Editor's Note: Amazing Spider-Man #594 arrives in stores tomorrow, May 20.

"24/7: Finale"

This final issue of the "24/7" arc sees Spider-Man do battle with the new Vulture at the same time as he tries to keep up the pressure on the new mayor of New York (one J. Jonah Jameson) by being Spidey as much as possible. Writer Mark Waid uses the issue to wrap up one or two story threads, whilst moving others in some interesting new directions.

As a longtime Spider-Man fan, I get a strange sense of déjà vu whilst reading this issue, as many of the plot points feel familiar from their use in previous Spidey stories. Peter using his spider-sense to fight blind, Aunt May finding romance with a member of the book's supporting cast, a new version of an old Lee/Ditko super-villain, and Spidey doing his best to become more popular only to end up more reviled: all of these are elements that we've seen plenty of times in Spider-Man comics in the past. Having said that, Waid does manage to present them in a fairly fresh manner, preventing them from feeling too stale with some neat touches. I enjoyed Spider-Man's comparison of himself to Daredevil whilst blinded, and Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson Sr.'s honest and authentic-feeling romantic conversation manages to reflect the different outlook of people of their age without being clunky or heavy-handed about it.

The writer also adds some slightly more original elements of his own to the mix. We learn more about the woman who has been looking after Pete's apartment in his absence, providing an interesting new supporting character for the book. We also we see more of the new Vulture, although his backstory is a little too vague to be compelling, and Spidey's rematch with him is over far too quickly to be memorable or satisfying.

Finally, we see Waid explore the issue of Spidey's misplaced anger, with a conclusion that leads right into "American Son," a story that should satisfy those readers who have been wondering when Spidey will confront Norman Osborn over his role in the "Dark Reign" status quo.

The issue's artwork is handled by both Barry Kitson and Mike McKone, but considering that these two pencillers have contributed to it, it's a fairly consistent looking book. If I looked hard enough, I could probably tell you which artist handled which pages, but the change in style isn't so jarring that it's immediately noticeable and takes you out of the story. Both artists work well to bring the story to life, with some clearly-choreographed action sequences and some well-rendered "soap-opera" segments. The scene between Peter and the mystery female housesitter, in particular, is captured so well in terms of facial expressions and body language that you could almost work out what was happening without any dialogue.

The interior art is certainly more satisfying than the well-drawn yet bizarre cover by Joe Quesada, in which a gigantic anthropomorphic mattress takes precedence over a tiny Spider-Man. I wonder what the rationale behind this cover was, aside from the tenuous "24/7" reference. Did Marvel's marketing department think that kids would spot the cover and say, "I haven't bought Amazing Spider-Man for months, but if Mr. Mattress is going to make an appearance, count me in!", or was it merely a bit of artistic whimsy on the part of Marvel's E-I-C? Either way, it's an odd cover that doesn't sell the contents of the book as well as it might. For example, you'd think that at least one of the three covers for this storyline might have showcased its new super-villain, or the fact that J. Jonah Jameson is the new Mayor of NYC, or even the Aunt May romantic subplot.

As with the previous issue, I find myself in that strange position of saying that this is a fine example of a Spider-Man comic without really being able to rave about it. The writing and artwork are both of an above-average standard, but the core elements of the plot aren't quite strong enough to make this a particularly outstanding story. Maybe the next "tentpole" Spidey storyline will push the book into 4-bullet territory.

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