We know big things are in store for Doctor Octopus and the Sinister Six next spring. Amazing Spider-Man #676 serves as an early primer for "Ends of the Earth." It removes Spidey from the equation entirely and focuses on the Six as they battle their rivals in super-villainy, the Intelligencia.
It's an interesting risk to focus only on the bad guys for a change, but one that mostly pays off. If Dan Slott wanted to prove that this incarnation of the Six is a force to be reckoned with, he certainly accomplishes that here. It's unfortunate that this has to come at the expense of both the Winter Guardians and the Intelligencia, though. The former prove once again that no international team of heroes is safe these days, while the latter are strangely ineffectual for a conglomerate of super-geniuses.
But the various match-ups are fun to read, particularly any scene involving the Mad Thinker. It's a surprisingly fun script considering the lack of heroic protagonists. Perhaps this is because Slott doesn't really specialize in writing dark, twisted, subtle villains. His baddies are a little more old-school in their personalities, complete with soliloquies and boastful jabs. Don't expect the nuanced Rhino portrayal of Joe Kelly, for example. It's all fine, as Doc Ock is still fiendish and scheming enough that the issue doesn't devolve into comedy. However, a few less tired pop culture references wouldn't hurt the book any.
Humberto Ramos returns for this issue after a short, post-Spider-Island hiatus. As always, his art style is one that you'll either love or hate. Aside from a slightly scratchier quality, it hasn't really changed from previous arcs.
Again, this issue is a little goofier than you might expect given the subject matter, but it still serves as an effective teaser for 2012 and a nice way to wrap up 2011.
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