Amazing Spider-Man #666: Spider-Island Prelude

A lot has been going on with Spider-man these days, but perhaps the most exciting aspect of Peter Parker's is the upcoming 'Spider Island'. 'The Amazing Spider-Man' number 666 hits shelves today and it is the prelude to all of the awesome that is going to be the Spider Island event. 

(Before I picked up the book I was intrigued with the idea of Spider Island and hopeful that I would find this Marvel mini-event more engrossing and exciting than Fear Itself, or X-Men Schism. Well I was not disappointed.)

When you get your hands on ASM you'll be blown away by the amazing cover art and from there it only gets better. The team of Slott, Caselli and Gracia did an amazing job of incorporating all of Spiderman's connections to the Marvel universe to craft one of the most complete Spider-man experiences I have read in quite some time. Through the course of the book Spider-man will battle super villains, work with the Futures Foundation and play poker with the Avengers, and that's just while wearing the Spider-man digs. 

Slott does a great job of connecting the readers to Parker and the world in which he lives. This is even more impressive because Slott lets us into the world of Spider-Man's nonstop life of being Spider-man without the book feeling rushed or haphazardly thrown together. ASM 666 contains a lot of wit and one-liners commonly found in Spider-man books, which gave it made it easy for a new reader to relate. 

The artistry was also excellent. The panels, color choices and art itself are all perfectly suited for a Spider-man book. The art of the Avengers poker game is one of my favorite pieces of comic book art I have seen in some time. The book also does a good job of incorporating other parts of the Marvel universe into its pages. For example Flash Thompson, or as he's more commonly known in his current series Venom makes a small appearance and that was very cool. The story itself is rich and just the tip of the ice-berg, the appearance of Madam Web only stresses the importance of Spider-man succeeding in the Spider Island arc. 

Overall 'Spider Island Prelude' did a great job of setting up a very exciting story line by providing key back-story in a fun and engaging way. From the minute you glimpse the cover until you turn the last page your not going to want to put the book down. Let's hope Boston bound Aunt May is the only one who misses out on Spider Island. 

I give it a sterling 9 out 10, must read.

Review By: Alex Ralston