The best parts of these issues, as with most Peter David scripts, are the little bits between the main story. Like when a new person comes on staff at the Daily Bugle.
The shamed son of the original El Muerto comes to New York to take Spider-Man’s mask, which apparently is how he can get redemption. Spider-Man takes the challenge, but his new Iron Spider-Man costume accidentally poisons El Muerto, meaning he cheated to win.
Rather than accept error in his tech (or his training of Peter Parker on such tech), Iron Man blames the “magic” of Peter Parker’s recent death-and-rebirth in the “The Other” storyline, and then runs off his with his fingers in his own ears.
That’s not off brand for Tony Stark, but he’s rarely shown in comics being so blatant about it.
Aunt May totally gets that Stark is a dick.
That’s really the only “important” part of this two-issue story. The Mexican wrestler storyline is completed here and the characters aren’t seen again.
Actually, there is one more thing that maters about this story, or at least kinda matters: Aunt May and Jarvis appear to be starting up a romance. While out for dinner together, May sees … Ben Parker?
Sadly, this is going to be an alternate reality storyline, which (I suspect but haven’t read it yet) promised to be highly derivative. Like the art, above. I mean, I could swear it’s almost a shot-for-shot reproduction of an old Frank Miller Daredevil layout but I can’t place it. Closest I could find was from #179…
Close, but not the same. Anyone out there know the truth?
Speaking of derivative, the “I can’t control my new jacked up costume” story isn’t new, either. Anyone remember how Venom came to Earth in the first place?
At least this Uncle Ben story will be written by Peter David and not Chris Claremont or Fabian Nicieza, so we’ve got a shot at it being comprehensible and not terrible.