Amazing Spider-man 542

I'll attempt to stay away from spoilers.

First one, here we go.

I was away from comics for several years after the implosion of the nineties. One of the people instrumental in bringing me back to the world of comics is my buddy Rob. Several dollars and untold hours of "rediscovering" my inner fanboy and all I have to say is...Damn him to hell!!

"Iron Man is the whipping boy of the Marvel Universe". That's one of Rob's favorite lines. In some cases that may be true. But for my money no single person has been consistently put through more hell than Peter Parker. Imagine knowing that you were responsible in one way or another, for the death of your father figure, your first true love, and her father. Damn!

Amazing Spider-man 542 is part 4 of the "Back in Black" storyline. Peter now understands that at least partially because of his actions with Iron Man, not only does the world know his identity, but the Kingpin has decided to ruin Peter's life from his prison cell. Mr Fisk is responsible for hiring the gunman that put Aunt May in the hospital inches away from death (again). This serves to push Peter over the edge. Tired of being the true whipping boy of the universe, its time to put an end to his life long torture and cross the lines placed before him when Uncle Ben was killed. With great power comes the opportunity to kick major ass.

The majority of the story and action takes place in one location. The final show down between the Kingpin and Peter (notice I didn't say Spider-man) was nothing short of a good old fashioned ass kicking. It starts with Wilson trying to get into Peter's head. What little dialogue there is, is done with great care and skill. Artistically, the panels do an excellent job of moving the story while at the same time relaying a deeper tone than words could express in such limited space. In addition, the fact that this contest takes place in prison with the entire population out of their cells as witnesses to the battle really adds to the atmosphere. A great read that I really enjoyed and would recommend to all.

Tony can have the title of universal whipping boy. Peter doesn't need it anymore.

Moe