One of the major selling points of the fourth volume of Amazing Spider-Man has been its globetrotting setting — something quite atypical for a character who’s historically been associated with a “friendly neighborhood.” Still, even after flying Peter Parker/Spider-Man to Shanghai, London and Africa these past eight issues (or to Cuba in the current “point one” miniseries), the book’s international flavor has been seriously lacking in the spice department. Sure, the book says Spider-Man is fighting the Zodiac or Mister Negative in one of these locales, but the actual plot and art have suggested that this has been just like any other Spider-Man story but with different-colored buildings in the background.

Amazing Spider-Man #9, which reunites artist Giuseppe Camuncoli with writer Dan Slott, bucks that trend a bit by moving the drama beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and into outer space. Granted, there’s nothing terribly trailblazing about a Spider-Man story set in space — in fact the very first issue of Amazing Spider-Man from 1963 took Spidey (and Col. John Jameson) to where no spider had gone before, and a few years ago, Slott and Camuncoli teamed-up for a Spider-Man/Human Torch space story (complete with goofy visuals of Spidey in a space suit). But it’s refreshing all the same to see Slott and Cammo have a little bit of a fun with Spidey’s environment in crafting what very well may be the most fanciful (if not a tad bit unbelievable) volume four story yet. 

Perhaps the good-natured vibe of this issue only further demonstrates a point I’ve been hammering home on this site and on our podcast for a while now: that while Slott’s work on Superior Spider-Man was so great because it was unique and edgy, many of his more recent Peter Parker-centric stories have suffered when the creator has pushed the character too far away from what’s familiar. Or more simply put, who really complains when a rocker plays the classic at the concert? Sure, that new album might feature some really interesting experiments in sound and production, but I want to hear Mick Jagger sing “Satisfaction.”

To that point, Spider-Man himself says explicitly in this comic “I’m not Iron Man,” clearly addressing all of the complaints that this fourth volume of ASM has presented our hero as low-rate David Michelinie-era Tony Stark clone. There’s still Peter/Spider-Man’s oddly-framed relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., which continues to feel like it has been shore-horned into this comic precisely because a wealthy industrialist (*cough* Tony Stark *cough*) should absolutely have a relationship with Marvel’s numero uno espionage agency. But there’s even a hope spot in this issue that suggests maybe that plot point is not long for this world (I’m probably being too optimistic on that one, but maybe Nick Fury Jr. just continues to hang out in space for the foreseeable future?). 

In terms of going back to what has long worked for Spider-Man, Slott finally pulls the trigger on making Scorpio, his chief antagonist of the past nine issues into as much of a physical threat as he’s been a psychological one. ASM #9’s final visual is a well-executed cliff hanger that teases a one-on-one battle between good and evil that has been seemingly absent from the series since the end of the Superior era. Slott still spills a lot of mumbo jumbo-filled exposition into his comic in an attempt to establish Scorpio’s motivations, but if it leads to a finely crafted, visually intriguing showdown between a hero and villain, then it might all be worth it. 

Slott also continues to plant some seeds, presumably for the “Dead No More” storyline (at least if you’re under the belief that the person who will be revealed to be no longer deceased is none other that Otto Gunther Octavius). We get some nice bait in this issue regarding a former flame of Otto’s moving on and finding a new lover, which should dovetail nicely with Doc Ock’s return as a full-fledged villain (rather than the insufferable anti-hero who graced our world in “Spider-Verse”). 

Camuncoli’s return to ASM is a welcomed one as well, as the time away from the book gave him an opportunity to get back on the creative roll he was on prior to his last few issues on the title. His renderings of the Spider-Man/Fury team-up in space were visually sound, but the true highlight of the comic was his depiction of Spidey’s dramatic reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. A sequence this tense needed to be visually well-paced while also delivering the necessary imagery that emphasized Spider-Man’s dangerous predicament. Cammo nailed it.

Listen to us discuss this issue on our podcast, the Amazing Spider-Talk.