"THE COMING OF KA-ZAR!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Layouts: John Romita Sr./Penciller: Don Heck/Inker: Mike Esposito/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: Spider-Man wanders the streets of New York, seeking some clue to his identity, and little suspecting that he will soon be facing the legendary Ka-Zar in battle...
Review: We get a couple of standalone issues before leaping into the next big multi-issue storyline, and this first one is very much the weaker of the two, at least in my opinion. It has several good ideas in it, and is far from a bad outing for the web-head, but it doesn't really grab me in the same way that recent issues have, and is easily the worst issue of ASM since #49.
Still, as I say, there are some real positives. Spidey still has no memory of who he is, and in my opinion, this is handled much better in this issue than it was in the last one. I think that mainly has to do with the fact that Issue #56 was the finale to a four-part story, and so it comes as a bit of a let-down that Spider-Man himself takes a more passive role whilst other people save the day. This issue, on the other hand, is almost entirely self-contained, and thus we can truly appreciate how vulnerable Peter is as he swings aimlessly, not getting any closer to remembering who he is, or even where he might live. Seeing Spider-Man forced to sleep rough in Grand Central Station is a disquieting moment enough, but even more tense is the scene in which Jameson - in one of his most devious schemes ever - almost cons Spidey into removing his mask by trying to persuade him that the two of them are friends. There's a similar scene with Ock in the previous issue, but once again, I feel that it's more effective here because Spider-Man hasn't even fought anyone at this point in the issue; all he can do is run and hide, and we really get a sense of how helpless he is.
Not only that, but we get to see the effect that Peter's disappearance has on his friends and family. Aunt May is obviously worried sick - literally, for her panic over her nephew's whereabouts puts her in the hospital - whilst Harry is beginning to regret the anger he's been feeling towards his roommate lately - told you that subplot went nowhere. There's an incredibly convoluted moment when Harry discovers a spider tracer inside Peter's wardrobe, and instead of deducing the obvious from this, he concludes that Spider-Man must have kidnapped Peter; you feel like slapping your hand against your forehead in exasperation at his utter stupidity. However, we do get some more enjoyable scenes with John Jameson and Captain Stacy, plus we get to see Gwen turn up to get distraught over Peter's vanishing act; a clear sign of how she really feels about him by this point.
Where the issue starts to come apart for me is with its guest star. Regular readers will know that I'm not much of a fan of pitting Spider-Man up against other superheroes just for the sake of it, and that's exactly what happens in this issue. There's no real reason for Spidey and Ka-Zar to fight each other, and the way the jungle man is introduced in the issue is a bit too similar to Kraven's introduction back in ASM #15; Stan isn't doing himself any favours by reminding me of a much better story. As a side note, I've never been much of a fan of Ka-Zar either, so the whole fight scene leaves me pretty cold, and whilst Don Heck's finishes are an improvement on those he provided in ASM Annual #3, they still lack the power of pure Romita pencils. Unfortunately, Romita is going to be a bit intermittent on the book from now on, only providing layouts/breakdowns and the cover art, whilst other artists do the finished pencils. Sometimes it looks great, and sometimes...not so much. This issue is pretty average.
ASM #57 is not a standout issue, but it has enough good ideas, mainly in its first half, that keep it afloat. It also has a pretty fantastic final panel that leaves us with yet another cliff-hanger. The title really is becoming more serialised now, and I for one love the approach; more than ever the book is feeling like a superhero-themed soap opera, where each issue picks up where the previous one left off. Also, I have to ask: does anyone else think it's weird how easily the amnesiac Spider-Man is able to web-swing? Surely such a task is something that takes a great deal of practice to master, and he's forgotten that he even makes the webbing himself, let alone how to use it. I suppose you could say that it's an instinctive act, but you'd think he would at least be a bit taken aback by the whole thing.
Rating: 3/5
Next time, the web-head regains his memories just as Spencer Smythe makes a return, with a new Spider-Slayer in tow...
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