Written by Joe Quesada and featuring art from Quesada and Paolo Rivera, Amazing Spider-Man #638 had the potential to be an all-timer for one of the best comic characters ever. Especially considering the fact that this was going to be “O.M.I.T” (aka One Moment In Time), the story we’ve “all” been waiting for, as we find out how exactly Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage never really happened in the “One More Day”/”Brand New Day” version of Spidey’s life.
The question is, did it live up to its potential? You’ll get three sides to this, as Walt, Gil and myself review our Book of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #638.
David’s Thoughts: I’m very, very conflicted about how I feel about this book. I didn’t hate it as much as I thought it would, but my expectations were in the toilet so that stands to reason. I didn’t even hate the fact that a solid portion of the story was in fact reprints from the old Wedding annual written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie with art by Paul Ryan. Quite the contrary in fact, I thought Joe Q’s idea (or whomever’s idea it was) to actually integrate that story in and tell it if just a few things went differently was quite clever, and aided in the overall story.
But at the same time, it still kind of felt like a rip. This was the first issue of this “monumental” story, yet we get glacially paced storytelling that made it an event instead of a single issue. In fact, the fact that this wasn’t just a single issue story is one of my biggest problems: this feels already like it could have been more inexpensive and one issue.
Plus, the plot device that they used to make it so Peter didn’t get to his wedding was…getting knocked unconscious when a “fatty” lands on him off a building. He can get hit by pure concussive blasts of sand, get dominated by a hunter but keep on truckin’, and be engulfed by a sea of lizards…but if he gets smushed by a heavy man off a couple story fall he sleeps through his wedding? Hmmph.
The dialogue by Quesada was surprisingly snappy and agile – I enjoyed it, and he seemed to actually have a good flow with the character. Artistically, I continue to not be fond of his work. There was a time and a place for Joe Q to be an artist, and I think both of those things have come and gone.
Paolo Rivera on the other hand did a phenomenal job blending in with the older story, and I hope to see him on the series more often. His work sort of reminded me of the work Max Fiumura and Marcos Martin have been doing, as all three of them feel modern but also very classic. This blend allows the transitions between the reprints and Joe Q’s work to be more palatable overall.
As for the reprints, they do what they are their for, but mother of god does it make comics from yesteryear seem hokey. It was hard to take at times…I found it very difficult to not burst out laughing, but at least Joe Q was referential to that in the new sections he wrote for Rivera (I was so pleased to see Flash and Harry discuss how Peter’s bachelor party was the single worst one ever).
All in all, I feel just…underwhelmed. I wasn’t stoked for this, but they made it seem like such a big deal I figured they’d have a rabbit in their hat. Little did I know, there was no magic to witness, just an overpriced comic with not a lot happening in it. Sigh…
Gil’s Thoughts: After the controversial One More Day, we were left wondering about how it came about. All we knew is that they never got married. Well now we know, and I can tell you one thing; Joe Quesada is a ham-fisted writer who basically forced his agenda through, making sure that this can’t be undone.
But the worst part is that the whole book is half of a reprint, and the other half is Joe adding in his own words, changing history because of a deal made to save an old lady’s life. At least the art in the new half is pretty. The added plot from the flashbacks looks spot-on with the art in the original story and the updated art actually looks good in parts. One thing that was inescapable once I noticed it was Quesada’s character design for Peter. Peter looks like…Joe Quesada? How very odd.
Continued belowIt’s not a terribly necessary story, and I really don’t like the whole set up. I’m not exactly a fan of making Peter single, but the outcome had been beneficial. Why do we need to revisit the moment? It’s like reopening an old wound. OMIT it from my memory.
Walt’s Thoughts: Like many people, I really wanted to hate this book. While I have greatly been enjoying Amazing Spider-Man ever since I got over One More Day (which I disliked as much as most people), I found the idea of One Moment In Time to be Quesada’s way of rubbing salt in the wound. When I opened up this comic, I was completely ready to tear Marvel’s editor in chief a new one.
However, I really can’t bring myself to be that mean. When you shed all the vitriol that was generated by One More Day, it’s easy to see (though tough to admit) that this isn’t a bad comic. Granted, I would hardly call it great and might not even call it good, but I wouldn’t call it bad by any means. The only thing that I can really complain about is some of the art during the scenes set in the present, but even then that’s just a matter of taste.
As far as I can tell, this issue really did all that it claimed it would. We saw the small change Mephisto made on the day of the wedding that resulted in a big chain of events ending in Mary Jane and Peter’s marriage to never happen. Sure, some of the means were a bit… far-fetched, but Pete’s power set has always been very inconsistent between different writers. Really, the only reason that this instance is any different is because it is connected to something that many people didn’t like. Remember people, One More Day came first, so it’s not like this single issue is the cause of One More Day.
With all the continuity problems that One More Day presented and all the hints dropped in the era of Brand New Day, we knew that this moment had been coming. While there have been some great stories since Brand New Day, there have also been stories between mediocre and terrible, but that’s just something that you have to expect with a thrice-monthly title. If you’ve suffered through some of the not-so-stellar arcs on Amazing Spider-Man since it became a three-times-a-month book, then there’s not much reason to complain about this issue. If anything, the arc will tie up some loose ends, which is great news to a continuity nut like me.
Also, if you’re really that indignant about Pete and MJ not being together, I would recommend checking the first solicit for the next arc, Origin of the Species. Just sayin’.
