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Rating: 
Summary: Aunt May helps both Peter and Spider-Man with their problems
Review: "Until the Stars Turn Cold" is the third trade paperback collection of issues of Volume 2 of "The Amazing Spider-Man," currently under the creative auspices of writer J. Michael Stracynski and artist John Romita, Jr. (inks by Scott Hanna). At this point in the developing narrative Stracynski has already dropped his two major bombshells that establish the new and improved Spider-Man in the previous two collections: in "Coming Home" Peter Parker discovers that his powers were not the result of a random radioactive spider bite but that he is, in fact, the avatar of the Earth's spider population, and in "Revelations" Aunt May confronts Peter about knowing he is Spider-Man. Basically, in "Until The Stars Turn Cold," which collects issues #40-45, two things happen. First, the dust is settling from the aforementioned revelations (Aunt May gives JJJ a piece of her mind regarding her new perspective on his Spider-man vendetta), and Peter is finally getting around to doing something about his estrangement from Mary Jane. However, this is complicated by the second set of things which happen within these pages, namely a set of three-issue battles. The first is with a new villain called the Shade, and requires the help of Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts. The second is with Doctor Octopus; actually, this would be Doctor Octopi, since there is the original Otto Octavius and a new, younger, leaner, meaner, version. Of course, both conflicts thwart Peter's endeavor to reconnect with his wife (so what else is new?). Although there are some echoes from Volume 1 in terms of the time there were two, count them, two Vultures, what Stracynski and Romita are really doing with this second story arc is their own homage to what I consider the greatest Spider-Man story of all time, in "Amazing Spider-Man" #31-33 (yes, even over the first two issues down by Romita's father when the Green Goblin learned Spidey's secret identity, the three drug issues with the Comic Code seal of approval, the death of Gwen Stacy, the wedding to Mary Jane, the death of Aunt May the first time around, or anything else you want to name as a possible alternative). If you have access to that story, which also involved Doc Ock, then check it out before or after you read these stories so that you can appreciate the resonance of the old within the new. As a homage "Until the Stars Grow Cold" is not bad; we do not have Aunt May on death's door this time around, but we do have here constantly being cute as the dickens when it comes to dealing with her knowledge about Peter being you-know-who. Actually, the part of Stracynski's writing that I find myself enjoying the most is his wry sense of humor (which becomes pretty blatant in terms of the movie Mary Jane is making out there in Tinsletown). We will have to wait and see how this avatar of the spiders thing turns out, but Aunt May knowing (and Aunt May knowing that Mary Jane knows that she knows) is turning out pretty well. It would have to, because it changes a major element in the dynamic of the comic book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: J. Michael Stracysnki is a fantastic story-teller, and the artwork by John Romita, Jr. is really good. If you like Spider-Man, you will really love this.
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