Some may call it a ‘Pick of the Week’, we call it something else: being undeniably, certifiably awesome.

With Dan Slott’s Spider-Island officially in the books, (pun intended!) it’s time for Spider-Man fans to face forward towards the next chapter in the webslinger’s story… or at least it will be once this week’s Spider-Island epilogue concludes. What we get in this issue is the backlash from the past six issues of the series. Characters awaken to find themselves in places that they can’t remember getting to wearing little to nothing at all due to their recent transformations and both Spider-Man and Peter Parker alike must deal with the fallout.

As I’ve said in earlier reviews of Dan Slott’s books, the writer has a better handle on not only the character of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker but also the other characters that make up his world as well as the overall tone of the book that readers have come to expect. Throughout last six issues of Spider-Island, we’re slapped in the face by the constant idea that this could very well be the end of days for Spider-Man, the city of New York and the world for that matter but we were still treated to jokes and one-liners by Spider-Man that consistently lightened the mood. Issue 673 treads the same course. Sure there are some pretty bad things that happen but we’re never really taken out of the familiar feeling of a Spider-Man comic thanks to Slott’s top-notch writing.

If there is really any complaint with this issue it’s that it almost feels as though the comic is trying to make excuses for things that took place months or even years ago. I’m not about to spoil this issue or anything but the idea of Spider-Man’s secret identity being exposed comes up and leads to a bizarre, forced discussion with Stephen Strange that feels almost like damage control for things that happened in the One More Day/Brand New Day stories. Had we not already established that his secret identity could be spoiled if he told people? Did Peter need to storm off to Avengers Mansion and confront him about this? Maybe I’m nitpicking.

I’m definitely nitpicking.

Let’s bring this review back on track, shall we? With this issue, Slott creates a solid bridge that takes us out of Spider-Island but doesn’t overload us with new plot twists and turns. There’s a launching point for the upcoming Scarlet Spider book, a quick preview of things to come for Eddie Brock and we’re left with the rest of the book to see just how the events of Spider-Island will affect Peter and Spider-Man going forward. It’s simple, to the point and, most importantly, fun.

Artist Stefano Caselli joins Slott this time around and brings us a nice change of pace from the work of Humberto Ramos, who has done the art for the title since Spider-Island kicked off. While I really enjoy Ramos’ work, it is much more cartoon-like and elastic (if that makes sense) by comparison to Caselli’s figures and faces, which are much more realistic and believable. To put it bluntly, the art in this issue is fantastic. It’s shocking that the artist has worked with Slott on so few occasions as he’s arguably one of the best that’s worked on the title in some time.

This is yet another great issue of Amazing Spider-Man that slows the pace back down following a frantic, less Spider-Man centered event. We refocus on the guy that we’re there to read about in the first place and it looks pretty darn good thanks to some wonderful work by Stefano Caselli. If you missed out on Spider-Island, you might be a little lost in this issue but there’s nothing stopping you from grabbing all the issues and then this one to get caught up.

It’s definitely worth it. In fact, I’d say it’s a must.

This week’s honorable mention:

It wasn’t just Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man that had a good showing this week. So, if you happen to have more than $2.99 in your wallet and are looking for something else to read, here’s something else worth checking out, this time from Image Comics.

Heart #1 (Image)
Written by Blair Butler
Art by Kevin Mellon
Why you should read it: Comedian, TV host and comic book reviewer Blair Butler trades in her duties on Fresh Ink for a shot at writing that combines her two favorite things: mixed martial arts and comics. The result is a Rocky-esque story of overcoming the odds and rising to a challenge. Check it out!

What books did you read that you really enjoyed? Leave us a comment or messages us on Twitter and let us know what’s at the top of your reading list this week!

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