The Amazing Spider-Man #9 Review

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Alex Ross, Arachno-Rocket, Cam Smith, comics, Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marte Gracia, Marvel Comics, Nick Fury, Parker Industries, Peter Parker, S.H.I.E.L.D, Scorpio Rising, Scorpio Rising Part 1, Spider-Man, Spidey, The Amazing Spider-Man #9, VC’s Cory Petit

The Amazing Spider-Man #9

Review by Paul Bowler

Scorpio Rising begins in The Amazing Spider-Man #9, as the wall crawlers new mission send him on a journey across Europe for a finale showdown with the international terrorist organization: The Zodiac! Their leader, Scorpio, is ready to instigate his master plan. Spider-Man and his allies must race against time to hunt Scorpio down, because if he succeeds, even Spider-Man and S.H.I.E.L.D won’t be able to stop him…

The Amazing Spider-Man #9 gets the first chapter of Scorpio Rising of to an exciting start. If you thought Spidey’s battle with Mr Negative, Cloak & Dagger, and his own Spider-Mobile in The Dark Kingdom was tough, then you better hang onto your webs because that was just a taster for what’s to come next! Writer Dan Slott and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli continue to work their magic with Marvel’s all-new, all-different The Amazing Spider-Man, as this action-packed new story-arc begins, and this time they are really going to put Peter Parker through his paces as he confronts the remnants of Zodiac!

Dan Slott rockets our global friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man’s adventures into the stratosphere, and beyond, in Scorpio Rising Part 1: One Way Trip, as Nick Fury turns to Peter Parker and Spider-Man to track down Scorpio before he can utilize the power of the Orrery – a mysterious mystical artefact Scorpio managed to escape with during the Zodiac’s attack on the British Museum in London. Now after Scorpio hacked S.H.I.E.L.D’s satellites, Nick Fury seeks assistance from Peter Parker at his New York HQ in the Baxter Building, but the “boss” of Parker Industries is unavailable, fortunately Spider-Man has devised a plan to reset the satellites manually – once Fury’s cleared them some airspace that is!

Yes, there’s a Spiiddeerr-Maaan waiting in the sky (Sorry I couldn’t resists that!) as Spidey and Nick Fury blast off into orbit to take back control of the S.H.I.E.L.D satellites. It’s a move that not even Scorpio or the looped timey-wimey abilities of Gemini could’ve predicted, as they monitor events from Scorpio’s base in Paris. Dan Slott strikes a perfect balance between all the drama and humour in this issue, with digital logos, emojis, a hilariously staged Gravity scenario for Nick Fury, and quite possibly the best built-in play list ever which all collectively make for a sublime blend of action and fun!

Following Matteo Buffangi’s excellent stint as guest artist for ASM #6-8, Giuseppe Camuncoli’s is back to provide the art for The Amazing Spider-Man #9, together with inks by Cam Smith, and this issue is a veritable feast of striking visuals, as Camuncoli brings us some of this new Marvel series’ most exciting scenes to date. The sheer level of detail lavished on each page by Camuncoli and Smith is staggering, from the initial scenes in the lobby of the Baxter Building, to excitement of the Arachno-Rockets launch, Scorpio’s menacing lair in Paris, and the beautifully realized action in space are all sublimely accentuated by colorist Marte Gracia’s exquisite tones and hues.

Everything in this issue builds towards the spectacular reveal of thirteenth a sing of the Zodiac, together with a nail-biting freefall from orbit, a brief interlude at Parker Industries London HQ with romantic and menacing ramifications, and a thrilling cliff-hanger ending. This issue certainly puts our wall crawling hero through the wringer! Featuring a gorgeous cover by Alex Ross, The Amazing Spider-Man #9, with its exciting story by Dan Slott and great art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, remains one of Marvel’s best new titles, and this Scorpio Rising story-arc looks set to be an action-packed thrill-ride of epic proportions for the Spiderverse!

Publisher: Marvel / Writer: Dan Slott / Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli

Inks: Cam Smith / Colorist: Marte Gracia

Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna / Cover Artist: Alex Ross

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The Amazing Spider-Man #5 Review

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Alex Ross, Cam Smith, Christos Gage, Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marte Gracia, Marvel, Peter Parker, S.H.I.E.L.D, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man #5, Zodiac

Amazing Spider-Man #5

Review by Paul Bowler

Its another day in the office of webspinning and high-flying business for Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man #5, as our internationally friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man faces-off against the terrorist group ZODIAC who stole his new webware device. With his cutting edge technology Peter Parker’s work has provided S.H.I.E.L.D with equipment while his Uncle Ben Foundation delivers humanitarian aid all over the world. Parker Industries and Spider-Man have gone global, but so have the wall crawler’s enemies! Having dealt with a private army called the War Goblins in Africa instead of helping Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D track down ZODIAC, The Amazing Spider-Man #5 sees Spidey and Mockingbird regroup with their S.H.I.E.L.D allies at the London branch of Parker Industries, but will they be able to stop ZODIAC in time?

Yes, it’s another amazing issue from Dan Slott (& Christos Gage), as he brings the numerous plot threads that kicked off this new volume of Amazing Spider-Man together in “Set In Stone”, which finds Peter having to face up to his decision to go to Africa and stop the War Goblin’s and save Aunt May and her husband instead of helping S.H.I.E.L.D attack the ZODIAC bases – most of which incidentally turned out to be fake. But the repercussions of Peter’s choice must wait as they must stop ZODIAC first, and that means a trip to London for Spider-Man!

There’s all out action from this point on, even the Human Torch is amazed to see Peter taking charge like this, but when ZODIAC attacks the British Museum, its time for Spider-Man, Torch, Mockingbird, Prowler, and S.H.I.E.L.D to swing into action. Giuseppe Camuncoli’s artwork is as striking detailed as ever, each page is packed with action and energy, and the story flows along at a break-neck pace that doesn’t let up for a moment – especially during the fight at the British Museum – where lots of fun dialogue is peppered throughout the dynamic page layouts. The inks by Cam Smith are also superb, brining added clarity and texture to every scene, and coloist Marte Gracia dazzles with a mix of bold tones and vivid hues to accentuate the action.

I’ve really enjoyed this new direction for The Amazing Spider-Man. Even though Peter is now in charge of a huge global company, his principles have remained the same; with great power and responsibility permeating every aspect of his company just as it does his everyday life and his adventuring as Spider-Man. His work with S.H.I.E.L.D has also been handled really well, it’s a move that has brought in a lot of extra characters too, and its made the title feel even more diverse than ever. Yes, I’m a big fan of Spider-Man, and you know what, I’m really enjoying reading Spider-Man again on a regular basis, after something of a lull story-wise at times with the last volume, the wall crawlers adventures seem fun and exciting again.

This issue brings the first arc of this new volume to a close in fine style as the fight with Scorpio reaches a surprise conclusion. Peter also faces a press conference over the unauthorized use of the Parker Nanotech to interface with the London CCTV systems, which leads to some interesting changes at Parker Industries London HQ, there’s also the menace of a major villain’s consciousness lurking like a ghost in the machine, and a final reveal in the ominous coda that will give us plenty to mull over… In short, The Amazing Spider-Man is another terrific issue, I mean, just look at that gorgeous Alex Ross cover! It’s quickly becoming one of my favourite Marvel titles again, and even though I love all the new high-tech gadgets and vehicles I was overjoyed to see Spider-Man using the greatest Spidey vehicle of all to travel across the London skyline!

Publisher: Marvel

Writers: Dan Slott & Christos Gage – Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli – Inks: Cam Smith – Colors: Marte Gracia

Cover Artist: Alex Ross

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Captain America The Winter Soldier Film Review

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Anthony Mackie, Anthony Russo, Captain America, Captain America The Winter Soldier, Chris Evans, Joe Russo, Marvel, Nick Fury, Robert Redford, S.H.I.E.L.D, Samuel L Jackson, Scarlet Johansson, Sebastian Stan, The Black Widow, The Falcon, The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Review by Paul Bowler

Captain America: The Winter Soldier gets the next installment of the Marvel saga off to a fine start, as the shield-slinging Avenger continues to adjust to life in the modern world as his past returns to haunt him. This blockbuster sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger sees Steve Rogers / Captain America settling into his new life following the events of The Avengers as he continues to work with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.

A new threat emerges after Captain America is involved in a rescue mission at sea after a ship is captured by Georges Batroc (George St-Pierre); Cap uncovers a dark conspiracy, one that challenges everything he stands for. When someone close to him is attacked Captain America teams up with Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, in his ongoing battle against the highly trained forces that have been sent against him, whilst also enlisting the help of a new ally, the Falcon, as they face a powerful new enemy, one with a secret past of his own – the formidable Winter Soldier.

This Marvel sequel is a real step up for the franchise. While his origin was handled well in Captain America: The First Avenger, the character was still finding his feet in The Avengers, now in The Winter Soldier we have a film that really capitalizes on the characters full potential. Chris Evans gives a great performance as Captain America / Steve Rogers, bringing an added depth to the character as Cap finds himself in a world where political corruption is now his greatest enemy. There is also the heartrending realization of everything he has left behind in his old life, it’s an underlying theme which The Winter Soldier uses to great effect, one that shows how much this franchise has evolved and grown.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is in many respects, as much a gritty conspiracy thriller as it is an all-out superhero action story, and as a result the tightly plotted screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely delivers its fair share of thrills and adrenalin pumping action sequences along with some well structured character development to balance the excellently choreographed fight scenes.

When Cap learns about a secret project and the Helicarriers created for it, each fitted out with new surveillance technology and weapons to eliminate potential threats before they can happen, the duplicitous and uncompromising nature of the project brings him into conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D and his boss Nick Fury. As the forces of the clandestine organization manipulating events from within begins to close in it falls to Captain America and the Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy that now threatens to engulf them all. Samuel L Jackson also gets plenty to do as Nick Fury, giving a captivating and commanding performance, and Scarlet Johansson is excellent as the badass super-spy, Robert Redford stars as a Government official for S.H.I.E.L.D, while Cobie Smulders plays Mira Hill and Emil VanCamp is introduced as Sharon Carter. Hayley Atwell also returns, made up as the elderly Peggy Carter – the Captain’s former sweetheart from the 1940’s.

There is great chemistry between Cap and the Black Widow, with their opposing morals and personalities, forcing them together in such extreme circumstances like this makes for some really exciting moments. Anthony Mackie makes an impressive new addition to the series as war veteran Sam Wilson, who also strikes up a close friendship with Cap. Wilson is later transformed into the Falcon with the help of some special flight equipment, which he uses to join the battle.

The action in Captain America: The Winter Soldier hardly lets up for moment: with a thrilling fight on a ship at sea, a nail-biting car chase through Washington and assassination attempt on Nick Fury is perfectly staged, and there are also some brilliant aerial battles when the Falcon joins the fray and takes to the skies.

The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is ruthlessly efficient killer; he possesses a metallic arm, and has a flair for violence that will let nothing stop him from achieving his goal. The Winter Soldier also has a dark, terrible secret, one that also reaches back into Cap’s own past. Sebastian Stan gives an excellent performance as The Winter Soldier, as intense as the Terminator, with just a glimmer of the humanity beneath, his true identity and that of those he works for may come as no surprise, but his steely presence is more than enough to maintain the suspense.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a spectacular film which draws on every ounce of its dark premise, inspired by Ed Brubaker’s Winter Soldier storyline from the Captain America comics, and this makes for a hugely entertaining film. There are plenty of references, name-checks, and in-jokes for fans to enjoy, while still being enjoyable and accessible for those who haven’t read the comic book series. Captain America: The Winter Soldier really honours the character of the star spangled Avenger, events in this film look set shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe quite dramatically, it is easily the best of Marvel’s Phase 2 films so far, the special effects are breathtaking, and it all builds towards a spectacular action-packed final act that will have you on the edge of your seat. A must see film, and make sure you sick around for those two post credit scenes as well.

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