Artistically, this was a mixed bag but the stories and the creative team attached to each suited the them and mood, none more so with the first story of Flash Thompson's Medal of Honor. Normally, having multiple artists could compromise the cohesiveness of a collection but this collected edition was cohesive because each story was very good.There are three main stories and I'll explain in three bullet points on how each contributed in earning the 5 stars.1. The Flash Thompson story gave it the b...

Relevant and graphic! Spider-Man owns most of the volume, even though Punisher only shows up in the last issue.

I actually liked the flash thompson issue. It seemed to be written by someone who actually gives a crap about men in uniform. The Hammerhead issues were just stupid, only someone seemed to think they were "important" and "relevant" because children are gang members. I think we've all seen Boyz in da Hood. The /punisher issue was thankfully brief. I really don't think the punisher/spidey relationship is nearly as interesting as a lot of comic writers seem to. It places spidey in a boring superm

Book Info: This collection contains Amazing Spider-Man issues #574-577.ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>

Don't be misled by the title, the majority of this collection is decent Spidey stories involving Mr. Negative and Hammerhead. There is a 2-part Punisher and Spider-man story at the end of the book with an interlude which I thought was junk.

Opening one-shot story is superb. The Hammerhead one takes some time to get going and is a little confusing to someone not familiar with the character. Frank Castle doesn't appear until the final tale and it's a little basic.There is a reference to the Spider Tracer Killer who cropped up in another book I read recently. I really should read these in order.

Great story about Flash and how he lost his legs.

This was a pretty underwhelming volume again. As much as the interactions between the Punisher and Spider-Man are somewhat interesting, the actual story was pretty shallow and lacked any real substance. It had a lot of good moments but altogether it didn't really shine.

Bait-and-switch warning -- certainly enough crime, not enough Punisher. Frank Castle does not even appear until about the last quarter of the book. His story was good, as he and Spidey make a good 'odd couple' in action, but not great. The long central portion, featuring Hammerhead and teen gangs, falls flat the most of the time. The opening story - with Flash Thompson recovering in a military hospital - was refreshingly respectful to those who service in the U.S. military, and the best part.

The Flash story was good. Never cared for Bachalo's art though and I don't think it was necessary to turn Hammerhead into a Terminator. Didn't care for the Punisher story or art at all.

If I'm just reviewing issue #574, Marc Guggenheim's Flash Thompson story gets 5 stars hands down. Inspired by a real life Marvel fan who was serving overseas, this story raises a fairly minor character into a bigger role, but mostly serves as a very nice tribute to the armed forces overseas and the sacrifices they make for everyone back home. It's simple, but in the best way, and the last page is just a heartbreaker, though you suspect it's coming.The rest of the book, including the return and r...

Flash Thompson propaganda section - 0/5Hammerhead section - 2/5Punished section - 5/5

The first story was good but then the story with Hammerhead was bad like really bad and its great t see a Flash story where he joins the military and the bravery he displays and that is an emotional one considering how he got inspired from Spider-man and watching him. Plus the story with Hammerhead now working for Mr Negative and going after people in Bronx and coercing a guy into something until Peter has to step up and stop him.

It was aight. World: The art is solid, I liked the Hammerhead art more and I did find the Punisher art a bit too scratchy, it was okay. The world building is small and contained for the stories. Sure there is the bigger picture with Hammerhead and Mr. Negative but as I said it's small and that's fine. The world is not the focus. Story: Solidly paced and entertaining for what it was. The Flash issue was nice and Hammerhead story a bit heavy handed and the Punisher story is like every other forget...

The first issue is a good try but doesn't convince me - an interview by a general of Flash Thompson. It reads like a very paper-thin setup to show off Guggenheim's research into military tactics and lingo, when the general couldn't possibly have been in the military for this long and had to ask so many dumb questions. It's really hard to try to just read this when it keeps getting interrupted by these silly writer's tics. I'd love to see how Greg Rucka would've written this issue.Further, the al...

The best story in this one has Flash showing how Spider-Man changed his life. The Hammerhead story is nicely done, but without his gimmick (a wannabe 1930s gangster) he's completely generic. And the Punisher ... feh.

This was just okay. This is not really a strong collection nor is it really a cohesive bringing together of a story. The first one is by tear the best and is a tribute to those who fought in Iraq. Very good, but it had nothing to do with the rest. This was a very disjointed collection.

The first story from Amazing Spider-Man #574 was a wonderful tribute to the (American) armed forces serving overseas. Well drawn art combined with a poignant story to create a great issue.The second ‘story’ from Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Extra!! #1 was a nice little filler that would make no sense if you didn’t follow Spider-Man from Civil-War to Brand New Day, especially One More Day. For this reason, the graphic novel/collection’s value/utility is diminished for casual readers. However, the

Coming in to give this a five since it's criminally underrated on here.I'm really surprised by all the reviews too since I feel like my opinion is backwards. The first issue here, #574, is a really sappy war story about Flash Thompson. Not my thing for numerous reasons.Flashbacks (#575-576) by Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo was a really great Hammerhead story. Aside from some distasteful jokes I thought the writing was very strong, especially for Spidey. Bachalo's art is gorgeous as always and the

While fun, it's the weakest of the Brand New Day trades...however, the Flash Thompson story alone is worth the entire volume.I'm currently doing a big retrospect of the Brand New Day era. Check out part one here