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Spider-Man: The Next Chapter #3
Spider-Man: The Next Chapter, Vol. 3
Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #13-19 And Annual 2000, Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1999) #13-19 And Spider-Woman (1999) #9.
If popularity is based on how many bad guys you've got gunning for you, then Spidey wins hands down over any other hero - bar none! This third volume of Spidey's late-'90s relaunch is proof of that - as evidenced by blazing battles against Electro, Mysterio, Kraven, Venom, the Green Goblin, Carnage, the Ghost, the Hulk, the Thing and more!
If popularity is based on how many bad guys you've got gunning for you, then Spidey wins hands down over any other hero - bar none! This third volume of Spidey's late-'90s relaunch is proof of that - as evidenced by blazing battles against Electro, Mysterio, Kraven, Venom, the Green Goblin, Carnage, the Ghost, the Hulk, the Thing and more!
379 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2012
About the author
Howard Mackie
1,027 books35 followersHoward Mackie is an American comic book editor and writer. He has worked almost exclusively for Marvel Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 7, 2022
A very, very dark era in Peter's personal life. Some good moments, some extremely bad BUT THE RETURN OF THE GOOD ROMITA!
...still a chore.
...still a chore.
December 24, 2020
2.5/5
The art is solid. I'm starting to be partial to JRJR's style. He draws really dynamic poses and faces, and he often chooses interesting angles to frame his panels. Spider-Man, with all his webslinging, is particular fit for this treatment.
The best that can be said about the story is that it improves as the arc progresses. It seems that the first few issues Mackie was stuck in a rut, and he just threw villain after villain to Spider-Man, with no overarching sense of plot. However, the comic actually addresses this in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #15, Cliché, which is thisclose to breaking the fourth wall and is full of very metafictional humour. After that, Mackie starts hinting that the Green Goblin might return and everything takes a darker turn. And it finally shines. The very last issues, when Peter is in denial about the death of MJ, are a great character study of Peter Parker. Very good issues, and really recommended.
The art is solid. I'm starting to be partial to JRJR's style. He draws really dynamic poses and faces, and he often chooses interesting angles to frame his panels. Spider-Man, with all his webslinging, is particular fit for this treatment.
The best that can be said about the story is that it improves as the arc progresses. It seems that the first few issues Mackie was stuck in a rut, and he just threw villain after villain to Spider-Man, with no overarching sense of plot. However, the comic actually addresses this in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #15, Cliché, which is thisclose to breaking the fourth wall and is full of very metafictional humour. After that, Mackie starts hinting that the Green Goblin might return and everything takes a darker turn. And it finally shines. The very last issues, when Peter is in denial about the death of MJ, are a great character study of Peter Parker. Very good issues, and really recommended.
September 28, 2021
rating: 2.5*
it's not necessarily that this comic is bad, it's just that for the past two volumes it feels like we keep reading the same thing over and over again and it's getting a annoying (and a bit boring too)
it's not necessarily that this comic is bad, it's just that for the past two volumes it feels like we keep reading the same thing over and over again and it's getting a annoying (and a bit boring too)
November 1, 2023
Spider-Man is my all time favorite character when done right, like he is here in this book. This was from an era of legitimate character development for Peter Parker. He finally had his “real job”, he was married to Mary Jane, they had a place of their own...and then all of these things are undone in a spectacular fashion to restore the previous status quo. The main difference between the way that they did it then and the way that they do it now is that the new normal didn't disregard the old. They built layers on top of the old, whereas nowadays they seem to either jettison or outright disregard what happened before.
The once thought to be resolved subplot of Mary Jane's stalker/kidnapper is resurrected here, and in all honesty, it is not resolved by the end of this book. This would be fine if there were a volume 4 in this line, but as of this writing the only option that I have to find out what happens with that is A) Internet synopsis (boring) or B) hunting down back issues which are not cheap due to the low print runs during that era (undesirable).
The new Rocket Racer is a bore, ditto the new Spider-Woman and the new new Spider-Woman. There are some loose ends tied up from the tail end of the original series numbering (seen in Spider-Hunt and The Gathering Of Five collections) with Madame Web turning up again. We get to see yet another Spider-Man/ Hulk battle. Those never get old, and I say this without a whiff of irony or sarcasm. John Romita, Jr.'s art is a treat.
We also see Spidey face Doctor Doom, Venom, Sandman, Electro, and the second Kraven the Hunter. The Doctor Doom story is a two-parter that finds Spider-Man going to Latveria pursuing a lead on the whereabouts of Mary Jane. The world at large believes her to be dead in an airplane explosion while Peter believes that she is alive. Venom is seeking revenge against the Sinister Six for embarrassing him by not admitting him into their ranks. John Romita, Jr.'s take on this Venom/Carnage hybrid is much creepier and far cooler than the Venom of the '90s.
Lee Weeks is an incredible artist. Why did he not earn the role as regular artist on this title? He could have been the artist to define the look of the character for the Millennials. He did several issues a few years ago but I want more more more!
Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2000 has a continuity gaffe. It is mentioned that Peter Parker and Harry Osborn were friends in high school, which is of course impossible since they did not meet until Peter started college.
Amazing Spider-Man #18 boasts the artwork team of John Byrne with inks by none other than the definitive Spider-Man artist, John Romita, Sr. While it is true that Ditko was the innovator who created the costume and set the stage, it was Romita who refined and spit shined the appearance of the character. I remember getting into an argument in a comic shop in the late '80s with some guy about Spider-Man artists. This is what we had to do in the stone ages, argue face to face with people we randomly encountered in comic shops. This oldster was proclaiming his love for Ditko, bashing every other artist who ever penciled the series. I leapt in, defending Romita Senior. I told him at that time that while Ditko pioneered the character's look and initial development it was John Romita, Sr. who defined the contemporary Spider-Man that we all know and love. On a completely unrelated note I could not get a date during this era. Girls were probably too intimidated by my knowledge of comics. Yeah, that's the ticket.
The next issue of ASM, #19, has horribly jarring artwork by fan favorite Erik Larsen. I say fan favorite because a lot of folks like his art. I am not one of those folks. Compare his artwork to Byrne or especially Romita and he looks like a bumbling amateur. It would be like having Weezer take the stage after Led Zeppelin.
This book was a blast to read and it has mostly excellent artwork. Lots of fun, lots of action, stuff happens in every issue. My only complaint is that there isn't a follow up volume for me to buy. I need to know what happens next without breaking the bank on back issues. Marvel should make two more chunky books, plugging the gap between this run and when their trade paperback program started in the early 2000s.
The once thought to be resolved subplot of Mary Jane's stalker/kidnapper is resurrected here, and in all honesty, it is not resolved by the end of this book. This would be fine if there were a volume 4 in this line, but as of this writing the only option that I have to find out what happens with that is A) Internet synopsis (boring) or B) hunting down back issues which are not cheap due to the low print runs during that era (undesirable).
The new Rocket Racer is a bore, ditto the new Spider-Woman and the new new Spider-Woman. There are some loose ends tied up from the tail end of the original series numbering (seen in Spider-Hunt and The Gathering Of Five collections) with Madame Web turning up again. We get to see yet another Spider-Man/ Hulk battle. Those never get old, and I say this without a whiff of irony or sarcasm. John Romita, Jr.'s art is a treat.
We also see Spidey face Doctor Doom, Venom, Sandman, Electro, and the second Kraven the Hunter. The Doctor Doom story is a two-parter that finds Spider-Man going to Latveria pursuing a lead on the whereabouts of Mary Jane. The world at large believes her to be dead in an airplane explosion while Peter believes that she is alive. Venom is seeking revenge against the Sinister Six for embarrassing him by not admitting him into their ranks. John Romita, Jr.'s take on this Venom/Carnage hybrid is much creepier and far cooler than the Venom of the '90s.
Lee Weeks is an incredible artist. Why did he not earn the role as regular artist on this title? He could have been the artist to define the look of the character for the Millennials. He did several issues a few years ago but I want more more more!
Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2000 has a continuity gaffe. It is mentioned that Peter Parker and Harry Osborn were friends in high school, which is of course impossible since they did not meet until Peter started college.
Amazing Spider-Man #18 boasts the artwork team of John Byrne with inks by none other than the definitive Spider-Man artist, John Romita, Sr. While it is true that Ditko was the innovator who created the costume and set the stage, it was Romita who refined and spit shined the appearance of the character. I remember getting into an argument in a comic shop in the late '80s with some guy about Spider-Man artists. This is what we had to do in the stone ages, argue face to face with people we randomly encountered in comic shops. This oldster was proclaiming his love for Ditko, bashing every other artist who ever penciled the series. I leapt in, defending Romita Senior. I told him at that time that while Ditko pioneered the character's look and initial development it was John Romita, Sr. who defined the contemporary Spider-Man that we all know and love. On a completely unrelated note I could not get a date during this era. Girls were probably too intimidated by my knowledge of comics. Yeah, that's the ticket.
The next issue of ASM, #19, has horribly jarring artwork by fan favorite Erik Larsen. I say fan favorite because a lot of folks like his art. I am not one of those folks. Compare his artwork to Byrne or especially Romita and he looks like a bumbling amateur. It would be like having Weezer take the stage after Led Zeppelin.
This book was a blast to read and it has mostly excellent artwork. Lots of fun, lots of action, stuff happens in every issue. My only complaint is that there isn't a follow up volume for me to buy. I need to know what happens next without breaking the bank on back issues. Marvel should make two more chunky books, plugging the gap between this run and when their trade paperback program started in the early 2000s.
January 24, 2020
Great fun revisiting these comics, especially as I barely remember them. I look forward to seeing what convoluted way the writers came up with to bring Mary Jane back, and I really hope that the old guy on the plane wasn't a red herring...
August 18, 2026
3.5 stars
Of the three Next Chapter volumes, I do think this was my favorite. There's more of a connected nature between the stories here, especially as Peter is desperate to figure out what happened to MJ. I too would like to know what happened to MJ!
Of the three Next Chapter volumes, I do think this was my favorite. There's more of a connected nature between the stories here, especially as Peter is desperate to figure out what happened to MJ. I too would like to know what happened to MJ!
Read
April 30, 2024Goood
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2024
Some reaaaaally dull writing but got interesting towards the end
September 1, 2026
Better then the last 2 but still lacking
It’s not a bad collection of issues nit also not a great one. Lots more drama for Pete and some of his own making, like falling asleep on the streets with his backpack (with Spiderman costume in) left for anyone to grab… which someone does.
Some good issues (like the meta commentary on spider-man stories and venom hunting the sinister six) but also lots of Peter dealing with, SPOILER, *MJ’s ‘death* which isn’t as good.
Not an essential read but not a complete waste of time, sets up the next collection which is a good one.
It’s not a bad collection of issues nit also not a great one. Lots more drama for Pete and some of his own making, like falling asleep on the streets with his backpack (with Spiderman costume in) left for anyone to grab… which someone does.
Some good issues (like the meta commentary on spider-man stories and venom hunting the sinister six) but also lots of Peter dealing with, SPOILER, *MJ’s ‘death* which isn’t as good.
Not an essential read but not a complete waste of time, sets up the next collection which is a good one.
April 18, 2016
This was a big improvement over "The Next Chapter, Vol. 2." It suffers from entirely different problems. Here, there are a lot fewer stories. But they have to go awfully far to get a reaction. Spider-Man loses his costume and sleeps on the streets. Oh, and his wife is dead. And these stories seem kind of maybe mildly interesting. It's a bit like that Daffy Duck trick—you should only really do this once.
What is the big direction here?
What is the big direction here?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews