X-Men #8

          This is a decent series, I thought the whole vampire thing was premature, and not handled very well, but the last issue of this series, was also decent. The X-Men public relations thing, is kind of interesting, but it's not "WOW" stuff, I think that it's going to effect the series for now, but as soon as this arc ends they'll do what they always do.
       In this issue Spiderman teams up with the X-Men to take on the Lizard. People were disappearing mysteriously, but then the disappearing stopped, but then it started again, but only with children. The X-Men find that someone is going on a "creepy/stalker website" and is talking to "nerdy" kids and telling them to go to a special place. When the kids do so, the Lizard grabs them. Wolverine made it in time to try and rescue one of the kids, but lost. Then you see that the children are all in a cage, and someone is controlling the lizard, making him grab the children, so that he can do experiments on them.
      I love Spiderman, he's a great character, and when he teams up with... anyone really it's usually a good comic, most of the time that is due to his witty banter. It was the same in this comic. Spiderman had is witty banter, but he also had some serious moments to. No just about his life, or someone in his family, but about the world. I read Amazing Spiderman: 297 and there was a scene where he was to upset, that children were taking drugs, that he couldn't even say the witty things he does. The same thing happened in Amazing Spiderman: 96, and Stan Lee said that the reader didn't feel like Marvel was giving them a lecture, it was just an incident in a story. This was the same basic principle, but it isn't about drugs, it's about bullying. I am a little sick of the Lizard because of SHED, but this was a good comic. The X-Men were good, Spiderman was good, Gischler just wrote the comic well. This comic does leave you in suspense, wondering who is controlling the Lizard, but there is the possibility that this is a new villain, this would be a good way to introduce a new villain, but it would be very disappointing for this arc. I want to here it's someone else I've known forever and suddenly is even more powerful, but It is most likely an X-Men villain, because this is an X-Men comic. I'm excited, I can't really predict this comic, and I'm looking forward to the next issue.






Grade: 8/10
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Amazing Spiderman #633

                "SHED" is finally over, thank god. This is one of the worst story lines I've ever seen. It messed up one of the better Spiderman villains there is. Zeb Wells killed off the best part about him, and that was his alter ego. Connors is dead, why? Why would he ever do that? I understand he is trying to leave his mark on the Marvel universe,  but don't deface villains. Anyway this issue concluded it. The Lizard, who has mind powers is making everyone act like a lizard, so Spiderman drinks some of Connors' formula so that his mind didn't get (for loss of a better word) foggy. So he runs up and stabs the Lizard with Connors' formula and makes him relies (mildly) of what he had done, and made him more human. Then something weird happens to Aunt May, she starts yelling at Peter, then it went away. Then a couple of people walk down into the sewers, turns out a couple of people were still under the Lizard's control and he's keeping them as pets.
               When Lizard took over people's minds they became very Walking Dead Esc. They would wander around and bite people. I'm no zoologist but I don't think lizards walk around biting people. So he made a world of really messed up lizards. Other than that this was a  beat 'em up comic. Again it is understandable because this is a final issue of a story arch where the problem is a villain, but I still would have liked to see something more. In Justice Society of America #39 the plot was to kill and escape, but the thoughts of Mr. Terrific were poetic and made the comic more interesting then several pages of fisticuffs. It was kind of  cool when the Lizard zombies were ripping Spiderman suit apart they showed his web shooters, and that was kind of cool but the rest of the comic was just plain, old fashion bad.


Grade: 4/10
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Amazing Spiderman #632

               All right, Shed continues in this issue (unfortunately). Billy is dead, Connors is dead, and the Lizard is new, improved, and smart.  He is bringing out the lizard in all the warm blooded creatures brains. Making them attack random people, and take what they want.  Also Parker has given up his jokes and is acting seriously. This happened when he saw Billy die, and his foster parents.

              I didn't think there has been a worse comic in the history of comics. It's terrible, the entire story arch is terrible. If I had to read this a second time, I would try to legally classify it as torture. I hate this new Lizard. Lizard was the Killer Croc of the Marvel Universe, now he is just another psychic, megalomaniac. Also I mentioned in an earlier post the words of John Romita Sr. he said: If you have Spiderman standing on the ground, you are wasting Spiderman. I said this about another comic in this arch. The arch has been bad, but this is awful. 
There was one good thing about this comic, and that was the paneling. The way the panels were put together was like a perfect game of tetris. I have never liked the paneling so much that I raved about it, but you have to see it to believe it. But nothing is good enough to make up for that disgrace to comics. I hope something happens after the end of Shed that puts everything, or most things back to the way they were, other wise I don't think I'll be able to read Spiderman for a while. Also what happened to all the side stories? Like Kaine, or Madame Web? Did they just create a bunch of side stories for one issue and leave them unfinished? This was one of the worst comics I have ever read.


Grade: 1/10
[don't] buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Amazing Spiderman #631

                SHED continues. In this issue all it is, is Peter Parker being stood up by Charlie, because she had to do some investigation on a murder (see last issue) at Curt Connors' lab. (when he became the lizard) So Spiderman goes to investigate, and also goes to save Connors' son, Billy Connors. Of course he meets the Lizard out side of the house (insert big fight scene hear) when he finally gets inside and the Lizard is going away, he sees that someone had already been there, maimed Billy's foster parents and took Billy. Meanwhile this girl takes on Kaine, when he gets away the girl's brother comes down and says that the hunting game doesn't start until the Gauntlet is complete. This girl later appears as the person who took Billy, and hands him right over to the Lizard.
               I understand with the whole "The hunt doesn't start until the gauntlet is complete" thing, but it kind of bugged me. I like the classic Spiderman, not this new version of his comics. I also liked that through out the book, with the Lizard's personal captions, there was also a caption for Connors talking to the Lizard and telling him to stop. Lastly Emma Rios drew the Lizard badly, she made him to animalistic, the Lizard is like Killer Croc just with a long nose, this comic made him look a lizard with a jacket. Overall not a great comic. Oh... one more thing, in this comic Spiderman does a lot of standing around, and I remember a interview with John Romita Sr. where he said: If you have Spiderman standing on the ground, you are wasting Spiderman.

Grade: 6/10
buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Amazing Spiderman #630

                This is an oasis in the middle of a desert, I had excepted Amazing Spiderman as just okay so my standards dropped (thats why my grades for them are hight) but this was really good. It started with Spiderman and Blackcat talking about their relationship, but that doesn't take long. I do like that this comic did Parker's personal life, but I really didn't want to here about Spiderman "having fun" with Blackcat. This comic was mainly about the Lizard, and it went into how he was recovering. He still marks his territory and has flashes of "Lizardness" in him, but he is surprising it like Harvey Dent did in Batman: Face the Face. But when his assistant sleeps with his boss, he interprets it as his territory is being taken and turns into the Lizard. Meanwhile Spiderman talks with Harry, and asks Charlie out. (kind of)
               As soon as Harry walked into the story I was happy. It brought me back to when they were good friends, and people wrote Peter's personal life, in moderation, and as well as Stan Lee. I also liked the Lizard surprising his "challenges" it made for an interesting story and will make for some interesting fallow-ups. Oh... I forgot to mention Madame Web made an appearance. I can't predict what her role will be, but again it will be interesting to find out.

Grade: 8.5/10
 buy at: www.mycomicshop.com