Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man by Peter David: The Complete Collection

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005) #1-3

by Peter David (Writer), Mike Wieringo (Illustrator), Roger Cruz (Illustrator)

Comics' greatest wisecracker plus one of the wittiest writers around should make for one very friendly neighborhood! But as Civil War rages, that's far from the case on Spidey's streets. Just as the present is filled with turmoil, his past and future will be turned upside down by a face he never thought he'd see again and a familiar foe's master plan! Then, when the ongoing conflict leads Peter Parker to reveal his secret identity to the world, his momentous decision will have dramatic repercussions. Plus: Pete goes back in black when life takes a dark turn!

Collects Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5-23, Annual #1.

Genres: Spider Man, Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels

480 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

aka David Peters

Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a solid read!

It starts with Peter fighting different villains and this girl Vanna always being here and she thinks he is harassing her and the court drama and all that and then a story with him facing off against El Muerto and then El Dorado and we see the origins of this guy and the fight and its really well done, one of the better stories here.

Then the Alt reality Uncle Ben and Hobgoblin and Spider-man 2211 and the drama there and how Pete deals with that crisis and it takes place after Civil war so yeah Spidey unmasked and we follow the drama and adventure there and I love the way its done and finally a story where Mysterio haunts his school and Pete and Flash have to save their students and that story was sort of confusing and never had any resolution.

Plus the Vulture story was okayish nothing new and then the one with him helping Sandman and rescuing his dad which led to..err what? Yeah that story while good explored their relationship and had Chameleon of 2211 facing off against them which was a weird concept.

Then the big story with him facing off against Ero/Arrow was still good and just shows Pete's enemies and his opposite and that was one I really liked and how it connects to Flash and Betty and showing how Pete will do anything to save his friends was just so cool and setting stuff for down later.

And Sandman year one which is like one of the best origins of a character and like expands so much on him and the art there is so good, you really feel pity for him after a while.

Its a solid read from start to finish and has him going through many villains and some new and dealing with the crisis that is his personal life but also show he will do anything to save his friends, innocent people and family and wow its so good, and like one of the best Spider-man runs I have read in a long time! Do read it!

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories here are just OK. I wasn't a big fan of what they were doing at the time with Spider-Man over in Amazing, and Peter David is constantly having to react to the changes going on over there. First, he had that ugly Iron Spider suit, then Straczynski gave him bone spurs and set up all that totem nonsense (I'd forgotten how terrible that was.). Then Pete reveals his secret identity and everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. I'm not a fan of sadsack or the ol' "Parker luck" Peter Parker. He's much more interesting when he's treated as a normal person instead of a bad luck magnet. That being said the stories here just aren't very interesting.

There is some great Mike Wieringo art here. Todd Nuack and Scott Eaton are solid as well.

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects Peter David's entire run of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man (Issues 5-23, and Annual #1) prior to the infamous One More Day. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man was very much a subordinate series that would be constantly tying in to larger stories in Amazing Spider-man or the companywide crossover Civil War. Thankfully, the collection does keep you filled in on what you've missed.


Web Log (#5): This reads like a leftover story from the early 2000's Spider-man's Tangled Web, which is about a woman who thinks Spider-man is harassing her because she's been around for three different fights. Its actually a good character story and really keeps the reader's attention.

Masks (#6 and #7): A masked superpowered wrestler is blackmailed into a match with Spider-man. This is a decent story and it does help to set up Spider-man decision to unmask.

Jumping the Tracks (#8-10): David returns to an old playground with Spider-man 2099 (or Spider-man 2211) and the new Hobgoblin. It's a fun story though it feels like you'd get more out of it, if you knew more about Spider-man 2099.

I Hate a Mystery (#11-13): Peter has revealed his identity as part of Civil War and is being pushed out of his teaching job, but as he deals with that Mysterio comes to school, and not just one. Overall, a really nice story and a highlight for the villian.

Taking Wing (#14-16): After Spidey's break with the registration side, he's wanted by the law and not safe in his own secret identity. This is bad new because Deborah Whitman is writing a tell-all book and the Vulture comes to battle. We also have Peter talking to Betty Brandt now that the secret' sout. This is decent, but not spectacular.

Sandblasted (#17-19): The first part of, "Back in the Black" which finds Spidey donning a Black costume after Aunt May was shot. The Sandman comes to Spidey for help as his father's been framed for Murder and Uncle Ben is the corpse. This is a solid story with a mystery that ties back into earlier issues.

Running out of Time/Consuming Passions/Predator/Prey (#20-22): Essentially a three part story where Spidey races to save Flash Thompson and the truth about Miss Ero is revealed. This one is okay, but a bit padded.

Fighting Words (#23): After Peter Parker revealed his identity, J. Jonah Jameson was furious as he realized he's been paying to take pictures of himself. He sued Parker, and when Robbie Robinson called out his overzealous attacks, Jameson fired him. This leads to Peter inviting him to a meeting where the two have it out in an epic fashion that's just not possible with the construct of the secret identity. It's a fun and satisfying issue but with dark overtones about Peter's overall feelings. This would stand up a lot better if it wasn't done totally undone. But enough about that....

Sandhman; Year One (Annual): the Three part Sandman story set up this Annual, which examines the Sandman's origin. It's a solid story. It won't blow you away, but there's some nice phrases, and the art has some really nice touches that make it worth reading.

Overall, this is a good book. Peter David comes off as a pro, even though his ability to stare this ship was quite limited, he manages to tell some real solid stories in this run.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this collection started out a little weak. What pushed it up to 5 stars was that Peter David, in my opinion, was the writer who most effectively utilized the Spider-Man Unmasked storyline. Spider-Man had just been careening from event to event for years without even a moment to address the status quo: joining the New Avengers, the Other, the Iron Spider suit, Civil War, unmasking, and then Back In Black. There was years worth of story in those events that just did not get to be explored because there was always another big event that kept Spider-Man shook up. David was the only one who seemed to have the time to explore what it really meant to Peter to be unmasked (and the only one with the time to follow up on the Other too), and how it affected his friends and loved ones. Aunt May and Mary Jane were the focus of Amazing Spider-Man, and Friendly Neighborhood got everyone else. This lead to some of the best Spider-Man characterization of this era, with new ground being explored with Flash, Betty Brant, and even J. Jonah Jameson. I would be remiss if I didn't say there were some weaknesses: the first few issues were pretty forgettable if I'm being honest. The book really doesn't heat up until the latter half. The coincidence of this book with Spider-Man 3 meant there were some forced comic/movie connections: the Sandman, the Black Costume. And then the impending One More Day storyline was about to wipe away everything the last few years of stories built, so, while this is not FNSM's fault, there will never be a real resolution to the Back in Black storyline. The closest we get is Peter's final confrontation with Jonah, and, good as it is, there is still too much left unsaid. I understand why Brand New Day came about, even if I don't agree with it in concept or execution, but I really wish that the post-Civil War Spider-Man era had been allowed to end in a more natural manner.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It turns out I'd read Volume 1 of this book before. That's the volume that I think leaves the strongest impression anyway.

It turns out David wants to flesh out a clever joke in his Spider-Man 2099 vs. Spider-Man book decades later. It's kind of a cool idea but explaining it doesn't make it any better.

The whole thing with Miss Arrow is just a total misfire. She's not really trying to seduce Flash Thompson in any way but the book makes it seems like that's the story?

Then there are all these deaths that aren't given any weight but aren't funny at all either. I'd say that's generally the problem with the book: It's not sure whether it wants to be light-hearted but the events depicted are real downers.

And the whole thing sits uneasily with the arc of the Straczynski books. It feels like Parker/Spider-Man's entire worldview is in two different places at two different times.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The aspect of this book that I enjoyed most was having Flash Thompson and Betty Brant featured so heavily. Also, the real old-school classic villains - Sandman, Vulture, & Mysterio. I did enjoy the mystery of Nurse Arrow, but can't say I really understood the back story/mythology. (This is the only Spider-Man comic I've read in close to 30 years!)

Maybe it's not a surprise - with respect to J.M. DeMatteis, Roger Stern, Sal Buscema, Mark Bagley, and a few other Spider-Man creators of my youth, Lee/Ditko remains my mental framework of Spider-Man, so Peter David featuring those Lee/Ditko standards so heavily grounded me in my mental schema of Spider-Man's world. The art was largely good - Wieringo and Nauck in particular.

[Anthony Rizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's obvious this series played second fiddle to ASM by JMS. The first four issues were part of the controversial story The Other, and the last issue is part of the god forsaken One More Day arc that changed/ruined everything (and still is!). I genuinely love PAD's writing though and enjoyed these issues, even if they had to play along and react to major themes and changes in ASM. These stories really get at the nature of being a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man though, even if it didn't start super strong in issue 5. I hope Marvel will put together a PAD Spider-Man omnibus sometime soon, and these issues would be a great choice to include!

[Valerio Pastore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adoro Peter David, sia chiaro. Scrittore versatile, intelligente come pochi, che non le manda a dire. E le sue run dell'Uomo Ragno e di Hulk rimangono memorabili e fresche ancora oggi.
Ma anche i migliori inciampano, e qui si inciampa parecchio.
Lasciando stare la saga "The Other" che ha riscritto il personaggio, in cui David è rimasto invischiato, per il resto ci sono delle stranezze e delle forzature che, a primo acchito, sembravano andare in una direzione, ma che poi, per diktat editoriale, devono essere state cambiate in corso d'opera. Una fra tutte, il ritorno di Zio Ben. Una serie molto confusa, con pochi momenti in cui si vede il genuino Peter David.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter David does a great job of writing Peter Parker and Spider-Man. He also does a outstanding job with most of the supporting characters (Flash, Betty, Robbie) but there were some missteps with some of the plotting and character developments.... I enjoyed these stories, mostly, but was always hoping for a bit 'more' I'm guessing that Mr. David was given some restrictions due to the overall story going on in all of the various "Spider-Man" books... that's one of the challenges of major crossover events.
The art was spot on and some of Wieringo's best work!

[Kyle Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad stories in here, good stories in here. The writing is witty and fun, but only when Spider-Man is actually in the mix, which is not that often. The daily life stuff is boring. Some of the time travel stuff feels contrived and not worthwhile to explore. The art is pretty damn good though, I just wish there wasn't so much time with the iron spider suit. The last story with J. Jonah Jameson is really great though.

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read! I especially liked the Jonah and sandman stories at end.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter David is one of my favourites.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book 5 star from Peter David