Title: The Amazing Spider-Man Sketchbook / Astonishing X-Men SketchbookDate: 2009
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Dugan Trodglen
Artist: Phil Jimenez
Editor: Richard Rodriguez, Arune Singh, Erik Lebron, Matthew Lichtenstein, John Rhett Thomas
Flip book. This freebie from Marvel spotlights the Gauntlet storyline from Amazing Spider-Man as well as Warren Ellis' run on Astonishing X-Men.
The X-Men portion is primarily an extended interview with artist Phil Jimenez, who comes off as a really enthusiastic guy who's a true fan of the genre, the business, and the characters he's working with. He also goes into some detail on his process, with some nice insights into how he works with Warren Ellis' script. There is plenty of his artwork to liven up the text.
Flip the book over and you get an extended preview of the Gauntlet storyline in Amazing Spider-Man. I've never read those issues, and I tend to be a bit dubious about Marvel's handling of Spider-Man lately, but I have to admit, this preview did its job of selling the product. I really like the focus on classic villains. The hype does occasionally fall into the rather tired territory of claiming that they are going to make a character "darker" (really? how original!), but there is still a lot to like about a series that will bring back guys like Sandman, Electro, Rhino, Lizard, Mysterio, and Doc Ock as the major opposition for Spidey. No idea how this series turned out in execution, but I will at least grant that showed potential here.
Rating: 7/10
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