As mentioned previously, I've been reading The Amazing Spider-Man again. I must say that I'm impressed at the updates to the Spidey Villains. First, I got a peek at the new (and much more deadly) Vulture. Now, with ASM #600, I got to see the "new" Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock has been hit one too many times in the noggin over the years, causing him brain trauma and a terminal condition (which echoes of Natasha Richardson). With nothing to lose, he strikes out at the city (and our webslinging hero) with a deadly force and little robot octo-creatures that remind me of some sci-fi (syfy?) movie I've seen. I'm looking forward to seeing what other villains are updated in the next 600 issues.
p.s. ASM #600 also had a couple of beautifully written backstories. One was Aunt 
May Parker sitting beside her deceased husband's grave, asking his permission to remarry. Another, and the most emotional, was the story of Uncle Ben learning to be a father to a teenage Peter. Kudos on both of these short stories!
I used to read the Amazing Spider-Man all the time throughout the 1980s. I followed him through the Secret Wars, the black suit, Todd McFarlane's art, etc. Spidey was my favorite Marvel comic, other than the Fantastic Four and Uncanny X-Men back then. In the past couple of years, I've started reading comics again (mostly DC characters), but picked up the recent "American Son" storyline in Amazing Spider-Man. I have to admit that it was pretty cool reading about the webslinger again, and I liked that his story wasn't crossing over into other comics that I'd have to pick up.
The humor was still there, and there have been some interesting turn of events: his nemesis J. Jonah Jameson is now the mayor, Peter is no longer (and apparently never was) married to Mary Jane, Aunt May is engaged to JJJ's father, Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin) is in charge of the Avengers, and -- what's this? -- Peter Parker has the hots for his best friend, Harry Osborn? Yes, folks. There were some definite heavy homoerotic undertones throughout the story. The first one caught my eye, but I let it go, figuring it was a fluke. Then there was another...then another...and suddenly I was wondering if these were purposely placed.
Could it possibly be true? After almost 600 issues, could our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man be gay and have a secret crush on his best friend Harry? I'd love to see Peter Parker, one of the most famous, well-known, and beloved comic book characters come out of the closet. How awesome would that be? Especially since he's no longer married to Mary Jane. Alas, this will probably never happen in my -- or any -- lifetime, but I just had to ponder the thought of it because I felt some definite "vibes" from Spidey toward Harry. Sadly, even if Spidey/Peter were to come out, it doesn't seem like Harry would return his affections. This could be an interesting storyline in itself, though, as Peter wrestles with the feeling of rejection and coming to terms with himself as he once did with the death of his Uncle Ben.
At any rate, I look forward to seeing what Marvel has cooked up for our Friendly Neighborhood Bi-Curious Spider-Man. 
As mentioned previously, I've been reading The Amazing Spider-Man again. I must say that I'm impressed at the updates to the Spidey Villains. First, I got a peek at the new (and much more deadly) Vulture. Now, with ASM #600, I got to see the "new" Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock has been hit one too many times in the noggin over the years, causing him brain trauma and a terminal condition (which echoes of Natasha Richardson). With nothing to lose, he strikes out at the city (and our webslinging hero) with a deadly force and little robot octo-creatures that remind me of some sci-fi (syfy?) movie I've seen. I'm looking forward to seeing what other villains are updated in the next 600 issues.
May Parker sitting beside her deceased husband's grave, asking his permission to remarry. Another, and the most emotional, was the story of Uncle Ben learning to be a father to a teenage Peter. Kudos on both of these short stories!
