Jacob Reviews….Amazing Spider-Man #700

“Amazing Spider-Man’s” 700th issue marked an end of an era as the Spider-Man mantle was passed on to a one-time major nemesis. (Cover by Mr Garcin & Property of Marvel Comics)

By: Jacob Elyachar

Warning! Major spoilers ahead!

Four issues ago, a dying Doctor Octopus did the unthinkable and swapped minds with his legendary adversary: the Amazing Spider-Man.

Trapped inside his longtime opponent’s decaying body, Peter Parker only had 700 minutes to reverse the process so he would not die in Doc Ock’s body.

Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful as he passed away at the end of the issue.  But before he left the world, Peter taught his oldest foe one final lesson: “With great power, comes great responsibly.”   Now seeing his opponent as a true hero, Doc Ock paid his respects to his opponent and vowed to carry on the Spider-Man legacy as the Superior Spider-Man.

This massive conclusion of Amazing Spider-Man was an incredible tale from the first recap page to Peter’s final moments in Doc Ock’s body.    Dan Slott did an incredible job writing this heart-breaking tale that paid homage to the title’s massive history from reuniting Peter with his loved ones in heaven to Doc Ock reliving Spider-Man’s most difficult moments through flashbacks.      I would also want to commend Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba & Edgar Delgado for the impeccable artwork that they provided for the conclusion of “Dying Wish.”

Besides the final Amazing Spider-Man tale, there were two additional stories that were included in the milestone issue.  J.M. DeMatteis and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s moving “Spider Dreams” took fans to an alternative world where Great-Grandpa Martin shared his memories about being a superhero with his adolescent grandson while Jen Van Meter and Stephanie Buscema transported readers to Black Cat’s colorful world.  In addition, fans were able to look at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s NYC Spider-Man Day proclamation, all 700 covers of Amazing & Spidey’s co-creator Stan Lee answering the last batch of fan mail.

Final thoughts and grade: Overall, this issue was well worth the $7.99 price tag and this has been one wild and incredible ride, Mr. Slott!   A+