Top of the Stack - Amazing Spider-Man

I'm pleased to report that Spider-Man is AMAZING once again! It has been a while since I have been this pumped by a Spidey storyline. Sure, there's been some major events of the the last few years, but they all seemed centered around a pivotal moment (i.e. Spidey makes a deal with Mephisto) rather than a consistently solid action adventure tale. "New Ways to Die" begins in ASM #568 and the conclusion in ASM #573 arrived in stores this week. I've heard copies are selling out, but I strongly recommend seeking them out. Though I don't expect we'll have to wait long for the trade (would make a sweet hardcover).
Writer Dan Slott weaves an excellent web of thrills, suspense, comedy, and even a splash of romance. Once again, Peter is in way over his head as he faces Norman Osborn and his Thunderbolts. Yes, Venom is back too. This character has been a mess for years, but Slott manages to smooth out the complicated relationship of Venom, Eddie Brock, and new host Mac Gargan (formerly the Scorpion). It's also quite awesome to see Norman once again prove he is Spider-Man's number one foe. There's also an edge-of-your-seat sequence with Bullseye vs Spidey, and did I mention the introduction of a new character, Anti-Venom?
This whole arc is brought to life by my fave Spider-Man artist, John Romita Jr. To say that it is great to have him back on ASM is a huge understatement! I don't know how he does it, but it seems like each time I see his work, he's getting even better.

"New Ways to Die" is the Spidey Super Story, I've been waiting for! I certainly do not wish to beat the horse that was "One More Day," but Joey Q insisted that it would free up writers to tell better Spider-Man stories. I think I could easily argue that this particular tale could have still been told if Peter was married and still been great, but if we had to go through that in order to get this then perhaps it was worth it after all.