Amazing Spider-Man Annual #42

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #42 isn't a terribly essential read for Spider-Man fans on a budget. Apart from adding a bit of extra closure to Clone Conspiracy, this issue mainly focuses on telling a self-contained mystery story. That mystery suffers from inadequate payoff, but at least the book highlights the Betty/Peter dynamic in a fun way. And with Slott's run so near the end, any new material is appreciated. Read Full Review

After writing Amazing Spider-Man for more than 10 years, Dan Slott finally scripts an Annual issue and it's a fun effort that occasionally gets bogged down by a somewhat silly conspiracy-theory laden plot. Still, Marvel gets points for attaching an A-team level effort to an annual issue. Read Full Review

For all my skepticism going into the book, I was quite surprised that I finished it invested in the overall story. I think a STRONG BROWSE is appropriate here. Comics fans should read the book. And with the Dan Slott-era of Spider-Man coming to a close, every new release is an opportunity to examine his work with fresh eyes and open thoughts. Read Full Review

The story isn't particularly memorable, but there's a certain boldness to be appreciated in how it escalates despite how contrived the payoff ultimately is. Read Full Review

You’d think with a whopping total of 55 pages, I’d have more to say about this book. But like I said, it’s boring. It’s forgettable. If you read this, you’re not going to think about it ever again after putting it down. The conversations are trying to be smart and snarky, but fall flat. The pace is stretched out with unsatisfying pay off. If you’re thinking of picking up this book, just wait until it’s on Marvel Unlimited. Anything that happened in here, you’ll be able to understand elsewhere in one simple sentence. Don’t bother. Read Full Review

Dont buy this book. It is hilariously bad, but it still doesnt deserve your five bucks. This is probably the worst comic Ive read since Suicide Squad #33, even if this one is better for at least giving me some joy, if by accident. Give it a hard pass. Read Full Review

DDJamesB

Feb 22, 2018

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this. The main story was fun, it had mystery and while it didn't unfold the best or make a ton of sense, it was still pretty fun and enjoyable.

mrDovydas

Feb 14, 2018

It wasn't too memorable, but still was an OK read. Not particularly something I would be too excited to read on the main book (especially, knowing Slott, this would've taken 4 issues to solve), but good enough for an annual. Much better than the previous annual. The backup story wasn't anything special, but still a fun read. I should also mention that for the price you pay, the page number is definitely worth it.

Spock's Brain

Feb 21, 2018

When I picked this up, I was like, "Ugh, I don't want to read this." Such is the quality of most Marvel annuals that it is only natural to assume this would be shitty. But, it's not terrible! The first story actually kept me interested enough to finish, and though it's pretty run-of-the-mill, it's innocuous enough, and I liked Cory Smith's art. The second story featured a version of the spider-sense as a series of headaches varied by degree, which is inconsistent with every other depiction of Spidey I've seen or read ever, and mildly enraged me. So, I wouldn't really recommend buying it, but if it lands in your pullbox because of your "Amazing" subscription, as it did for me, it's not all that bad.

SpiderKnight

Mar 10, 2018

Ok so it took me quite a time to get into this book. I was delaying on reading this book. Then, i finally got into it. So basically it is a mystery-solving book. But i find the case and the overall plot of this book a bit boring and predictable. At first i was enjoying it but as i turn the pages it became less and less exciting. And boyyyy this book was very dialogue-heavy. It took me a great amount of time to finish it, thinking that at the end of this book the time i spent reading this would be payed off. Ultimately, it didnt. The interaction between Betty and Peter were great though. At they end they reveal something, but i already saw that coming from miles away. So didnt really suprise me. So at the end of the whole mystery story t hing, i felt like there was nothing i gained out of reading this. It was slow paced, unexciting....well the best i can say is, its ok. But not a worthy of an annual. So Dann Slott let me down on this one. But Cory Smith's art was fantastic. Especially on Betty Brant (for the most part). She looked beautiful. At the end they had the Spider-Sense and Sensibility. Atleast that was fun and they had a suprise birthday party for Peter, even that i saw coming from miles away. But got to tell u, Marcus To's art is probably the best art i have ever seen in a Spiderman book. His art on Peter Parker was so great and the art fits the tone and have to mention this, Marcus To is the only artist that got Mary Jane's look, correct. Marcus To's art on Mary Jane looked so awesome! Mary Jane looked so hot lol. I couldnt take my eyes of her Haha. Great job Marcus To! As always, Alex Ross does a great job on the covers. Overall, the main story featuring Peter and Betty was ok. The Spider-Sense and Sensibility was good. Art on Betty, drawn by Cory Smith, was good for the most part and Mary Jane drawn by Marcus To was amazing! Other than that, nothing very mind blowing. more

CrazyforRAMU

Sep 06, 2018

Betty Brant digs up one last scoop from Ned Leeds with help from Peter and Spidey. This is really beautiful art allied to a notably stupid script. Introducing tritium as a deadly explosive METAL is "1963-era Stan Lee" comic book science. The character relationships are frustrating. The sarcastic, Seinfeldian humor undercuts the faint attempts at being genuinely heartwarming. The Game of Thrones jokes are going to age poorly, too. B story: Playwright David Hein stretches out a simple joke about the hidden dangers of spider-sense. To fill nine pages, it gets over-analytical and over-whiny. This strip, like the A story, gets superb art. This annual reaches an impeccable standard for visuals, but the scripting insight to match it is MIA. This feels aimed at an audience about four years younger than the usual one for ASM. more