Brand New Day's second arc's second issue is a hit-and-miss affair.
I really enjoyed the first three-issue arc of Brand New Day. I felt Dan Slott and Steve McNiven did a superb job following up after the train wreck that was One More Day and I was genuinly excited to read Spidey again for the first time in years.
The second arc has tried to continue that fun and exhilarating Spider-Man style but it's not working as well as it did in the first arc. For starters, I'm already sick of the retro feel Marvel is shoving down our throats with this book. The silly opening/closing narratives feel forced and the editor comment box feels like it was written for children or readers partially retarded (or both?).
All quibbles about the presentation aside, I'm enjoying where this book is going. Many seeds are being planted and it feels like the book is progressing substantially every week. The new villain nicknamed Menace, a Green-Goblin-esque character introduced in ASM #549, looks like he could lead to something big and I want to see where he leads. It's also nice to see Jackpot getting a portion of the spotlight.
One thing that really bothered me about this issue, and the last one for that matter, is Salvador Larocca's art. Larocca's Spider-Man is great. He's cinematic and stylistic and seems to always be in motion, I have no complaints. What bothers me is how the art quality drops once Spidey takes off his mask. Some of Larocca's faces are flat out terrible and many of his civilians are plain and boring. It feels like Larocca doesn't have the passion for drawing everyday Joes the same way he does for drawing superheroes.
The same can be said for writer Marc Guggenheim. He's great whenever Peter's in action but lacks the same punch once the costume comes off. A lot of his dialogue simply seems like filler shoved in-between the action.
I may be being too harsh on Marvel and the creative team behind this current arc. I'm enjoying Brand New Day and this issue was no exception. I just wish Slott and McNiven were back on the book. Oh well, at least it's only one more issue before writer Bob Gale and artist Phil Jiminez team up to bring us Brand New Day's third arc.
One Sentence Review: Better than your average issue but frustrating at the same time.
The next issue, Amazing Spider-Man 551, hits comic shops on Wednesday.
Cheers.
