Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Coming Home Paperback – December 1, 2001

Through the long-running and storied history of the Marvel Universe, the highly recognized and sometimes misunderstood mythos of our friendly neighborhood superhero, Spider-man, has been the basis of many story plots, ranging from the clone saga to the more recent Spider-man movies. So for Straczynski to create a satisfying and entertaining story walking through that beaten, treaded path is a feat not to be underestimated.He didn't just bring back accounts of Spider-man's mythos (or past for that matter) but he went one step further by challenging the assumptions many, including probably even past creators of the book, have taken for granted. Technical aspects of the radioactive spider who bit Peter gets expounded in a great way, with Straczynski putting forth a bold and audacious dialogue between Peter and Ezekiel, the new guy in the block who just so happens to possess the same powers as Spider-man's.The ideas are pretty complex, even with the light and playful atmosphere displayed at times, but they were handled with such concise and yet flavorful stylishness that it seems Straczynski has been doing this for years and not mere weeks. There is no question as to the veteran scribe's knowledge being lavished upon most of the more critical dialogue scenes. How can one not be intrigued with an idea implying that the Spider could be passing on his powers to Peter before dying to the radiation rather than the radiation itself being the source?If that somehow influences public perception to see this book as overly technical and thus boringly tedious, think again. Straczynski applied a soft touch, perhaps as a much-needed balance to the information-laden sections, to the more kinetic action scenes as well. Could anyone else have done as well as having a lady, taken hostage, scream at the sight of the often shocking and extraordinary Spider-man? Could such delicate inferences be made at the rate of three pages each?But it seems Straczynski never had a problem achieving such quality in his pants-on-fire writing, where the reader can no doubt see the hungry passion overflowing from every page of this trade paperback. The Babylon-5 creator pours so much effort into the first arc of his run as if he would be losing the book right after. Just bask at the absolute brilliance of the few but oh so poignant and delicately done Aunt May scenes, and understand just how much of a good first story (and Spider-man story) this is.That is without the shocking conclusion taken into account even. That is how smooth, warm, smart and hard-hitting, the writing in here feels, like a roller-coaster ride that will surely climax into a mind-numbing peak.

J. Michael Stracynzski might just be one of the best writers to grace the ASM series. The only two storylines I really didn’t care for from him were butchered by executive meddling(Sins Past and One More Day). Thankfully, this volume takes place quite some time before either of those events, and its sets up his overarching stories with Peter Parker perfectly, from his bittersweet attempts to reconcile with MJ, to his time as a school teacher, to the Spider-Totem antics, to even—well, I’ll have to leave that one unspoiled. I implore any Spider-Man enthusiast to read this and more of Straczynski’s run.

This is my first Spider man comic and it was a good first experience and good first spider man read I would recommend

Incredibly well packed, item is in pristine condition, and I am very happy

This is Spider-Man at his best, maybe not prime or nostalgic Spider-Man but certainly his best. A new twist on his origin story, an unstoppable villain that can only be defeated by Spidey's brain, a twist ending and a million other things going on. This is a must read for any Spidey Fan!!!

I really enjoyed this volume from the beginning to the end. Sometimes when I read comic volumes I can get a little bored of the story towards the end but that didn't happen with this book that's why I gave it 5 stars. The art was great the villain is admittedly forgettable however J. Michael Straczynski nailed it when writing Peter Parker. Overall it is 100% worth the money I paid.

Very good story with original thinking. Action, excitement, adventure all rolled into one. Highly recommended for all the spidey fans out there.

This is hailed as one of the best Spider-Man stories since Fearful Symmetry. It's quite apt if only because a lot of 90s Spider-Man was absolute dross.We get an exciting new character in Ezekiel who makes perhaps the best entrance of any character EVER. Spidey goes on a mindless rampage against an empty building! Marvelous! We get a nice look at NYC; this is as much a "Spidey as the guardian of NYC"-story as there's ever been. The insight to his powers (and the supposed relationship between Spidey and foes like the Lizard, Rhino, Vulture, etc) is pretty cool. On the overall atmosphere of this story its a great one. And the humour is on point.If Disney is wondering about stories to adapt for films this is one they should be looking at.Things I DIDN'T LIKE:1) Peter Should Be DEAD Halfway Through. It's well established that he's strong, but not THAT strong and he's not invulnerable. "I've been fighting him for 12 hours" That's just impossible giving the damage hes sustained. Doesn't even go to the hospital or the Night Nurse or anything by the end.2) Apparently, He's The Only Superhero in NYC: The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men, even Daredevil --- they're absolutely NOWHERE TO BE FOUND during all the mayhem Morlun is causing. Doctor Strange should be able to notice Morlun the INSTANT he enters the city. But he's MIA as well. There's not even any COPS who try to take him on! No Swat Team, No Code Blue, No Hulkbusters, NO NOTHING. It's thoroughly unbelievable.3) Ezekiel Sims is this fantastically wealthy guy with an (unnamed ) multi-national company and a huge skyscraper in Manhattan and...PETER HAS NEVER HEARD OF HIM. This is a guy who, even if he likes keeping a low profile, would at least occasionally be on the front pages of the Daily Bugle and in Time, Forbes, Wall St Journal, etc. This was really hard to buy.4) Fight scenes are great -- the overall art is, only JRJR can do brutality like this justic -- but Spider-man would NEVER spend so much time hitting Morlun with his bare fists after seeing that it does nothing. Going back to my first point, his knuckles would be reduced to jelly. The Hulk, The Juggernaut...he never spends a ton of time going toe to toe with superior beings.