You’d think after all these years, after all the fights, deaths and screw ups, that “Stormin’†Norman Osborn would realize that his son, Harry, is destined for a life of mediocrity.
For some, that wouldn’t be too bad a thing- living life paycheck to paycheck like every other average person, but for Father Osborn, to see his only son Harry congregating with the “normies,†it’s an unavoidable disaster.
Typical of the parent who will never let go, Osborn puts the wheels in motion and creates a situation that changes the Spider-Man series in a plethora of ways, but further cements two notions: this is one father/son combination that will never see eye to eye and regardless of the situation, Harry and Peter’s fates will always be intertwined.
All that and perhaps that Malice is freakishly hot for a crazy dame with horns on her head.
With this, the premise for “American Son,†a Spider-Man trade written by Joe Kelly, which collects issues 595-599 of Amazing Spider-Man, readers get treated to a tale that feels retro in setting, but chic in style and delivery. Remember, the events that unfolded in “Brand New Day†changed the series forever and seeing little things like Peter and Harry talking still make older comic book fans feel like they’re teenagers again. That, combined with scenes of Peter talking to Gwen Stacy’s tombstone and seeking out help from the Fantastic 4, give this an old-school feel that is sure to hook nostalgic-hungry fans.
However, after seeing the “new†Norman, the inclusion of the “Dark†Avengers and J. Jonah Jamison as the mayor of New York City, you’ll quickly understand that Kelly has put together something very fun and off the wall that still manages to feel like the Spidey many of us grew up with.
Behind Kelly’s pen and art work by Phil Jimenez, which, too, has a late ’70s, early ’80s look to it, you have an excellent miniseries that forces you to turn the page. Jimenez, like Kelly does a great job of channeling the things that make the series a classic and yet manages to push a few buttons of his own that put a stamp on this tale. Great use of splash pages and perspective get Jimenez a thumbs up on his work here, but his ability to keep emotions high during the battles and witty and cheeky at others make the entire collection come together and flow magnificently.
Even the questionable artistic developments in the tale, such as the costume for the American Son, which looks like something out of a “Robocop†flick, nevertheless continues to push the notion that Norman’s goals for his son are as outlandish as they are selfish.
That alone makes the end justify the means and make this collection worth picking up.
Seeing Kelly and Jimenez work so splendidly together on this work makes one think that in spite of the outcry from hardcore fans, that feel their friendly neighborhood hero has been tainted and forever changed, the revamped Spider-Man series is still an engaging one with plenty of room to grow.
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