For all the talk lately of a return-to-greatness for ASM, this is the issue that finally sealed the deal for me. The Weeks/White art was fantastic (and a little Romita Jr.-ish, no?) and the story felt like a nod to the comics of the spinner rack era.

Granted, this issue was a little heavy on the camp (“Something can stop the Juggernaut?!? But what? Who?”), but it felt tonally right to me. Maybe it’s just that I – like just about every other geek-in-training in America – grew up on kid-friendly Spider-Man cartoons that resulted in an appreciation for well-handled, ham-handed dialogue. Maybe it’s that Spidey, as a character, lends himself to over-the-top-ness. Whatever the case, this issue’s rich colors and throwback plot added to something greater than the sum of its parts and served as a welcome breath of fresh air amidst all the Gauntlet-y doom-and-gloom of late.