Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the Best Mid-2000s Spider-Man Stories!
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2019
“The Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War” collects “Amazing Spider-Man” nos. 532-538 written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Ron Garney. Though the story intersects with the larger Civil War storyline, one need not have read that to understand what's going on here. Spider-Man, with his support of Tony Stark in the wake of the Stamford Incident, followed by his realization that the attempt to prevent another attack had corrupted the values of the country, plays a key role in the Civil War crossover and Straczynski brilliantly writes these tie-in issues so that Spidey's moral wrangling drives the story and helps ground it. From a creative standpoint, the decision for Spider-Man to reveal his secret identity was interesting as it opened up a host of new storytelling possibilities. Many characters are more supportive of Peter and his family, while others, like J. Jonah Jameson, feel betrayed. Things build to a head when the Kingpin puts a hit on Spider-Man and his family for revenge, leading to Aunt May's mortal wounding. Unfortunately, in an effort to resolve that, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada would retcon out Peter and MJ's marriage, one of the strengths of Straczynski's writing and the previous two decades of the comics. Quesada's betrayal comes later, however. This volume also features the oft-quoted "No, you move" speech from Captain America.
