. He was the creator, executive producer and head writer for the science fiction TV series Babylon 5 and its spin-off Crusade, as well as for the series' Jeremiah and Sense8. Straczynski wrote most of the Babylon 5 episodes, notably an unbroken 59-episode run including all of the third and fourth seasons. Professional History. Straczynski has long been a comic aficionado, and wrote a few comics during the 1980s, namely an issue of Teen Titans Spotlight , The Twilight Zone , and Star Trek . With the exception of the Babylon 5 comics, television work took over most of his writing duties throughout the 1980s and 1990s, until 1999 when he started writing Rising Stars for Top Cow/Image Comics. Eventually he worked mostly under his own imprint, Joe's Comics, for which he also wrote the acclaimed Midnight Nation miniseries, and the illustrated fantasy parable Delicate Creatures . Soon, Straczynski developed a good reputation in the comics industry, and Marvel Comics signed him to an exclusive contract, beginning with a run on Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel's flagship title. Other successful titles for Marvel followed, including Supreme Power and a run on Fantastic Four . Straczynski's work for Marvel includes: The Amazing Spider-Man - from Vol. 2, Issue 30 Supreme Power - acclaimed 2003 reboot of the old Squadron Supreme Strange: Beginnings and Endings - miniseries detailing Doctor Strange's origins Fantastic Four - from Issue 527 Dream Police - under the Icon Comics imprint, one shot The Book of Lost Souls - ongoing series, started in September 2005, Icon Comics imprint Bullet Points - miniseries, 2006 Silver Surfer - miniseries, 2006 Thor - ongoing, 2007-2009. Controversy. Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man has included several controversial retcons, such as suggesting that Spider-Man's powers may be mystical/totemic instead of science-based. Other notable stories include Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #36 where Spider-Man comments on the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #38, where Aunt May learns about Peter's secret identity once and for all, and Amazing Spider-Man #509–514, an extremely controversial story arc. In it, Spider-Man deals with the memory and past actions of his dead girlfriend Gwen Stacy, including the discovery of her having given birth to Norman Osborn's children. Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man. Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Other than Tony Stark and Captain America, Spider-man is probably the character most deeply involved in the Civil War storyline. Therefore, it makes sense that an entire tie-in book is needed to cover his perspective. Before the SHRA is passed, Tony begins cultivating Peter as a protégé and right hand man. Civil War: Spider-Man opens with Tony taking Peter to his private meetings with Congress about superhero registration. Tony is arguing against it, though he knows it is inevitable. When the Stamford tragedy occurs, he is proven right and he puts his plans into effect. The first half of the book goes behind the scenes of the Civil War, in particular Tony’s actions, as viewed by Peter. If Tony looked bad before, he’s revealed as downright ruthless and unethical here. Peter’s life begins to unravel after Tony convinces him to reveal his identity to the public. First, he is terribly conflicted when he has to hunt down his former colleagues, especially Captain America. His conviction begins to waver when he learns that Tony and Reed are making billions of dollars off of government contracts to build a prison and create tech to hunt and contain superheroes. Secondly, he realizes that Tony is using the Spider armor to monitor Peter in addition to “helping” him. When he visits the prison, he is horrified to see that the heroes are being imprisoned without due process, permanently, and in the Negative Zone. Further, Tony emphasizes that the prison is not on American soil, or subject to law, and that all the prisoners are now “non-entities.” It’s no surprise when Spider-Man switches sides! The second half of the book focuses on confrontations with various villains from Spidey’s rogues gallery – who now know who, and where, he is. Aunt May and MJ are guarded in Avengers tower until Peter takes them on the run and into hiding. Since Spidey ends up switching sides during Civil War, the second half of the book was sometimes difficult to follow as to exactly when the battles were occurring in the timeline. However, it wasn't strictly necessary to know. Peter switches costumes back to his original one once he defects. There are some excellent action sequences in part two, and many familiar faces like Rhino, Mysterio and Black Cat. Overall, this was an excellent tie-in. I thought it was better than Civil War: Fantastic Four omnibus, and as good as Civil War: Avengers. Highly recommended! ( ) The basic theme of this is similar to Martin Luther King's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," except it's super heroes' rights. How do we respond to unjust laws? The problem is the crossover stuff is a marketing ploy, and the reader can't get the whole story from this book. In fact, this book doesn't even have an ending to its story arc. ( ) I thought that this trade got off to a good start, but it fell flat for me after a while. My first gripe is the "tune in to Civil War #_ to see what happens next!" stuff, which happened three or four times in the story. Now, I've read the Civil War event, so I knew what went on and didn't really miss anything, but I hate when a book, even if it's a collection of comics, doesn't give you a complete story - especially when it's a ploy to make you buy other books so you'll have the complete story. Another gripe of mine was the fact that this book didn't have a good ending; in fact, I don't think it had an ending at all. Yes, I know that comics are (generally) on-going stories, but there is a definite end of the story arc. The result of the Civil War event isn't mentioned and is deliberately left as a cliffhanger, in an effort to make readers buy more books for the complete story. Another gripe of mine is that this trade sets up the controversial "One More Day" storyline, which is the reason why I do not read Spider-Man comics past that arc. Iron Man is portrayed as an ideology-crazed idiot who is perfectly okay with throwing his long-time friends into a horrible prison without due process simply because they refuse to register, but that doesn't seem too far off from how Tony was portrayed in the Civil War event itself (not that I agree with that characterization, but it wasn't J. Michael Straczynski driving that one). And the art isn't bad. ( ) J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: A Retrospective. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love Spider-Man. He’s my favorite comic book superhero, forever and always. And for so long, I was positive Dan Slott was the only guy who could ever get AMAZING SPIDER-MAN right. Sure, he wasn’t perfect, but he was pretty damn close. I essentially considered Dan Slott the ultimate Spider-Man guru. That was until I recently finished writer J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. I mean, god damn, talk about a reality check. For so long, I was adamant about not really delving into all this material. Now, I mentally smack myself every other day or so for ever committing to such a batshit crazy idea. J. Michael Straczynski handled the writing duties on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN for just about six years during the early 2000s. In that time, Straczynski did everything in his power to tear the mythos, if you will, of Spider-Man down and build it all back up. Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN nails just about every aspect of what makes a good Spider-Man story. The storytelling was creative, featuring a great deal of ingenuity and flair; every character was fleshed out, each one receiving individual and powerful story arcs, and Straczynski’s run shook up just about every aspect of Spider-Man’s world. Calling it insanely groundbreaking would be a tragic understatement. Now, this isn’t to say Dan Slott got it wrong. He definitely didn’t. Not by a long shot. Straczynski just got it better, that’s all. Mapping Out J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. So, first, we have to map out and highlight Straczynski’s six-year-spanning story. Cover to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. You can essentially divvy up J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN run into four or five essential parts. You’ve got the entire first half, which deals with all the totem stuff. That’s 38 issues of wacky, nonstop Spidey goodness, all drawn by artist John Romita Jr. The second bit is what I classify as all the Mike Deodato Jr. drawn stuff, including “Sins Past,” “Skin Deep,” and “The Other.” A lot of this stuff was insanely creative and controversial, but mostly for the better. You might also classify “The Other” as its own chunk, as it was a twelve-part story that spanned the three Spidey books being published at the time. Following all that came the CIVIL WAR era, as it were. Of course, this material all dealt with CIVIL WAR itself, and the fallout from that event. To this day, “Back in Black” remains one of my favorite Spidey arcs of all time. All of this stuff was illustrated by artist Ron Garney to great effect. Finally, you’ve got “One More Day.” We’ll have lots to talk about with that one later on. So, I’m basically going to do my best to write out a summary of Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Then, we’ll dive deep into all the individual aspects that make this possibly the greatest run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. We’ll also delve a little into where the series slipped up. Believe me, as stellar as this run may be, it’s far from perfect. We’ve got lots to cover, so let’s get to it! Totems, the Past, and the Other. J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN all started with the introduction of Ezekiel. Ezekiel came into Peter Parker’s life very suddenly, preaching about how Peter Parker getting bit by that spider all those years ago may not have been just a chance encounter. From there, Peter deals with many new threats, including Morlun, a new Doctor Octopus, and a few foes of the magical or mystical variety. All this culminated in the “Book of Ezekiel” arc, where Ezekiel tried, and failed, to steal Pete’s powers. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. Following all of that craziness, Norman Osborn decided to rear his ugly face once again in the “Sins Past” arc, though this time in a uniquely nasty way. Turns out, way back when, he and Gwen Stacy had a brief (meaning one time only) affair. From that affair spawned two kids who really had it out for Peter Parker. After that controversial arc, Pete had to deal with an old high school friend turned bad guy and some New Avengers business involving Hydra. Then came “The Other,” an arc that brought Morlun back and made Spider-Man more spidery. (Or would that be spiderier? No, I don’t think that’s a word.) Morlun pushed Spidey over the edge to a point where Pete embraced the spider half of himself and briefly became the spider- being known as the Other. He returned to normal shortly after with even more power than before; that’s how he got the natural web-shooters for a little while. Civil War and the Decision That Changed Everything. Pete got dangerously tied up in the events of CIVIL WAR. Unmasking himself should probably go down in history as one of the dumbest decisions he’s ever made. This leads to a drastic internal conflict for Pete, as he questions his allegiances to Tony Stark and Captain America. CIVIL WAR, simply put, sent Pete’s life into a downward spiral. Following CIVIL WAR, we were graced with the “Back in Black” arc, one of the darker stories in Spidey’s history. After Aunt May is shot by an assassin sent by the Kingpin, Pete goes on the offensive. He finds his old black suit (a cloth one, not the symbiote), a symbol for the dark path he promised to never travel down again, and almost kills the Kingpin. It’s an insanely aggressive storyline, and seeing Pete in this darker light is very satisfying. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #542. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. Everything culminated in the highly controversial “One More Day” arc, Straczynski’s final hurrah. With Aunt May’s life on the line, Peter has a brief, existential journey, coming to grips with the harsh reality of his situation, and wondering what kind of different lives he could have lived. Ultimately, he makes a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May’s life, but at the cost of his marriage to Mary Jane. What J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Gets Right. So, what is it exactly that Straczynski did so well? The answer: just about everything. Characters Done Right. For starters, J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN features some of the best character work in Spidey’s immeasurable history. This is the definitive version of Peter Parker, hands down. Straczynski’s Peter Parker is witty, crafty, loyal, humble, and deeply and realistically flawed. This was a reevaluation and reconstructing of Peter Parker and Spider-Man that we needed. We follow Peter through every little aspect of his life. Some of my favorite material comes from Pete just being himself, not Spider-Man. I love him mentoring different students at his old high school; it’s a very natural and endearing role for him to have. Of course, all of those little stories found ways to bleed into his Spider-Man life, but none of that ever felt forced. For example, one of his students’ brother gets mixed up with some hobo with magical powers. So, appropriately, Spider-Man looks into it, eventually saving the brother and trapping the baddie in this alternate dimension he’d been kidnapping people to. Many of the early, crazy, totem- related stories pan out like this one, and each one feels original and flows well between the Peter Parker and Spider-Man halves. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #38. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. Spidey’s relationship with Aunt May was also incredibly well-written. After Spidey’s fight with Morlun, Aunt May learns that Peter is Spider-Man. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #38 is completely dedicated to Pete and May talking out the situation, and it’s probably one of the best single issues of Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Because of this, Peter and Aunt May felt, appropriately, more connected than they ever had before. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s Relationship. The first few issues of Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN feature Peter and Mary Jane worlds away from each other. Eventually, when they get back together, their reunion feels so well-deserved; it’s a truly enamoring experience seeing them get back together. From there, things only go up for these two. Pete and MJ’s relationship is practically the lifeblood of this series. This is the kind of material that has helped cement Pete and MJ as a consistent, fan-favorite comic book couple. These two always have each other’s backs; they’re constantly supporting each other in their endeavors. Pete lets MJ into his life in ways he’d never done before, like introducing her to Captain America and the Avengers, which goes a long way to making them feel more connected. Another huge part of why these two work together is because MJ isn’t an object of desire in Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, she’s a real person. She’s a believable character, with her own stories to tell and problems to deal with. MJ’s progression through this entire run is just as fluid and enjoyable, if not more so, than Pete’s. Seeing her grow from a popular, yet lonely model to a not-so-prosperous, but considerably happier actress is such a great arc to read. Even with their separation looming in “One More Day,” they’re perfect together. Their final moments together during “One More Day” is some of the most powerfully emotional writing I’ve ever read. Despite “One More Day” being a less-than-gratifying story, the ending is truly gut-wrenching. When I think of a couple about to be split apart for what may seem like forever, I think of Pete and MJ’s final interactions here. Spidey and the Larger Marvel Universe. Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN also succeeds in how it ties Spidey into the larger Marvel Universe. A good story of Spidey beating up bad guys with the Avengers every once in a while can go a long way to building his character. Straczynski dominated this aspect of his storytelling. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #519. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. Spidey’s interactions with the New Avengers are undeniably enjoyable to read. It is especially fun seeing Pete, MJ, and Aunt May move into the Avengers Tower when May’s house is destroyed. It is an organic way to give Pete and his family a leg up in some regards. At the same time, though the Avengers became a more prominent fixture in Pete’s life, the story still never feels too grandiose. Sure, Pete’s an Avenger, but he’s still off dealing with street-level nonsense or his own personal problems. The “Civil War” material is a perfect example of blending Peter Parker’s world with the rest of the Marvel Universe. Though Pete is so drastically wrapped up in all the drama, we get to see how it spills into his personal life. Half of the “Back in Black” arc features Pete and MJ moving from one hospital to another, dealing with doctors, trying to save Aunt May’s life. All of this tense drama is thanks to the conditions thrust upon Pete from the events of CIVIL WAR. Though all the “Civil War” stuff is where the overall quality started to dip, Straczynski still nails the storytelling, even this far into the game. Damn Good Art All Around. I’ll openly admit that I wasn’t always a huge fan of John Romita Jr.’s art. His work on much of Marvel’s “Heroic Age” turned me off almost every time I saw it. But his art in the pages of J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN just feels right. It is more fluid and natural than his more recent work. I was actually sad to see him leave the series after AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #508. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #500. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. I’ve always enjoyed Mike Deodato Jr.’s art. His pages can sometimes be overbearing or bulky, but for the most part, his attention to realism is unmatched. I’m almost never disappointed with his work. Deodato’s style is perfect for the arcs he depicts here, especially “Sins Past.” It’s a shame he didn’t illustrate all of “The Other.” It would’ve made the arc so much better. Ron Garney’s work on the “Civil War” and “Back in Black” arcs is outstanding. There’s very little to not enjoy about his pages. Much like Deodato’s style, Garney’s style is perfectly suited to the stories he’s telling with Straczynski. One of the reasons I love “Back in Black” so much is because of Garney’s art. You can never forget how brutal the Spidey/Kingpin fight is. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #542. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. Finally, Joe Quesada, Marvel’s editor-in-chief at the time, lent his artistic hand for the “One More Day” arc. Quesada’s style is gritty and imperfect, which is good, especially for the arc he depicts. Again, it’s a fitting style for the story it tells. The Pitfalls. Of course, J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is not without its faults. There are the typical artist hiccups here and there, and some minor missed opportunities, but all of that stuff can be easily forgiven. There are three big flukes in Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER- MAN. Let’s first address the most prominent elephant in the room: “One More Day.” This arc effectively sent the entire Spider-Man fanbase into a fiery tantrum. Like, holy hell, you’d never seen fans get so heated over a comic book arc. “One More Day” still stands as one of the most controversial comic book arcs ever created. It’s not really because it’s a bad story. Frankly, it’s not. The story is very deep and dramatic; it is an interesting departure from what Straczynski had been previously delivering. The problem is that this story essentially didn’t need to happen, and it did happen for some really stupid reasons. Plus, of course, it retconned a lot of important things. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #545. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. The chief reason “One More Day” happened in the first place was because Joe Quesada had one of those “Let’s shake things up at Marvel” kind of epiphanies. That’s putting it jocularly, but that’s the basic idea behind Quesada’s motivation. He thought things were growing stagnant, so he wanted to make some changes; that’s why events like HOUSE OF M and CIVIL WAR happened. It’s also why he figured erasing Peter and MJ’s marriage would be a good idea. Newsflash: it wasn’t. Insulting the Past. “One More Day” was widely received as a huge slap in the face by many Spider-Man fans, new and old. It cheaply retconned one of the longest running comic book marriages of all time. Not only that, but it also did away with huge chunks of Spidey’s continuity. For example, they brought Harry Osborn back to life, just like that. This story is fundamentally flawed. Not because it was poorly written, but because it flew in the face of what fans had come to expect from Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and was seriously uncalled for. “One More Day” wasn’t the only story to tamper with Spidey’s past. “Sins Past” was another big offender in the eyes of many Spidey fans. From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #514. Courtesy of Marvel Entertainment. Again, this wasn’t technically a bad story; it features some tense drama and more than a few well-placed twists and turns. It is just disgustingly hard to stomach. People couldn’t believe Gwen Stacy had an affair with Norman Osborn, secretly had two kids (who, as part of this arc, found and tried to kill Peter), and convinced MJ to not tell Peter basically forever. It was a lot to take in so suddenly. So, glamorous as Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN initially appears, when you really crack this run open, there are a few ugly scars to be found. They don’t sorely detract from the overall quality of Straczynski’s run, but they’re there. Again, the stories themselves aren’t god-awful. They’re just kind of off-putting and upsetting when you give them a lot of thought. Best not to dwell on these too much and just move along should you ever find yourself reading Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Paved the Way for the Future. The effects of Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN can still be felt today. Writer Nick Spencer recently took up the writing responsibilities for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. His run has been fantastic thus far; his work is very much akin to Straczynski’s. The stories Spencer has told thus far have been uniquely peculiar, much like the ones Straczynski told. Not to mention, Nick Spencer got Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson back together, at long last. That’s been going splendidly, and it’s surprisingly been a breath of fresh air. Spencer also looks to be working in the same vein as Straczynski in terms of fleshing them and their relationship out. I imagine Spencer has taken a lot of influence from Straczynski, in terms of how he’s writing his AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. I hope so. Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is a damn good example to model one’s work after. So, when we boil everything down, faults and all, J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN still stands as the pinnacle of Spider-Man storytelling. It got nearly everything right; every character got their due, the stories were clever and refreshing, the art was fan-freaking-tastic, and with every issue came something new that shook up Peter Parker’s world. Of course, like any good piece of literature, the story is not without its flaws. Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN has a few controversial bits attached to it. But, in the grand scheme of things, they’re really not so terrible. If anything, just do your best to ignore them. It’s not that hard. J. Michael Straczynski’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was a character-defining series. I’m glad to have read it, even if I was little late to the party, and I patiently await the next run like it. Fingers crossed that it’s Nick Spencer’s. The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus Vol. 2 HC. J. Michael Straczynski concludes his Amazing run - and everything changes for Spider-Man! First, Spidey gets some new digs - but can he stand living with the New Avengers? In the shocking story line "The Other," the vicious Morlun takes Spider-Man to the brink of death - and beyond! If Peter Parker has any hope of surviving, he has two choices: evolve or die! Then, Civil War erupts - and things really get wild! Spidey in red-and- gold armor! Spidey back in black! And Spidey unmasked in front of the world! But brace yourself for the big finish: As Aunt May lays dying, what would Peter and MJ give for One More Day? Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #515-545, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN (2005) #1-4 and #24, MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN (2004) #19-22, SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN (2006) #41, SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SKETCHBOOK and SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY SKETCHBOOK.