I am still a firm believer that the comic has to be the best way to read these things. These big pages with half of the space empty - and that seem so dramatic on the comic pages just silently fill here. And I know at the time things were different - and many comics today are just waiting on the reprint - but it just doesn't seem the same. And this one covers probably the strongest story of the run. Full, depth of character development - and the cover reaches into the most memorable moment of the run - however crazy it might have been. And THIS time - it adds a few things, too. Thankfully. Yes, they are heavy on the... adult theme... but they are pretty funny additions - and the last few panels really hit the line out. Great. At least this one was worth it to crazy hoarders like me.
And, now we're done.
Really strange to me that the comic began with a note from writers that they were attempting to contract stories down - and this one - intended to be three issues - was shortened to two. And it's probably because it just ran out of anything to say through most of the rest of the comic. The panels are still in the hyper-enlarged format - and I like the interactions between Peter and Gwen - but the Prowler as a villain - while a great concept - doesn't really work for me in its execution. It's heavy-handed - relying a lot on the concepts of fairness - and lack of racism. And it caused Peter Parker to really look back into his own past. And while it was revolutionary at the time, I think that times have really changed, and it just feels dated now.