Author Archive

Spidey Spin Offs: Spider Island – The Avengers

September 28, 2011Spidey Spin OffsNo comments

Why do most people pick up comics as their medium of choice? Sure, there are plenty of examples of comic books making you think a little deeper about the state of things – The Watchmen is the most obvious example there. But at their core, comic books are supposed

New Issues: Amazing Spider-Man #668

By Mark Ginocchio

September 27, 2011New IssuesNo comments

Spider-Man is the superhero. Peter Parker is the man who plays the superhero. What I found really captivating about Amazing Spider-Man #668, and the premise behind the Spider Island storyarc overall, is how the idea of who is the actual “hero” is shifting. Because as the title of ASM

Reading Experience: Time in a Comic

By Mark Ginocchio

September 23, 2011Reading Experience5 Comments

In a comic book, time is infinite. Though that wasn’t always the case. Take this panel from Amazing Spider-Man #28 for instance. Here, we have a very definitive moment in time in Peter Parker’s life – his high school graduation. Not only is this a definitive moment in time,

New Issues: Spider Island Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1

By Mark Ginocchio

September 22, 2011New IssuesNo comments

While I’m sure a statement like this is going to have some comic book fans out there asking for me to turn in my “geek card” in shame, I am completely unfamiliar with Shang Chi, the star of probably the most autonomous of all of the Spider Island tie-ins,

Remembrance of Comics Past: Amazing Spider-Man #361

By Mark Ginocchio

September 21, 2011Remembrance of Comics Past5 Comments

Growing up in suburban Long Island, you’d drive everywhere to get around. But when you’re 14 and bored, and just looking for something to do, you’d walk. For me, those bored, aimless walks would always end at an indoor flea market in Oceanside, NY, called “Goldcoast.” For a 14-year-old

Spidey Spin Offs: Venom #6

By Mark Ginocchio

September 20, 2011Spidey Spin OffsNo comments

The past three issues of Marvel’s new Venom series have unexpectedly gotten me hooked, so I’m not ashamed to say I was looking forward to seeing how the comic was going to be tied-in to the greater Spider-Island storyline. After reading Venom #6, I came away thinking that the

Spidey Spin Offs: Spider Island Spider-Girl #1

By Mark Ginocchio

September 15, 2011Spidey Spin Offs1 Comment

Let me preface this by saying of all of the Spider Island tie-ins slated to be in the rotation, probably the one I was least looking forward to reading was the Spider-Girl miniseries. Just as a general rule of thumb, I’ve never been terribly engaged by the idea of

Reading Experience: Why I Don’t Like the Jackal

By Mark Ginocchio

September 14, 2011Reading Experience7 Comments

It’s possible that here on Chasing Amazing, I have a little bit of a villain fetish. I admit it. I love supervillains. As much as I love the compelling backstory of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, like any good popcorn-munching, entertainment-seeking lemming, I need to see things go “boom.” That’s where supervillains

Spidey Spin Offs: Spider Island, Cloak and Dagger #1

By Mark Ginocchio

September 13, 2011Spidey Spin Offs1 Comment

One of the interesting things about the numerous miniseries being pumped out by Marvel that are connected to Amazing Spider-Man’s Spider Island story-arc is it gives me, the reader, an opportunity to get acquainted or reacquainted with some characters that I’ve otherwise ignored or forgotten about. Of course this

Remembrance of Comics Past: Amazing Spider-Man #59

By Mark Ginocchio

September 9, 2011Remembrance of Comics Past3 Comments

I firmly believe that in any situation, when you’re trying to make the best deal for yourself, you have to use all of the resources that are available to you – including the borderline flirtations of cute redhead that just so happens to be accompanying you to said situation.