Mark Waid is a wonderful addition to the Spidey brain trust — this feels like a Waid from the 1990s, during his first Flash run. He seems comfortable and enthused to write Spidey, a free-wheeling character that matches up best with his skill set (sorry, weighty premonition just doesn’t go over so well for an optimist like Mark Waid). This had a very Stan Lee-feel to it, and the New York pictured here in the book is the portrayal I want to see in Marvel Comics — danger, community, romance… it’s all on a subway train from Brooklyn.

And let’s not overlook the Marcos Martin art, expressive and physical while retaining whimsy and danger, all at once. It is especially welcome to see a Ditko/Romita Sr.-esque penciler doing a retro-thing in these pages. I missed the first groundswell of praise for Martin in his first arc, but I’m glad to be converted for this one.