Blogs Tagged “Annual”

• Crawling Back: Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions Review—Nathan, 12.27.2022
  Marvel's first limited series/crossover event and its follow up remain narratively frustrating and forced, despite some fantastic art and action sequences
• Crawling Back: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Review—Nathan, 02.26.2022
  Despite some recently revealed narrative issues, this annual remains a nostalgic, nerdy favorite that forms the foundation for my comic book collection
• Spider-view: “Spidey’s Totally Tiny Adventure”—Nathan, 01.30.2022
  A main narrative stronger than prior annual stories is only the appetizer for several powerful back-up strips from acclaimed writers and artists
• Spider-view: “Atlantis Attacks”—Nathan, 07.06.2021
  Though an improvement over Marvel's 1988 crossover, this event arc still struggles to find solid footing as it bobbles some important plot points
• Spider-view: “The Evolutionary War”—Nathan, 05.18.2021
  Strong standalone issues don't add up to an excellent narrative overall, but several backup stories weave together for a fantastic background tale
• Spider-view: “The Honeymoon”—Nathan, 03.30.2021
  A decent first half can't save the rest of this annual as a master storyteller tries too much with too little space
• Spider-view: “The Secrets of Spider-Man”—Nathan, 03.27.2021
  A handful of interesting facts can't cover over this biographical annual's many weak points
• Spider-view: “The Wedding”—Nathan, 03.18.2021
  Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson say "I do" in an ASM annual that lovingly defies the current status quo
• Spider-view: “Man of the Year”—Nathan, 02.23.2021
  A genuinely entertaining annual that uses wit and imagination to craft fun takes on old tropes
• Spider-view: “Ace II”—Nathan, 02.19.2021
  The sequel to Peter David's original annual fares a tad better than its predecessor, but that still isn't saying much
• Spider-view: “Wake Me Up, I Gotta be Dreaming”—Nathan, 02.16.2021
  A strong central story helps wash down a somewhat disjointed backup strip that fumbles an interesting premise
• Spider-view: “Fun’n’Games”—Nathan, 02.09.2021
  A new villain and kooky plot make for an entertaining annual, boosted by some nice references to recent continuity
• Spider-view: “Ace”—Nathan, 02.03.2021
  Peter David presents a somewhat unabalanced narrative as he tries fashioning a stand-out, gripping main character
• Spider-view: “Give Me a Hand, Future Max”—Nathan, 02.01.2021
  Ann Nocenti's standalone contribution is well-executed, even if some of the details get overshadowed by the narrative
• Spider-view: “The Scorpion Takes a Bride” (Alien Costume Saga, Part 26)—Nathan, 12.29.2020
  Stan Lee's brief return to Spidey-dom is a celebratory blend of old and new
• Spider-view: “Memory Lane” (Alien Costume Saga, Part 17)—Nathan, 11.29.2020
  A fun standalone issue hones in on the hitherto unknown childhood years of one Aunt May
• Spider-view: “The Collected Spider-Man” (Alien Costume Saga, Part 15)—Nathan, 11.10.2020
  A frantic team-up tale holds only a small candle to a well-developed, surprisingly relatable backup narrative
• Spider-view: “The Hunters and the Hunted” (Cloak and Dagger, Part 5)—Nathan, 06.22.2020
  Founded on familiarity, this Marvel Team-Up annual nonetheless dovetails nicely with Cloak and Dagger's limited series