The story with Alpha was an interesting exercise in wish fulfillment. But the resolution came on too abruptly and was too open-ended for my taste.

I loved the story with the old and young Hobgoblins. Loved the setup and the execution. ( )

I was largely unfamiliar with Dan Slott's work on Spider-Man. I did read a little bit of the controversy surrounding the the end of the long running AMAZING SPIDER-MAN comic - Slott received a bunch of death threats because of the way he ended it - and his subsequent rebranding of the hero in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN. But this is the first time I've actually properly sat down and read a story he wrote. And I have to admit, he's not half bad. He gets the humor of the wall crawler, but also manages to capture a little bit of the heart. I don't really know where Peter and Mary Jane are relationship-wise following BRAND NEW DAY (I mean, that was years ago... right?) but it's interesting that Aunt May and her new squeeze comment on it in a similar way that my internal monologue was pontificating on the same exact thing. Speaking of Aunt May, hat's off to a writer who's found a way to make her relevant again. And that's a little bit because she hooked up with J. Jonah's dad, making Peter and Jameson kind of related. That's a weird, genius twist. If Slott didn't come up with it, he's definitely writing that dynamic well. Especially given the fact that J. Jonah and his dad aren't close, but clearly care about each other. I like that kind of background noise in my comics.

Oh geez, I haven't actually talked about the meat & potatoes story yet. "Danger Zone" is actually the name of the last 3-part story in the collection. This trade includes two story arcs that ran through the comics. The first follows a teenage superhero (dubbed "Alpha" which is, one of the crappiest of names) that Parker, in his role as a Horizon scientist, inadvertently creates. The second is really kind of a Hobgoblin story, where the original Hobbie comes out of semi-retirement to get into a tussle with the new, Phil Urich Hobgoblin. The story is punctuated between by a very quiet, almost homage piece of Peter and May visiting Ben's grave on the anniversary of his death. I mention the middle story last because it was surprisingly my favorite. Perhaps it's unsurprising though. Spider-Man does work best for me when it's more emotionally-driven, but reading what is essentially a stand alone comic featuring a tongue-in-cheek conversation between Peter and May may sound frightfully dull to the average Spidey fan. It reminded me a lot of UNCANNY X-MEN #303 - also sort of a 2-person conversation piece (between Jubilee and Jean Grey) that was really a story about a young mutant girl who died senselessly and how messed up that was. The brilliance in this story lies in the fact that we all know Uncle Ben died, we know how, and we know that this event largely triggered Spider-Man's genesis. But a driving force behind Peter's motivations for putting on a mask and being a hero are largely that he blames himself for Ben's death. May doesn't - I doubt she would even if she was aware of his life as Spider-Man (she doesn't know anymore, right? She did during CIVIL WAR... mo' continuity, mo' problems!). But it's interesting that both of them probably don't go a day without thinking about Ben, wondering what he would think of their life choices, if he would be happy for them, disappointed in them, etc. The flashbacks (I believe in a sort of an updated, modernized Ditko style) were also kind of informative - we could infer that Peter became despondent and depressed after Ben's death, but it's quite another thing to actually see that pain and heartbreak on the page. It's an odd piece, even odder sandwiched between essentially two lighthearted action stories, but it left me with a fondness for the characters - Aunt May in particular - that I haven't had for awhile.

The first story - Alpha - is by far the weakest part of the collection. It follows a high school student gaining a variety of superhuman skills in a manner similar to how Peter Parker got his. The catch? Parker was the one that caused this latest creation via "Parker Particles" - really? - as a researcher at Horizon labs. It was nice to see Peter in his scientific element, but he seems to go back and forth about his responsibility for giving this wholly unprepared kid nearly limitless power. He also doesn't even balk or object as the kid becomes essentially a corporate puppet - Horizon's poster boy - and peddles something called the aPhone. a for Alpha... geddit? Spider-Man trains him as a sidekick - or is he Alpha's sidekick? That part is never made truly clear - and somehow masks the fact that Parker and Spider-Man are the same despite the kid having regular contact with both of them. The whole thing sort of makes Peter think, what if I had used my power for personal gain? 'cause that almost happened. He seems more angry at the kid than anything else at certain parts of the story, which... odd. The Jackal returns... or maybe a Jackal clone. Hard to keep track of that. Slott writes him as especially zingy, and I think he might have a penchant for penning Spider-Man's rogues gallery more than he does the central character. The dialogue is snappy and clever, but the underlying story was just... this is all there is? Spider-Man doesn't even seem to feel bad that this again - mostly innocent no-name kid - gets targeted by one of the craziest and dangerous villains he's ever encountered. It ends with him taking the kids powers away, but hinting that they might come back in the future. SO LEARN YOUR LESSON, KID.

The collection is named after the Hobgoblin story 'cause... well, it's fun. And Peter is mostly Peter in the story, which is an odd choice. Especially when he's running around using Spider-Man web shooters, but I assume this story was largely to set up the fact that his boss must figure out the whole secret identity thing pretty soon. I haven't read -as much- Spider-Man stories as much as I have some other super hero books, but I did read that ye olde HOBGOBLIN LIVES story in the '90s that reveals Kingsley as the Hobgoblin. The joke being, who even is that guy? I never read that GREEN GOBLIN ongoing that featured Phil Urich as a hero Goblin. I know it happened during the ONSLAUGHT thing, and I was into the idea that a younger dude co-opted a villain's stuff for the side of good. How Phil became a villain? I don't know. But he's pretty much a bastard now. He also just doesn't seem very bright. Any reading of the story will ultimately have you comparing - and possibly rooting for - one of the Hobgoblins, and mine was the original Kingsley one all the way. Maybe because I had read that 3-issue limited series that revealed his identity. Maybe 'cause Urich is just such a doody head. Maybe I just need my goblins on gliders (Urich has wings. It's as stupid as it sounds). But Slott brings this sort of old school gentlemen thing to the original's return that I just dug. I'll say- the story matters very little. The goblins chase Peter and his boss, while also fighting each other at the same time. It's pretty entertaining. Kingpin shows up, and I'm glad he's still around.

The collection is worth reading. If you're in a time crunch, just go for the middle story. I recommend it that much. ( )

odd collection.... a bunch of one shots for the most parts... it did contain a hobgobln storyline that was nice. ( )

A scientific experiment by Peter Parker goes awry and turns a high school geek into a super-powered being with rapidly increasing powers, with no apparent ceiling in sight. Spider-Man is assigned by the Avengers to mentor him, but it becomes quickly apparent that young Andrew Maguire does not have Peter Parker's innate sense of responsibility, and ultimate power goes to his head. Not a bad story, followed by a touching short piece with Aunt May and Peter visiting Uncle Ben's grave. ( )