Amazing Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Book 1

For anybody who is interested in reading about Spider-Man but is daunted by the decision of where to start this is a great starting point.  The Clone Saga is a couple of years behind us at this point plus this is the first in a series of collections that showcase J. Michael Straczynski's run on the character.  I have to say this volume was quite well done it takes the Spider-Man mythos that you think you know & adds to it in a unique way.  The introduction of Morlun is interesting I wish there had been more of a backstory to his character.  This collection also features the 9/11 issue that came out in November of 2001 to showcase how the Marvel Universe was effected by the World Trade Center tragedy.  Overall I like where J.M.S's Spider-Man run is headed, I already know the ending so that may make me a little biased but more on that when we get there.

Spider-Man: Spider-Island / Spider-Man: Spider-Island Companion

I have thoroughly enjoyed pretty much every Spider-Man book I have picked up since Happy Birthday by J. Michael Straczynski.  For a while I was reading several trades a day just to catch up.  Spider-Island felt a lot like World War Hulks & World of New Krypton; more in the vein of World of New Krypton than World War Hulks.  It’s the type of storyline that makes the hero feel obsolete in the face of adversity.  The hero has to resort to his secret identity to do what no one else is able to do.  Spider-Man doesn’t shine in this as much as Peter Parker does.  The companion is also quite good you have a Spider-Girl story that’s OK but the Cloak & Dagger story is excellent although it leaves you wanting more this would have been a great jumping on point for an ongoing series or mini-series at least about these to second stringers .  The Shang-Chi story was great frankly I had never heard of him until this series came out glad to see he’s getting a push in Hickman’s Avengers run.  One of my favorite parts in this story is spider powered M.J. because it cements her understanding of how important Spider-Man is to New York.  Even the moments of Parker swinging with his current girl Carly Cooper were awesome but it was when he shared the frame with M.J. that shows me that Slott’s got something in store for these two, he always focuses on the little things with long scaffolding story arcs & I look forward to what comes next.  This was a great story that brought b rated & even c rated characters to the forefront while giving depth to the main characters.

Spider-Man: Blue

I finally picked this book up & it deserves all the hype it is given.  Spider-Man: Blue is probably one of Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale’s greatest collaborations.  Even the introduction from John Romita Sr. is touching & makes this story just a bit more personal to anyone who is familiar with the history of Spider-Man.  I admit I haven’t read any of Spider-Man’s early adventures but I still know of them & because of that I was able to get a lot of the Easter eggs put forth in this mini-series.  The final scene in this book brought the whole story home for me even though Peter Parker’s marriage to Mary Jane has been annulled in the One More Day story-arc, it is still an incredibly touching moment.  If you have ever read any of Loeb & Sale’s other work you’ll want to pick this up if not this is a great starting point.  They have done collaborative work for both DC & Marvel.  I've heard they’re working on Captain America: White but who knows when that will come out.