Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3: Until The Stars Turn Cold

The Amazing Spider-Man (1999) (Collected Editions) #7

by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr. (Illustrator)

J. Michael Straczynski, well known to sci-fi fans, continues his critically acclaimed run on Marvel Comics' flagship title as Doctor Octopus returns to torment the world-famous wall-crawler. Feeling as though he bears the weight of the world on his shoulders, Peter Parker struggles to balance his personal life and fledgling career as a high-school teacher with his heroic responsibilities as the Amazing Spider-Man.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Joseph 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.

Reviews

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third volume of The Amazing Spider-Man is another fine addition to the wonderful series by JMS and JRJ. The story gets more personal as it deals with Peter trying to mend his relationship with Mary Jane, and Aunt May serves as an amazing supporting character. JRJ's art is still decent, but it feels as though it as taken a step down as compared to the previous 2 volumes.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

After saving the homeless kids seen in vol.2 Peter does like Frankie to try and reconcile with MJ. Doc Ock and a wanna-be baddie happen to be in L.A. at the same time. The ol' Parker's luck, right?

There's action. There's humor- some very funny lines even. There's emotion.
But honestly I don't care that much for the soapy romance of Pete and MJ. If not for Straczinski's good sense of characters and dialogues the same plot would simply have bored me to death.

A decent snack while waiting for the main course.

[Isaac Calef · Rating 4 out of 5]

El volumen 3 sigue siendo divertido y con grandes momentos y planteamientos para sus 3 personajes principales en esta saga. En cuanto a “amenazas” es mucho más discreto, básico y transitorio pero sigue construyendo algo muy bueno. Aquí mi desglose de todos mis pensamientos:


Desglose Número por Número (The Amazing Spider-Man #40–45)

The Amazing Spider-Man #40
* La Tía May más involucrada: May está mucho más activa tras descubrir la identidad de Peter. Incluso va al Daily Bugle a confrontar a J. Jonah Jameson para cancelarle la suscripción en su propia cara.
* El caso de los jóvenes sin hogar: Jenny (la alumna de Peter) le pide ayuda porque están desapareciendo jóvenes en situación de calle (homeless). Peter decide involucrarse en la investigación.
* Mary Jane en escena: MJ llama a May, tienen una conversación sincera y le deja saber que quiere hablar con Peter y verse con él.
* Secuencia icónica de las palomitas: En medio de su patrullaje vigilando los edificios, Peter se topa con un extra en una azotea comiendo palomitas y este le comparte. Destacas que es una viñeta/secuencia muy emblemática.
* Primer contacto con el villano: Peter se enfrenta a una entidad sin forma física fija que secuestra jóvenes y a la que no le puede asestar golpes directos.
* El rol de May en la relación: La Tía May actúa como anclaje y motor para que Peter y Mary Jane no corten comunicación y busquen reconciliarse. Destacas lo bien construido que está su papel al conocer a ambos de toda la vida.


The Amazing Spider-Man #41
* Aparición de Doctor Strange: Al ver que el villano tiene una naturaleza extraña/mística y no poder derrotarlo físicamente, Spider-Man acude al Sanctum Sanctorum a pedir ayuda al Doctor Strange (destacas una gran página doble en su encuentro).
* Origen de "The Shade": En este número se profundiza en el villano. Un convicto intentó hacer un ritual místico/astral para obtener poderes y escapar de prisión, pero el proceso salió mal. Un tipo llamado "The Shade" se interpuso, robó la energía mística y quedó transformado en este ser distorsionado que absorbe jóvenes al plano astral.


The Amazing Spider-Man #42
* Explicación a Doctor Strange: Peter le resume a Strange lo sucedido con The Shade (el convicto, el intercambio de poderes fallido y el plano astral).
* El detalle del cómic de Doctor Strange: Strange le explica que no puede acompañarlo directamente porque debe atender una amenaza mayor. Mencionas la curiosa nota del editor que promociona el cómic Doctor Strange: The Other Side of Darkness (que en ese momento aún no salía a la venta).
* Viaje al Plano Astral: El cuerpo físico de Peter se queda resguardado en el Sanctum Sanctorum mientras su forma astral va a combatir a The Shade.
* La batalla y el rescate: Spider-Man logra entrar a la dimensión de la sombra, rescata a los jóvenes retenidos y hace explotar/colapsar a The Shade.
* El emotivo final con Mary Jane: May le había avisado a Peter que MJ estaría solo dos noches en Nueva York y lo esperaría en el aeropuerto. Debido a la pelea astral, Peter no llega a tiempo físicamente. En una secuencia muy impactante, la forma astral de Spider-Man va al aeropuerto y le dedica un discurso lleno de amor a MJ; sin embargo, ella no puede escucharlo.


The Amazing Spider-Man #43
* Inicio del arco de Doctor Octopus: Comienza un arco de 3 números enfocado en Doc Ock y la irrupción de Carlyle, el villano corporativo que robó la tecnología de Otto.
* El viaje a Los Ángeles: May sigue presionando a Peter para no rendirse con Mary Jane, por lo que ambos deciden viajar a Los Ángeles donde ella está trabajando. Destacas una escena muy divertida con May durante el check-in del aeropuerto.
* Diseño de Carlyle: Destacas que el traje de este "nuevo Doctor Octopus" de imitación es muy verde y con una estética muy marcada de los años 2000.
* Robo al banco y escape: Carlyle ataca un banco. Otto Octavius (quien estaba secuestrado/inmovilizado) logra liberarse y promete venganza contra su imitador.
* Mary Jane en el set: MJ está trabajando en una producción cinematográfica de presupuesto modesto que sirve como parodia de las películas de superhéroes de la época (The Amazing Lobster-Man). Allí se reencuentra con Peter y May.


The Amazing Spider-Man #44
* La explicación rápida a MJ: Mary Jane le exige a Peter una explicación de por qué la plantó en el aeropuerto diciéndole: "Tienes 1 minuto y 58 segundos". Peter le suelta toda la historia de The Shade en un solo globo de texto gigantesco y saturado, lo cual te pareció un recurso muy divertido.
* Crítica al arte de JRJR (Rostros): Aunque te gusta mucho el trabajo de John Romita Jr. en la acción, señalas que en este número hay un par de viñetas con el rostro de Mary Jane bastante feos/desproporcionados, coincidiendo con la crítica habitual del público hacia sus caras humanas.
* Diálogo sobre la identidad secreta: MJ tiene una conversación interesante con el actor que interpreta a Lobster-Man. Cuando él cuestiona por qué un héroe ocultaría su rostro, MJ le explica la perspectiva de Peter, demostrando lo mucho que lo comprende y lo extraña.
* El temor de la Tía May: Es la primera vez que May ve a Peter salir en persona a ponerse el traje y convertirse en Spider-Man tras ver la noticia del ataque en la TV. Es un momento muy emotivo donde él le promete regresar, pero ella queda llena de miedo.
* Suspenso final: Tras una gran secuencia de acción entre los dos Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man interviene pero termina atrapado bajo los escombros de un edificio.


The Amazing Spider-Man #45
* Homenaje a ASM #33 ("Not Today"): Atrapado bajo las toneladas de escombros, Peter revive el clásico momento de determinación. Sacando fuerzas de su convicción y del amor por Mary Jane y la Tía May, se dice a sí mismo "Hoy no" (Not Today) y se levanta de los escombros.
* Carlyle se descontrola: El villano secuestra a la Tía May. Otto Octavius interviene (sorprendentemente defendiéndola/interponiéndose) y se desata una batalla campal de tres bandos con Spider-Man.
* Derrota de Carlyle: Gracias al esfuerzo combinado (e indirecto) de Spider-Man y Otto Octavius, logran neutralizar a Carlyle. Otto huye antes de ser capturado.
* Conversación y reconciliación: Peter, MJ y May se reúnen. Mary Jane le confiesa a Peter que lo ama, pero le pide un poco de tiempo e independencia para encontrarse a sí misma en su carrera y no estar únicamente a la expectativa de su vida como héroe. Peter promete esperarla el tiempo que sea necesario, marcando un paso muy lindo hacia su reconciliación.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great volume by JMS. This time we pick up with The Shade and how he has been abducting children and so Pete has to save one of his students Jennifer who also gets caught in it. And the way he soles it is quite unique. It involves astral plane and Dr Strange and fun cameos. But the real deal is the growing tension between MJ and Pete. To make things right he has to go to LA where MJ is becoming an actor apparently. Also the 2nd story is a new man named Carlyle who has made a similar technology as of Doc Ock and its upto Pete and Dr Octopus to save the day and how MJ and Aunt may and her shoot is involved is quite fun. The 2nd story makes you feel for them and this Carlyle guy is a menace and we also see now that Aunt may knows how its impacting her seeing her nephew fight. The art is incredible and pretty easy to follow!

[Matěj Komiksumec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Předchozí dvě volumka se snažily o dospělý a vážně příběh, zde převažuje hlavně komediální stránka. A ničemu to nevadí, protože ten humor fakt funguje a paralela kdy MJ řeší, že bude hrát filmovou přítelkyni superhrdiny je fantastická. Jen ta linka s Dr. Octopusem mě prostě nebavila.

[c · Rating 4 out of 5]

"i don't need any promises, mj. i'll wait for you as long as you need. or until the stars turn cold and fall from the sky. whichever comes first."

jrjr cannot draw mj half the time but by god can jms write a fantastic mj.

4.5 stars (read in single issues)

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of humour and character development are the order of the day.

World: The art is great. Romita Jr. really shines this arc with the characters and also the backgrounds. The world building is also solid with an emphasis on character development. Good stuff.

Story: Two solid stories that are very standard for Spidey. The highlight is the character development and Peter balancing his life. The stakes are high here and the story moves very fast but does not skip the quiet moments which were great. Solid.

Characters: Taking care of the MJ/Peter relationship was good and this is a good step at moving it towards something more. May was good and more time with her was great. It's awesome.

Good solid read.

Onward to the next book!

[Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this one was a pretty clever transition back to a superhero Spider-Man story while still dealing with Peter's personal life issues. Takes place in Los Angeles at the end, some funny stuff.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straczynski kontynuuje swoją historię, która tym razem w moim zdaniu jest palce lizać i to bez popcornu...

Piję w tym momencie do kapitalnej, całkowicie pobocznej sceny, kiedy jakiś randomowy chłopak wychodzi z jedzonkiem na balkon, a tu akurat po ściance spaceruje sobie Spider-man. Co miał zrobić? Pewnie, że się podzielił. A gdy przyszła dziewczyna i chciała troszkę zakąsić, to już nic nie zostało. Takie drobne, rodzajowe scenki są tutaj w większej liczbie i stanowią o sile omawianego tytułu. Są śmieszne i "coś" robią. Składają się na mit Pajęczaka i odzwierciedlają jego charakter. To taki śmieszek, który jednak maskuje pod kostiumem całą masę personalnych problemów. Całość sprawiała, że dosłownie chłonąłem ten tom, mając frajdę praktycznie z każdej strony. A tak bywa bardzo rzadko (nie wiem, może to mój zły dobór "repertuaru").

Autor kontynuuje wątek zniknięć nastoletnich narkomanów i innych młodych gniewnych, których życiem nikt się nie interesuje. Tyle, że sprawa ma dość mistyczny podkład, bowiem Pajęczak dosyć szybko przekonuje się, iż niejakiego Shade'a nie da się obić w tradycyjny sposób. W obliczu bycia bezradnym postanawia zgłosić się do mistrza sztuk tajemnych, Dr. Strange'a... Sceny pomiędzy tą dwójką są czystym złotem. Zanotowałem tylko jeden minus. Mianowicie zakończenie historii jest zbyt pośpieszne. Jasne, nie zależy mi na rozwlekaniu pojedynku jak w Dragon Ball, ale... Też pochodzenie mocy antagonisty wydawało mi się naciągane.

Druga część tomu skupia się na relacjach Petera z M.J. Chłopak postawia zawalczyć o zagrożone małżeństwo, ale kobieta marzy całkowicie o czymś innym, niż bycie dziewczyną superbohatera. Wypada to dość realistycznie, bowiem każdy ma prawo do realizacji swoich marzeń, a bycie ze Spider-manem wiąże się ciągle z jego absencją, więc Mary Jane ma prawo czuć się samotna i chcieć jakichś zmian. Tym bardziej, że jej kariera też zaczyna nabierać rozpędu, choć miałem wrażenie, że producentom chodzi o inne jej walory, niekoniecznie aktorskie...

A gdzieś tam w tle batalię toczy dr Otto Octavius z pewnym młodzikiem, który w oparciu o jego podrasowaną technologię wykorzystuje cztery macki na własny użytek, oczywiście dając upust swoim skryty żądzom, w tym przypadku napad na bank i szukanie zakładników. Akurat tutaj boli ten cały schematyzm, bo kto w takiej sytuacji mógłby zostać porwany? Także kadry "pod gruzami" były czerstwe. Reszta jest fantastyczna, a Romita Jr. ponownie zrobił kawał dobrej roboty, udowadniając że nie daleko pada jabłko do jabłoni i syn chyba nawet przerósł ojca. Ale tak powinno być. Trzeci tom jest fantastyczny i z czystym sercem daje 4.5/5. Naprawdę warto go mieć.

[Sam Whale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a real mixed bag. There are two primary stories here, one of which I really enjoyed and one of which I rather hated.

The good was Doc Ock getting his robot appendages stolen by a tech ceo and upgraded for the 21st century. The new Doc Ock robs a bank and then gets into a fight with Octavious who wants revenge. This was a really good Doc Ock story, a fantastic characterisation of the classic foe and a great fast paced action story.

The bad was Peter going to LA to try and reconcile with Mary Jane on her latest film set “The Amazing Lobster-Man”. The writing here was filled was gross and corny jokes about Hollywood life. It felt like the jokes were aimed at sleazy exectives and producers, yet somehow Mary Jane was still in lingerie for readers to ogle at the whole time. Very much having its cake and eating it too.

On top of that Peter and Mary Janes relationship in the 90’s and 2000’s was messy as all hell and it makes it hard to take them seriously through all the melodrama. I much prefer how they are written in more modern stories personally.

So yeah, a real mixed bag. A fun Doc Ock story hidden behind a cringy and boring LA Hollywood story.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really solid volume.

This time we focus on two villains. One is a guy who steals kids from the hood and puts them into a astral plain of sorts. When he takes one of Peter's kids, Spider-Man decides to take a visit to him. Kind of a cool detective storyline prior to the astral plain. Then we get Doc Ock and his "replacement" which the Dock isn't too happy about. When Peter goes to confront him a building falls upon him...can he escape?

Once more JMS writes Peter so damn well on top of MJ and May. All of them are so well written, with so much heart, and even alot of funny moments. The fights are pretty great, and the survival motivation from Peter is fantastic. The Doc Ock storyline itself is okay, his replacement is too goofy to take serious. But overall still a great volume.

[Grant Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah everything with May and the Otto versus Carlyle Calamari fiasco was fucking amazing.

The Shade deal though, as much as I love Pete helping the kids and everything, idk I just thought it kinda felt like a Kevin Smith arc if that makes sense - like a less intense, equally dumb Mr. Brownstone scenario.

Tragically, I’m also far less of a fan of Marvel’s magical side of things compared to its science though, so I’m probably just generally biased. I get he’s trying to balance the narrative with the whack ass world it’s in though so, I mean, that’s really the only way is to throw it in there pretty regularly. As much magic as there is in Marvel, it can’t just be brushed under the rug in a title that I feel like lends itself more towards science. If only lol.

3.7/5.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

JMS keeps being amazing at characterisation and character development. The volume contains the end of a mini-arc about the disappearances that Peter has been dealing with as a teacher, with a guest appearance by Doctor Strange, and a Doc Ock story in LA. The second story is much better paced than the first, but really, the enemies are just an excuse to explore more of the relationship between Peter/Spidey and Aunt May on one hand and MJ on the other. The best parts of this have to do with the exploration of the consequences of being Spider-Man in Peter's life and the new dynamic between them now that Aunt May knows who Peter really is. Really good volume!

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

After missing his reunion with Mary Jane due to a stint in the astral plane (courtesy of Doctor Strange), Peter and May make the trip to Hollywood as Pete hopes to win MJ back. As always, the slice-of-life stuff that Straczynski weaves into his run of Amazing Spider-Man continues to be the highlight, but the backdrop of a fight between Doc Ock and a wannabe Doc Ock was a lot of fun too. JR Jr is at the top of his game with the action sequences in "Until the Stars Turn Cold", rounding out another solid entry in the series.

[Lorenzo Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever asked yourself why Peter Parker and Mary Jane love each other, it’s here. I’m not usually into those types of stories but JMS made me so invested in their care and love for each other I couldn’t put it down. There’s humor and the action is part of the plot but that’s not what you care about here. Also just the name, “Until the Stars Turn Cold” is used as some of the last lines in the arc and I wish I came up with that. One of the best arcs in the JMS run.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like being able to see Peter/Spider-Man in different places other than New York, and I enjoyed the way that we still get to see Peter struggling with his personal issues from before while still being Spider-Man. And Doc Ock is my favorite villain, so bonus points for bringing him back in this issue!

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I don’t have as much to say about this book as the last..
This was the most well rounded book in this run so far. Bit of drama, bit of comedy, bit of romance, bit of action, bit of classic characters, bit of new characters.
This probably could’ve been a 3 star rating, but it’s hard to do that when there is nothing glaringly bad. Just pretty standard spidey action.

[Joey Amorim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pretty good volume from JMS. I must say, so far in this series, this is the best example of the book being carried by its characters and fun art and action, because the stories/plots aren’t all that interesting. Still, if Zeb Wells took notes from this run, modern ASM would be infinitely better.

[Adooonay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todo es muy meta, muy chévere. Me está encantando hasta ahora, ojalá mantenga el ritmo. :)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Kameron Nettleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one a lot.

[Japes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fajn čtení. Líbí se mi, jak Straczynsky pracuje s postavou tety May.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dull with a knock off doc octopus

[Michael T. Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dr. Octopus storyline is fine, but honestly this volume shines for some great interactions between May, Peter and Mary Jane.

[Caleb Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Neither bad or great.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love John Romita Jr's art so so much

[Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as good as the previous volumes, but still exceptionally good

[kpolacik · Rating 5 out of 5]

9+

[Looney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit of a repeat of an earlier story but still good. Two ocks is fun. Strange allies. It's hard to be married to a hero but it's the price that you have to pay to be with them.