Amazing Spider-Man #676

When I first heard the premise for this issue I was pretty excited. The thought of an ASM issue without an appearance by Spidey himself but instead a story focused entirely on the Sinister Six intrigued me greatly. The creative team of writer Dan Slott and artist Humberto Ramos made me anticipate it even more. Unfortunately upon reading the issue I was extremely disappointed. It felt rushed and the $3.99 price tag for 20 pages enhanced my disappointment.

The story itself had some strong points especially in the characterization of the Sinister Six. It was nice to see the camaraderie and team dynamic of the group. The character work of Rhino, Electro, and Sandman stood out in particular. Slott undeniably knows how to write fun stories and his sequence of Mysterio playing Angry Birds during the battle was definitely a highlight for me!

Where the issue really disappoints is the artwork and coloring. The art was extremely confusing to follow and the story suffered greatly for it. I usually enjoy Ramos’ work but this issue felt like he really rushed just to get it out. The colors didn’t help matters what so ever. They were flat and dull. It looks like the issue was left in a car on a hot summer’s day and all the pages were faded by the sun!

The concept for this issue showed great promise but the execution fell short. The story itself was entertaining particularly the banter amongst the group but the artwork was so dreadful it killed the story. Despite this I am hoping that this is a revitalization of the Sinister Six and that we do see more of them in 2012.