The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 3: Lifetime Achievement

The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) (Collected Editions)

by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley (Illustrator), Chris Bachalo (Illustrator)

J. Jonah Jameson, former publisher of the Daily Bugle, former mayor of New York City, has a new job - as a shock jock! It's the perfect job for the outspoken Jonah, but is the world ready for a JJJ who's...pro-Spider-Man?! More importantly, is Peter Parker ready? His post-secret-identity relationship with Jonah was already complicated enough, but this very controversial public embrace may put him over the edge! This would be a terrible time for some of Spider-Man's oldest foes to attack...so sure enough, here come the Enforcers! And they've got a plan to smack Spidey down harder than ever before...

COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018) 11-15

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

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics (Action Comics, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), and for his current work at Marvel Comics (Iron Man 2.0, Ultimate Comics: X-Men).

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being the weakest volume from Spencer's run so far, the supporting stories kept my interest, with Taskmaster and the Black Ant up to something. The first half continued the huge evolving of the Jameson - Parker relationship as they become possible tools of Mayor Fisk. The second half intimated troubles ahead for Curt Connors and family; some planning by Kraven;, a Spidey team-up with a former villain; and some good work by Aunt May. It felt like a lot of preparation for future bigger stories in this volume. 6.5 out of 12, Three Star read.
2019 read

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very leery of Nick Spencer on my beloved Spider-Man, especially how he recently ruined Captain America with that Secret Empire nonsense. His work is getting better with each volume. Here he focuses on shorter stories, creating some fun and exciting Spidey tales while exploring Peter and JJJ's recent relationship after Jonah discovered Pete is Spider-Man. I was glad to see Spencer acknowledge elements of the previous run, like the Lizard's family.

Ryan Ottley's art is perfect for Spider-Man. Of course, anyone who has seen his epic run on Invincible knew he would kill it drawing Spider-Man. Chris Bachalo must have it in his contract to always draw the Lizard nowadays as he returns for at least the third time to do a Lizard arc.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Volume 3: Lifetime Achievement cools the mild enthusiasm I had with the previous books in the series. The two stories this time were a bit tedious, with the only memorable parts being Spidey battling the Enforcers (old school bad guys who've been around nearly as long as our title character, originating in the Lee/Ditko era), and then the intriguing set-up for the next volume during the final pages.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

The late, great Stan Lee has always said that any comic could be anyone’s first comic, and given that most superhero comics are built on decades of continuity which often changes along the way, anyone can jump into any Spider-Man comic and that’s their gateway into the character. Having now read the first three volumes of Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man run, it is clear that he is trying to appeal to both new readers and Spidey fans (like me), and so far he’s been very successful.

The stories that Spencer tells involving the wall-crawler takes cue from numerous eras from Spider-Man's history, whether it is the classic Lee/Ditko era to the recent runs written by Dan Slott and Chip Zdarsky. In the first arc of this volume, the latest obstacle that Peter Parker has to face is his relationship with his former Daily Bugle boss/arch-nemesis J. Jonah Jameson, who during his new job as a shock jock, has been very vocal in supporting Spider-Man's actions in typical JJJ volume.

The idea of Jameson as a shock jock originates from one of the best recurring gags from the Spider-Man PS4 video game and although his position here is built on him being pro-Spidey, he is still causing trouble for the hero, even if the two have made amends from issue #6 of Zdarsky’s Spectacular Spider-Man run. Due to Jameson’s public embrace of Spidey, the two become targets of numerous villains from Scorpion to a shadowy figure whose antagonism is built upon Jameson’s past conflict with the wall-crawler.

Once again, there are callbacks to the Ditko era from numerous characters reprised here, even this arc is juggling too many villains. What works best about this arc is in the central relationship, which is this perfect balance of comedy and drama, from the bickering banter that is constantly hilarious, to the flaws they have within and how they reconcile with each other. Taking a brief break from the book, it’s great to see Ryan Ottley returning to art duties with expressive figure work and dynamic fight sequences that provide a fresh visualisation towards Marvel’s New York.

From the initial issues of his run, Spencer is slowly building towards a big event for Spidey as the last arc in this volume is the prelude to the upcoming Hunted storyline as we see recurring baddies Taskmaster and Black Ant kidnaps a number of Spidey’s rogues gallery. Once again, the villainous plot is the least interesting aspect as Spencer is more about the comic bookish soap opera of Peter and the people that made an influence on his life, whether it is Curt Connors AKA the Lizard or Aunt May, who steals the dramatic spotlight here and informs us why Peter is the hero he is today because of her.

I've always been mixed about Chris Bachalo, whose best work remains Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman, but in the subsequent years, his art has become looser and not as polished. That's not to say that his work nowadays has become terrible, but at times can be a frustrating experience. Having worked here and there on The Amazing Spider-Man over the years, I'm pleased to say that Bachalo’s art works here as he is able to capture the action and drama of Spencer’s storytelling and nails a moment of heartbreak in the last issue about the revelation of a past character.

Fifteen issues in and despite a few wobbles, most notably in the long villainous set-up, Nick Spencer is doing a fantastic job of showcasing the balance of being both Peter Parker and everyone’s favourite web-slinger.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite fun and focuses on Jonah and his present status but what happens when he is set to receive a reward from Fisk but when that happens a conflict with Spidey and then kidnapped and the story of his life re-told by someone and the battle with Scorpion and the coming of the big man aka Foswells and the mystery there and a long overdue convo between him and Pete and Jonah's new status and its so fun to read. Plus a 2 parter focusing on Aunt may and what her new mission is and the set up for Hunted!

Its really well done and I love how Spencer expands on Jonah and May and uses existing continuity so well which informs their characters and gives them such depths that makes you love them and also show why they are so important in Pete's life and also does well to use his rogues gallery in an interesting way like pulling villains from the silver age and all and setting so many stories to come later.. this early! Just great stuff all around and great art too while not all will like it.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels like the build up to Kraven's Final hunt mixed in with character development for good old J.J.

So when J.J. has a chance to get his award from Mayor Fisk he is excited. Him and Spidy get caught up in a trap and must escape together. The other issue is Spider-man and Rhino teaming up again against Taskmaster and his buddy. Then we have Peter making a choice to save someone while letting someone else get hurt. It's pretty interesting idea.

It's a bit of filler. Just kind of character development chapters, some funny moments, but nothing BIG happens here. I think it's good at what it's doing but I expected better after the great second volume. A 3 out of 5

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the classic Dikto-Stan Lee team up for Spider-Man. I feel like too many people go to the Ultimate Spider-Man well when he was at his best under his creators. This is a volume that homages a lot of Spider-Man's less remembered past like the Big Man, the Enforcers, the Spider-Slayers, and the fact that Jonah as well as Spider-Man have a very "complicated" relationship. Jonah blamed Spider-Man for the deaths of many innocent people that he tried to save and some not so innocent people. This book acknowledges that's not easily wiped away and that people like the Kingpin (excuse me, MAYOR FISK) want to reward Jonah for it. I really enjoyed this book as it also has Arcade show himself as not a complete buffoon like those darn Arena comics.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Spencer's re-invention of Spider-Man's world continues here, beginning with a three part arc focusing on J. Jonah Jameson and their current relationship. With Jonah now aware of Spidey's secret identity thanks to developments over in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Jonah calls in a favour he certainly isn't owed, and Spidey ends up at the mercy of the Scorpion and, somehow, The Big Man. This wrinkle in Peter and Jonah's relationship has really opened up a lot of story ideas, and I'm glad to see it's one Spencer is happy to lean into rather than dance around. The story itself is pretty straight forward, but it's fun nonetheless.

The second two issues focus on the Lizard and his current status quo, mostly so Spencer can rip it to shreds in the next volume. While they're not billed as such, these issues are an unofficial prelude to Hunted, with Kraven mucking around in the background while Peter tries to deal with the latest Lizard-fueled drama. Spencer again leans into past Lizard continuity from The Gauntlet and the Clone Conspiracy, rather than moving away from it all, which I always appreciate.

The art here is split between Ryan Ottley on the first three issues and Chris Bachalo (and his army of inkers) on the second. They have vastly different styles, but the stories that they're assigned fit them pretty well - Bachalo's Lizard is second to none after his Gauntlet arc way back when, so I'm glad to see him back here.

Spencer's love and respect for Spidey continuity makes these fairly run-of-the-mill storylines something more than they'd be otherwise, and with some able art partners, this volume sets the stage for Hunted in a superb way.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues to be interesting and fun, even though the artwork I do have a problem with, not a huge fan of Bachalo's art.

Fun read nonetheles with great stories inside, and a fun one with JJJ which I really liked, and it was also Christmas in the story so that was a bonus for me.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lifetime Achievement (#11-13). One of the most interesting changes in recent Spider-Man history was in the relationship between Jonah and Peter, and this is a great spotlight. Oh, Jonah's jerkiness is a little over the top, but otherwise this is a great look at his character, and a nice bit of Spider-Man history [4/5].

Family Matters (#14-15). This arc brings Kraven's newest hunt to the forefront, but it mostly focuses on Aunt May and on the Lizard family. It's another strong character piece, just like the Jonah arc is ... perhaps stronger because it's tighter and more to the point. [4+/5].

Overall, this is a nice pair of stories with a great emphasis on character.

[Rylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite most of this feeling like filler to buy time for hunted I really enjoyed the stories Spencer seems to be focusing on a different side character in Peter’s life. I liked both arcs with J Jonah Jameson and Aunt May Spencer really shows why both characters are great while highlighting the changes they have done through over the years.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing spectacular but still solid in the storytelling arena. Spencer continues his run on Spider-man by focusing on a tale featuring Jj Jameson and Spider-man on the run from villains. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Spidey & JJ. Spencer is using one of the best concepts about Spidey and that is the human relationship component. Jameson has always appeared to be a thorn in Spider-man's side but underneath all his ego and gruff is a man of justice and journalist that knows truth is important. The back end of this volume is more of a prelude to the coming Kraven the hunter arc. It was a pretty good character focus tale that deals with Aunt May's current status in the Spider-man comic book mythos. The artwork was okay in this volume but a bit sketchy at times. It was not top tier comic art but serviced the story okay. All in all I have not been disappointed with Spencer's writing in this series. Its not the best Spider-man storytelling but it is checking the right boxes.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Spencer on Spider-Man continues to roll ahead at a great pace. I think I may like this volume more than the first.

This time Ryan Ottley handles the first three issues and Chris Bachalo does the last two. Ottley's Spidey sings to my soul it's so full of movement and life. I love looking at Spidey in costume I love looking at all of it. And Bachalo did the darkest Lizard story you've ever read and he brings the quality here when handling the cold blooded reptile but he also handles the Rhino greatly.

You've got two little stories. One is about Pete and JJ in a new working partnership from the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man. JJ is fighting the good fight but in favor of Spider-Man now, when he gets an invite to a banquet in his honor from the Mayor Wilson Fisk. But on the way the enforcers show up. What I love about Spencer on the title is his love of continuity but he summarizes it to the point that I think it's great for new readers too. Comics always summarize previous events but he works it in a way that isn't at all distracting. And to boot the comic is funny, Peter's quips and comments on the situation at the very least often put a smile on my face but the title doesn't shy away from drama in favor of the comedy.

The next story proves that by being primarily an Aunt May story. Where she's dealing with her finances and her recent cancer diagnosis. She goes to dinner to get these things worked out but it doesn't go to plan when the Rhino shows up being hunted by Taskmaster and Black Ant.

Another very good volume in this current era of Spider-Man. Good art, fun but dramatic writing as well as good setup for whats to come. Love of continuity so that things are brushed off easy, ironic but appreciated. But despite the love of continuity I could see someone starting here just like I could see someone starting from volume 1.

4 stars and excitement for the next volume.

[Tesutamento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bir önceki cildi bitirdiğimde yaşadığım heyecanı bu ciltte yitirdim maalesef. J. Jonah Jameson ve May Yengenin merkezde olduğu bir ciltti. İki hikaye de bolca geçmişe saygı duruşu içerse de önceki iki cildin ortaya koyduğu hikayeye ara veriyoruz ve ben bundan hoşlanmadım. Jameson ve May'in karakterlerini sergilemeleri için güzel fırsatlar sunuyor ama daha kısa sürede anlatılabilirmiş. En azından cildin son kısmında ana Spider-Man hikayemize biraz olsun geri dönüyor ve Kraven'in gizliden gizliye ilerlettiği planını görme fırsatımız yakalıyoruz. Ortaya güzel bir şeyler çıkabilir gibi duruyor ama okuyup göreceğiz.

Şunu da belirtmek isterim ki bu cilde karşı negatif tutum takınmamın en büyük sebebi cildin ikinci yarısında çizerlik yapan Chris Bachalo'nun berbat çizim tarzı oldu. Şu cildi okuma arzumu köreltti diyebilirim.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, and Chris Bachalo press onward in their latest Spider-Man offering. The first half of the volume pits Spidey and his newfound supporter - one J. Jonah Jameson - against some faces from JJJ’s past. The blowhard newsman must come to terms with his role in the creation of Spider Slayers, the Scorpion, the Human Fly; all the while the Kingpin plots to use Jonah to humiliate Spider-Man publicly. The latter half sets up the beginnings of the upcoming Kraven storyline, as the abduction of the Rhino leaves Aunt May and other restaurant patrons buried beneath rubble. Attempting to follow up the epic run of Dan Scott, Nick Spencer is still trying to find his voice as the main writer. His current plots are echoes of great stories of the past, barely given a fresh coat of paint before tossed at new audiences. The simple and clean art style from Ryan Ottley helps allay the chaos; Chris Bachelo’s expressive and stylistic designs jumble the pile even more. Amazing Spider-Man: Lifetime Achievement earns a Razzberry Award, but little else by way of accomplishments.

[Scott Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two arcs in this book, the first is a Peter & JJJ story, which honestly, I was disappointed to see at first. I mean, JJJ has always been a part of Spider-Man, and I appreciate that he always will be. I get that. But I've not been particularly excited about how things have played out since Peter revealed his identity to him and he's been so damn central to the book. Pointlessly so. Up till now. Spencer justifies his interest in making JJJ more than a clown with this arc in my mind. He's still himself, but Spencer finds something worth talking about, a story worth telling. I was impressed. And the end was great.

The second arc, dealing with the continued presence of Taskmaster and Black Ant hunting down Spidey villains was also interesting. Chris Bachalo is a penciler I've really come to appreciate over the years. I generally prefer a slick, realistic, Jim Lee style, but Bachalo--who is about as opposite of that in having a super-stylized penciling style as you can get--has grown on me over the years and he does a fantastic job here. Absolutely beautiful set of issues. The beginning of the arc has Peter visiting the Connors family at home in the NYC sewers (heh, alligators in the sewer...) and then deals with Aunt May, who the powers that be (or Spencer, which ever) have decided needs to be poverty stricken again for whatever reason, finding out about her new/old financial situation. She demonstrates her remarkable strength and character, again, and ends up in danger when Rhino crashes through the restaurant she's eating in running from the aforementioned Taskmaster and Black Ant duo. A nice Peter/Aunt May story comes through, and the Lizard bit carries through with more weight than expected as well. A strong volume.

[jayjay · Rating 3 out of 5]

jameson finally trying to do right by realizing his mistake, even though at first seeing him made me flip because i hated him in the past comics i have read due to his rudeness and hate towards spiderman.

glad to see that he let spidey give him a bit of advice (took it to heart).
"you'll drive yourself crazy thinking about who you were yesterday, when what really matters is who you are today".

him trashing fisk felt so fucking good to read, like ok maybe you're growing on me.
it's time we get rid of fisk honestly!!

i feel bad for dr connors and his family, billy is in a phase where he doesn't understand why his father did this and that, but as he grows up maybe it'll be better, lots of misunderstandings i'd say, because he feels like his dad wants to keep him away from everyone but he's just trying to protect him (showing him poorly) but he's still trying at least.
hopefully we'll see some improvements knowing billy ran away to go hangout with his friend after arguing with his dad.
connors takes the blame a lot and i get it, but it's okay!!!

ps; aunt may you're so badass.

[Gabriell Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zaměření na jednotlivé postavy a stavění na postavách z minulosti víc než kdy předtím.
Zatímco se pomaloučku chystáme na Kravenův velký lov, tak si ještě užijeme pár padouchů z minulosti a JJJ dostane příležitost k životnímu prozření.
Spencerův run se pořád čte dobře, byť těch příprav v pozadí začíná být tolik, že pokud nevyvrcholí opravdu, ale opravdu velkolepou akcí, tak to nutně směřuje spíše k zklamání.
Docela špatně nesu i výměnu kreslíře a doufám, že Chris Bachalo buď nevydrží moc dlouho nebo naopak vydrží tak dlouho až si na něj vlastně zvyknu.

Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- si u Spencera užíváte, jak vrací na scénu staré padouchy
- už vám začínal JJJ chybět a chcete ho pořádnou dávku

Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- vás nebaví čekání, až Kraven nebo nový padouch začnou konečně rozjíždět své velké plány

[Victor Casas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que para este punto los escritores AL FIN se dieron cuenta que algunos de los personajes introducidos en los otros 2 tomos (10 COMICS) no estaban funcionando y los dejaron aún lado para retomar el desarrollo que se lo dio a JJJ desde "Peter Parker: Spectacular Spiderman" y todo se sintió demasiado bueno como para ser cierto.

La historia sigue hablándonos de ésta idea de redención y segundas oportunidades, y aparentemente ya se está concretando mejor el plan del que parece que será el villano final de esta saga.
Dudo que esta run merezca un 5/5 en algún punto, pero va mejorando y eso es algo.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like a step back after the previous volume. Spencer is really digging up some old foes from Spider-Man's history. The Ryan Ottley issues were good (though what was up with the last couple pages from the third part of the "Lifetime Achievement" arc?). I usually am a fan of Chris Bachalo, but his work here is way too stylized, plus he makes Peter Parker look like a teenager? Hopefully the next volume rebounds again from this.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid story that is finally piecing together something BIG! Kravens giant hunt is going to be exciting, although this whole run so far has felt too small to feel important and too big to feel like slice of life. A rough position to be in!

Not my favorite run but if the payoff is solid, it’s going to be a fun read!

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m just so glad I’m through the other end of this Spider-Man rabbit hole I seemed to be tumbling through. There’s some quantity in the amount of trades that I read from my second favourite superhero. It’s just a shame there wasnt much quality and there was a lot of comics.

I don’t even care to mention the contents of this trade. Even though this run is building a lot better than the others and that I can see why it’s still ongoing, I still think it’s an inconsequential run. I’m not interested in anything hes foreshadowing other than Kraven but I’m interested in that because Kraven’s Last Hunt was so cool. Ugh I’m so tired of just rehashing a villains one good fight over and over again it just takes the impact away but I also don’t care about any new villain some hard dick writer comes up with thinking it’s their next money maker. So what do you do? It’s a catch 22.

I guess you just stop reading them.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was vibing with this one until the halfway point, where the art style changed and I had no idea what was going on.

[Gerry Sacco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first collection, but the last chapter had really great writing. I really like the portrayal of everyday people as helpers, makes me think of older Spider-Man and Captain America comics.

Art is still awesome.

[Derek Moreland · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a fine line between wading into nostalgia and drowning the audience within it. Nick Spencer holds his audiences' heads in the ocean and wont let go until they stop kicking.

[Zuzanna Pietrzak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierwsza połowa🫡🥱💩
Druga połowa 💪🕷🔥

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2018) issues #11-15

This collection contains two short stories. The JJJ story was pretty good, but the final story centered around Aunt May was not so good.

Final rating = 2.5 stars

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit repetitive and strangely STILL retreading Spidey’s ancient history and rogues, for reasons I can’t quite fathom. Fun enough but feels like Spencer showed up without many original ideas and we’re just treading water in the same old pool, rather than excavating new territory?

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nick Spencer continues his run, with another graphic novel consisting of two different arcs. Neither of which feature Spider-Man as the lead, instead focusing on his supporting cast.

Lifetime Achievement 3/5
The first arc is about J. Jonah Jameson, he's been nominated for a lifetime achievement award by the Kingpin. The Kingpin is trying to win over the public even though he's already become mayor, and the only way that Jonah can receive his award is being presented by Spider-Man. So he ropes Pete into a situation, meanwhile a figure from his past is trying to get revenge.

Spider-Man does play a part in this but very much plays second fiddle, the focus is on Jonah and his history with Spider-Man and in how he's grown as a character. I enjoyed the fact that he wasn't a helpless puppy, at some points he was much more useful than Spider-Man. I'll give credit where it's due, this a much more interesting story than it has a right to be. It exceptionally bring past canon into the fold in a way that isn't exposition heavy.

My only gripe with this was the fact that after every issue, there was 2 pages of recap in the following issue. Being this arc is only 3 issues, it's bit on the nose, if you read this in singles it might work well but again that's released on bi-monthly so I'm pretty confident people aren't going to forget the plot but aside from that this was good.

Family Matters 1/5
Start off well enough but just kept going where it really shouldn't have, this time it focused on Aunt May. She's on a date with some guy, spitting image of Jonah's dad who she was married to. But instead it was just a friend who looked exactly the same, dinner doesn't go as planned and she finds a homeless man who she decides to help.

I liked it up until the point where they just threw Spider-Man in for no reason at all, he didn't need to be there. Rhino just happens to ram into the restaurant that may is at, then Spider-Man follows. May doesn't know Pete is Spider-Man anymore which is odd, he refers to her as May Parker even though I could have sworn she took Jameson's dad's surname. But yeah things go wrong, Spider-Man is worried about May. It's a story we've had a thousand times before and this just boring real fast. There just doesn't seem to be anything they can do with May to make her interesting, now that Peter has moved, I don't see a reason for her to get stories like this. Why not just have her coming over to his place like MJ did, that worked well. Speaking of which the most interesting bits of the last two volumes where MJ and Boomerang and neither of them showed up in this, nor did the Beetle guy who's supposed to be built up to be a big bad. Anyway getting side tracked, I think May has had her time they should just kill her off or let her fade into the background, she's had time in the spotlight but there is no need to give her a bigger part.

Also there was a bunch of resurrected characters, from clone conspiracy who somehow survived with "insert reason here". It's just too convoluted, Lizard's family are back because he injected them with the lizard serum, most of Spider-Man's rouges have survived for some reason or another. It's just not needed, this series is struggling to focus on what it has, the last thing it needs is more characters. I just want a Spider-Man title, that is about Spider-Man! Yes his rouges are interesting as are his supporting cast but this is his book not theirs, Marvel tired to give Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy and the villain's books but people aren't interested in them. We read Spider-Man because we are interesting about him and the support characters, are just that support they don't need to be the main focus, sure give them an arc or two but give Pete some love as well!

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Ever since revealing his identity to J Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man has been enjoying the praise from Jonah's radio show. But how much is too much? Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, in an effort to make himself look better (and hopefully lower his assumed criminal status), invites JJJ to a banquet to receive an award, and requests that Spider-Man be the one to give it to him. Refusing to cater to Fisk's demands, Spidey refuses, causing strife with Jonah again... but then an ambush puts them both in the clutches of Arcade and Scorpion!
In his typical style, Arcade sets up elaborate traps, all designed like a "This Was Your Life", to make Jonah see how much better off his life would be if he'd go back to hating Spider-Man. Working together, they are able to defeat the villains and escape, but not without causing three after effects...
1) Because they lost, Arcade refuses to pay Scorpion. As he attempts to lash out, Taskmaster puts him down and cages him with Vulture. (What is happening here?)
2) Jonah goes to Kingpin's dinner, but publicly decries him instead of accepting the award. JJJ has now firmly made the stand that Spider-Man is a hero.
3) Because of the lack of his anti-Spider-Man speech, Jonah's radio spot is taken by Shock Jocks and his show is moved. Positive note: he now will be working with Norah Winters, an ex-employee of his (and the comic seems to hint that they might begin a relationship...)
The last two issues seem to prepare us for the next storyline:
- Kraven has asked Arcade to build him a very large shield, seemingly to be build over all of Central Park???
- Aunt May has not only started dating again, but is reopening FEAST, a homeless shelter (this is definitely a tie-in to her being in charge of it in the PS4 game)
- After Spidey teams up with Rhino to help stop Black Ant and Taskmaster, Rhino is instead captured by Taskmaster and taken away to join Vulture and Scorpion... do we have a Sinister Six reunion in the works?

The upcoming "Hunted" saga is definitely on my radar. I remember how amazing "Kraven's Last Hunt" was, and am hoping for something even more epic. Though kind of a transition Volume, this one is still good. Recommend.