the Amazing Spider-man #623 - Marvel

I'm not really trying to sound like a broken record here, but . . I just wasn't all that thrilled with this issue. I know we're building up to this Gauntlet thing, but . . it just seems like to much build-up for something that'll probably only happen for a couple of issues. And then afterwards . . nothing else will really change. I'm really not trying to be cynical, but . . it's happened before. It continues to happen . . over and over again. We all know that going into it, but . . if we're at least given a decent story along the way . . some eager anticipation and drama . . a little foreplay to get us excited . . at least then we can enjoy ourselves through the opening chapters. We generally know what the outcome is going to be but, if we get into it along the way, we're more interested to see how they're going to get out of whatever mess has been weaved through the build up. Through this story it seems that Mark Waid's build-up is haphazard at best. Yes Spider-man has fought a different villain with every story-arc, but . . that hasn't always been because of something set in motion because of the Kravens. In fact we haven't even seen or heard from the Kravens the last few issues. This issue they send Electro into Rykers to free the new Buzzard . . er, I'm sorry, the new Vulture that's being held there. We know this because of their communications. But we also know that they didn't really expect Electro to contain the Vulture. So he flies off and is on his own agenda. Where's the plan there? I don't know. Maybe I'm over thinking it. But this story is really not doing it for me. And in the meantime, while all of this is going on . . we're getting zilch on Peter's supporting cast. They're out there continuing to live their lives. Just not in the pages of this book. And I'm still not thrilled with Paul Azaceta's art. The best thing about this entire issue was Michael Lark's cover. Yippee!