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Theme: HOPE
Yes. I gave it a 10. I usually ignore the top scores or lowest scores of something. But this, for the first time in a long time, I fully believe, ten toes behind this line, will die on this hill give this a 10.
I am a 38 year old man. And I cried. I cried tears of joy, Tears of frustration and tears of HOPE. I've read Spider-Man since I was 5.Spider-Man was my hero, as in truly. At 5, my formative years were spent reading old back issues and very early 90s stuff. And more or less, Spider-Man became more than a comic to me, he became an ideal. The things he stood for, his love for MJ. His fierceness to fight for what's right and good. His ability to THINK through his problems,not just rely on his powers, his willingness to never give up. And MJ: Peter's rock, while just human, she brought to the book the strongest superpower of all: Hope.
All of that was lost when OMD happened (well it started a bit before, Sins Past for instance, but OMD was...apocalyptic) and it has never been regained in the 616.We had glimpses of Peter and MJ with kids (Spider-Girl, Renew Your Vows) and personally I loved those instances. Never understood why they hated 616 Peter and MJ so much. So, thats where the tears of frustration came from.
The tears of Joy and Hope came from Nick man's writing in this (and previous) issue(s). Hickman treats Peter and MJ as humans. As adults. And with love and care. This makes this Peter and MJ not just relateable, but as ideals to strive for in OUR lives. Peter kept his being a hero a secret from his family, and this is revealed to them when Peter comes home after getting beaten badly. But it doesn't devolve into screaming, yelling, or threats of divorce. Its handled maturely, even by the kids. Sure, the family is scared for Peter. But their love for him overcomes any anger about a secret. We even get a peak at some 90s innuendo from MJ about adult activities.
Hickman even writes the kids as....well KIDS, with different developmental levels and everything. May(Peter's daughter), in her overwhelming worry about her dad bluffs out his secret in a tearful rambling. May had a hand in creating the Blue and red Costume, and MJ gives Peter the Spider-Man moniker in this issue. Richard (Peter's son) is level headed in the whole situation, but asks his dad to be careful after wanting to ask a million questions.
This series, but especially this issue gives me HOPE. It...its a breath of fresh air after being held under water. Words can't do this justice to the hope for a character who has endured SO much over the years...the HOPE it gives me. As a fan, as a reader, and fundamentally on a human IRL level. Its astounding how a comic, when done well, can convey HOPE to real life.
The art in this one is great as well. In the fight w the Fisk, the hits seem to have gravitas. The art really conveys Hickman's writing well both in fight scenes and at home with the family.
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