Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Coming Home
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: John Romita Jr.
JMS ignites his heart-pounding run on The Amazing Spider-Man with a sensational hunter/prey story!!!
Ranking: 5 stars
One of my favorite plot formulas in fiction, especially in superhero comics, is the hunter/prey story. A plot of this type usually focuses on a villain who is pursuing the protagonist of the story, with the intention of destroying them either physically or mentally. What attracts me to this formula is that the hero is often required to use all of their skills and abilities in order to survive, despite the odds going against them. Situations like these provide the reader a sense of peril, as they know that the hero can easily die, and are interested in discovering how they prevail. The villains also help enhance the power of the story, as they represent a threat that the main character could not overcome under normal circumstances (I’ve mentioned in the past that this is why villains like Bane, Hush, and Doctor Hurt from BATMAN, as well as Cassandra Nova from X-MEN are among my favorite comic book villains). Some people complain that villains who simply want to kill the hero are one-dimensional and boring, but I disagree, as not only is it interesting to see how they carry out their plans, but they also keep me paying attention, as their too big to tear your eyes away from (I mean come on, it’s more interesting to see a villain wanting to kill the hero than having them rob a bank or, you guessed it, take over the world; this is where M. Bison shouts “OF COURSE”; apologies to the Nostalgia Critic). Hunter/prey stories not only provide a suspenseful conflict for our protagonist, but also prove that a villain doesn’t always need to be a deep or complex character, but just a big enough threat that’s hard to overlook. And what better way to start off J. Michael Straczynski’s groundbreaking run of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN with a sensational hunter/prey story. In the past I’ve mentioned before that JMS has become one of my favorite Spider-Man authors (second only to Brian Michael Bendis of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN), but despite the praise I’ve given him, I have not yet read his full run of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Until now, I’ve only read the later parts of the run, including Spidey’s tie in to CIVIL WAR, SPIDER-MAN: BACK IN BLACK, and my most hated Spider-Man comic of all-time ONE MORE DAY (but Joe Quesada is to blame for that atrocity, not JMS). So having only scratched the surface of his Spider-Man stories, I’ve started collecting the ultimate collections of JMS’s Spider-Man run. While his storytelling can be wordy at times, I really enjoy his in-depth portrayal of Peter Parker thats blends the aspects of both his normal and superhero life, allowing the story to flow as if the reader was inside the web slinger’s head. The majority of the story arcs in JMS’s run are definite masterpieces, but so far, none have been more engrossing than his opening arc, COMING HOME. Having been separated from Mary Jane months earlier, due to putting his life as Spider-Man before his normal life, Peter makes attempts to contribute to society without wearing a mask. While his able to find some success, the part him that is Spider-Man suddenly becomes more significant than ever before when he is confronted by a man who possesses powers similar to his own. The man known as Ezekiel informs Parker that his powers are mystical in nature. Apparently the spider that bit him was part of a totemistic force that has existed for thousands of generations, allowing animals to share their natural abilities with humans. Because of this, Ezekiel has come to warn Spider-Man that he is being targeted by creatures that feed people of their nature. One of these creatures known as Morlun, a being that drains the life energies from others, arrives in New York to feed on Spider-Man’s totemistic energies. Despite Ezekiel having told him that all who have challenged Morlun have been killed, Peter decides to face the creature, knowing that Morlun will kill innocent New Yorkers in order to find him. But being a predator to totemistic forces, Morlun is naturally programed to counteract every thing Spidey throws at him, making him one of the greatest threats Spider-Man has ever faced. With all odds stacked against him Spider-Man use every skill and ability he has in order to defeat a force that has been hunting down his kind for centuries, or face certain death. JMS keeps me interested throughout the book as not only does he create an atmosphere of suspense and peril, but he also allows the reader to feel as if they were actually Spider-Man in this situation. Using writing techniques similar to Jeph Loeb, JMS places heavy emphasis on Spider-Man’s inner thoughts, which serves to explore the psychology of the character, but also gives the story a consistent flow. Whereas Loeb’s style is usually short and to the point, JMS is a bit more wordy in his writing. Peter thoughts often consist of deep monologues that fully convey how he feels about a situation, which sometimes comes across more as narrating than actual thoughts. While this can be irksome at points, it never bores me as it gives us a full understanding of what Spider-Man is experiencing. By going into complete detail of what Spider-Man is feeling, it’s easier for the reader to connect with him, and feel as if we were sharing what he experiences. This especially contributes to the fight with Morlun, as we can feel the weight of the situation Peter is experiencing, increasing the emotional investment given to the battle. The reader feels the suspense that and fear that Spider-Man does, and desires to see him win against a force more powerful than himself. But in order to create the suspenseful atmosphere that a hunter/prey story requires, the writer must also create an antagonist powerful enough to threaten the hero’s life. JMS excels in that department as well through the use of Morlun. As Morlun preys on the totemistic energies found in Spider-Man’s blood, he is naturally stronger and faster than the web slinger. He is able to counter Spider-Man’s every move, and respond with greater force, which makes defeating him near impossible. While this characteristic has been used on villains such as Bane in BATMAN KNIGHTFALL, and Doomsday in THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN, JMS makes Morlun fresh and original by making him a natural predator of Spider-Man’s kind. He goes full force into this animal-like aspect of Morlun by giving him little dialogue, and having him continuously pursue Spider-Man despite the web-slinger using all of his power to keep him at bay. While this does cause Morlun to lack the depth of a three dimensional villain, this is intentionally done on purpose to parallel Morlun to an animal. He hunts Spider-Man with no purpose than to feed off his life energy in order to sustain himself, and has evolved to kill totemistic forces. These factors make Morlun less human and more animalistic, further enhancing the suspense of the hunter/prey nature of the story, as predators are unpredictable creatures. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1: COMING HOME not only opens JMS run on a high note, but provides both a brilliantly executed hunter/prey story and a deep look into Peter Parker’s character that few writers have provided. Spider-Man has always been the superhero that was meant to relate to the issues and emotions experienced by the reader, and JMS’s story telling allows us to feel as if we were Spider-Man himself. His thoughts allow us to experience the pain, fear, and suspense that he feels. By having him put up against a force beyond his comprehension, connecting to Spider-Man’s peril and despair is made all the more easy, as we want to see him triumph against a foe that could easily kill him. My only issues with this comic were that while the totemistic background of Spider-Man’s powers was an awesome concept, it does come out of left-field, as Ezekiel shows up out of the blue to reveal this to Spider-Man. It would have been better slowly build up such a revelation, but otherwise, this not comic not only kept me in deep suspense, but also has me looking forward to the rest of JMS’s run of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Nice way to start off a successful comic series guy’s! “Rainsford did not want to believe what his reason told him was true, but the truth was as evident as the sun that had by now pushed through the morning mists. The general was playing with him! The general was saving him for another day's sport! The Cossack was the cat; he was the mouse. Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror.” -Richard Connell, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME
