Ugh.. well, that was $5 that could have been better spent.
I saw this months ago and thought that it looked decidedly heinous. The FLCBS asked if I wanted it. I declined. Somehow it still made it's way into my folder and voila. After failing to recognize it for what it was, I am now the proud new owner of Spiderman Family.
There is one good Spiderman story in here. The opening story tells a tale from the very first days after Ben Parker's murder. It's solid, but uncertainly not anything you haven't seen before in any number of iterations. Still, good art, good story. It's a 3/4
The rest of the issue is a mess. The Amazing Spider Monkey? What? Are you serious? It's not even funny. I don't think it's even trying to be funny. It's some sort of semi-serious tale of Spiderman, except that this Spiderman is a Spidermonkey.... it's ridiculous. I really didn't get the point of it. Shouldn't a story like this be played for laughs?
Next, we have the elseworlds story of Peter and Mary Jane in a future where they've settled down with a baby. They get a night out without the kid and decide to visit the Connors! Oh oh! Big mistake! Doc Connor is up to his crazy lizard ways again. Hijinx ensue.
It's too bad because this story could have been interesting, if they had concentrated on the suggested timeline of a world where Peter and MaryJane made a different choice at the end of One More Day. Instead, we get a lame lizard story.
The rest of the issue is quite dismal, with an Aunt May story that's sappy and boring all at once and a reprint of Venom's origin. At least the Venom story proved to me that everything I'd always heard about McFarlane's art WAS overhype. I thought his Venom was pretty lame.
Overall, not a good buy.
Story: 2 - Average
Art: 2 - Average
