Spider-Man and Peter Parker have hit the big time to reference the initial story arc. Through the tragedies he’s experienced over the past few months things are still overall looking up. He’s on The Avengers, the revamped FF (Future Foundation), has an amazing job that helps improve his Spider-Man technology, and a great girlfriend. The police like him more than ever and public opinion on him has never been higher. There’s always a rule to these things though, when things are at their best, there just has to be a catch. This issue #666 begins that catch. The quirk in his life that will make his life interesting begins like any other day. Just catching the bad guys just like flies.
Pardon my Spider-Man theme song reference in the last paragraph but it fits. He’s ruminating on the past year, while going through a normal day in the life of Spidey. Dan Slott has a lot of fun with the early segments of this issue. There’s a great moment with J. Jonah Jameson that’s brilliant. Spidey’s worse enemy now having to deal with the fact that Spider-Man is more popular than ever. While his popularity is sliding downhill. Stefano Caselli’s work on this page captures Jameson’s reactions perfectly. I was laughing at Jameson’s twitching eyes Caselli put in. Such a great segment. Think of these early segments as little bits of showing full circle what Spidey’s life is like. We flash into a segment of Spidey’s life as Peter Parker, showing you Horizon Labs and getting a phone call from Carlie. That’s when you get the first hint that we’re heading into uncharted territory.
There’s a quick segment with Flash Thompson as Venom checking in on his girlfriend Betty Brant in the hospital after recent events in Venom. She’s stuck in the hospital and you start getting hints that things are just getting weird. Caselli’s work in the hospital segment with the patients freaking out was excellent. Fits the situation perfectly. Just that subtle smile from Betty that she’s in the midst of something big was great to see.
After a great poker game segment in Avengers Mansion we get another of my favorite segments in this issue. The training sequence between Spider-Man and Madame Web. That gives you the foreshadowing for what’s to come in the midst of the session. The entire sequence is dizzying and flies all over the place. Giving you that feeling of motion that’s absolute perfection. Stefano Caselli is underrated and he puts on a show with this fight scene. Then you get to the segment with the Jackal, you get some new twists that are going to be interesting to see how they play out. Makes you wonder just what’s behind the Jackal. It’s genuinely creepy stuff. Then you see the last page. It’s the kind of moment that has you wondering what’s going to happen next issue.
Yes kids, we’re now in the full swing of Spider Island. This was an interesting start in showing Spider-Man and Peter Parker at their best. The hints of what’s going to happen caught my eye. I did find myself getting more invested as I read the issue. It helped that Dan Slott has a fun concept and Stefano Caselli’s artwork engages you into this prelude to this new storyline. Now this storyline is going to have a lot to deliver on. This is an intriguing idea but I know it could go either way. I’m aiming on the side of that this could be one great storyline. How can everyone truly be Spider-Man? Take a leap into the beginnings of Spider Island and see what’s going to happen next. I’m ready to board the boat to Spider Island.
