REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man #698 Posted by Mike on 21/11/2012 · 1 Comment

Written By: Dan Slott

Art By: Richard Elson

Price: $3.99

The end of Spider-Man’s world begins when Doctor Octopus discovers who Peter Parker really is. The prelude to the very last Amazing Spider-Man story is here! Fair warning – spoilers after the cut.

Last chance to turn back…

Because wow. Just wow. I’ll admit I did not see that coming.

As we move into The Amazing Spider-Man‘s very last arc, Dying Wish, we start off with Pete reflecting on recent events in his life and where he wants to go from here. Pretty basic stuff for the first issue in a new arc. And then BAM. The last couple pages hit you. And it changes everything.

Doc Ock has switched places with Peter Parker. I’m assuming it’s some kind of psychic transference as Ock retains all of Peter’s memories (hence the great deal of reflection throughout the issue). So now Ock is Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Pete’s trapped in Ock’s dying body.

On the surface, it really isn’t anything other than your typical body swap. We’ve seen it before, in movies, sitcoms, books, and anywhere else. But it’s the context and the sudden reveal that makes it brilliant. Go back, re-read it and now every line means something totally different.

Now this is sure to anger some hardcore Spidey fans. But I have faith in Slott. He’s the one that dulled the pain of One More Day and eased the transition into Brand New Day, after all.

How the twist ending ties into Superior Spider-Man remains to be seen. After all, there’s still two more issues to go. And there’s still a lot of questions to be answered. Slott has mentioned that the Spider-Man in the new series won’t be Peter Parker. So will it be Doc Ock in Peter’s body? Is Peter-In-Doc Ock really dead? And how does the golden octobot play into things?

Well played, Dan Slott. A masterfully crafted issue that’ll no doubt leave just about every reader speculating for the next few weeks.

Score: 9.5