Now here’s an awesome miniseries. In fact, it’s one of the best things Dan Slott has ever done (although that post on Dan Slott may not be live yet–it eventually will be). It’s not “important.” It doesn’t “matter.” But it’s a lot of fun and it’s great character work.
The first story takes place back in the Stan/Steve/Jack days, and shows in greater detail the formation of the Spidey/Torch bromance.
Then later issues move the timeline forward. Issue #3 focuses on the formation of the Spider-Mobile (yay!).
Issue #4 is the time of Spider-Man’s Black Cat romance.
Along the way, there are fun ties to classic Marvel continuity, shown from a different point of view, with lots of neat little added details like a flame-proof spider-tracer, Human Torch going bald, the reason why Paste-Pot Pete changed his name to Trapster…
…And Torch easily defeating Vulture by simply burning his wings off.
Oh, and Torch re-imagines the phrase “Parker Luck,” which is usually used to indicate the black cloud over his head, when Johnny recognizes all the blessings Peter experiences…
I could go on and on. If you’re anything like me and you’ve read every single Spider-Man story since the dawn of time, this will be a joy for you–a fun frolic through the past.