Re-reads

“New Ways to Die” Was Dan Slott’s First Spider-Classic

Re-reads

I know I’m not the only reader who swore off Spider-Man comics in 2007. When one of your favorite heroes makes a literal deal with the devil, negating a relationship you’ve been invested in for the last 20 years, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

As a result, it was a long time before I read any of the recent Spider-Man titles written by soon-to-depart Spidey author Dan Slott. But over the years, my “outrage” faded. When Brand New Day and Slott-era stories began showing up in my local library and cheap on comiXology, I began picking them up.

One story in particular served as the perfect jumping-on point for Spidey’s new world, smoothing the way from “One More Day” to where we are now. That story also just happened to be Dan Slott’s first big Spidey event, so I thought now would be a perfect time to look back at it.

If you’ve been out of the loop since “One More Day,” and you want to see what Spider-Man’s been up to before June’s upcoming Amazing Spider-Man relaunch, there’s no better place to start than “New Ways to Die.”

Venom Anti-Venom Spidey New Ways to Die - Matt Reads Comics

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A Horrifying Study in Probability – Emily Carroll’s “In Conclusion”

Re-reads

The best horror comics create a feeling of anticipation. A slow, building sense of unease that you know will eventually amount to something terrible. In the next panel, on the next page, the BAD THING is going to happen. And when it does, it will be horrific, but also cathartic. You’ll finally be released from your feeling of dread. You’ll be able to stop turning the pages, imagining what is about to happen, because there will be a settled conclusion. Horror done is less horrific than horror still to come.

Emily Carroll Through the Woods Wide Shot - Matt Reads Comics

The wolf is all around you. He is in the mountains and in the lake and everywhere. But he is not HERE yet.

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Atomic Robo of Mars - Matt Reads Comics

Stephen Hawking Is a Bastard – Re-reading Atomic Robo of Mars

Re-reads

One of my favorite things about Atomic Robo, the action-adventure comic about a wisecracking robot built by Nikola Tesla, is the way the series’s premise lends itself to jumping backward and forward in time.

Robo and Carl Sagan - Atomic Robo of Mars - Matt Reads Comics

To create a robot adventure scientist, one must first invent the universe.

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