One of Spider-Man’s deadliest and most deceptive enemies returns as Nick Spencer’s high-octane saga takes its next dramatic twist! The master of disguise known as the Chameleon is about to make the biggest play of his villainous career — and to get to the bottom of this conspiracy, Spidey will need to team up with his super-spy sister, Teresa! But with two sets of Parker luck working against them, will they stand a chance against the anarchic alliance the Chameleon has formed with the Foreigner, Chance and Jack O’ Lantern? Prepare for an unpredictable, revelatory tale that fans of the webslinger dare not miss!
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).
This all-time weak Amazing Spider-Man run continues ruining this often great comic book series. There's a plethora of Spidey-Villains including Major Kingpin and a possibly reformed Norman Osborn. Peter is looking to get over the huge betrayal in the previous volume, but the hits keep on coming this time in the form of The Foreigner, Slyde, Chance, Jack O'Lantern, The Finisher and the return of the Chameleon. Just too much going on with little time or space for decent plotting, drawing or anything else. It get s a5 out of 12, Two Stars for essentially managing to keep all continuity tight despite the cast size. [image error] 2023 read
This is typical Nick Spender here. Writing a book with a gazillion plot points that go nowhere. The Chameleon isn't even the main villain in this story with his name on it. He's part of the B-Story. Teresa Parker seeks him out for answers. What she gets is a cobbled together wishy-washy, vague mess that says nothing and changes nothing.
The A-story puts a cap on the Clairvoyant storyline. The Foreigner and Chance want it to gamble on sports. Spider-Man and a resurrected Ned Leeds want to stop them, even though, who cares? The Chameleon sends some other chameleons to steal it too. Yeah, this is overly complicated in typical Nick Spencer fashion.
Each issue has 3 or even 4 artists and colorists working on it. I prefer to see one artist per story. Marvel editorial is really letting this get out of hand in order to meet the too frequent shipping schedule. Artists are not interchangeable.
The Chameleon Conspiracy is almost a misnomer, to be honest. Most of the plot doesn't even revolve around him, and it's only really Teresa who comes face to face with him. Instead, the rest of the story is about the Clairvoyant and Spidey's attempts to save both it and its creator from a cavalcade of foes. It's fine overall, but it definitely feels like a bait and switch, and instead of rounding off plot threads, it seems more interested in leaving more dangling.
The little back-up stories that set the stage for Sinister War are almost more compelling than the main story, which isn't something I expected to say. either. Given this is the last arc of Spencer's Spidey before the end, it's a little disappointing. Even with the Giant-Size one-shot included to round everything up, it definitely feels like there's something missing here, just like in the previous arc.
There's also a bit of an art collapse, with only one issue having one artist (Marcelo Ferreira) while the others, including the one-shot, get at least two if not more (some combo of Carlos Gomez, Ze Carlos, and Ig Guara). I know Spidey's got a tough shipping schedule, but it'd be nice if it could be a little more consistent like it was earlier in the run.
I'm actually kind of glad Nick Spencer's run is due to end soon - I'd been really enjoying it, but these last two arcs really show that he seems to be running out of steam, and I'd rather he go out on a high than limp over the finish line if this is what we're going to get.
This was all over the place - storywise and artwise. It's a pity that a run that started really good is now so derailed. I'm glad that there's only one volume left of this.
آقااااا الان تنها ناراحتیم اینه چرا گودریدز صفر نداره این بی نظیر بود، من واقعا از تک تک لحظات این حماقت لذت بردم. اونقدر بد بود که خوب بود. فک کنید ۱۰ تا داستان باهم دارن پیش میرن بعد هیچکدومم به هیچ جا نمیرسن، شخصیت اصلی بد داستانم که اسمش روشه اصلا تو داستان نیست در حد چند صفحست فقط، پیچش نهاییم این شکلی حل میشه که مهم نیست من کیم مهم اینه که من احساس میکنم کی هستم =))))
The Chameleon has never been my favorite Spider-Man character but this storyline involving Theresa Parker's uncertain heritage is very enjoyable. It also involves the Foreigner, Chance, and a bunch of other largely underused Spider-villains. We also get some follow up on Peter Parker, grad student, even though I hated they removed his doctorate. Spencer's major story is coming to an end but he's given us a spectacular amazing and everything in-between run. Do I think Theresa Parker is Spider-Man's sister? No. But maybe she was adopted by the LMD of his parents.
A lot happened in the previous volume of Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man, in which Peter Parker got a new suit whilst working at Norah Winters and J. Jonah Jameson’s Threat & Menaces website, all of which ended a problem, so Spidey quits. As for his former roommate, Fred Myers AKA Boomerang showed he wasn’t so reformed and duped Spider-Man, so that he can give the Lifeline Tablet to Mayor Wilson Fisk, who used it to resurrect his son Richard. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn, now in charge of the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, is hoping to reconnect with his son Harry, who just happens to be the hellishly Kindred that has plagued Peter from the start of this run.
Throughout this whole run, which recently concluded after 74 issues, along with additional content outside of the title, Spencer is moving many gears to sustain that number of issues, all of which are subsequently published every two weeks. Following the events of Volume 13, this could’ve been the perfect time to take a breather and focus on the outcome of what had happened, such as Peter looking back on the actions he and others had made, whilst his nemesis Norman Osborn is hoping to reclaim some humanity with his relationship with his son. There are fleeting moments that touch on these ideas, but because Spencer has other priories, there are other storylines that need to be resolved and/or setup.
Following the opening issue of this volume, which is an epilogue of what came before and a prologue for what is to come next – all of which nicely drawn by Mark Bagley, who knows how to illustrate character drama – is essentially the big resolution of one of the plot threads dangling from this run. When Peter is reunited with Betty Brant, who happens to be carrying the unborn child of Ned Leeds, who was presumed dead, the probability-predicting device, the Clairvoyant and its creator Jamie Tolentino become part of the supervillain airborne casino called The Palace. Meanwhile, Peter’s super-spy sister Teresa is seeking to avenge her S.H.I.E.L.D. partner and lover by breaking into the Chameleon's imprisonment at the Hiding Place, but was tempted with information on her parents, which involved their supposed killer: Karl Fiers AKA the Finisher.
Considering that one of Spider-Man's deadliest and most deceptive villains is on the front cover and despite how Spencer writes him as close to being like Hannibal Lecter, it’s surprising how he’s not always the focus. We do see aspects of his backstory and how his influence as a master of disguise ends up having a huge impact on Teresa’s life, which I’m still unsure about and do wonder if that’s ever going to be revisited by Spencer or future creators. Instead, there are these other characters, some of which go back to the sixties, such as the obscure Finisher, who now seems to be a new threat for the Parker or least Teresa. And then there’s still the whole thing with the Clairvoyant that I completely forgot about and didn’t care much of as it concluded with a massive supervillain brawl.
The majority of this volume is drawn by recurring artist Marcelo Ferreira, who, along with a number of guest artists, do an efficient job of superhero action, which relies mostly on a darker colour palette, though I still have a problem with the scrunchy facial expressions of some of the characters. Honestly, I wished Mark Bagley was more involved in this series, which hopefully is the case with the next volume, which will cover the final issues of Spencer’s not-so-Amazing run, excluding Spencer’s miniseries Sinister War, which is set up here. With so much stuff thrown in, a lot of which I don’t care, the lesson for anyone doing long-running superhero comics, is “less is more”.
I promised myself I wouldn’t “cuss” on this Christian GoodReads Account (tm). But who cares about Teressa? If you’re going to include her do something with her instead of spending 5 issues only to reveal she’s [redacted, not because it’s a spoiler, but because it’s boring].
Also the art changed so much even within issues. That was jarring. Also I am “fine” with others besides Bagley draw Spider-Man. But he has been phenomenal lately. I need him back.
A mid comic that runs itself ragged with far too many clashing story lines that end up fighting for exposure. The villains are mid and underwhelming. It nearly stole a 3 purely because spiderman (especially in the last half) was at his peak performance and equally hilarious and entertaining to the point where he actually made it enjoyable to read.
Pretty weak book, probably one of Nick Spencer’s worst. After the chameleon cliffhanger at the end of Volume 4: Hunted (which was amazing), I was very disappointed with this story. It felt like chameleon was not even a main character in this book and just had too many plots going on at the same time with no real conclusion. Was decent at times and the art was good, but overall I just couldn’t wait to finish it. Couldn’t recommend…
With this Volume, you can tell that Spencer is building up to the huge event of "Sinister War". Because of that, the Volume feels a bit rushed and pushes you towards what's coming next instead of what is currently going on. Spencer's run has been great so far.... is it coming to an end? Highlights: - Spidey quits JJJ's Threats and Menaces website - Boomerang has completely removed himself from Peter, having used him to get the table for Fisk - Betty Brant returns to reunite with Peter, showing herself pregnant with Ned's child. Once he gets around to telling her that Ned is dead, he discovers that Ned is alive, which is explained away by the common "I'm a clone" argument. - Most of the Chameleon material revolves around Peter's spy sister Teresa finding him and trying to get him to tell her what really happened to their parents. He gets her in communication with "The Finisher", who is the one who pulled the trigger. What unfolds is pure psychological terror for Teresa who leaves unsure of even herself... - There is a separate plotline about the Foreigner, Chance, and Jack O'Lantern working to get a hold of the "the clairvoyant" which is a device the can accurately predict the future. Spidey teams up with Ned Leeds and they are able to destroy the device, but this whole part of the plot is semi-confusing.
I really hope Spencer turns things around and gets more focused. Recommend.
The Chameleon is literally Spidey's first supervillain, but I didn't know who he was as a kid because he's very Ditko, but not really very fun, being handier for stories of deceit and Peter's life turning to shit even more than usual. Something on which the Spencer run in general was already leaning far too heavily, so I'm not altogether sure this was necessary, even if it didn't quite head where I expected. Nor did I enjoy all the scenes of Peter running out on people with shitty excuses rather than giving them even the most minimal information, or another wrinkle in that convoluted plotline about his sister, let alone another dubious resurrection story. And as much as I enjoy teleport weirdo the Spot, and have a certain fondness for Slyde (he has the slipperiest suit imaginable, because of reasons), you know the villain barrel is being scraped when a single volume has Chance, the Foreigner and the Finisher. Oh, and the art is all over the place, with even the Bagley issues having a few setpiece scenes stranded amidst floating, weirdly proportioned faces. And let's not even get into the missed opportunities of issue 69's cover. Still, only two more volumes to go, though with hindsight bailing much earlier would have been the smart choice.
I marked this book as "okay," not because it was a bad book necessarily... but because it was definitely a "bridge book." When I saw it was called "Chameleon Conspiracy," I was expecting lots of Chameleon and shenanigans and mistaken identity.... but it was just this Chameleon-related story that connected to something else from the past. Meanwhile, Peter's dealing with all these other threads that connect to the past. And some other similar "connect to the past" things are happening with Norman and Harry, and.... Well, like I said, this just felt like a book that existed to connect "what was" to "what will be happening." Worth reading, especially if you haven't been reading Spidey closely for years and years; it was nice to get a summary of what I'll need to know going forward. But... this one wasn't exactly a page-turner.
I'm probably being a little bit harsh with this rating but, there just seems to be either a lot of moving parts or just a lot of fluff. Chameleon has taken the center stage. His origin is tweaked a little bit or rather expanded, which is fine and some of his role in the last few volumes has been revealed.
The origin of Peter's sister has been obfuscated, making the reader question what they new already (not sure if that's a good thing or not.). Not sure if the Clairvoyant device is over and done with. Kindred is still present but very minimal. A major change for a couple of the original supporting cast. Again, just a lot of "churning" in the plot lines. The art is still varying also, never rising too far above average.
Knowing that Spencer's run is coming to an end, and not really being happy with it over all, I'm just in a hurry to see this wrap up.
Well, we're in-between story arcs again and that almost always means a suckier story. And as feels somewhat common across the Spencer run on ASM, this was a really weird in-between volume. We have Spider-Man dealing with the fact that he had been betrayed by Boomerang in the last book and now we have to shift gears to some big McGuffin-centric mystery.
Of slightly more interest is the b-side story of Dr. Ocotopus being directed by some unseen mastermind to re-assemble the Sinister Six for the upcoming Sinister War story arc. But not enough happens in these snippets - just a lot of "voiceover" followed by revealing another member of the Six.
There's also a lot of the Chameleon in this book and villains I haven't really been all that enamored by like the Foreigner, the Finisher, and a heck of a lot of Jack O'Lanterns.
The Chameleon is at his most compelling here, he (they) are in a constant state of flux. It makes it scary to imagine a word where everyone you know can be a lie, hell even YOU could be a lie! That aspect of the story is really interesting and honestly just frightening BUT it also is a comic so it can (and will) be a copout. Oh yeah, that character was a Skrull or a chameleon the whole time!
The clairvoyant is a cool idea as well but it just never feels useful- I think showing us its power in use would make it more interesting. Right now it feels like a fill in the blank invention, not a useful part of the plot.
This whole run varies between okay and fine to interesting. This is worth the read for real comic nerds but there isn’t much here for anyone who doesn’t already love this stuff.
The Chameleon has always been one of my favorite Spider-Man villains, but this collection has me thinking that I may not know as much about his as I thought. There were parts of this story that I didn't fully understand, but it was still an enjoyable ride. Ned Leeds is someone that I want to know more about, and this collection gave me more background on the character. Peter's sister is around for this story, and I don't know what's happening there. Whose fault is it that I'm so confused, the writer, or myself for not having enough knowledge of the various characters' histories?
The groundwork for "Sinister War" is starting to get laid down here as well.
"THANKS FOR FLYING LAST-CHANCE AIRLINES. WE'RE SURE YOU HAD OPTIONS WHEN CHOOSING AIRBORNE ILLEGAL GAMBLING DENS, AND WE'RE GLAD YOU CHOSE US. PLEASE WATCH YOUR STEP AS YOU EXIT THE AIRCRAFT." - Spider-Man, probably talking to himself (because I stopped listening sixty issues ago.)
Is this over yet? I didn't think I'd be so ready to re-read the Zeb Wells run. But, dude! This just keeps going, and going, and going... like a fever hallucination. When did Peter get a sister? I dont care anymore. Several issues ended with a hint at Sinister War. I have to finish this run, but... ew!. At least I can read the new Ultimate Spidey after this disaster. I suppose it could have been worse, right? Two stars.
Meh, again. Nick Spencer's long run continues and continues to disappoint. Here, retcons (which I'm not automatically opposed to) aplenty and as of now, not good. Spencer tries to tie quite a bit of Spidey history in here and does do it it well but the choices here still aren't hitting. There are still so many dangling plot threads that don't get enough attention. The Chameleon's story, especially Teresa's inclusion, or her in general, was a complete misfire. I did really enjoy the artwork. Overall, the book doesn't believe in enjoyable pacing or delivering answers. I have not enjoyed this.
Sorry Matt. Your rating is too high. I really want to like this arc and the writing. But it’s not your fault that you are not I following it all. This volume has no real beginning or ending. It’s a series of strings with the Chameleon one just getting more time than the Kindred one, or the Jonah one or hey remember the Kingpin one.
This isn’t a story that Spencer can leave unfinished so maybe it shouldn’t have been so big and long and so many dangled strings.
Ultimately underwhelming :/ there are so many different and great spider man stories. Some that I've read only once when young and i still remember to this day. However this one won't ever reach that position. It's not horrible, it's just forgettable... nothing worth mentioning or remembering. A shame since the artcover peeked my interest when i first saw it.
This was a hot mess. So many storylines and so many random things happening. It kind of reminds me of a recent Batman run where the Joker storyline just got so many storylines that it loses its direction. I am not sure where this is going in the final trade but I hope they tie up and leave forever the Kindred storyline.