Story Synopsis: Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Vol. 1: Back To Basics

What would happen if Spider-Man and Peter Parker were two different people?  After a science experiment accident we found out in this week’s Comic Rewind, Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Vol. 1: Back To Basics.

Peter Parker’s life is just the worst in a lot of ways.  He had an amazingly beautiful girlfriend in Mary Jane Watson, but then she broke up with him because he was Spider-Man.  The city hated him and thought he was a menace. He began looking for an apartment, but they all sucked.

However, he finally caught a break and his soon to be roommate, Randy Robertson, found an awesome place.  The only catch was they had to live with an obnoxious third roommate. However, it got worse when Parker found out his new roommate was villain Boomerang.

Things got even worse when it was revealed Parker cheated on his graduate thesis.  However, it was when Doc Ock was controlling his body. It’s a long story [Superior Spider-Man if you want to know more].  Parker was fired from The Daily Bugle and may lose his degree. However, an old friend gave him the second chance he needed.  

Spider-Man

While he helped him and his class work with the Isotope Genome Accelerator.  The thing which created the radioactive spider which created Spider-Man, but something happened.  Parker was lasered without anyone knowing including Parker. It split him in two. The Peter Parker was separated from the Spider-Man.  This allowed Parker to date M.J. and have a normal life, but who gets what parts of Parker/Spider-Man?

Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Vol. 1: Back To Basics was written by Nick Spencer with art by Ryan Ottley and Humberto Ramos.  Marvel Comics published the volume in 2018.

Parker Split From Spider-Man Was A Cool Idea

I was jonesing for some Spider-Man with the new movie around the corner.  This was newer and had Mysterio on the cover. It seemed like a no-brainer to read this one.  I didn’t know what this was about and I am glad I didn’t read the summary.

Having Parker separate from Spider-Man I really enjoyed.  Parker has always enjoyed being Spider-Man, but hated the responsibility which came with it.  It hurt his friends, his family and his love life. Having that part separated from himself gave him the ability to have a normal life, but also not feel guilty about not helping people.

It was interesting to see that he missed the hero life.  He started paying parking meters, changing flat tires and trying to help people to fill the void.  I enjoyed seeing Parker being a hero with or without his powers.

Amazing Spider-Man; Comic Rewind

Some Minor Problem I Had

A part I didn’t like was he got his powers back too soon.  I would have liked to see him without powers for another volume or two.  They could have done more with him not having powers.

Another problem I had with this comic was a timeline problem.  The volume has flashbacks and it doesn’t always make it clear when stuff happened and if it was before or after a moment.  

Art Was Top Notch

I liked the art of Ryan Ottley.  He is probably best known for his work on Invincible and he kept the same style in this.  This is the perfect comic for him to draw because it fits his style perfectly.  In some panels it looked like I was reading an Invincible comic, but I mean that in the best way.  He is good at drawing young adults and making them feel like young adults.

However, I enjoyed this comic a lot.  It scratched the Spider-Man itch I had nicely.  I liked the fun tone of the volume, but it was a little too fun and low stakes at points.  A good fun Spider-Man comic for a quick fun read.

This Comic Rewind Rating:

4/5

Where To Buy The Comic

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