Dan Slott’s ‘Spider-Island’ might have had its climactic close last issue in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #672 but this issue’s epilogue must not be missed. The wrap-up tale begins with the heroes (mostly naked heroes by the way) cleaning up NYC in the aftermath of the entire city turning into mutant spiders in addition to a Godzilla-sized spider tearing up downtown.

We get hints as to the fates of the no-longer-Anti-Venom Eddie Brock as well as spider-clone Kaine. We get to see how NYC’s attitude towards Spider-Man has changed in the aftermath of the infestation. But most importantly, and this is a minor spoiler so skip this last sentence if you wish… Spider-Man’s ability to hide his identity through spells in the aftermath of One More Day has come to an end!

After reading this issue, I went back and did a quick skimming re-read of the entire ‘Spider-Island’ story and I think that Dan Slott may have just written one of the best Spider-Man tales that I’ve read in a long time. He made me happy by managing to weave in a lot of Spider-Man’s past and mythology. Better yet, he managed to do so in a way that didn’t make the story inaccessible to new readers. He gave us a rousing and fun Spidey arc that gave a little page time to most of the fan favorite characters. And, amidst all the over-the-top action, ‘Spider-Island’ managed to switch up the status quo of the Spidey-verse in such a way that there’s room for a slew of new and interesting stories to come out of this. As a fan, I couldn’t be happier with the storytelling. Slott is my new favorite Spidey writer and, if Marvel is smart, they’ll keep him on this title for as long as they can.

In the art department, I was rather sad to see that Humberto Ramos has left us as of this issue and handed the reigns over to Stefano Caselli. However, Caselli’s artwork is much more realistic than Ramos and, with that ‘Spider-Island’ over, so is the crazy action that lent itself so well to Ramos’ style. This slow wind-down tale wouldn’t have looked quite right with Ramos’ cartoony look. Caselli’s art is great and, combined with Frank Martin’s colors, makes this book simply beautiful to look at. Whether it’s the naked New Yorkers in the opening scenes or Spider-Man’s anguish later on, you can see every ripped muscle on these people. I would love to see an action-oriented arc featuring Caselli’s work.

From the ‘Spider-Man No More’ tribute cover to the final thank you page, this was indeed a fitting finale to ‘Spider-Island’. Next up… the return of the Vulture! See you then!

Verdict: Buy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #673
Written by DAN SLOTT
Art and Cover by STEFANO CASELLI