Amazing Spider-Man #598 Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Marco Checchetto, Paulo Siqueira

Spider-Man takes a backseat this issue to allow Norman Osborn to really shine. The good thing about this is Joe Kelly writes a fantastic Osborn. But with Spider-Man being out of the spotlight, we miss some of the humor that made the first three issues of American Son so much fun.

At the end of the last chapter, Spidey was shot and captured. So throughout this issue, Spider-Man basically serves as an audience to Norman Osborn. We don't get to see him bond uncomfortably with Aunt May's boyfriend, get annoyed with the cute-as-a-button Norah Winters, or impersonate the crap out of Venom. Thankfully at the end of the issue, we get to see Spidey beat up another one of the Dark Avengers, as he's done in every issue of this arc, but it doesn't make up for his depleted wit and charm.

Fortunately, the person who does take up the majority of the issue, Norman Osborn, almost makes up for the lack of humor. Norman comes across as a classic Bond villain. He's a man with a plan and he wants everyone to know it. This could have been really lame, but Joe Kelly makes it work through his great characterization skills. Norman is ashamed of Harry and this whole arc has been about him trying to shape Harry into his true son one last time. The plan comes off as fresh, makes a lot of sense, and I particularly like Lily Hollister's new role in it.

The best thing about this issue is Joe Kelly's narration style. Instead of spilling Norman's story all at once, Kelly bounces back and forth between panels of Norman and Harry. This provides an important sense of connectivity between the two plot points while also making each seem a little more dire.

Marco Checchetto and Paulo Siqueira work together to provide an adequate job with the art. Nothing really spectacular catches my eye, but their styles mesh well together and all the characters are drawn well. The action sequences work for the most part, although it was hard to tell what happened to Norman in the next to last panel. Oh well. The art worked for me as a whole.

This may have been a down issue of American Son, but it was still an enjoyable read. Norman finally laid it all out on the table and Spider-Man and Harry have to work together to come out of the situation alive. I have no doubt that next week's issue will be a great one and perhaps the best of Brand New Day so far.