Amazing Spider-Man #6

Writer – Dan Slott
Artist – Humberto Ramos
Inker – Victor Olazaba
Colours – Edgar Delgado

Black Cat’s master plan to oust Peter Parker to the world on national television as Spider-Man has failed, thanks to J. Jonah Jameson.  Such is always the way with Jonah of course.  So Black Cat is obviously not happy about the situation, especially as Spidey escapes with the help of Silk.  Real life does not stop for anything though and Peter, Silk and Anna Maria are off to present their new tech that will supposedly stop and/or cure Electro.  Unknown to Peter and company, Black Cat and Electro have a plan to stop him at the presentation all thanks to Sajani’s help.  But once again, Black Cat’s infamous luck powers do not seem to be in her court when things do not happen the way she wants once more.  It is great to see Black Cat getting more of the spotlight as of late as she is a character that in the past, has mainly been used as a romantic device for Peter.  Using her as a villain and taking her back to her roots is something that perhaps should have been done long ago, but at least thanks to Dan Slott we are able to enjoy having that happen now.  There is some big character development involving Electro and what it will mean for the villain going forward is anyone’s guess.  Peter’s company is in turmoil, at least as far as Anna Maria and Sajani are concerned.  Being Spider-Man is starting to get in the way of everything he wants to do with the business and sooner or later, he is going to have to make a choice on what he wants to do, or at least start appointing people who can run the day to day.  As far as most of the recent relaunches go, Amazing Spider-Man with Slott and Ramos has been a pure joy to read.

4 out of 5

Rot and Ruin #1

Writer – Jonathan Maberry
Artist – Tony Vargas
Colours – Oliver Lee Arce

Rot and Ruin is something we have seen a lot of lately, and so far it does not really bring anything new to the table.  But do not hold that against it.  Yes, it has zombies and the classic ‘nobody knows how it happened’ origin.  It also has a bunch of people coming together to try and survive against all odds, as well as a group of teens who have each other’s backs.  They do have a quest though, having seen a plane in the skies, which has not happened in a very long time, and they aim to get to the bottom of it no matter where it leads them.  This book might feature your average zombie story, but what it does have going for it that makes it stand above others of its ilk is good writing and good artwork.  The characters are also quite likeable from Benny to Nix to Lila and Chong, they are a good group of protagonists that you empathize with right from the start and the relationships they have between them also make things interesting for the reader.  The book is paced exceptionally well and though it makes for a quick read, you enjoy every minute of it.  The ending was a little abrupt, but a perfectly creepy way to cap off the issue.  So if you are looking for a good zombie book to get in on the ground floor, Rot and Ruin is off to a strong start.

3.5 out of 5