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Alex Ross, comics, Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marte Gracia, Marvel Comics, Peter Parker, Scorpio Rising, Scorpio Rising Part 2, SHIELD, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man #10, The Amazing Spider-Man #10 review, Zodiac
The Amazing Spider-Man #10
Review by Paul Bowler
Scorpio Rising continues in The Amazing Spider-Man #10 as our friendly-globe-trotting Spider-Man tackles the menace of Scorpio and Zodiac once more. In a startling turn of events, the 13th sign of the Zodiac has been revealed as The Spider! Now, after surviving re-entry from space, crash-landing in Paris and being attacked by Scorpio, Spider-Man’s fight for the future will span both sides of the English Channel, and when Parker Industries is also suddenly compromised Peter Parker’s life could be changed forever…
Following a mission into space with Nick Fury to regain control of the S.H.I.E.L.D satellites hacked by the terrorist organization Zodiac, Spider-Man used his emergency web-foam to make a daring free-fall from orbit to reach Paris and prevent Scorpio from gaining control of a mystical artefact – the Orrery. Following a ruthless attack by Scorpio, it looks like Spider-Man has lost his window of opportunity as Dan Slott propels the wall crawler’s cross-channel adventures to a whole new level, in Scorpio Rising Part 2: Power Play, as the stars align and Spider-Man’s battle with Scorpio spills over into the channel tunnel itself!
This issues kicks off with Scorpio on the cusp of victory after ambushing Spider-Man in Paris following Spidey’s fiery return to Earth. But writer Dan Slott skilfully proves, perhaps here more than ever, that even without all the fancy new Parker Industries gadgets and gizmos Spidey’s great power and responsibility wins out every time! Spider-Man even manages to find a major design flaw in Scorpio’s defences, but despite his efforts, the tide of the battle shifts when Scorpio exploit’s the wall-crawlers greatest weakness.
These opening scenes move along at a cracking pace as Spider-Man fights for his life, a fortuitous prediction however forces Scorpio’s hand, there’s also a scene where brave Parisians step in at a crucial moment that resonates powerfully, and we also have interludes featuring an ominous jail break back in New York…
Amazing Spider-Man #10 features some truly stunning artwork from Giuseppe Camuncoli. From the exciting opening scenes, Camuncoli keeps the action flowing seamlessly across numerous locales, with a fluid page layouts packed with breathtaking levels of detail across every panel. The moment where Anna and Brain the robot arrive to give Spider-Man a lift is another highlight, as Spidey thanks the civilians who helped him, before departing with a nod to David Tennant’s 10th Doctor’s catchphrase as they set off to take the fight back to Scorpio! Of course, as you may have guessed from this issue glorious Alex Ross cover, the main battle of this issue takes place in the channel tunnel – Mission Impossible style – atop the speeding Eurostar train. This electrifying face-off between Spider-Man and Scorpio showcases Giuseppe Camuncoli’s art like never before, and Camuncoli pulls out all the stops for this fabulous, nerve jangling confrontation!
Likewise, the inks by Cam Smith highlights the finer details of Camuncoli’s art, brining a real sense of speed and moment in the channel tunnel sequences, whilst inky shadows saturate the interludes during the New York jail break. The colors by Marte Gracia also shine in those aforementioned moments in Paris and the channel tunnel scenes, with vivid emerald hues crackling furiously from Scorpio’s energy attacks, to a sinister image lurking in the hazy glow of Brains robot eyes, and the opaque tones in a holographic conference call all collectively add up to make The Amazing Spider-Man #10 one hell of an impressive looking issue!
Even though Spider-Man won’t be able to prevent Scorpio reaching his next stop, Spider-Man, Anna, and Brain manage to uncover a vast hidden lair, one whose secrets could see Peter Parker lose everything that he’s worked so hard to accomplish… The Amazing Spider-Man #10 is another great issue in the new Scorpio Rising arc, with Dan Slott weaving in some stellar plot twists into the mix to keep us all on our toes, and brilliant artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli, this Spider-Man series remains one of Marvel Comics finest!
Publisher: Marvel / Writer: Dan Slott /Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inks: Cam Smith / Colorist: Marte Gracia
Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna / Cover Artist: Alex Ross
