Brian Reed is back to writing the Marvel Universe after far too long an absence! After spending a good deal of time with Marvel’s “Halo” books (which I’ll admit I don’t read as someone who doesn’t play Halo), I’m happy to editorialize a bit in my introduction here and say that I was thrilled to see Reed’s name on the cover, which also happens to be the major reason I purchased it. The question is, did that pay off?
Written by Brian Reed
Illustrated by Lee Garbett– Spider-Man is stuck in a world where Peter Parker never existed!
– And reality is coming apart!
– Guest staring the Avengers!
Brian Reed is a veteran of the Marvel Universe and one of the least assuming writers to have taken charge of its characters. With a 50 issue run on “Ms. Marvel,” a couple projects co-written with Brian Bendis (including the Ultimate Spider-Man video game) and a few Spider-Man related stories (a “Secret Invasion” and “Dark Reign” tie-in as well as “American Son”), Reed has always brought a stalwart sense of humanity amidst the chaos inherent in that of the superhuman. Particularly noticeable in his works with Jackpot and Ms. Marvel, Reed always managed to ground characters that could soar in the air, developing personal mantras for the characters that made them accessible beyond the basic ostensible elements of fandom. It’s what has always been appealing about his writing, and it remains his most obvious strength.
This is where the “Spider-Man Annual” comes in. With it’s own twist on It’s a Wonderful Life, Peter Parker is mixed up in a Horizon Labs experiment that gives him a look at what good a world without him can do. Some of the changes are small, but some are staggering; without Peter crossing paths with a select number of people and influencing them in specific ways, the world actually ends up a better place. It’s partially a meditation on the notion of if evil would exist without good, but more than that it’s yet another sharp example of the importance of Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe.
Recently I wrote an essay on the site about why Spider-Man is such a great character, and it was specifically because he cares about everyone. Spider-Man is one of the few heroes who will truly sacrifice himself and his own happiness if it means just one person is better off for it. That’s ultimately the twist of the annual — everything is inherently better without him. It’s the opposite of what these stories usually seek to show, but it’s never the less a cleverly executed variation of a classic. Of course, given the one-off nature of the story it does have a rather quick resolution, but the story is evenly paced and pushed through all the appropriate beats to deliver another smart Spider-Man tale at a time where we seem to be given nothing but.
Of course, that element does become somewhat of a double-edged sword. What begins as a reasonable and enjoyable exercise in Baileyism does at one point revel a bit too much in its own hyper-enhanced sense of humanity. While Peter’s look into what life could have been without him is poignant to a degree (and without spoiling anything), it does eventually cross the line between a keen and distilled sense of emotional resonance and flat-out sap. Not only that, but as alluded earlier, it is yet another example of what is somewhat a paint-by-numbers story; as writers like Zeb Wells and Dan Slott has gone out of its way to prove recently, Spider-Man is important, and if you didn’t know it before you’ll certainly know it now.
Yet, despite some of those flaws, Brian Reed still manages to deliver a fun Spider-Man excursion with the annual. Reed has always been an underrated Marvel writer, but this issue is a great example of his strengths. Dealing with the entire history of Spider-Man as it all happens at once, Reed’s return to superheroes is a welcome one. It does everything an annual should: shows the strengths of the character, delivers a story that’s not entirely a throwaway experience and (unless otherwise noted) wraps it all up before we go back to the way things were with the next “official” issue of a given series. Reed does all of this and then some, and outside of a few heavy handed moments, it’s a nice little read suitable for both the most stalwart Spidey fan and one just looking to possibly check things out.
Continued belowLee Garbett’s art only enhances it. There are a few full-page spreads in this issue that are just perfectly executed, both in terms of the character moments they enhance and in turns of visual scope. Garbett has the impressive task of doing a few scenes evocative of specific times in comic book history, let alone comic history, and with the team of himself, John Lucas on sharp inks and Antonio Fabela on truly reminiscent color schemes the task is done quite amicably. While the main “Amazing Spider-Man” book currently boasts the great Stefano Caselli on art, Garbett, Lucas and Fabela all manage to produce a book that measures up to the impressive standards Spidey books seem to have these days.
The lesson of “Amazing Spider-Man Annual” #39 is ultimately very clear. No, it’s not that Spider-Man is an important character, and no, it’s not even some form of debate on morality or ethics. It’s not even really just a variation on a theme/trope/idea that has been admittedly played out, both in Spider-Man stories and elsewhere. No, all that’s in here somewhere, but the lesson here is that Brian Reed should write more superhero comics because I say so. (Objectivity in a review? What’s that?)
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
