The third month of Amazing Spider-Man's "Brand New Day" relaunch sees noted screenwriter Bob Gale make another foray into comics (after penning a fairly forgettable arc of Daredevil a few years ago). Most famous for penning the Back to the Future movies, I was keen to see what Gale would bring to the book, and whether a relatively untested comics creator would be able to integrate well into the stable of writers that Marvel has put together for the high-profile Spidey relaunch. Happily, Gale demonstrates that he understands what elements make for a good monthly comic, using this first issue to introduce a brand new villain whilst at the same time keeping some of the previous writers' subplots running in the background, and providing a decent mixture of character development, plot development, and action which should keep readers interested. However, it's not the most entertaining story that I've read, with some ideas which just didn't work for me, and there's a certain lack of polish to the storytelling which makes some of the sections feel clunky and a little dull.

This story begins in the classic Spidey style, with Spider-Man foiling a minor robbery by a criminal who frequents the homeless refuge that we saw Aunt May volunteering for in Dan Slott's previous issues. Then things get a little strange, as the 'Freak' escapes Spidey's webs and just happens to stumble across some of Curt Connors' experimental serums. He then ingests them, vomits them back up, and is then attacked by his own vomit (yes, I'm serious), which cocoons him and prepares him for his rebirth. It's as though someone at Marvel looked at the origins of Venom and Carnage and thought, "I can top that." Whilst I have to give the writers credit for trying to come up with new villains rather than endlessly rehashing the old ones, there's almost literally nothing for readers to get a handle on here in terms of Freak's character, and a strung-out drug-addict with a grudge against Spider-Man who gets turned inside-out by his own genetically-modified puke doesn't strike me as the most terrifying adversary.

Aside from the main plot, Gale includes several interludes which exist to keep some of the previously-established "Brand New Day" subplots moving along. However, these scenes feel too disconnected with the rest of the story to feel like they really belong in the issue. The subplots concerning the New York mayoral race, the Daily Bugle, or the supervillain bookmaker feel slotted-in and unnatural, and their inclusion disrupts the pacing of Gale's main story. I wouldn't be surprised if writers had been asked to leave a few spare pages in every issue in order to set up future developments in the book by dropping certain scenes in advance, once the details of later issues have been worked out - but if that is the case, it would have been nice to see them integrated a little more smoothly into the rest of the story. What's more, there's virtually no return to the 'Jackpot' subplot which was such a big part of the last arc, which makes this issue feel a little disconnected with the previous one.

The book isn't particularly badly-written, though: Gale feels like he has an aptitude for writing for the medium, and he follows his predecessors Slott and Guggenheim in showing that he understands the character of Peter Parker (which speaks well for the success of the editorial team in maintaining a cohesive, consistent characterization for their lead). There are a few amusing touches of humor, and the writer succeeds in making some of Spider-Man's most familiar problems (the ripped costume; the money worries; the secret identity) feel natural and interesting rather than forced and tired. However, there are a couple of weak points too, which might also be more down to the book's editors than its writers: There's a continuously inconsistent characterization of Dexter Bennet, the new owner of the Daily Bugle (previous issues suggested that he might provide a refreshing change from J. Jonah Jameson, but in this issue he feels like J.J.J. v. 2), and there are a few too many nods and winks to the audience, whether it's in the numerous editorial captions or in the text itself (at one point, Jonah asks, 'Comic books? Do they still publish that trash?') which take you out of the story.

Phil Jimenez provides art here, taking his second run at the relaunched book after his 'Swing Shift' issue. His take on Spider-Man is clearly inspired by that of Todd McFarlane, and his duplication of the rippling musculature and gigantic eyes of the McFarlane Spidey is quite satisfying, in a nostalgic sort of way (although Spidey's face feels curiously flattened here). However, when it comes to drawing the rest of the book's characters, Jimenez doesn't have the same exaggerated and distinctive style that McFarlane had, and the rest of the book's cast (including the out-of-costume Peter Parker) look a little too realistic in comparison, with a style that reminded me of Darick Robertson's recent work in The Boys. Having said that, it's difficult to argue that the book isn't well drawn, with a pleasing consistency and detail, and some characterful and expressive facial work. Andy Lanning's inks give Jimenez's pencils a certain weight which works in their favour, giving the characters definition and form without sacrificing Jimenez's high level of detail.

My average score is as much a reflection of my reaction to the entire 'Brand New Day' relaunch as this particular issue. I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering what has happened to all of the great elements that had been promised for this relaunch: the supporting cast isn't being used particularly well (new characters continue to be introduced, but I'm not really getting a strong sense of any of them), Peter's character has barely changed as a result of his newly-retconned marital status, and all three of the new villains have failed to capture the imagination. I'd be hard pushed to choose my favourite of Mr. Negative, Menace, and the Amazing Vomit-Man, because I can only just remember the names of the first two, let alone any details about their characters. All in all, it feels like a step backwards for the book. I wouldn't mind if writers were using the book's new status quo to tell good stories, but these last couple of months' worth of stories haven't felt any better than the last couple of years under JMS, so I simply can't see where the book has made any gains to offset the losses of "One More Day". Maybe Gale's arc will surprise me, but at the moment, I'm not convinced.

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