The final panel of ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #685 had to be one of the most shocking I’ve seen in a while. Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Silver Sable had been battling Doctor Octopus’ minions only to discover that they were too late. Half of the Earth was already burned to a crisp by Doc Ock’s satellites.

As this issue opens, the trio are standing amidst the rubble of Sable’s home country of Symkaria. But before Sable can grieve, Spidey jumps into action and tries to save as many survivors as he can. Back at Horizon Labs, the team are still working on a way to track down Doc Ock’s cloaked satellites and come up with a brilliant plan that means that maybe they won’t have to.

Here there be spoilers!

Back in Symkaria, we’re let in on the truth behind the burning Earth when Mysterio and Chameleon appear. Mysterio! I should’ve known! In each issue of ‘Ends of the Earth’, Spider-Man has been facing down one of the Sinister Six and Mysterio had yet to appear. Of course, like any good mystery, once you see the reveal, everything seems so obvious.

But while the reader knows who’s behind the scenario, Spidey hasn’t yet figured it out. To keep him slowed down even more, Chameleon dons a Doc Ock power-suit and attacks the heroic trio. When Doctor Octopus learns of this, he’s furious that Chameleon is stealing his thunder and battling Spider-Man and takes control of the power-suit. When the battle ends and the dust clears, Chameleon has been cowered into revealing sensitive information, Mysterio makes some unlikely allies, Spidey learns a startling truth behind Doc Ock’s plan, and we’re introduced to a new “Sinister Six”.

Okay… the spoilers are over. Read on!

Dan Slott really knows how to use all of the pieces of Spider-Man’s universe to make some rousing stories. In ‘Spider Island’, he pulled together Spider-Man’s friends and family, his Fantastic Four and Avengers membership, and a heaping helping of Spidey’s past to make for a spectacular story. Here in ‘Ends of the Earth’, Slott does it again and, better yet, he does it without it reading like a repeat of ‘Spider Island’. I can’t wait to see what Slott does with the upcoming ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #700 where it’s rumored that he’ll be changing the Spider-Man universe forever.

Verdict: Buy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #686
Story by Dan Slott
Art by Stefano Caselli
Colors by Frank Martin
Cover by Stefano Caselli & Gabriele Dell’otto