Back in Black

Since reading Marvel's Civil War two weeks ago I've really caught the superhero bug. I've always loved superhero stories... it's just a part of who am I. Noble, strong and courageous heroes standing up in the face of trial and tribulation for those they've sworn to protect is just cool! And give them some great powers and a cool costume and it's just even better :-)

As I mentioned earlier, Civil War is a story-line which forced superheroes to choose which side they stood on the US government's new forced registration act. Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, thought that he should be a part of the registration and removed his mask on live TV and shared his identity with the entire world. After learning how failure to register is sending heroes to prison in the negative zone (a dimension outside our own) for life, Parker realized that he joined the wrong side and rebels against Iron Man and joins Captain America's resistance force.

That all happens in the pages of Civil War... and I REALLY wanted to see what happens to Spider-Man next so yesterday I picked a few issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. The story just gets better!!

Now in hiding, Parker is struggling with how to keep his Aunt May and wife, Mary-Jane, safe from all the villains who now know his identity. And since he no longer benefits from government protection this is no easy task. From prison, New York's crime boss, the Kingpin, orders a hit man to take out Peter Parker and his family. Of course, sniper fire is hard to hit a man with spider-sense and super spider agility. Unfortunately, Aunt May isn't as fortunate and is shot by the hit man! Peter is filled with guilt and rage as his beloved aunt, the women who raised him, lies in a coma on life support.

Peter sets out to find who did this. In one page, Parker's narration describes perfectly his heart: "No more witty comments. No more pulling punches. You come after my family then I'm coming after you!".

Peter digs out his old black costume and begins a crusade to find the people responsible for shooting Aunt May... and he's looking for revenge. Of course, all the while he's doing this Spider-Man is still a fugitive with the entire forces of Iron Man and all the other registered heroes looking to bring him in!

I thought this was a terrific story! What an interesting turning point for one of my favorite characters. I'm definitely going to continue reading The Amazing Spider-Man to see how this plays out!

Comments

Edmund Lau said…
I just bought the first "Back In Black" hardcover on my way to work earlier today. Looking forward to reading it this week. :)
12:45 AM
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