Amazing Spider-Man #17

All in all, this is a solid issue more for the foundations it lays than for the main plot, but you'll certainly find plenty to enjoy. Read Full Review

With the art getting better, the story coming to a full resolution, and an end in sight, The Amazing Spider-Man shouldn't be ignored. Fans looking for something a little more classic and with less grit should definitely take a look at this superhero comic that's unashamed for being exciting, fun, and still Spider-Man. Read Full Review

The next issue is the end of the 3-part The Ghost and Black Cat stories. Can Parker Industries recover from this corporate takeover? What happens when Black Cat's story crosses over into the life of Peter Parker? Will Anna Maria keep covering for Peter/Spider-Man? We should find out these answers and more next month. Read Full Review

The comic is settling into its groove after its event, and is still finding ways to present a new status quo and new ways to play around with them. Some of the plot points are a foregone conclusion, but with Anna-Marie becoming an intriguing character and the Ghost a nice choice for a villain, it makes it a fun ride along the way. Read Full Review

Say what you will about Amazing Spider-Man just keeping time until Secret Wars starts, but I'm enjoying this classic-style storyline from Slott and Gage. It's a nice exploration into Peter's current personal life at Parker Industries, and this issue in particular is a great character piece for Anna Maria Marconi! Read Full Review

Humberto Ramos illustrates both story segments. My usual problems with his exaggerated style and use of perspective remain, especially during the early scenes that focus more on dialogue and character interaction than superheroics. Things do pick up once the focus shifts to Parker Industries. Ramos draws a great Ghost, rendering him as lithe, deadly, and more than a little creepy. Read Full Review

I wasn't a big fan of the backup story before, but things are starting to get interesting in this issue. It's unknown how the story will tie into the current main plot, so hopefully Slott can make the obvious next issue. Read Full Review

"Amazing Spider-Man" #17 is less "amazing" and even less "Spider-Man" than I hoped for, with fourteen pages of main story and Spidey only appearing at the end of the adventure. Yes, a balance of the secret identity life and the costumed adventures needs to be struck but, after the mind-numbing and timeline-bending events of "Spider-Verse," I was kind of hoping for a Spidey vs. Villain-of-the-Month run to remind us why Spider-Man is special in a universe with considerably fewer Spiders. Instead, this feels like an installment of "Spider-Man Family," which could be fun. However, when I see Spidey and a villain like Ghost on the cover, I want to see those two fighting it out. Maybe next issue will deliver the Spider-Ghost scrum but, for now, "Amazing Spider-Man" #17 left me wanting just a bit more Spidey. This issue is alright but doesn't quite find its way beyond that. Read Full Review

Humberto Ramos' artwork is effective but the story is a bit of a bore, making this issue one that most readers can probably pass on. Read Full Review

Amazing Spider-Man #17 revives the problems that have plagued the title since its relaunch, namely uninteresting characters and storytelling. Ramos's art continues to shine but is slightly diminished by some poor coloring and design choices. Read Full Review

All in all, a poor Spider-Man comic. Slott has become more and more disappointing as time goes on, but each month, I find myself filled with hope that this will be the issue where things start going right, and maybe, just maybe, I'm caught in Marvel's money trap, but I don't find anything wrong with my character loyalty. My current hope lies in the Secret Wars arc, which I will unashamedly pick up, and I will review it, and hopefully it won't be as scathing as this one. Maybe it will even be positive, who knows? Read Full Review

Supes' soups

Apr 02, 2015

The Amazing Spider-Man is the equivalent of comfort food in comics. It never tries to tell an overly complicated story and it doesn't muddle the dynamic with constant guest appearances. It's simply a fun read that leaves you content enough to remember to pick up the next issue. In issue #17 we return to the personal problems of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Parker Industries. Ramos is back at pencils and I have to say his Spider-Man is becoming the default look when I think about Spider-Man comics. The story is relatively villain free save for the Ghost that is hacking into the computers at Parker Industries but mostly we enjoy the dynamic between Anna-Marie and Parker. Furthermore the backup story with Black Cat isn't half-bad and I'm kinda surprised she's not in a reboot solo title given Marvel's trigger-happy finger with releasing new #1's these days. Also seeing Mary Jane albeit on a billboard on a splash page by Ramos is enough to make you hope that after Secret Wars and Renew your Vows, that MJ is back in the picture. (Oh please retcon Sins Past also, that probably sucked more than One More Day and is the reason why Straczynski barely has a career anymore). more

Al B. Harper

Apr 14, 2015

Fun issue, but I'd like to see more substance and less wheel-spinning.

The Villain

Sep 29, 2016

The score for this issue would've been lower had it not been for the Black Cat story that its catching my attention more as it goes. The focus on Parker Industries has been kind of boring. None of the conflict in this book feels that significant. Its just Peter Parker stuck in another situation where he can't change into Spider-Man without anyone seeing him.

mrDovydas

Apr 08, 2015

...and nothing happened in this issue.