| Title | : | The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 5: Spiral |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785193162 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785193166 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 112 |
| Publication | : | First published September 29, 2015 |
COLLECTING: Amazing Spider -Man 16.1-20.1
The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 5: Spiral Reviews
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This one’s the first post-Spider-Verse story and in order to ratchet down the action a little from inter-dimensional shenanigans, Spider-Man goes up against the various gangs of New York.
Not those gangs. I assume Spider-Man would make short work of these music theatre rejects.
*Hums “Tonight" from West Side Story*
The Kingpin’s gone so it seems that there’s a turf war developing between rival gang leaders and police officer/super hero, Yuri Watanabe/The Wraith is determined to do everything within her power to control events, but the situation soon (title and theme keyword alert) spirals out of control.
Every Marvel gangster goon lays claim to Watanabe’s 3rd Precinct and Spider-Man is web-deep involved in helping to keep the peace and keeping The Wraith from (title and theme keyword alert) spiraling downward as a result of the chaos.
Black Cat, who’s still not gotten over being punched in the face and left to get arrested by Doc Ock/Superior Spider-Man, angles to control a huge piece of the gangsta pie.
Note to gamers: Black Cat is now wielding a weapon similar to the nasty one used by Ivy Valentine from the Soul Calibur games. Ouch!
Bottom line: The character of Spider-Man has a certain “voice” that not every writer can write to. Gerry Conway penned this instead of Dan Slott, who’s helmed this title for years, and although a solid story, it lacks the punchy Web-head dialogue that has become Slott’s trademark. Bonus: Humberto Ramos didn’t do the cartoony art work on this volume.
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I have to admit, it's been nice to have some pre-Secret Wars Spidey action to read in the midst of that bloated, lumbering crossover 'event'. It's also really nice to have Gerry Conway back penning a Spidey story again! I grew up reading Conway's Spidey stuff and, for that reason, I think I enjoyed this one more than the majority of folks who have been griping about Conway's Spidey not having the 'right' Spidey 'voice' like Dan Slott's (I'm trying really hard not to roll my eyes here but - oh - no - there they go).
I haven't hated Slott's run on Spidey by any means (apart from 'Superior'; that I hated with a passion) but it's averaged out as only fair-to-middling for this aging Spidophile. This arc by Conway has been a breath of fresh air for me.
Not that it's without its faults... it suffered from perpetuating Slott's whole 'the Black Cat's evil again now all of a sudden for no good reason' bollocks (something else Slott has done that I can't abide) but I'm guessing that was an editorial mandate, so I can't blame Conway too much.
Based on this, I'm looking forward to Conway's new Carnage book. -
Not as good as Slotts writing but close. Still enjoyed it
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Legendary Marvel writer Gerry Conway returns to Spider-Man for this bonus story. After the Superior Spider-Man cleared the New York streets, the race is on amongst the various villains to be top dog. Everyone from Tombstone, to Hammerhead to Black Cat to the Circus of Crime to Mister Negative all want a piece of the action.
Although a Spider-Man story, this focuses a lot on the Wraith. We haven't seen Detective Yuri Watanabe's alter-ego for a while but she's back here with a vengeance, quite literally. It's the story of a Spider-Man like character losing their moral compass and Spider-Man struggling to see it. But with loads of villains and fighting too.
I really loved this story. Because it is outside of the main story, nothing really to do with the ongoing tale of Spider-Man, Conway gets to focus on a minor character. But he does it wonderfully here, making the Wraith change whilst still keeping you guessing how far she will go.
What's also good it that while separate from the main series, it is still very much in continuity. This is a post-Superior Spider-Man world with all the consequences that has for Peter Parker and everyone else.
I expected Conway's writing to feel a bit old-fashioned, like classic Spidey, but actually this feels really fresh, whilst maintaining the quality of old. I love Gerry Conway's work on Spider-Man, even this most recent volume, and I hope he gets another story like this in the future. -
Not bad, but different. Slott has been on Spider-Man for quite a while and developed his own style: a fun, energetic, fast paced style. I'm not sure why but Gerry Conway was brought in for a five part story which takes place right after Spider-Verse (and I believe right before Secret Wars.) Conway is famous for taking over Spider-Man after Stan Lee back in the early-mid 70's so he's no stranger to the character.
The multi-part story has Spider-Man dealing with a new Gang War in a section of New York. This seems to feed off some of the story threads that Slott has previously laid out. It's also a character study of the hero/anti-hero called Wraith.
It's not bad, as I said, but Gang Wars have been done many times over the years so it felt like a retread. Also, Conway's style is a slower pace and has a little bit more serious tone to it so it contrasts quite a bit with Slott's writing. Again, it's ok, it just takes some getting used to. I was very pleased with the art by Barberi, who I don't think I've ever seen before. It's a little Art Adams and maybe a little Mark Brooks. Hope to see more of him.
I'm not sure if this was sort of a 'fill-in' until Secret Wars was over or what. Until I read the new AMS-post Secret Wars I won't know for sure. -
Pretty decent story about how far heroes can and can't go in the pursuit of making things better for their city. It'll be interesting to see where things go for these characters. Poor Peter is in a pattern of ex-girlfriends going evil!
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This story for the most part is set at the same time as Graveyard Shift, and by all means, is definitely better. While Volume 4 was more about “catching up” after the events in Spider-verse, this one continues the main story (or at least a more interesting one) in which the crime gangs in New York are all at war after Kingping’s departure, needing an alliance with Wraith, aka detective Yuri Watanabe, who’s been receiving information from Mr. Negative, in order for him to gain control over the city’s crime take over. Yeah, seems like a lot of things are going on, but unlike GS, this volume is more intriguing and normatively complete, rather than just a bridge to another big event in Spidey’s run. I liked Wraight/Watanabe as a whole character; she really seemed to bring the classic “vigilante” complex, adding the deep conflict these characters develop in their stories, and also, Spidey trying to make her mind about crossing the line. Yeah, an overused concept, but here is done right, especially when Black Cat shows up again. Which it leads me to my main problem with all these volumes: Black Cat. Since Superior Spider-man she was planted as a main-future threat for the Spider, but in these volumes she’s just there to cause trouble, but never going beyond. I don’t know what her roe will be in Secret Wars, but in these previous stories she was a disappointment, considering how her character promised to go full rogue. But, as I said, I liked this volume, at least more than GS, considering how much deep storytelling was given to Spider-man (I love when they go with that sort of direction with any comic book character), especially at the very end. Yeah, maybe the volume seems to go nowhere, but it was solid and focus, and nowadays, I think all comic books should try their best to give that into characters and stories. All in all, a good addition pre-Secret Wars- Renew your Vows, maybe not as good as Superior Spider-man, but at least it felt as they tried their best to craft a decent Spidey story.
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4/5 ⭐ (85%/100%)
Overall, a good miniseries for people who want to see what Spider-Man was like pre-Secret Wars without having to read the entire series before Spiral takes place, which is when I first read this miniseries. The story shows the transformation of Yuri Watanabe into the anti hero Wraith after her mentor gets shot and killed by Tombstone. Spider-Man is quippy yet mature in this series, which is something I liked about Andrew Garfield's movie version of the character. There is a line that Spider-Man says at the end of the fight with Hammerhead in Spiral 2 that he could have thought a lot more about later but then gets completely thrown out of the window. I'm not going to spoil too much about the series, but the characters were great, Mister Negative sneaking a fourth wall break in Spiral 3 was pretty funny, Spider-Man and Black Cat probably got shipped after Spiral 5 came out, and seeing Yuri turn to the Dark Side was a good story and a very fun read. -
The Amazing Spider-Man serisinin üçüncü yayın dönemi bu kitap ile son buluyor. Secret Wars'a giden yolda Spidey için son hikaye denebilir.
Kingpin'in yokluğunda şehirde çete savaşları başlıyor. Mister Negative'den aldığı ihbarlarla baskın yapan Wraith tabii ki farkında olmadan Negative'in eline oynuyor. Peter Yuri'nin bir noktada aklını başına toplayacağına inansa da işler çığırından çıkıyor.
Serinin bir önceki kitabı Gece Vardiyası çok sönük bir hikaye sunuyordu. Bu kitabın da pek iyi olacağını sanmıyordum fakat yavaş bir başlangıçtan sonra ritmini buluyor ve okuyucuyu sürüklüyor. Yine de pek özel bir tarafı olmayan, ortalama bir Spider-Man hikayesi. -
Standard Spider-man super heroics! I really wanted to give this book five stars but found it hard to decide if I like this story immensely or is this story just mediocre. Let's get the positives out the way. The art is pretty good and the story is easy to follow. The kingpin is gone so New York's crime families are fighting for territory. Spider-man is basically trying to aid the police in keeping the city from getting out of control. The story is so simple that I wager that you could pick this book up at anytime and just read it without having to know anything about the current continuity concerning Spider-man. This a plus because i feel that Marvel is trying to give current readers a break from all th hectic and status quo changes in this series. Sometimes you just need a simple adventure story now and then without the threat of a looming life changing story arc. The don side to this volume of spider-man is that it is at times to simple. It doesn't take any chances in the plot and it is very predictable. Surprisingly this reminds me of Vol. 6 of Batman in that book was basically a collection of short Batman stories that happened between the major story arcs. I not saying this book is bad but it is just a basic Spider-man story.
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This was a really solid story. This feels a bit retro, in a good way. The exposition sets the stage and informs the reader. This is the only superhero comic I've read in years that actually lives up to the claim that it would work for new readers (so of course it doesn't actually say that on the cover). And the art is solid, not always the best figure drawing, but clean lines and detailed backgrounds. When Spider-Man is in a fight over the city, it looks a lot better when we can actuallyvsee the city.
The numbering on this is weird. This collects issues 16.1, 17.1, 18.1, 19.1, and 20.1. Because Marvel editors don't know how numbers work. And this collection is Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5, rather than a non-numbered side story. Which I guess is good, maybe?
Anyway, Spider-Man's (relatively) new pal Captain Yuri Watanabe, aka The Wraith, is trying to fight organized crime and finds she has better luck as a vigilante than as a police captain, which sets her on a bad path. Again, this feels retro in that Spider-Man is taking the moral high ground and trying to keep the Wraith on the straight and narrow, despite being a vigilante himself.
Gerry Conway's been around forever. Sometimes when you bring in a veteran writer, they just write the characters they know (like Jim Starlin and Thanos), but this tale utilizes current characters: The Wraith, obviously, Mr. Negative, the recent developments with Black Cat.
Maybe it's just me being old, but this felt a lot more like what a superhero book should be, and was a nice change of pace from things like Spider-Verse and Secret Wars. -
With the Kingpin out of the picture, New York's criminal gangs are in a war for territory with NYPD Captain Yuri Watanabe's Third Precinct as the top prize. This volume collects The Amazing Spider-Man #16-20 from 2014, and it follows up on a bunch of Spiderverse adventures by bringing Peter Parker back to his "Friendly Neighborhood" roots fighting New York crime.
The result is a rapid-fire succession of classic Spider-Man villains. Unfortunately, by "classic" here we generally mean third-rate. Admittedly, it's fun seeing Spidey score one-punch knockouts on guys like Hammerhead, Ringmaster, the Enforcers, Tombstone, and Crime Master. But nostalgia only goes so far.
The real heart of this story is a battle for the soul of Yuri Watanabe, who has gone back to moonlighting as the Wraith, and who has entered into a dangerous game of manipulation with the Negative Man. Did I mention there are a lot of villains in this book? Black Cat also shows up, fairly interesting in full-on heel mode.
But the theme of where to draw the line between "by the book" police work and vigilanteism is muddled by Peter Parker, longtime vigilante, trying to lecture Watanabe on where the line should be drawn. It doesn't help that the actual moment when Wraith crosses the line is not a terribly impactful scene. It helps even less that the confrontation between Wraith and Spider-Man is anticlimactic, and the final battle between Spider-Man and Negative Man is even more so.
This had fun pacing and that comfy nostalgic vibe, but it never rose to the level of seriousness that it was going for. -
There isn’t much you need to know before reading this, everything important is referenced. Like Doctor Octopus taking over Peter’s body and Kingpin no longer ruling over New York, which has created power vacuum. Yuri is back as the Wraith, trying to stop a gang war that could lead her down a dark path trying to stop the gang war.
It takes a little while to get into, it spends the first of five issue setting up everything. When it gets going though it’s really fun, I have 2 gripes. Both of them are about how Spider-Man acted, So yeah apart from the little bit of forced conflict it was good, it was nice to have a Spider-Man story that doesn't revolve around his job or some nut trying to destroy the world. -
This is basically a mini series running alongside the main Spider-Man title from the 2014 series hence the odd numbering of the individual issues 16.1 to 20.1.
It's an old fashioned gang warfare story with various criminal elements vying to take control in New York with the Kingpin out of the picture.
Plenty of chances to show Spidey in acrobatic action with villains Tombstone, Hammerhead, Black Cat, Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime, Mister Negative and more goons than you can shake a stick at.
For the most part Spidey is almost a supporting character as the main focus is on the vigilante Wraith and her alter ego police detective Yuri.
The art is great and very fluid showcasing the action sequences.
The drawbacks for me were that it never explained what power Wraith has, Spider-Man was sidelined in his own book (so much so that Peter Parker doesn't really appear) and the ending was somewhat inconclusive. Probably intentional so that it can lead into other comics but for a mini series it needed a better ending.
Still good fun overall and 3.5 stars from me. -
Inspired by the recent PlayStation 4 Spider-man, I decided to use this as a homecoming to get back into my Spider-man books. Get it, homecoming? I'll leave the quips to Spidey. Anyway, this book is interesting for fans who wish to read a story featuring two major characters in the new game. While the story does not follow the same path as the game, fans seeking Mr. Negative and Captain Yuri Watanabe won't be disappointed as both are major focuses in this story.
Overall a decent story and solid art make this a quick and enjoyable read. -
THE COLLECTION OBSESSION cemented my (largely positive) view of Steve Rogers.
THE GATHERERS' SAGA cemented my (overwhelmingly positive) view of Dane Whitman.
SPIRAL has cemented my (slightly positive) view of Peter Parker.
Also, kudos to Conway for getting the "SNAP!" effect past the editors. :P
The story moved me so much I wanted to reach into the page and intervene. Damn Parker. Get good at stuff already. -
This step down from Spider-Verse (and a non Dan Slott written story) was fine, an admirable change in pace but felt lacking. It's always good to see Spidey getting back involved in the street level gangs but the theme around Yuri's fall from grace and turn to the dark side was rushed. That's a story that should have been played over a longer period. Here it felt forced and clumsy. I'm still not liking Felicia's direction either. Perfectly fine artwork, all a little generic.
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I enjoyed the action with the Wraith in this one. She's battling with herself, trying to figure out how to move forward with, and Peter is desperately trying to help. I enjoyed the art in this one too; lots of sprawling cross-page spreads that show the battles that are going on. Again, not my favorite, but still entertaining nonetheless.
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As a stand alone book, this is fine. A good story about the pull from the darker elements in life. But after the recent events in Peter's life this book is oddly placed. Gerry Conway's plot is decent although I could have done without the Circus Of Crime. I enjoyed the art by Carlo Barberi. Overall, the book doesn't do much at all to move the story along but serves its purpose.
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Siempre es divertido poder leer al amigable vecino limpiando las calles de los malos. Entre evento y evento, una historia fresca y divertida que vuelve a traer al Spidey reflexivo entre golpe y golpe.
Un gusto poder leer a Conway nuevamente. Un golpe de aire fresco entre evento y evento. -
Good, not great. Wraith is interesting and some bits are done very well. But overall, it lacked the witty interesting method of a spider-man book. or the originality that would have made it a wraith book.
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3.5
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OMG THIS WAS EVERYTHING!!!!! I love this volume so much it may be ma fave. It's so much better than the volume before this.
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spiderman is so self righteous like maybe if you confronted reality a bit more you wouldn’t get beat up by furries every week
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This story consists of Spider-Man mansplaining vigilantism to Wraith for five issues, but the course of events prove that he's right and she's wrong because he's the headliner. The end.
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Just an enjoyable, solid Spidey story. Good writing, great art.
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Pretty decent but the ending felt rushed. 3.5/5
