The Amazing Spider-Man #699 Review
I have been a Spider-Man fan for a number of years now, and Dan Slott's run has been amazing. Although not all the issues he's written lately have been perfect he has made me very excited to see what will happen when issue 700 arrives, and I've not been as excited about a Spider-Man story in years.
Plot
WARNING: THIS WILL SPOIL THE END OF ISSUE 698
This issue continues from were the last issue left off, Doctor Octopus has managed to switch bodies with Spider-Man and is now living his life with all his memories whilst Peter is trapped in Doc Ock's dying body. After sifting through Doc Ock's memories he finds out how he managed to switch bodies with him, and goes to drastic measures to escape the Raft including enlisting the help of super villains.
Review
This was a brilliant issue and I'm getting very excited about issue 700 is 3 weeks time, slightly annoyed issue 699.1 will be in the way now. Slott has done a brilliant job on this issue and I have loved most of his work over his run on Spider-Man. Although there wasn't as much action in this issue as some of the other issues have had, and not as fun as it usually is, it was still a very good story and shows that he can write a good issue with a serious story. The way he told the story from Peter's thoughts trapped in Doc Ock's body was brilliant, and you could really feel the desperation in the character knowing that he's in a body that's dying whilst Doc Ock could be committing ton's of crimes in his name.
I was happy to see Humberto Ramos doing the artwork for this issue as I have loved his art throughout the last couple of years, and think his style really suits this series. Paolo Manuel Rivera also did another amazing cover and I've enjoyed both this cover and the last, and have loved the symbolism in them. I love how Ramos' art work has this fun feel towards it, and how even though it doesn't look to serious he can still show great emotion, and set a brilliant mood to the issue. Like for instance when he drew Doc Ock in Peter's body standing over Peter in Doc Ock's body, you can see the malice in his eyes, and how Spider-Man looks pure evil for a change. I have however never been a fan of how he draws Doc Ock, okay it keeps with his unique style but I think it's a little to unrealistic for my taste.
THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
How Ock Did It |
Lizards Secret |
Hydro-Man |
Final Verdict
A truly phenomenal issue and I'm really looking forward to the 700th issue now. Although this issue wasn't perfect, and more serious than most Spider-Man stories, it was still very good, and very gripping which is needed in a build up to a big story. I would highly recommend this issue to anyone, as it gives a lot of insight to what might happen in the 700th issue, and with something big about to happen to Peter you don't want to miss it.
Rating: 4.5/5
What I Thought
Cover - 4/5
Art - 5/5
Colors/Ink/Lettering - 5/5
Layout/Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4.3
My review is a little lower than John's but not for anything major. I liked the cover but it's kinda generic, I understand the tentacles and the brain to represent Doc Ock, but I feel they could have done more, or made the brain more prominent instead of being covered by the logo. The overall flow of the issue was good, but there were times that if you didn't pay attention you might get lost. I had a gripe with the art in that when I first say Hydro-Man it looked like Pete's face. This issue is similar to how the last issue was from Ock's point of view, this one is primarily from Pete's. It laid good groundwork for the conclusion, but I was hoping during the prison break we would see Lizard and Morbius escape. I know Morbius is getting a series so I guess that might be the #699.1 issue coming out. I can't wait for issue #700 to see how this all wraps up before Superior Spider-Man.
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John McCubbin is a blogger at http://imaginationcentre.blogspot.co.uk/ and a comic book reviewer at Comic Vine. The use of this review has been authorized by the original author.