SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #23 ADVANCE REVIEW

[Andrea Speed]

Reviewer: Andrea Speed andy@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Okay
Title: Sins Remembered: Sarah's Story, Part 1

Peter goes to Paris after Sarah attempts suicide.

<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/289/specsm23.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/289/specsm23.jpg" align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Samm Barnes
Pencils: Scot Eaton
Inks: Cam Smith
Colors: Studio F
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Cory Petit
Production: Omar Otieku
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Greg Land
Publisher: Marvel


Review: For those who didn’t read the Amazing Spider-Man arc that introduced Sarah or her brother, it’s recapped in full here, with Peter telling an edited version of the story to a doctor, and the art filling us in on details he glosses over. It’s a time saver, I admit that.

But, if you didn’t like the whole Sarah/Gabriel/Gwen storyline, you won’t like this story any better.

Especially since it seems that signs of Sarah’s paternity are starting to show, and the sub-plot of Peter being attracted to the six or ten year old girl (how old is Sarah?) who looks like his dead girlfriend is just too creepy for words. Is it logical? In a way, yes, but that doesn’t make it any less disgusting. Barnes does add an interesting detail or two about Sarah’s rapid aging and growth, but that and Peter’s inability to fit in as a Spider-Man in France are the best part of the issue.

The art by Eaton is good, often going for the painted look of Deodato on Amazing Spider-Man, but he has done stronger work in the past. There are some spectacular (no pun intended) scenes of Spider-Man in action - he draws a great Spider-Man - but sometimes Peter’s face looks too old, too grizzled, as if perhaps he’s rapidly aging as well. Not all the time, mind you, just in a panel or two, but it was enough to make me wonder who I was supposed to be looking at for a moment. The coloring by Studio F is solid.

It’s fine for what it is, but fans of Spider-Man are bound to have much stronger feelings about it than I, one way or another. To quote Abraham Lincoln (seriously - I’m going for the pretentious comic reviewer award), People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.




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[jon1]

Err.. Peter admits he's attracted to Sarah? I liked Sins Past but that's too much, I'm sure JMS wouldn't have done that. He didn't seem to know what was happening when the cover for SSM #25 was revealed. :

[ohiogtd]

Good things: Eaton does draw a great Spider-man. Good looking cover. Eaton draws good looking women (I admit that's sexist and weak, but I'm trying to be positive).

Not so good things: Everything else.

I. hate. the. way. Barnes. writes. dialogue. Each character speaks 3-4 sentences in each panel, without interruption and each sentence is a complete thought. Its like Barnes knows this series is running out and is trying to fit as much in one book as possible. (I guess this could be a positive -- this issue really has enough words in it for 2 issues). Unfortunately this makes for very awkward reading.

I was already growing tired of reading this stuff, but when I turned the page and saw that panel where Sarah has a dialogue bubble with 2 inches of solid text I almost lost it. Ironically, it was about her having a headache. I know how she felt.

Peter Parker looks horrible and the coloring -- I think they had extra blue laying around.

The whole Sarah thing is actually summarized twice here, which I found especially annoying. First in the splash page and then again with art in the comic itself when Peter tells some doctor. I guess they did that because either a) it is so gross that you need to see it twice to believe it or b) we're idiots and need pictures because words alone are too hard for us. Hey Barnes -- WE UNDERSTAND IT ALREADY!

What to do -- have Barnes get some lessons from Bendis on dialogue, get Eaton back on track, get a new inker / colorist. Or just pack it up and end it already.

I was a real fan before this issue. Too bad its going to go out on a flat note.

[Ammar Al Subahi]

What to do -- have Barnes get some lessons from Bendis on dialogue

Bendis.....great dialogues.....? :rolleyes:

[Andrea Speed]

He can be very good; very snappy. Ain't on all the time, but at least you can imagine people talking that way.

The anti-Bendis? Claremont. I don't think Barnes is quite that bad ...

And I thought the coloring was generally appropriate. Not the best job in the world, but not bad enough to be completely distracting. (I do believe the next issue has new colorists.)