The Amazing Spider-Man: The Fantastic Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man (1999) (Collected Editions) #42

by Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, Christos Gage

The Sinister Six vs. Spider-Man and the FF - and by FF, we mean the entire Future Foundation! Know what's not a good place for children, even super-powered kids? A full-scale battle with the world's deadliest super villains! It's not "Bring Your Kids to Work" Day, it's not a field trip, and it's definitely not a game! This is a high-stakes battle, and there's no way it will end well. Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #658-662.



Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 8/24/2011 Pages: 160 Reading Level: Age 9 and Up

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Spider Man, Marvel, Comic Book, Superheroes, Comics Manga

160 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2011

About the author

Dan Slott is an American comic book writer, the current writer on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, and is best known for his work on books such as Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Superior Spider-Man, and Ren & Stimpy.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a difference a capable writer makes.

Compare Dan Slott’s Spider-Man/Fantastic Four story with Christos Gage’s Spider-turn and you can see the fine line between a fun, well-written story and a-just-quite-doesn’t-cut-it Spider-run.

Any writer that can throw together references to Scooby Doo, one of the worst Fantastic Four stories ever (Ben Grimm as Blackbeard the pirate), getting a Green Goblin tattoo while drunk and the Invisible Girl's Woman's revenge on a mime, and - make it work - is okay in my book.



It’s easy to see why Slott was given the reins to the Spider-Man books; his Superior Spider-Man was one of best Spider-Man runs in decades.

Christos Gage – Meh. He took what on paper could have been a storyline with terrific potential (Spider-Man becomes a substitute teacher for the “troubled” kids class at the Avengers Academy.), and just churns out another “With great powers come great responsibility” throwaway. The Welcome Back, Kotter cover to the first issue promised great things, but…

Bottom line: Read Slott’s story. Skip the rest.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was good for a FF/Spidey team-up!

I'm not really sure about the details that go along with how he ended up on the team, though. I knew that at some point Johnny had died...not sure how/why. And I knew that he had asked Peter to take his spot.
But that's all, because I've never read the story that goes along with it. In fact, I'm not even sure how I picked up that random piece of information to start with, because I rarely read anything with the Fantastic Four in it.
Huh.

So the parts with the FF (now known as the Future Foundation), were kind of cool. Even though they're always mixed up in that wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. Which is fun, but I can't take anything they do seriously because of it.
Sorry.

I really loved the story with Ghost Rider! That was probably my favorite. The issue with Spider-Man taking over as a sub at the Avengers Academy was also pretty good, considering I'm not crazy about those guys.
The last story about the ex-con (can't remember his name) was awfully sweet.
sniffle
Awwww!

So, yeah.
I recommend this one if you're in the market for a team-up book.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm again picking up on random events in the Marvel Universe by reading trade paperbacks. Apparently the Human Torch died? And Spider-Man lost his spidey-sense?

This volume collects one three-issue run in which Spider-Man joins the Fantastic Four, which is now the Future Foundation, and a two-issue run in which Spider-Man substitute teaches for the Avenger's Academy, plus a couple of side stories, one of which teams up Spider-Man with the Ghost Rider in a lackluster tale about a demon trying to repossess the Ghost Rider's bike, and another about Peter Parker trying to redeem a small-time criminal that Spider-Man put away years ago.

The Fantastic Four issues were the best: there was a great mix of humor and adventure, with much wise-cracking. The Avenger's Academy tie-in was mildly entertaining, though once again there's an expendable batch of newbie superheroes I don't know or care about.

I have always been a fan of Spidey and the FF, and this book had a little of the old Marvel flavor, but none of the stories were stand-out. Also, I thought Spider-Man had progressively matured over the years, and he should be acting like a veteran now; he's a pro. Still wisecracking, of course, but there is a reason why he's now a member of both the Avengers and the FF. And meanwhile he has an "adult" job at Horizon Labs. Not the insecure man-child he was in most of these issues, acting almost like a teenager.

Enjoyable light superhero fare, but nothing epic or brilliant.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story with the fantastic four didnt work that well with me. Slotts writing is far superior when compared to others on Spidey though.

[Frédéric · Rating 1 out of 5]

... I suppose I should find these stories amusing. As my friend Roger M. used to say, "I'm too old for this shit."

Pete is included in what remains of the FF, and apparently he only has three brain cells left. I'm scratching my head and can't find it funny. And I'm not even talking about the collection of weird kids that the FF are hosting, who all seem to me to be potential sociopaths.
The second arc is Spidey as a teacher for a bunch of uninteresting clowns. I finished the book 10 minutes ago and I've already forgotten the plot!

The back-ups are generally abysmally awful.

[Μιχάλης · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ο Spiderman μέλος των FF και δάσκαλος σε νεαρούς Avengers. Μετριότατο.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spidey as a full-fledged member of the FF is pretty rad, man. I'm always not-so-secretly thrilled when Parker gets his science-geek on, and we get a few flashes of his intellectual chops here alongside the grandmaster Reed. (Wouldn't a rap-off between Mister Fantastic and the Amazing Spidey-O be hilarious? Give that one to Van Lente, puh-leeze!)

The FF adventures here are pretty fun and don't take themselves too seriously, which is good considering how much weight they throw on Puny Parker's shoulders when they keep bringing up who's been lost to make room or Spidey. Geez, you'd think the dude had something to do with Johnny's temporary death - is there a Catholic priest in the house to pile on a little more?

Aside: I may have gotten a little too excited when I saw what Carlie did to "get back" at Peter. (shudder...) I am such a sucker for...that sort of thing.

What I'm NOT a sucker for - not a fan in any way of - is giving Christos Gage any more pages to screw up. Bad enough he's ruined Avengers Academy with his overlong monologues and explain-it-to-me-like-I'm-an-eighteenth-century-five-year-old-explanations - why you gotta make me wade through a completely unnecessary and painfully after-school-special "very special episode" of brutally-obvious teen angst and overplayed "you can overcome this - I believe in you" garbage? If I wanted to put myself through this kind of pain, I'd just sign up for a Tony Robbins seminar. At least I'd be left with a little dignity at the end.

Seriously - we actually get the "you don't screw up Spidey - I really learned something today!" speeches at the end of this bird-cafe liner. Oh. My. God. MIKE SMASH.

Thankfully they included a few backup stories to wash that fecal taste down, including an emotionally genuine story about Magnetic Man and an amusing if transparently promotional Ghost Rider launch.

Art in this collection had more creators than a freakin cattle call so I can't even begin to render a verdict, but Pulido and Caselli do pretty damned well with such a short runway.

Four stars for some great tales around the smoking AA crater, but I gotta dock them for that shite.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit and Miss...liked the parts that show Spidey is a brain, alongside Reed, when others are like 'I didn't know he was smart'.
Also liked that he keeps cracking wise.
VERY much liked the Ghost Rider 'story', obviously for a new Ghost Rider series, but...Hell yes. (pun intended).
Sinister Six baddies, very fun.

Didn't love the story with Peter teaching all the Avengers Academy kids and the tone of that.
Some of the FF stuff is silly, and Sue/Ben really shit on PP for the fact that he's not Johnny, even though he's pretty valuable to them, I disliked that Sue would be so angry, though Ben I get. (But I hate when he's stereotypical dumb strongman).
The FF kids I don't usually care for either, but oh well.
It's entertaining, and there's some good stuff...a mixed bag but worth a look for FF and Spidey fans.

[Tesutamento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Derleme hikayelerden oluşan ciltler hep üzücü oluyor. Bir hikaye güzelse diğeri muhakkak kötü yazılmış oluyor. Bir çizer hünerlerini gösterirken bir başkası alakasız bir çizim yöntemiyle kendinden soğutuyor. Bu ciltte de durum tam olarak bu. FF hayranı olmasam muhtemelen daha düşük bir puan verirdim.

Human Torch'un ölümünden sonra kurulan Future Foundation yanlarına Spider-Man'i de alıp Fantastic Four seviyesi maceralara çıkıyor. Spider-Man yer yer Mr. Fantastic'in olağanüstü zekasıyla aşık atmaya çalışıyor, kimi zaman The Thing ile arkadaşlık ediyor, kimi zaman da Invisible Woman tarafından ablalık taslanıyor. Dörtlünün dinamikleri güzel. Hikaye kendini çok ciddiye almıyor, FF üyeleri olsa da Spider-Man sayısı olduğunu hissettiriyor.

Sonra Spider-Man'in Avengers Academy'deki problemli çocuklara öğretmenlik yaptığı bir macera geliyor. Baştan aşağı çok sıkıcı. Diyaloglar ve olaylar ilgi çekicilikten çok uzak.

Bundan sonra da Ghost Rider ve motoruyla alakalı bir hikaye var ki tabuta son çiviyi çakıyor.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trade contains Amazing Spider-Man issues #658-662.

After the heroic sacrifice and demise of a dear friend, Spider-Man honors his memory and wishes by taking his place in the Fantastic Four (renamed the Future Foundation). The first three issues focus on Peter's adventures with the FF, first in an issue showing a variety of missions and generally introducing the new dynamics, and then in a two-issue story featuring some old villains with new agendas.

I have mixed feelings about these issues. Slot's dialog, a couple of twists and "in the moment" character beats are great. But the actual unfolding story was frustrating. Things happen coincidentally and characters have odd reactions depending on what the plot needs, rather than everything building logically and organically. Felt to me like he was trying too hard here. The result is a decent read that should have been better.

The next two issues feature Spider-Man acting as a substitute teacher for Avengers Academy. This isn't anything particularly memorable or original, and they really hammer Spidey's mantra into the ground, but it's a fun adventure that makes good use of it's characters and let's Peter revisit a past part of his life in a different way.

The trade ends with shorter tales that were back ups in the collected issues. The dialog-less Just Another Day and the Magnetic Man short were fine. The Ghost Rider team up decidedly meh.

The art is solid. I don't personally care for Pulido's style, but it's done well for those who do. Caselli and McKone's work was my favorite of the trade. With six different artists involved things look quite different from story to story.

So overall The Fantastic Spider-Man is an ok collection. Nothing mind blowing or worth too much effort to track down but not really anything bad either.

[William Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like Chris Claremont on the X-Men and Frank Miller on Daredevil, Slott is carving put his niche in comics history with what is arguably the greatest run in Spider-Man history.

I've never been a big Spider-Man fan, but I've always read the books because the stories and villains (even when they're the hardcore B listers) are almost always guaranteed to entertain. With Slott, we get a supremely gifted architect who brings both classic appeal and modern story telling to the Amazing Spider-Man book. And although Spider-Man's formula couldn't be more simple, it's a surprise how many people really @&$? It up. You take one part private life and one part super-heroing and turn it into a juggling act and viola! A great web-slinging book is born. Slott manages to give us enough of everything older fans of the book enjoyed through the Silver Age while coupling it with modernized story-telling techniques and we have an absolutely enjoyable read from star to finish.

It doesn't hurt that this book is filled to the brim with guest appearances, especially from my favorite new-ish team, Avengers Academy.

The only thing it needed was an artist that could work on it for more than 2 issues at a time. Different styles created a chasm in the middle of arcs that seemed to separate and divide the story from itself.

Writing: A
Art: B

[Harrison Delahunty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a bit of a letdown after the surprisingly excellent “Big Time” and “Matters of Life and Death.”

Though I think Slott always has a really solid handle on Spidey/FF stories, his attempt here falls more flat than normal (which could very easily have something to do with Van Lente’s contribution, who knows).

In general, this collection feels much more disjointed than the last couple and gives off BND vibes: shorter, less satisfying stories done by random grab-bags of creative teams where Spider-Man bumbles around more than he gets things right. This is somewhat alleviated by the narrative device of having removed Peter’s spider-sense, but all this really proves is that that’s not all that interesting of an idea.

All that said, the stories are still serviceable enough and not painful. Both Javier Pulido and Stefano Caselli deliver their usual high caliber of artwork, with Pulido providing my personal highlight of the book, “Just Another Day.” Reilly Brown also does a fine job on the Christos Gage story.

At worst, this volume is fine but really never stretches any higher than that.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spidey is in the Future Foundation now—the renamed and reoutfitted Fantastic Four (after the death of a key member). This trade really does fall into the territory of a “romp”—light and breezy approach to big adventure stories, with one-dimensional menace on display. In that sense the main story feels more like a Future Foundation story with Spidey involved… which is really what it is. The backup stories are fine, if not exactly memorable.

Overall this volume isn’t great, isn’t bad, and ultimately isn’t memorable. For completists only.

[Sevki · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rolling up to 3. Although I always liked F4 and their adventures, something was missing. I did not enjoy the arc as much as I thought I would. The quality was low. And the next arc, Peter teaching and suddenly the villain emerges... Mediocre at best. The main reason for my 3 stars is that the Ghost Rider / Spidey team-up chapter had good humor. I laughed a lot, and realized I missed this. Hope next volumes will have more laughable moments as well.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Amazing Spider-Man (2) #658-662 (June 2011-July 2011). Johnny Storm is dead and now Spider-Man is a member of the Fantastic Four…or actually the Future Foundation. Being a scientist, an Avenger, and now a member of the FF pulls Peter’s already strained time in more directions…and his secret life could catch up to his relationship with Carlie. Plus, it’s a throwdown with the Psycho Man as Spider-Man stands in as a substitute for the Avengers Academy.

Written by Dan Slott with back-up stories by Fred Van Lente, Christos Gage, Paul Benjamin, Frank Tieri, and Rob Williams, Spider-Man: The Fantastic Spider-Man is a follow-up to Spider-Man: Matters of Life and Death. The collection features art by Javier Pulido, Stefano Caselli, Reilly Brown, Javier Rodriguez, and Lee Garbett and the issues were also collected as part of Spider-Man: Big Time—The Complete Collection Volume 1.

This is a better entry in Dan Slott’s run because I actually rather like Spider-Man as a member of the FF. Spider-Man initially “auditioned” for the Fantastic Four in his first issue and his science aspect always seemed closer to Reed Richards than anyone on the Avengers. The last volume of Spider-Man was rather somber, but this collection is on the lighter side.

The storytelling is really aided by Javier Pulido’s throwback art on a few of the issues. While the other artists in the collection don’t do a bad job, Javier captures the feeling and essence of Spider-Man better than many recent artists. It combines modern art with vintage comic book art to make something feel entirely new.

As far as the story goes, it is a light romp. While I liked the FF issues and Peter’s attempt to fit in with a pre-existing family, the actual story with the pirates/faux Sinister Six/real Sinister Six was a bit convoluted, but I can forgive that because of the FF aspect. The Avengers Academy story felt like build up for a big nothing. I liked Spider-Man’s interactions with the kids, but the Psycho Man battle felt like a waste (especially since it was set up issues before).

I’d like to see more of Spider-Man in the FF, but I also would like him to scale back his activities to a realistic level. Spider-Man has always been thrown in for guest appearances and cameos when logically it doesn’t always make sense, but it also seemed like it was because there were more writers involved. With Slott’s big control over Spider-Man’s “destiny”, I’d like the idea of being spread so thin be more of an aspect of the story…what happens if they need something at Horizon Labs when he’s gone for a week on an adventure with the FF? What does Carlie say when he gets a broken arm in a battle with the Avengers? These are the problems I’ve always liked Spider-Man to deal with and I would love to see a “real world” Spider-Man face these issues. Spider-Man: The Fantastic Spider-Man is followed by Spider-Man: The Return of Anti-Venom.

[Arda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always thought Spider-Man as a honorary member of the FF and new he became an official one. Well not exactly the Fantastic Four’s but rather the Future Foundation’s. The science centered interactions between Reed and Peter is so natural and enjoyable. He fits the team so well. Also when they visited a future timeline, Peter wanted to use the scientific discoveries of that era to improve his work at lab. But Reed made Peter promise that he will never use any of this information and let the science of his timeline evolve organically. To these characters knowledge is power and with great power… You know the rest. This is a beautiful moment about Peter’s beliefs and I really dig that.
My other favorite moment is Peter making a job offer to ex-criminal Magnetic Man to use his technology for good. It really shows Peter’s way of fighting evil. He just not punchs bad guy and puts them in jail. He tries to talk to them and help them.
All of the artists in this volume were great but I wanted to highlight the short story by Paul Benjamin and Javier Pulido. Pulido’s art was my favorite on this specific volume.
The Avengers Academy story was fine but the second half kinda bored me. And the Ghost Rider one was a straight snooze-fest.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Spider-Man is not only an Avenger but a member of the FF (Future Foundation) as well? Oh brother. In all honesty, it reads pretty well, even if Spider-Man being on all of these teams and everywhere else at once is pushing the boundaries of believability. Does he now possess the ability to bend space and time so that he can fit in all of these titles? It's getting to be so DC.

This book has some great artwork going on. Stefano Caselli's continually improving pencils, Mike McKone's godlike artwork, and Reilly Brown's wonderful renderings make this a delight to the eyes. I am unfamiliar with Brown's artwork, but am looking forward to seeing more of it. I love stumbling upon a previously unknown quantity like this. It gives me great hope for the future of the medium.

Kudos once again to the always enjoyable Dan Slott. He's a comic book fan's comic book writer. Who else would bother inserting C-listers like the Psycho Man into an arc and make it a worthwhile read? Slott is also stacking the house of cards that is Peter Parker's social life, and I have a feeling that the fallout will be nasty.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny Storm has died but before he did he chose Spider-Man to replace him as a member of the Fantastic Four. Considering Spider-Man has wanted to join the Fantastic Four since the first issue of his original self-titled comic, he was happy to agree (although technically he join the Future Foundation because they retired the name Fantastic Four in Johnny's memory).

The dynamic between Peter and Reed, Sue, and Ben is pretty great. They do a good job of encouraging him and pointing out his massive self-esteem problems. It's a cute comic.

Also, the final issue concludes with a short backup story by Frank Tieri called "The Choice." It's really good.

[Douglas Cosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike many superhero graphic novels, this one has at least 4 different, unrelated stories; so this is really just a collection of sequential issues, not some big story arc. The Slott FF stuff is good (because it's Slott), but the other stories are just average. And to be fair even the Slott story feels like it ended just when it was building up steam. A few fun scenes, always fun to see a FF/Spider team-up, but not something I would recommend. Three stars just because I love Slott and Spidey, probably really a two.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun with this one! Spider-Man is now a part of the Fantastic Four team, and they go on some adventures, seeing some familiar faces along the way. Personally, I thought the substitute storyline was a fun call back, even if they weren't the best written issues of the volume. I liked how they connected to Peter's past life.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice volume. Maybe I expected more about this Spidey + FF merge, but... I don't know, it was still pretty nice to read. Also, "The Substitute" arch was fantastic, and even though it's not one of the best volumes in this series, overall level is good.

[Richard Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable chunk of Dan Slott's run on Spidey with a visit to Avengers Academy in there. Good stuff.

[Nathaniel Tortorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly love Dan Slott as a writer. Great writing, not so great art.

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really fun

[Eldon Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of the better volumes in the series. Too many guest stars and not enough story.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as FF focused as I hoped.

[jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 is a pretty good average rating for this because i had 0 clue what was going on because it just kept changing but peter is as usual enjoyable and hilarious

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

yes leaving your "best superhero pal" your entire family in your will is extremely platonic and not at all homoerotic

(not enough fantastic four; i still cried)

[Youssef · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4

[Thomas Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty unremarkable team-up story here, but I did like the bit where invisible woman bullies a mime.