Reflections 35: Goals

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination"--Jimmy Dean

What were your youthful goals and ambitions for life? Which ones have you been able to fulfill??

I am one of those that believe that any goal you make is achievable, but you have to have smaller goals along the way to work towards your end dream. Which is nerdy, but baby steps is the best way to feel your accomplishment and encourage you to keep going when it seems your dream is so far away.

When I was younger, I wanted to find a guy I really loved and marry him and have a family. I wanted to buy a car, and I wanted to have a job where I didn't have to ever worry about insurance. A little nerdy, but practical, and I was very practical. I knew that if money or financial security was my eventual goal, then I would never feel I had achieved it, and so I would never be able to "reach" my goal. One thing that was always important to me wasn't that we had money to buy luxuries, but that if anything ever happened, we were taken care of--be that medical, dental, vision, automobile, or life.

More specifically, I have known since I was a little girl that God had called me to work with special needs individuals. I have always been very drawn to them, finding them fascinating, and having more patience for them than I ever do for "normal" people that I find tedious and dull.

So when I was growing up, my goal was to become a neurologist. That would let me work with the beautiful mind, which works in such a fascinating way. Eventually, I still feel I could reach that goal, but I have also realized over the years that there are other way I can work with special needs without going all out.

I am still on track for achieving my goals. I married a wonderful man that I love very deeply; I have two beautiful children and one on the way. Though I have been enrolled for all of eternity, I am still at school, and I am networking and researching ways that I can utilize my talents and further my career once my babies are safely in school.

Completely confident that I can do whatever I would like in life, as long as I am not afraid to work hard. A house is my next goal--I would like very much to own my own home =)

~Andie!~

Thunderstrike 5 of 5

Thunderstrike, written by Tom DeFalco. Penciller is Ron Frenz, Inker is Sal Buscema.

Okay, so it seems a little strange that I am reading "5 of 5" when I have only read one and I think perhaps part of 2. And I have absolute zero exposure to Eric Masterson, the original Thunderstrike, so for the most part, I am walking in completely blind.

I remember Tom DeFalco from some Spider-Man titles and Mike tells me that he has done a lot of editing work, which sounds familiar, so it should be relatively good, right?

With a short burst of googling, I found that apparently DeFalco, Frenz, and Buscema actually do a good amount of work together. Or at least they have worked together on "Superman Beyond". That cohesiveness usually translates to a great comic--like Pak and Van Lente or Bendis and Romita Jr. They just work well together, and that's why they continue working together.

Right off the bat--there is about zero chance I am reading this entire recap page. You remember those Red Hulk Recap pages from when Jeph Loeb was writing?

They caught you up with just a few words and several pictures. I LOVED that. I just want to jump into a comic when I pick it up, not spending 15 minutes catching myself up to speed. It takes you out of the moment, out of the excitement. And the fed-ex package coloring dominating most of the text just makes me bored and confused.

Quick question: Eric Masterson's mace does not exhibit the same "only he who is worthy" blah blah blah crap that Thor's hammer Mjolnir has going on, does it? Because that wouldn't fully explain why Captain America had it, unless he was worthy...but then it's talking about this Adam Mann trying to steal it...wouldn't it be a pointless endeavor to try and steal an item that you would never be able to pick up?? Just general thoughts.

Also...if Mangog is a Thor villain, why would Thor not show up to help eliminate the threat? Or is he too busy with the "Fear Itself" storyline to be troubled with this? Is this storyline part of the 616 universe, or is it off on it's own??

I love Thunderstrike's new look. I mean, really:

This is cool and all, but how is some jerk high schooler supposed to rock it?

On the first page, the "The Storm and the Sacrifice!" page...I know it is kind of a small quibble, but I have always preferred those deep theological thoughts more like protagonist narration, a la Spider-Man...

...than to actually be very unnatural thought bubbles. Narration doesn't necessarily have to have the tone of the character to make sense; but thoughts usually have to be in voice. See what I'm saying?? Especially since I don't see a kid standing there in front of a huge mystical bad-guy thinking about the moral implications of violence. It would only make sense if he thought he could possibly reason a way to a peaceful solution, but this is obviously not even a consideration here, so why spend the time and energy and effort contemplating whether or not violence is the answer?

Dear god, every one is saying all their thoughts aloud in front of what has all ready proven itself to be a sentient being that is fluent in English. Mark that down as the absolute worst battle strategy ever--announcing your every move takes away the element of surprise, and it gets annoying very quickly.

Am I the only one who is f*cking sick of "I am the best at what I do..." wolverine? The only time I was not annoyed to see the beginning of that phrase was when it ended "and what I do is very pretty!".

HA! If even the villain Mangog is getting ticked off and annoyed with the dialogue, maybe they should rethink their battle plan.

There's Thor. That's good. But--correct me if I am wrong--hasn't Thor handled Mangog all by his little lonesome in the past?? And isn't bringing in the big guy detracting attention from the insufficient main character? In the final issue of a mini series, normally I like to see the flagship character to finally come into his own and start kicking ass and taking names; not playing crowd control so we can see the resident badass steal the thunder. (Sorry--no more puns).

Also, "...the biggest gun of all!" does not sound like Steve Rogers at all. Like...at all. Even a little. He respects Thor, sure, but he doesn't idealize him.

Thor, apparently fresh from ballet, leaps on the scene with a glorious grand jete. Is this a new scare tactic??

Admittedly, a man who is not afraid to rip his nut sack asunder is probably pretty hardcore. That would probably scare the hell out of me.

Once again, forgive me but....Mangog and Thor have met before, yes? Then why do both feel honor bound to remind each other of their shared past? "Mangog is the living hatred of a billion billion beings!". Yeah, thanks--got that from your business card. Also, do you have a stutter? Surely "billion beings" would have been adequate--do you really need "billion billion"?

Thor's spectacular splits were unable to defeat the monster--you have officially thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the guy, as you so kindly called out before the big god showed up....time to hit the showers and call this one a draw.

Do those goggles help Thundestrike see at all? Or is it just to look cool?? I guess it would keep the worst of the debris and blood splatter out of his eyes. Maybe all the heroes should wear some sort of protective eye gear. Also, if I had known that the mouth-guard down there was covering a douchey sixteen year old chin growth, I would have asked him to put it back on. That's just embarrassing, dude.

Also, it seems like Kevin is trying to be quip-y and witty like spider-man generally is...but is failing horribly. It's painful. You're not funny kid. You should stick to your strengths, like.....ummm....

-cough- Anyhoo....

Dammit, now even Thor is saying "a billion billion beings". We do realize that is how children speak, right? "Nuh-uh, because I gots the power of all the power of infinity times a bajillion!" wouldn't have sounded more out of place.

Am I the only one that thinks Kevin has milked his dad's death for all the sympathy he's going to get? Come on kid, get a new gimmick.

Mangog--which is a giant armored monkey everyone in the near vicinity is currently focusing on was able to sneak up on a Thor. How easily can a 3 story monkey sneak ANYWHERE, little less in full body armor?!

Now Mangog is officially stating aloud things he has previously IN THE ISSUE stated aloud. It's like they are petrified we are not listening and may have missed it. How could we have possibly missed this painful back-and-forth?

What is the point of the avengers if they are apparently completely impotent against even a single villain? Steve Roger's entire plan is "stand back and hope someone else saves us! Do nothing!". Sounds like Steve, doesn't it?

If Mangog is the embodiment of hate, then isn't the only way to defeat him with loooooovvve? Should the avengers join hands and stand around Mangog, hurling not arrows and venom blasts, but compliments and flowers??

Which gives me a thought--it's not going to be that hokey, painfully stupid "Mangog's power is being fueled by Kevin's hatred toward Thor over his father's death! Kevin, in order to save us all, you MUST forgive Thor!! Let go of the anger in your -clutches chest- heart!"??? Surely not. That would actually make me vomit, and I don't think they want to make me physically sick, right?

STEVE, GODDAMMIT!!! Drop the damned "Big Gun" stuff!! Nobody says "big guns" that much. You sound like you are on the set of a corny gay porno :-/

Ohhhhh, it's Iron Man coming to the rescue. He's just late as fuck because he apparently decided walking from DC was a better idea than, I don't know...perhaps flying? Utilizing his suit, jumping on a helicarrier, or taking a cab were all apparently not options.

Tony's big plan involves a huge cable which 1) apparently supplies electricity for all of New York and 2) is casually laying on the ground so that any jackass can trip over it and pull it out of it's (what I assume) comically huge outlet. He is going to plug himself in, depriving all of the city--including hospitals and prisons, mind you--of electricity so that he can blast Mangog with a blast that may or may not hurt Mangog. But that Thor can undoubtedly simulate with lightening that won't kill everyone reliant on machines to live. Luckily, Tony mentions that he has probably permanently fried the city's power grid. Neat.

Mangog: "At last! Your plan stands revealed! You seek to entrap me"

Brilliant deduction, if this hadn't happened on the page just before--

Gruenhilda: Our combined magicks will surely banish him!

Seriously?! She literally yelled their plan to everyone for 10 blocks, and Mangog reiterated. That happened.

This issue proves that "throw your hammer at it, Thor" is literally the answer to every question ever. Young hero falls into another dimension and is about to get burned alive in the sun? Throw your hammer at it. Found a nail sticking out of the wall? Throw your hammer at it. Grandma got cancer? ...you get the idea.

Also, wouldn't mjolnir shatter Kevin's spine, and therefore any hope of him walking again? Super depressing way to end a series, and a really shitty way to make up for killing Kevin's father.

Thor's big excuse for never being there for Kevin in some 16 years of life was "well, I was busy....". Kind of weak there, Thor.

Hiding the mace on a necklace is kind of a neat concept. The walking cane that Donald Blake had was cool because he could bang it on the ground and lightening would come and the transformation would take place.....but could you imagine the unimpressive "-ting-" that teeny mace will make when he wants to change?

In civvies, Gruenhilda looks like an older woman skeeving on a teenager.

And so ends a mini-series that reminds me why the superhero registration act was a good idea.

~Andie~

The Trial of Peter Parker: Part 3 of 4

Spider-Man Volume 1, Issue # 60

"The Face of Kaine"

Gotta say, it's awesome that we finally got to see Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and Kaine all in costume on the cover. I've been waiting for it. Though I will say that very prominent hiney of Kaine so featured is...it's not my favorite. My first thought on opening a new comic shouldn't be "oh, well there's an ass". Also, has his cape ALWAYS been pink? Because I was under the impression that it was...you know....NOT this fuchsia abomination. But if there is one guy that could totally rock a pink cloak....

It's this guy.

That hand of Spider-Man on the very first page, inching it's way toward grabbing some the very muscular peck-boob of Stunner made me laugh pretty hard.

Howard Mackie wrote this issue, interesting.

Kaine and Peter are quite the friends now. It's like Kaine feels an obligation to protect Peter, which is weird.

Totally didn't dig the "the truth? THE TRUTH?!" because I expected "you can't handle the truth!"

There are a whole lot of prominent and manly butt-shots in this comic. It is not a stylistic choice I would have opted for.

The Amazing Spider-Man # 403

The Amazing Spider-Man, Issue 403: The Trial of Peter Parker, Part 2 of 4

This cover is a lot busier than Part 1's cover done by--I later learned--John Romita Jr. Which by the way, that just blew me away. Normally, if there is one artist's work I can always pick out of a line-up, it is John Romita Jr's. He has an incredibly distinctive art style. Plus, didn't know he was working for Marvel back in the 1990's, since he looks fairly young for being...54??! What the heck?!

Anyways, back on topic. This issue:

First thing I noticed was what appears to be Carnage leaping out of the page. I don't know if it is him or not, or if it is Kletus Kassady or someone else, or what is going on there, but that was my first impression. There is no one else in the background that I recognize.

The second thing I notice is that written on the arm of the chair is the artist's signature "Bagley &...." and I cannot read the second name. Is this actually Mark Bagley? Woah! I thought he was a younger artist in the industry (completely based on my assessment of his work on Ultimate Spider-Man, apparently), but he is 53 himself!! What is going on?!

Also, totally not what I expected him to look like. I used to want to hug him; now I think a polite wave is more in order. His mustache seems threatening....

Anyways, back to the topic at hand--Bagley really surprised me because I thought he didn't enter the industry until after Quesada became EIC, and because I thought he was a younger fella. It feels like I didn't really know all that much about the creators behind these comics as I thought I did. The very best that I can claim is that I know who and what I like, and who and what I do not like. I like Bagley....as an artist.

Last thing I remember from the last issue is that Ben Reilly is standing trial because Kaine planted some fingerprints at a crime scene, which were also Peter's fingerprints so technically Peter is supposed to be standing trial...but Ben switched places with him so that Peter could go track down Kaine and try and clear both of their names. Peter catches up with Kaine in some dance studio (oddly enough) and they fight until the Traveller (whom I am unfamiliar with) shows up and takes both Kaine and Peter to destinations unknown.

Okay, so we all on the same page? All caught up? Good.

Carnage as the prosecutor? That's just fun, lol.

Just a couple pages in this time and I have all ready found the title page--neat! Mark Bagley is definitely the penciller. Don't recognize anyone else, including the writer. Different from the last issue though.

They are touching on some pretty weighty topics so far--is Peter's very existence as a superhero the cause of the super-villains assembled? Kind of a deep concept. On the surface, I want to say "of course not!", but it could be argued either way. If he is responsible for the villainy here, then that means he is culpable for all the heinous acts they ever committed, not to mention ruining the lives of the individuals themselves.

Obviously he is going to get off, but very interesting concepts none-the-less.

Who is Judas Traveller, anyway? Why I have I not heard of him at all?

Another question: what is Kaine's love obsession with Spider-Man? He has no qualms beating the fudgesicles out of Peter, but he talks about how much respect he has for him and how he didn't want to bring any trouble to Peter. Now in this issue, he is fighting on behalf of Peter (though it seems like it doesn't take much to get Kaine in a fightin' mood), knocking around Judas Traveller, speaking of "his decency, his valor, his sheer humanity". It's a little disconcerting. It's like "thanks, Guy that I just met and that beat the crap out of me".

What is the mentioned "mark of Kaine"? I like the biblical reference, but I did not realize it was a power possessed by the Marvel character.

Did you ever notice that Traveller and Bagley sport matching mustaches? I am wondering if it is just the coincidence of the day or an artist's interpretation. Also wondering--which came first, Bagley's nose neighbor, or Traveller's lip tickler?

Back on topic, sorry:

Carnage is on the stand, and I am assuming (for lack of a statement to the contrary) that it is the fragment of symbiote bound to Kletus Kassady

He's screaming about how Peter made him into a monster, but from what I remember of Kletus, wasn't he on death row as a serial killer when the symbiote found him for the first time? That is a very poor defense.

Also, I think I have figured out who the Traveller is. He is some moderately powered jerk-off that wants to run with the big dogs, but is of so little importance that he warrants no attention from the seriously powered beings, so he sets himself up as a judge of those "below him" to make himself feel like he has power over life and death, over judgment. It's pathetic on so many, many levels.

Kaine is not a bad lawyer. Maybe he should cut the hippie hair and try his hand at taking the bar. Lol, okay--attacking the witness out of annoyance was probably not the most professional thing to do. But it kind of speaks to Kaine's power level--he actually physically hurt a symbiote-bonded being with just his hand.

May Parker is dead? How did I miss that memo?

Peter Parker bursting out of the chains was pretty badass. He was paralyzed and silent up until this point, so it was a powerful scene. Fun.

Kaine just looks cool, no matter where he shows up in this issue. What ever happened to him as a character? I find him fascinating. Him yelling about Peter's decency and his irrational compulsion to protect Peter seems a bit more...programmed than actual reasoned-out loyalty and adoration. It's like he was brainwashed. Plus, what is this talk about all these murders he's committed, and what a depraved and corrupt soul he is? The only person I can gather that he has killed thus far was Otto Octavious, and if that is true, that means he is just a Peter Parker that doesn't know how to pull punches. Kind of like Damian Wayne or Jason Todd from the Batman universe--Bruce doesn't kill, but Jason and Damian are willing to resort to more extreme measures. It is kind of feeling similar to that for me, but with Spider-Man...just because Peter isn't willing to become a murderer to do the right thing...

Of course, there is that whole "framed Ben Reilly" thing. But to Kaine, Ben may represent a character that is besmirching the good name of spider-man, of Peter Parker, this guy that Kaine respects and admires so much. It is not uncommon for clones to be under a great deal of distrust and animosity because of the common ideal that clones are inherently evil, whether the evidence points to true villainy or not.

In closing thoughts, I think I disagree with the title of this story. "The Trial of Peter Parker", sure that's fine. But had I titled it, I would have gone with--

Judas Traveller: The Grand Mustachioed Time-Waster

~Andie~

Frustrating Saturday

Today, I had every intention of making the day good. I wanted a good blend of intellectual and physical activities, things Emerald would enjoy and things Gabriel would enjoy.

So, the first thing I did was to bring down the "Getting Ready for Preschool" box Michael and I bought for Emerald at Barnes and Noble a while back.

It is actually a really neat box--it has scissors and a little "learning to tie your shoes" activity, plus all these worksheets and stickers...for the most part, all I have used thus far are the ABC's and 123's books that have an erasable marker so that Emerald can practice reading and writing and tracing the letters, but today I decided to see what other activities were in there that we might enjoy.

The first thing we did was a sticker sheet to help kids learn about emotions. There is a picture of several kids playing on a playground and you have to stick the face stickers on them to express happy, sad, surprise, scared, mad, etc. For the rest of the day, we have been trying to identify how things make us feel--it makes mommy sad when Emerald disobeys; Gabriel is happy when he swings on the swing; Emerald is scared when she poops in her room. Things like that.

Next was a really cool sticker worksheet that taught her to sort by shape, size, and color. There were four animals--a toad, a cat, a dog, and a pig--and she had to find the shapes to complete the animals. She really really loved that. I asked her then what her favorite shape was, and she told me "I like octagons". What the heck!? Why does a 3 year old know octagons?! I was expecting circle, square, heart...something!!

Don't think that while Emerald was doing all these fun activities that Gabriel was getting ignored. I found the neatest thing in the box and Gabriel had the most fun ever trying them out.

You see, most crayons are difficult for Gabriel to hold--they are too skinny and break too easily. These are short and stubby and triangular, but they have holes in the bottoms so they fit perfectly on the ends of little fingers. Gabriel sticks his fingers in them and has a blast coloring!! We only have one problem with him contemplating eating the crayons, but that was only near the end when he was starting to get bored.

We did that for as long as they were willing to pay attention, and then I made them help me clean up while I got out some board games. We have several games, but I never remember them because I still think of the kids as so young.

While I am setting up the board games and trying to figure out to play them and everything, Emerald runs off to her room. We are still working on potty training, and she has had lots of tinkle successes over the last few days. Unfortunately, Emerald went back there to poop on the floor for the second day in a row. I am very calm and patient with her as I help her clean it up, explaining why this was not okay and talking to her about where poo-poo and pee-pee go. We wash our hands and she gets sent to time-out to think about how she messed up and how she can do better next time.

The first game we tried was Memory.

It was hard to get Gabriel interested in this one, but we let him watch me and Emerald for a while and that sort of peaked his interest. First we matched all the cards to make sure they were all there. Then we separated the pairs into groups--animals, food, outdoor, around the house, transportation, and toys. Emerald really enjoyed matching the cards together and organizing them so nicely.

For Gabriel, we encouraged him to point at the ones he wanted; to stack the cards into a tower; to hand us one at a time so that Emerald could match them; and to sign "more" and "please" and make eye contact while playing with us.

Eventually we actually shifted into playing real memory, and for about half that game we had fun. At first Emerald was focused and enjoying herself, she was working hard to find pairs, and was very proud of herself for her achievements. Then, near the end, her interest started waning and she started to think it was funny to get it wrong every time and to count wrong. It was annoying and felt like a waste of my time. I know she was just getting restless and trying to enjoy herself, but I found it frustrating, so we put away Memory and got out the next game.

I let Emerald pick, and she chose Chutes and Ladders. We had never tried Chutes and Ladders before, but I figured that Gabriel would enjoy the spinner and Emerald could learn something from it and have fun too.

This was probably the most frustrating experience in recent memory.

First of all, Gabriel was absolutely 100% checked out socializing at this point, so he fought and squirmed, even after I showed him how the spinner worked. Which he had zero interest in, might I add. So it is just me and Emerald--I can hear Gabriel over on the other side of the room emptying out the toy organizer, which would tick me off if I stopped to think about it, so I focused on getting Emerald to understand the game.

Emerald can easily count to 13, and can read all the numbers (1-6) on the Chutes and Ladders spinner, so I think this should be no problem.

Wrong. =/

She cannot work the spinner...like at all. We try several different methods for her to work it, but she keeps just grabbing the arrow and turning it until it it lands on the number she wants it to be on. Since she doesn't really understand the point of the game, it is not always a high number--not a very efficient little cheater, but A for effort.

About this time she quits listening to me all together, which makes me pretty mad. She isn't interested in talking about the little stories of success and failure on the board; even when she identifies the number correctly on the spinner, she just randomly slams her token however many times she wants on the board instead of moving in any form of rhyme or reason, and no matter how many times I try to explain it to her, she refuses to listen.

It is so frustrating and irritating that I feel my temper waning, so I decide we all need an outdoor break before Daddy gets home for lunch.

Unfortunately, Daddy is not coming home for lunch because he has a busy day and has to work through lunch. The pickle on the crap sandwich that is my day. At least we are enjoying a beautiful day outside.

Emerald is still refusing to listen, and is giving me a good deal of attitude, which does nothing to soothe my all ready fraying nerves. We have a talk, which I am sure she was ignoring every word, and then we try and enjoy the fresh air and relatively quiet day.

Gabriel is being his normal self, albeit a little fussier than usual. But he is doing his signs without prompting and seems to be feeling a bit better, at any rate. They run around and I soak in the sun, when all of a sudden I hear the most grating, jarring noise.

The children have stuffed a metal stick down in the air conditioner unit to try and touch the spinning fan.

Luckily, nothing is broken, but both kids are punished by immediately being brought back into the house and given time-outs. Everyone is tired and cranky and hungry and ready for this day to just stop.

Washing our hands, we all set to making lunch. I make this revolting little grill-cheese/hot dog hybrid for the kids--I melt cheese on a piece of white bread and then roll it all up with a hot dog inside of it so when the cheese sets, they can't pick out the hot dog or the cheese without eating the bread. I don't know why it bothers me so bad that they always leave the bread, but at least this time they were unable to. I personally eat a couple of cheddarwurst sausages and pineapple.

Nap time is still a little ways off, so I ask the kids if they would like to take a walk. Normally, I would load Gabriel into the stroller and Emerald and I would walk, but I want to wear them both out so I opt to make both of them walk today. It was kind of fun--Gabriel got a kick out of being able to walk like a big kid, and I let them have mini races until--once again--they quit listening to me and started doing stupid, dangerous things. We made it around the block twice before Emerald started complaining that her foot hurt, so we come in and lay down.

As it is, Gabriel went right to sleep, but Emerald spent the last two hours scowling at me and telling me how mad and sad I make her. Logically, I know that she is trying to get a rise out of me because she is three and is exerting her independence. Other examples of this include her telling me how and how not to speak to Gabriel, arguing over every little word I say no matter how innocuous, and screeching at me all the time. Emotionally, I am surprisingly hurt by how much anger and resentment I feel coming off from her....all the time. I don't know how to make it better, I don't even know how I made it wrong in the first place. It seems like everything I do is wrong with her, and it is wearying and discouraging.

Anyways, while writing this Emerald FINALLY fell asleep, so I was going to go into the kitchen and set up some ramps and sweep the kitchen because I was hoping we could do some Matchbox car races this afternoon. Maybe Beth and Sarah coming over will help ease the tension as well. Plus, Michael finally has a day off tomorrow, so that is always a plus.

Here's praying for patience....

~Andie~

Web of Spider-Man Issue # 126

The Trial of Peter Parker, Part 1 of 4

The first thing I am noticing is how much more prominent the writer information is on current issues. I am not seeing the name of the writer, artist, inker, colorist, or letterist on the front cover. I can see the artist signature "JR JR" down there, but I don't know who it could be. My first thought was John Romita Jr, but his art style is different than this. Which of course made me think John Romita SR, but it doesn't explain the double JR. Not to mention I think SR was a writer, wasn't he??

Anyways, really digging the simplistic cover--it's straightforward and not over-done, but also not boring or too minimalistic.

First page: Good recap within dialogue, but it makes me wonder why Reilly is making Peter solve the case to clear Peter's name. I know that someone framed Reilly, which in turn led back to Peter, so I imagine that Reilly is feeling responsible for it and not wanting Peter to sit in jail or to stand trial for something he didn't do; but it seems to me that Reilly has more information on Kaine and what is going on so he would be able to track everything down more quickly. Also, doesn't he have all the same abilities and talents and memories as Parker??? With no back story, I can't really say for certain, but it seems that Ben Reilly is a bit more qualified to tackle the "clearing their name" front while Peter sits in jail.

Another question: I bet J. Jonah Jameson is making a big toot about Spider-Man being on trial...well, there is a question: is PETER on trial, or is SPIDER-MAN? Because that kind of makes a difference. My question would have been, how could Spider-Man be caught swinging around the city if he is supposed to be sitting in jail; but if it is Peter that is incarcerated, then this is actually really good for the "Peter is totally not Spider-Man" misdirection. Throw some of the more clever wonderers off his back.

Is this Kaine? Because 1) he looks really badass and 2) I thought he was more of a simpleton...kind of like Bizarro from DC, you know? I didn't know he was actually a formidable opponent.

Kaine is viewed as sort of a "Failed" Peter Parker clone from the jackal, isn't he?? Maybe that's where I got the "he's probably the chromosomally challenged one of the group" from; but failed could just mean that he didn't look quiet right. A proper clone would have to look and act and think like Spider-Man.

Did I mention that I am really digging the artwork? The coloring is not my favorite--it is a little grungier than I like, which was kind of the whole tone of the 1990's, when today we favor the more crisp, clean lines and colors (I am thinking); but the art on the whole is really appealing. It lacks the ambiguity that I find frustrating in some works, and the panels are not overly busy.

I was willing to overlook the "drawn you into my web" cheesy pun, but the "let's see how he likes being blind-sided" was a bit much. Granted, this tone is best suited for Spider-Man, especially older spider-man issues, but it kind of distracts me thinking "Oh. That was kind of silly".

Peter is really drawn buff in this issue and I like it. I have never been a fan of the scrawny little teenage Peter Parker look because it doesn't make sense to me. He is very strong, he should at least LOOK strong, especially when in costume.

I am looking around the audience at the hearing, and I am wondering if that dumpy little woman is supposed to be May Parker. Which also makes me wonder--can she tell the difference between Peter and Ben? She is the closest thing Peter has to a mother, and they say a mother can always tell, so it has kind of made me think.

Okay, several pages in and we finally get the title page, lol.

The writer is Todd Dezago. Haven't heard of him, but actually liking him so far, so it works. They did do this cute "courtroom theme" with it--instead of saying writer, Todd Dezago is listed as "courtroom coverage".

Roy Burdine, "Police artist"

Randy Emberlin and Don Hudson are the "courtroom artists".

There are some other names listed, but none really jump out at me. What surprises me is that I am not familiar with any of these names. I thought I would be.

Also, does "police artist" mean Burdine did that neat cover? Because that doesn't exactly explain the JR JR signature.

I was right--Ben Reilly is experiencing some deep (and, in my opinion, rather unwarranted) remorse for the impact he is having on Peter's life. It is not Ben's fault he was born any more than it is any of ours. And he has tried to do right, tried to be the good guy.

Lol, I get the impression that they just inserted some judge-talk into the scene whether it made sense or not. She said "...overrule such an objection", when no one had even made their opening statements yet.

What is Kaine's beef with Reilly? I would think he would want to be the only spider-man, but he hasn't picked up that mantle and seemed to have no problem with Parker until Peter went snooping around looking for him. It sounds like Kaine set up Ben Reilly for those murders, not fully thinking it through admittedly, but then Reilly led Kaine back to Peter. If Kaine wanted all the other versions of "him" dead, then he would be chasing Peter as well as Ben.

Kaine face-planting the hardwood floor of the dance studio made me laugh really really hard.

Real quick--I don't know who the blonde skank is, but why on earth would she be banging Doc Ock?! Talk about an unattractive man, -shudders-

MJ and the baby...? Was this pre-miscarriage time? I didn't even know when that had happened at all, but if she is pregnant now, it makes sense. I never knew them to have full term child.

Why is Kaine so freaky strong? You'd think he would be comparable to Peter.

Who is Traveller? And before you say "He's a guy that teleports"--figured that one out on my own, friend.

End of the issue! I am going to take a nap and then finish the mini series =)