Transformations - Literal and Otherwise (The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1: Coming Home - J.Michael Straczynski)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1: Coming Home - J.Michael Straczynski
Date:	01/04/09 (135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wonderful storytelling and dialogue, great artwork, a return to greatness

Disadvantages: It's only 150 pages long

A review of the first numbered Amazing Spiderman graphic novel, reprinting issues 30 through to 35 of volume 2 of the regular comic book series, this volume was first published in 2002 and has since gone on to be re-published many times. A 'platinum' version can be picked up for a little under £4.

It's a new era in Spiderman's life. Estranged from his wife Mary Jane and back at home with his beloved Aunt May, for Peter Parker it feels like a return to his roots. Out web-swinging late one night, he is confronted by a mysterious stranger who calls himself Ezekiel. Older and, undoubtedly, wiser than Parker, what is more remarkable about Ezekiel is that he appears to possess exactly the same spider-like abilities and what's more, he knows all Parker's secrets. But he doesn't pose a threat. Indeed, he has spent many years preparing for the moment when he will finally introduce himself and help Peter Parker understand his real heritage. But with the discovery comes a warning. Death is coming and nothing can prepare Spiderman for the ancient evil that is Morlun.

In the late 1990s and early 200s, in a bid to revive its (comparably) flagging fortunes, Marvel Comics set about re-inventing most of its major titles. Along with major editorial changes, it was decided that the big titles would all come to an end, to be re-started as a second volume, re-numbering from scratch. For titles like The Amazing Spiderman that had run uninterrupted from 1963 is was a big (and unpopular) move and in some cases was almost disastrous. Volume 2 of The Amazing Spiderman presented an uninspiring creative team and seemed to be heading down the dumper until the writer J Michael Straczynski (JM for the rest of this review) came on board. Previously known for his work on the television series Babylon 5, JM took The Amazing Spiderman to new heights, stripping the character back to basics and making up for the many mistakes made by previous writers. JM's run on The Amazing Spiderman has turned out to be one of the most popular and successful of all time and Coming Home reprints the first six issues of his seventy-five-issue tenure.

It's a wonderful Spiderman story containing every element that long-term fans of the series might expect, combined with changes and new elements to take the title in a new direction. JM's writing is humorous, thought provoking, insightful and dramatic in so many ways and on first reading there's an overwhelming feeling of relief that the character has the sort of writer he deserves again.

The storyline running through the six parts is one of the strongest fans had seen for some time, introducing the suggestion that there was something rather more mystical to Spiderman's powers than we had every really understood. It was to be followed in later issues by a continuing series of villains that were linked to this mystical side of Spiderman's nature and presented the writer with opportunities to introduce us to host of new bad guys. JM was always respectful of spider-continuity, acknowledging the need to keep the old alongside the new but for his first major outing he resisted the temptation to go for the easy option of re-introducing an old villain and opted for something new.

The villain of the piece (Morlun) is a terrifying creature, whose history we gradually begin to understand as Coming Home unfolds. He isn't camp or eccentric in the way that many spider-foes are and adds a harder edge to the series that reflects the direction in which the entire Marvel Universe was heading. But in many ways, he's still an old-school villain, intent only on demolishing and devouring Peter Parker for reasons the narrative gradually uncovers. He's a worthy foe, and this volume's battle sequences rank as some of the most brutal that Spiderman has ever seen. JM manages to convince us that this guy is really, really bad and, for the first time in years, Parker's victory never quite seems assured. Morlun's supernatural status combines well with JM's evolving mystical back-story and the way in which Spiderman must gradually be convinced is rather reflective of the fact that many readers would initially feel the same way.

Ezekiel is immediately an intriguing character and it was clear from the beginning that JM had big plans for the character. Spiderman's secret identity had always been an enormously significant part of the character's life and times and to introduce a new character who immediately new all of Peter Parker's secrets was more of a big deal than anyone could probably comprehend. It sets a tone and direction for the story that amply demonstrates that with JM at the helm, anything would be possible and many things were. Indeed, via Ezekiel, JM rocks the very foundations of the entire Spiderman history by posing a very simple question. Did radiation enable a spider to give Spiderman his powers or was the spider already trying to give Spiderman his powers, only to be killed by the radiation? It may seem like a rather simple, unimportant question but it was to have implications on every part of Spiderman's existence.

It's on the personal level that JM really seems to shine, along with all the little details. As a character, Peter Parker has always been someone with whom the readers should empathise, a sort of underdog character for whom things never quite work out. In recent years, Parker had secured a fairly comfortable lifestyle and JM felt it necessary to shake this up again. Hence we see Peter Parker struggling to balance the different priorities in his life and this is demonstrated most obviously via his separation from Mary Jane and the very "back to the beginning. JM (a New Yorker through and through) has an intimate knowledge of the city and its inhabitants and this comes out to enormous effect through the varying character interactions we see, ranging from a lazy construction worker to smart high school kids and everyone in-between. There's something hugely affectionate about seeing Parker back at his original high school but this time at the front of the class teaching and JM uses this effectively to connect with a new, younger audience. He doesn't ignore the evident "power and responsibility" issues in which the series has always been steeped either. Indeed, the arrival of Ezekiel prompts Parker to think about these things in a new and more interesting way.

John Romita Jr's artwork is also classically revered and Coming Home is a good example why. Romita presents Spiderman as a sinewy, lithe character full of sharp lines and contorted shapes reminding us that the man under the suit can move in inhuman ways. It complements the mystical elements of the storyline perfectly, giving Spiderman a slightly sinister yet always comforting feel that gave us some of the strongest artwork for years. Romita's pencils don't have the greatest eye for detail but the overall effect is almost magical, far less crisp and modern than other titles in the Marvel universe, but never old-fashioned. The six associated pieces of cover art are displayed with pride in between each chapter of the volume and are equally memorable. J Scott Campbell and Tim Townsend's art has a markedly different feel to Romita's interior work, a slightly glossier yet more intriguing sheen that betrays a sense of mischief the main series might have welcomed.

Whichever way you look at it, Coming Home is an impressive collection and it's no real surprise that the volume continues to go out of print at regular intervals. JM brings a feeling of loyalty and affection to the series and an inherent knowledge of New York that, whilst almost derailing volume 2, was at this stage a wonderful addition to the series. If you've never read a Spiderman comic book/graphic novel this would be a worthy place to start.

Highly recommended

Summary: J Michael Straczynski's stunning debut captured in one volume