Rating: ***

Another okay issue of Amazing Spider-Man.  After getting back into reading Spider-Man with Amazing Spider-Man Annual #36, I was looking forward to a lot of good Spider-Man stories again.  However, since Amazing Spider-Man comes out three times a month, there are numerous writers who work on the book to keep this thing going.  So far Mark Waid didn’t thrill me last week and this week Fred Van Lente doesn’t wow me either - although I thought it was better than last week.

This issue is part one of the return of the Chameleon storyline.  In a very dark turn for the character, the Chameleon is preying on innocent nobodies in the city, creating a mask of their face to steal their identity and then lowering them down strapped to a chair into pit of acid where their flesh burns off their body.  Sick and cool at the same time.  I don’t remember the Chameleon being this evil.

Peter is in need of a job and thanks to his new uncle-in-law, J Jonah Jameson, Sr, he’s able to get a job being a member of the mayoral photo unit for newly-elected Mayor J Jonah Jameson, Jr.  But before he heads over to City Hall for an interview, Spidey meets up with who he thinks is an old enemy: Slyde.  However, this Slyde is not the Slyde Spidey knows, but is instead a police officer who is using the costume to trap Spider-Man.  Spider-Man is an unregistered hero and is then attacked by old Mandroids that are now being used by the NYPD.  They are all apart of the anti-Spider Squad that Mayor Jameson has set up - of course they fail to capture their target.

We also see Mary Jane again in this issue - awake this time!  She goes to visit Harry at his coffee shop.  She discovers that he’s living in the back office since his “break up” with his father during the American Son storyline.  MJ then calls Peter to not only apologize for not showing up for their meeting, but to also alert him about Harry’s troubles.  Unfortunately, Peter misses her call as he’s trapped by the Chameleon, 

After Peter’s successful interview with Jonah, he’s kidnapped by the Chameleon.  The Chameleon doesn’t know that Peter is Spider-Man, but the name sounds familiar to him since prior to Brand New Day he did know Peter was Spidey.  He makes a mask of Peter’s face and lowers him into the acid.  The Chameleon calls MJ back as Peter and wants to meet up and we end there.

Some good artwork by Barry Kitson accompanies the story of this issue.  Some funny moments as well between Jonah and Peter during the interview.  Again this issue was okay, not great.  I’ll stick with this until the Ben Reilly story starts.  After that maybe I’ll just get the issues that Marc Guggenheim writes or Dan Slott.  I heard his stuff on Spider-Man was good.  See ya later in the week for my review of issue #603.