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The Amazing Spider-Man (1999) (Collected Editions) #17
Spider-Man: Back in Black
Black heart. Black soul. Spider-Man is back in black.
The Civil War has ended: One side has won, another has lost, and all the rules have changed. With Spider-Man's identity revealed to the world, he has exposed himself to the treachery of his oldest enemies. Peter Parker's life has been turned upside down - and along with it, the lives of his dearest friends and family members.
As this nightmare spins a treacherous web from which he cannot escape, Spider-Man embraces the darkness and finds he must make a stand - maybe his last stand - against some of his fiercest foes, including the Sandman, the mysterious "Other" and the deadly Kingpin.
Collecting Amazing Spider-Man #539-543, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17-23 and Annual #1.
The Civil War has ended: One side has won, another has lost, and all the rules have changed. With Spider-Man's identity revealed to the world, he has exposed himself to the treachery of his oldest enemies. Peter Parker's life has been turned upside down - and along with it, the lives of his dearest friends and family members.
As this nightmare spins a treacherous web from which he cannot escape, Spider-Man embraces the darkness and finds he must make a stand - maybe his last stand - against some of his fiercest foes, including the Sandman, the mysterious "Other" and the deadly Kingpin.
Collecting Amazing Spider-Man #539-543, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17-23 and Annual #1.
528 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2008
25 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
J. Michael Straczynski
1,371 books1,277 followersJoseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 9, 2014
What an insane collection this is. I have no idea why Marvel would want to bundle the two story arcs collected here together, as they only go to show how disconnected and out of sync Marvel's editorial voice was for Spider-Man at this time. The stories are intended to be set within the same short time period, in which a distraught, violently angry Peter Parker dons his black garb again as some kind of cheesy symbol for his mood. Only, they don't line up. At all.
In the first story, we get JMS's followup to his Civil War Spidey stuff, in which . In retaliation, Peter goes insane. He loses himself completely and turns into a madman hell-bent on revenge-murdering the Kingpin. He stops the quips, stops playing nice. Just beats the living hell out of everything in his way as he works his way toward the Kingpin. It's actually a pretty nice change of pace from the normal, boring Peter Parker, but it's so out of character that it doesn't really hold water. That's also pretty much all there is to say about this story. It's just Peter on a rampage. There's no real development or plot movement. Just a string of beatings and hokey internal monologues (JMS's specialty).
Then, in the second story arc, we pick up the story begun in The Other: a crazy spider lady is trying to capture Peter so that she can lay spider eggs in his mouth. I'm serious. That is what the story is about. Also, there's some kind of subplot about an Uncle Ben from the year 2211 trying to kill a bunch of rogue future Spider-Men or something. I missed the issues in which this was set up, and was completely lost. It is one of those things that is so utterly and completely stupid, though, that it's no wonder comic books have not caught on with a larger audience.
There's also tons of weird, unnecessary sexism in this storyline (which is written by Peter David, who appears to be terrible). All the women are throwing themselves at Flash Thompson ("Who?" you're asking. And you're right!) and/or Peter, regardless of how they're treated. Not to mention trying to lay their crazy spider eggs in their mouths. It's... I don't know. I hate it.
Also, while Peter is definitely wearing his black suit in this storyline, all of the vengeance and anger has been completely dropped. Instead, he's still happy-go-lucky, quippy, idiot Spider-Man, who will occasionally stop to wistfully stare out a window and think about dark subjects, only to start joking and crapping webs all over the place again right away. It's so inconsistent with the previous story that it hurts to read.
I know all of this is "building" (LOL) to One More Day, the notorious reboot story that makes pretty much all Spider-Man for the previous 10 years obsolete, which makes this slog even less appealing. I strongly discourage wasting your time on this, unless you are an immortal.
In the first story, we get JMS's followup to his Civil War Spidey stuff, in which . In retaliation, Peter goes insane. He loses himself completely and turns into a madman hell-bent on revenge-murdering the Kingpin. He stops the quips, stops playing nice. Just beats the living hell out of everything in his way as he works his way toward the Kingpin. It's actually a pretty nice change of pace from the normal, boring Peter Parker, but it's so out of character that it doesn't really hold water. That's also pretty much all there is to say about this story. It's just Peter on a rampage. There's no real development or plot movement. Just a string of beatings and hokey internal monologues (JMS's specialty).
Then, in the second story arc, we pick up the story begun in The Other: a crazy spider lady is trying to capture Peter so that she can lay spider eggs in his mouth. I'm serious. That is what the story is about. Also, there's some kind of subplot about an Uncle Ben from the year 2211 trying to kill a bunch of rogue future Spider-Men or something. I missed the issues in which this was set up, and was completely lost. It is one of those things that is so utterly and completely stupid, though, that it's no wonder comic books have not caught on with a larger audience.
There's also tons of weird, unnecessary sexism in this storyline (which is written by Peter David, who appears to be terrible). All the women are throwing themselves at Flash Thompson ("Who?" you're asking. And you're right!) and/or Peter, regardless of how they're treated. Not to mention trying to lay their crazy spider eggs in their mouths. It's... I don't know. I hate it.
Also, while Peter is definitely wearing his black suit in this storyline, all of the vengeance and anger has been completely dropped. Instead, he's still happy-go-lucky, quippy, idiot Spider-Man, who will occasionally stop to wistfully stare out a window and think about dark subjects, only to start joking and crapping webs all over the place again right away. It's so inconsistent with the previous story that it hurts to read.
I know all of this is "building" (LOL) to One More Day, the notorious reboot story that makes pretty much all Spider-Man for the previous 10 years obsolete, which makes this slog even less appealing. I strongly discourage wasting your time on this, unless you are an immortal.
July 2, 2015
While I am a big Spider-Man fan I read Civil War and am aware of his role in main story (Sadly I do not have the Spider-Man Civil HC). This comes directly after the event in Civil War. Spider-Man revealed his identity to the world. His family is a target and he is an outlaw. After an attack on his family an angry Peter Parker dons the black (cloth) costume once again.
There are four main stories here. Each of them decent and the attack on his family probably the most significant in terms of his overall history going forward. Another focuses on a team up between Spider-Man and Sandman to save an innocent man on his way to the electric chair and the final one deals with J. Jonah Jamison and how he is dealing with the Spider-Man fallout after Civil War.
There are four main stories here. Each of them decent and the attack on his family probably the most significant in terms of his overall history going forward. Another focuses on a team up between Spider-Man and Sandman to save an innocent man on his way to the electric chair and the final one deals with J. Jonah Jamison and how he is dealing with the Spider-Man fallout after Civil War.
January 18, 2022
The first couple of issues in this, bascially the Back in Black storyline, were probably the best thing about this volume. Taking place after the events of Civil War, Peter is trying to deal with the fallout of everyone knowing his identity. Which resulted in Aunt May getting shot. We get a darker, grittier side of Peter Parker, and I like the way it contrasts with what we know about his character.
I probably could have done without the Sandman stories, as they were a bit odd. It was just weird contrast between those and the rest of the issues included in this volume. So, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me!
I probably could have done without the Sandman stories, as they were a bit odd. It was just weird contrast between those and the rest of the issues included in this volume. So, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me!
January 1, 2013
Review in 2 parts.
The 1980's had some seriously dark moments, one of which was the Spider-Man symbiote costume, which later helps give birth to the iconic villain/vigilante Venom. So, the problem with bringing back the black costume is that we already associate this costume with Venom and no longer with Spider-Man/Peter. This gimmick acts like a funeral mask, a death shroud, and I understand that, but I think whichever editor green-lighted this made a huge mistake. Because it doesn't make me think Spider-Man is any more dangerous, but that another Venom is on the prowl. I mean, especially after Civil War, with Cap dead, I would think the red and blue suit would have been more fitting.
On top of this, J Michael Straczynski is a seriously inconsistent writer. What he does here, isn't write a Spider-Man story. He writes a Daredevil story. And I chalk that up to the fact that Straczynski isn't a versatile writer. He writes crime stories, he writes pulp books, and he has a knack for it. It just doesn't work here for Peter. Insert DD into this role with nearly the exact same story and BAM 4 star book without a problem. Add to the the fact that Straczynski is working with extremely weak art here (Garney's worst work; a talented man but maybe just stretched too thin at this time) and it feels like something a third-rate publisher would put out trying to mimic the Spider-Man.
Wrting: C-
Art: D
Part 2
I just read on the wire that Peter David has just suffered a stroke. His condition isn't getting any better. His wife has posted an update on his blog if you'd like to read about it. It's extremely unfortunate, especially since he's one of my favorite old guard writers who continued to evolve over the years. His part in this omnibus, writing the "Friendly Neighborhood" title issues, was fantastic. Not exactly classic, but a s#$%-ton of fun.
It's nice once in a while to see some of Spidey's villains turn vigilante, especially those like Sandman who never seemed to be inherently evil, but more a "victim of circumstance". So it was a nice change of pace here, and David doesn't play into Peter's supposedly darker character, but he does make one hell of a dark story here involving a very disturbing villain.
Insert some lovable artwork by Nauck and we have a Spider-Man book that feels familiar to us and speaks to the character like an old friend instead of forcing him into a rle that feels alien and unfamiliar.
Writing: B
Art: B
The 1980's had some seriously dark moments, one of which was the Spider-Man symbiote costume, which later helps give birth to the iconic villain/vigilante Venom. So, the problem with bringing back the black costume is that we already associate this costume with Venom and no longer with Spider-Man/Peter. This gimmick acts like a funeral mask, a death shroud, and I understand that, but I think whichever editor green-lighted this made a huge mistake. Because it doesn't make me think Spider-Man is any more dangerous, but that another Venom is on the prowl. I mean, especially after Civil War, with Cap dead, I would think the red and blue suit would have been more fitting.
On top of this, J Michael Straczynski is a seriously inconsistent writer. What he does here, isn't write a Spider-Man story. He writes a Daredevil story. And I chalk that up to the fact that Straczynski isn't a versatile writer. He writes crime stories, he writes pulp books, and he has a knack for it. It just doesn't work here for Peter. Insert DD into this role with nearly the exact same story and BAM 4 star book without a problem. Add to the the fact that Straczynski is working with extremely weak art here (Garney's worst work; a talented man but maybe just stretched too thin at this time) and it feels like something a third-rate publisher would put out trying to mimic the Spider-Man.
Wrting: C-
Art: D
Part 2
I just read on the wire that Peter David has just suffered a stroke. His condition isn't getting any better. His wife has posted an update on his blog if you'd like to read about it. It's extremely unfortunate, especially since he's one of my favorite old guard writers who continued to evolve over the years. His part in this omnibus, writing the "Friendly Neighborhood" title issues, was fantastic. Not exactly classic, but a s#$%-ton of fun.
It's nice once in a while to see some of Spidey's villains turn vigilante, especially those like Sandman who never seemed to be inherently evil, but more a "victim of circumstance". So it was a nice change of pace here, and David doesn't play into Peter's supposedly darker character, but he does make one hell of a dark story here involving a very disturbing villain.
Insert some lovable artwork by Nauck and we have a Spider-Man book that feels familiar to us and speaks to the character like an old friend instead of forcing him into a rle that feels alien and unfamiliar.
Writing: B
Art: B
May 27, 2008
With the return of Spider-Man's black costume and the Sandman, "Back in Black" is a wholly editorially mandated story to coincide with Spider-Man 3, but J. Michael Straczynski and Peter David make it work.
After Aunt May was shot in Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man, Peter and Mary Jane Parker do everything they can, with no pause to laws and morals, to keep her alive. Spider-Man, in black because he's all sad and angry, figures out who shot Aunt May.
In the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man portion of the book, Spidey teams up with the Sandman and the Spider-Man 2211 and Ms. Arrow storylines wrap-up. Flash Thompson and Betty Brant provide great supporting help (which is nice sing Mary Jane just sits by May's bedside). There's also a nice resolution to J.Jonah Jameson's outrage at Spider-Man's unmasking.
Combining the two solid stories waters down the first one. J.M.S. shows a Spidey that's focused solely on saving May, yet David shows him spending quality time with Flash and Betty. Which is it?
Ron Garney's artwork is very, very reminiscent of John Romita, Jr.'s back when J.M.S. started on Spider-Man. And Todd Nauck, David's artist on Young Justice, draws great faces. Both are great, and perfectly suited for their story's tone.
After Aunt May was shot in Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man, Peter and Mary Jane Parker do everything they can, with no pause to laws and morals, to keep her alive. Spider-Man, in black because he's all sad and angry, figures out who shot Aunt May.
In the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man portion of the book, Spidey teams up with the Sandman and the Spider-Man 2211 and Ms. Arrow storylines wrap-up. Flash Thompson and Betty Brant provide great supporting help (which is nice sing Mary Jane just sits by May's bedside). There's also a nice resolution to J.Jonah Jameson's outrage at Spider-Man's unmasking.
Combining the two solid stories waters down the first one. J.M.S. shows a Spidey that's focused solely on saving May, yet David shows him spending quality time with Flash and Betty. Which is it?
Ron Garney's artwork is very, very reminiscent of John Romita, Jr.'s back when J.M.S. started on Spider-Man. And Todd Nauck, David's artist on Young Justice, draws great faces. Both are great, and perfectly suited for their story's tone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2015
" I put this here a long time ago. I got rid of it in the first place because I thought it sent the wrong message.
Maybe I kept this because there might come a day when I'd want to send that message.
That the rules don't apply anymore. That the gloves are off. That I won't be stopped, can't be stopped, until I find the people responsible for shooting May.
I WILL find them."
The darkest chapter in Peter Parker's life is here. His secret identity is out, he is an outlaw for being on the wrong side of the Civil War, and a bullet intended for him has struck Aunt May instead.
Problems seem to emerge at every corner. No hospital is successful on healing May, as she loosely holds onto the strands of life. Economy has never been his friend, but being a wanted criminal means that whatever changes of a job he previously had is long gone.
And possessed by a burning fury to find the shooter, Spider-Man tears through New York. As new trials appear in front of him, we see him blurring the lines. But despite his assurances, will he cross the line, if allowed face to face with foe?
We find that sometimes, the answer is yes.
Maybe I kept this because there might come a day when I'd want to send that message.
That the rules don't apply anymore. That the gloves are off. That I won't be stopped, can't be stopped, until I find the people responsible for shooting May.
I WILL find them."
The darkest chapter in Peter Parker's life is here. His secret identity is out, he is an outlaw for being on the wrong side of the Civil War, and a bullet intended for him has struck Aunt May instead.
Problems seem to emerge at every corner. No hospital is successful on healing May, as she loosely holds onto the strands of life. Economy has never been his friend, but being a wanted criminal means that whatever changes of a job he previously had is long gone.
And possessed by a burning fury to find the shooter, Spider-Man tears through New York. As new trials appear in front of him, we see him blurring the lines. But despite his assurances, will he cross the line, if allowed face to face with foe?
We find that sometimes, the answer is yes.
April 26, 2009
Entertaining stories made mostly irrelevant by One More Day
November 2, 2023
I’ll break the book down into 3 sections since this book was all over the place.
1. Amazing Spider-Man issues:
These were great! I really enjoyed this brief storyline. It is very dark and sad, but the art, plot, and writing were done very well. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Peter this intense. 5 stars.
2. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man issues:
These were hit and miss. Didn’t care much for the Sandman story. Was a bit confusing and Peter having the black suit during this added nothing to the story. He might as well have had his regular suit on. Maybe for someone who was keeping up with this series more, it would’ve been better. 2 stars.
The next story included was a tie in to The Other. I enjoyed the main fight and conclusion. It was decent. 3 stars.
There was a one off issue about JJJ and I loved the narrative structure/twist, well written and just about everything you’d want in a JJJ vs Spidey story. 4 stars.
3. Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man Annual/Leah:
Even though I didn’t like the sandman arc included in the last section, this annual issue was a full recap of Sandman’s story from child to present. It was emotional and touched on all the key points an origin story should have. Not sure if this story was all canon or not, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Not often you get a Spider-Man issue all about a villain and told in their POV. 5 stars.
There was a lot an almost textless short issue at the end of this book that was sweet and emotional as well. It reminded me of an episode from the 90s cartoon. 3 stars.
1. Amazing Spider-Man issues:
These were great! I really enjoyed this brief storyline. It is very dark and sad, but the art, plot, and writing were done very well. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Peter this intense. 5 stars.
2. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man issues:
These were hit and miss. Didn’t care much for the Sandman story. Was a bit confusing and Peter having the black suit during this added nothing to the story. He might as well have had his regular suit on. Maybe for someone who was keeping up with this series more, it would’ve been better. 2 stars.
The next story included was a tie in to The Other. I enjoyed the main fight and conclusion. It was decent. 3 stars.
There was a one off issue about JJJ and I loved the narrative structure/twist, well written and just about everything you’d want in a JJJ vs Spidey story. 4 stars.
3. Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man Annual/Leah:
Even though I didn’t like the sandman arc included in the last section, this annual issue was a full recap of Sandman’s story from child to present. It was emotional and touched on all the key points an origin story should have. Not sure if this story was all canon or not, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Not often you get a Spider-Man issue all about a villain and told in their POV. 5 stars.
There was a lot an almost textless short issue at the end of this book that was sweet and emotional as well. It reminded me of an episode from the 90s cartoon. 3 stars.
October 10, 2022
JMS' Back in Black arc is an uncharacteristically dark, but overall earned and solid Spider-Man story. Combining it in a single trade with Peter David's FNSM Back in Black storylines, part of a doomed run that JMS was about to end with the infamous One More Day event, is a, uh...weird choice. FNSM is a vestigial organ of Marvel editorial wanting to put more Spider-man books out there at a time when Spidey was about to get caught in event hell (the book starts with The Other: Evolve or Die storyline and runs through event after event, I don't think it has a single part that's all its own). It never really tonally settles on its own thing, all of its ideas are, by design, just borrowed bits from JMS' run.
So, ultimately, you have this book, which contains two stories that technically cover about the same time period but really make no sense when you put them together. It's an artifact of an editorially weird time for Spidey, so interesting in that respect. But only half of it is worth reading, and even that half is a weird outlier version of the character so unless you want to read a very different tonal take on the character it's probably better to just miss this one.
So, ultimately, you have this book, which contains two stories that technically cover about the same time period but really make no sense when you put them together. It's an artifact of an editorially weird time for Spidey, so interesting in that respect. But only half of it is worth reading, and even that half is a weird outlier version of the character so unless you want to read a very different tonal take on the character it's probably better to just miss this one.
November 11, 2024
I don’t care what anyone says, this is the best arc of JMS’s run! We get a Spidey here that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, and likely won’t get again: done playing games with virtually nothing left to lose, and it is glorious! And then the final epilogue issue really lets it sink in just how broken down and at rock bottom Peter truly is. Honestly, reading it in context with the entirety of JMS’s run makes it hit even harder. It’s only too bad that we don’t ever get proper payoff through seeing him come out the other side of this all-time funk a better man, but we’ll get to that soon enough…
The Peter David FNSM issues included here are all fairly inoffensive, but they really only seem to serve as filler and to throw the tonal consistency of the entire collection way out of wack.
The Peter David FNSM issues included here are all fairly inoffensive, but they really only seem to serve as filler and to throw the tonal consistency of the entire collection way out of wack.
December 14, 2017
If you feel like seeing Spider-Man as a very PG-13 Punisher, this might be for you. I get that he is supposed to be seriously affected by Aunt May having been shot during the Civil War story, but I just don't buy it. The story with the Kingpin fits the theme a bit better, but the one with the Sandman is just awful. The writing is terrible, the art is not great, and a lot of it doesn't make sense. The annual at the end that retells Sandman's origin was alright, though. Having previously read both Spider-Man: Civil War and One More Day (which I really didn't care for), I don't think I was really missing anything by not having read this in between.
August 2, 2020
I don't know how to rate this.
It was a gripping story with fantastic art but this story is bleaker than most Spidey stories. With his identity public, Kingpin takes out a hit on Spidey and ends up with the assassin missing and shooting Aunt May. And Peter goes apeshit. His rock has been pulled out and he is breaking laws and nearly killing criminals.
Parker/Spidey has always been about trying to be good and do good and here he is pushed to a breaking point. This reminds me of A Good Man Goes to War from Doctor Who.
Stories are wells that allow us to go to when we face our own crossroads and it is nice to see our heroes as humans with failings who stumble and course correct.
It was a gripping story with fantastic art but this story is bleaker than most Spidey stories. With his identity public, Kingpin takes out a hit on Spidey and ends up with the assassin missing and shooting Aunt May. And Peter goes apeshit. His rock has been pulled out and he is breaking laws and nearly killing criminals.
Parker/Spidey has always been about trying to be good and do good and here he is pushed to a breaking point. This reminds me of A Good Man Goes to War from Doctor Who.
Stories are wells that allow us to go to when we face our own crossroads and it is nice to see our heroes as humans with failings who stumble and course correct.
November 3, 2023
Peter's aunt is shot, leaving him to go a bit fucking nuts. This is basically one long storyline of Peter hunting down who hurt his aunt.
It starts with him slowing putting the pieces together, who hurt his aunt, and who hired the killer. It shows when Peter doesn't joke around, when he's on a mission, he can be a very dangerous man. I do like the change and think it works mostly well. I think too much of the plot is convenient of how he finds the killer and which way he goes about it. And the idea that Peter would murder seems a bit over the top but the overall change in character does make sense.
A 3 out of 5 for entertaining but this isn't your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
It starts with him slowing putting the pieces together, who hurt his aunt, and who hired the killer. It shows when Peter doesn't joke around, when he's on a mission, he can be a very dangerous man. I do like the change and think it works mostly well. I think too much of the plot is convenient of how he finds the killer and which way he goes about it. And the idea that Peter would murder seems a bit over the top but the overall change in character does make sense.
A 3 out of 5 for entertaining but this isn't your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
August 4, 2020
Exceptional story telling, Like the man himself Amazing!
This was a definite page turner. It took me 3 days to get through it all With all of the breaks I had to take.
But it was not in anyway disappointing. The idea of Spider-man and Sandman working together that was really incredible thinking !
Stan lee had the idea of superheroes having to deal with life problems, frailties and limitations that's what made Marvel so great!I
I can't wait for the next book in the series the whole series is fantastic good work all of you! Stan lee Would be very proud of all of you!
This was a definite page turner. It took me 3 days to get through it all With all of the breaks I had to take.
But it was not in anyway disappointing. The idea of Spider-man and Sandman working together that was really incredible thinking !
Stan lee had the idea of superheroes having to deal with life problems, frailties and limitations that's what made Marvel so great!I
I can't wait for the next book in the series the whole series is fantastic good work all of you! Stan lee Would be very proud of all of you!
September 1, 2018
A slightly below-average comic book. I don't mind seeing a darker and meaner Spider-Man, but this one simply lacks plot twists and there's also the fact that it was almost too easy for the angry Peter Parker to nail his enemies up a wall. Damn too easy. It was as if Spidey fought a bunch of wooden dummies that didn't fight back. I know he's become more blood-driven than ever, but that shouldn't make him invincible.
June 2, 2017
This is the most deep and darker Post-Civil War story that I have read. It was interesting to see Spider-Man in a darker path. The man is upset that his family and friends are now targets after revealing his secret identity and his aunt is paying the price. Spidey is willing to cross the line in order to protect his loved ones, even if has to break a dozen laws in order to do so.
August 27, 2017
The first arc in this book was awesome, and it was great to see the more bada** side of Peter, but the rest of the book fell flat for me (minus the annual about Sandman's origin, which was really good). The 'bad guy' lady was just disgusting (I won't spoil what her secret is, but it was disturbing to say the least) and she was just uninteresting.
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May 27, 2023only read the back in black arc. ngl i am not the biggest fan of how this “spiderman goes down a dark path” story was executed. there’s little nuance and it mostly feels like wish fulfillment with no rhyme or reason.
December 31, 2023
Con el destino de la tia May en la balanza, Peter desempolva su traje negro como simbolo de que no habrá piedad. Su búsqueda del culpable le lleva a un épico enfrentamiento con Kingpin. El tomo se completa con una historia paralela que no tiene el mismo tono y arruina bastante la experiencia.
August 1, 2019
3.5 stars
December 29, 2019
The story bends over backwards to get Spider-Man into the black costume. Still, there's some solid Kingpin stuff here.
March 21, 2020
Only read the AMS issues. Those were very satisfying. Kingpin beatdown ftw.
March 18, 2021
Just a marketing trick,. for the worst Spidey movie, SM3.
November 23, 2021
Starts off with an amazing revenge story and then just trails off for the rest off the issue.
December 28, 2021
The beating of Kingpin worth the reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2022
rating: 2.5*
February 4, 2022
3.25 ⭐️ Peter getting his justice
September 28, 2022
Artwork was incredible. Story was so engaging, a side of the character I'd never seen presented before. The compendium-nature of the book resulted in it ending just as the story was getting going.
July 19, 2023
he looks so cunty when he puts on his black suit irdc like that's still my F.N.S.M!
May 20, 2025
Spider-Man back on demon mode and it slaps so hard in the Kingpin and Jonah issues. The sandman story in the middle is solid along with the spider villain.
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