Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours: The Darkest Hours (Spider-Man (Pocket Star))

I can only imagine how difficult it is for an established writer and world-builder to step into another universe and contribute. But Jim Butcher is clearly a big fan of Spider-Man, and it shows here. This is a Harry Dresden novel, if Harry Dresden had been bitten by a radioactive spider. And had a luckier love life. And been the foster son of Stan Lee. There is a fairly involved plot, in whose multiple threads I never felt entangled, a wise-cracking lead character who is also capable of growing and learning from experience in ways hard to pack into a comic book, and some quite remarkable character development in (not much spoiler here) The Rhino.In spite of a schedule that doesn't allow me much fun reading these days, I buzzed through this in segments in two days, always interested to get back to it, never bored, and never feeling I could predict what would happen next. If Butcher gets tired of world-building and just wants to play, I hope he comes back to Spider-Man, because I had a lot of fun reading this book.

Man, I have been on some Spider-Man kick lately. Being a nerdy nerd of the nerdiest order, when it comes to superheroes, I can't help but relate most to the wallcrawler. I've read novels featuring Spidey before, but I have to say that Jim Butcher is the first writer outside of the comic book field to really capture the essence Peter Parker, his voice and his humor and his compassion. Jim Butcher gets Spidey, really gets him. Meaning that his novel SPIDER-MAN: THE DARKEST HOURS comes as a very welcome addition and a strong entry into the Spider-Man world.Some background first: Some time ago Spider-Man tangled with a psychic vampire named Morlun (first appearing in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Vol. 2) #30, I believe). Morlun, super-strong and inhumanly durable, pushed the webhead to the brink and Spidey admits that he almost, almost gave up. It took Spidey injecting himself with radioactive substance from the core of a nuclear reactor to take the bad boy out. This face-off would end with Morlun perishing, although not at Spider-Man's hands.In Jim Butcher's novel Morlun's siblings come looking for vengeance and, once again, Spider-Man would be tested to the limit. As he soon learns, Morlun and his family are part of the Ancients, supernatural parasites, thousands of years old, who feed off totemic beings, namely humans who are associated with and who base their powers on animals. Worse news: once these Ancients make bodily contact with their prey, they're able to track them down anywhere.Peter is out investigating a dust-up in Times Square when Felicia Hardy, the reformed ex-criminal Black Cat and Peter's ex, drops in to warn him that he's about to step into a trap. The trap turns out to be Morlun's sister and two brothers, newly come to town and looking to bust some friendly neighborhood web-heads. But, as a totemic person herself, Felicia promptly finds herself in mortal danger and a possible snack. As a longtime reader of Spidey's adventures, I'm always cool with sexy Felicia popping up, and there's always that flammable relationship between her and Mary Jane to look forward to. With those two, the possibility of an epic cat fight is always on the table. Need I say that MJ isn't too pleased that her husband's old flame is back in the mix?Of course, heavy hitters like the FF and the Avengers are unavailable. And the one ally fully appropriate to the situation, Dr. Strange, is forced to sit this one out (something about how his interference may throw off the balance between the forces of this and that mucketymuck). Surprisingly, Spidey and the Black Cat get help from an unexpected corner.It's not that Spidey hadn't gone toe to toe with overwhelming opposition before. And, certainly, I don't believe that Mortia, Malos, and Thanis (Morlun's siblings) are the worst Spidey has ever or will ever face. But dang if Jim Butcher doesn't ratchet up the suspense and make you feel that Peter Parker, frightened and desperate, is really up against it this time. SPIDER-MAN: THE DARKEST HOURS is narrated thru Peter's first person perspective, and so we get a personal front row seat to what makes the guy tick. After all this time the death of his Uncle Ben remains an unshakeable reminder, and so that colossal old bump of responsibility is always there, chillin' at the periphery. And, if you're a fan of the Dresden Files, then you already know that not only is Jim Butcher aces at presenting the human side of a hero but the guy can really snap that banter, as well. Butcher peppers the story with Peter's self-deprecating sense of humor, although the funniest thing in this book may be Felicia's revelatory accusation that Peter, a guy who seems to prefer going solo, may actually be the world's biggest team-up slut.Another thing I really liked is the exploration of Peter and Mary Jane's relationship and marriage. We get treated to an MJ who is a strong three dimensional character, and Jim Butcher demonstrates in this book just how fortunate Peter is to have someone as understanding and self-sacrificing (and drop-dead gorgeous) as MJ in his life. Imagine being the wife to a vigilante who dresses up in tights and takes on superpowered menaces... Waiting and wondering if he'll come home safe and sound this time... That's a horrible chore, brother. MJ is written so well here and her moments with Peter are so good that it brings back all the bile generated from my reading of the ONE MORE DAY arc, which erased their marriage from existence (I spit on you, ONE MORE DAY - ptui!).There's also a subplot involving Mary Jane needing to pass a driver's test in order to make sure she gets to her new acting gig on time. It all ties into the big picture.On the civilian side, Peter is still a high school science teacher, only this time he's also been saddled with temporary basketball coach duties. As such, he right away crosses the high school hoops prodigy, a promising but arrogant kid who needs to learn a lesson on teamwork. What are the odds that Peter himself will end up taking notes about the subject? After all, it just may save his life.I don't exactly perk up whenever the Rhino does one of his patented rampages thru New York; I never thought he was all that interesting a villain, and, really, overall, I still don't. But Butcher invests some depth and even complexity to the Rhino, and we even learn dude's first name. And there's that one scene in which the Rhino inadvertently has Mary Jane cracking up with his tales of woe as a professional mercenary (mostly because his comments indirectly, hilariously references certain elements of the Spider-Man mythos).Regarding the 616 continuity, SPIDER-MAN: THE DARKEST HOURS takes place before THE OTHER: EVOLVE OR DIE arc (Spider-Man: The Other (Black Costume Cover)) and definitely before ONE MORE DAY. Here's a fun fact: In THE OTHER storyline Morlun returns and ends up munching on one of Spidey's eyeballs.I recommend the hell out of this book. Jim Butcher is a fantastic visual storyteller, his style pretty ideal for superhero novelizations. Here, he packs in blistering action sequences and doles out heaps of good characterization and throwaway wisecracks. Butcher, with his research and keeping the faith with the Spidey mythos and continuity, easily convinces me that he's a True Believer and that he also probably faces front. I'm really glad that he wrote this Spider-Man novel, but, brother, get cracking with the next Harry Dresden book already!!

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files series. The protagonist, Harry Dresden, is a wizard version of Spider-Man. After reading most of the Dresden Files books, I stumbled upon The Darkest Hour, and I knew it would be a fun read. Butcher understands Spider-Man/Peter Parker, and he is able to take you into the web slinger's mind and life as well as the best of the comic book hero's writers. I feel like I know Spider-Man/Peter Parker even better after reading this book, and I have been a fan of the comics for decades. The combination of Butcher's knowledge of the comic and ability to write allows him to describe the web-slinger better than the comics could by themselves. And we haven't even touched upon Butcher's real talent. He can spin an adventure and fight scene like no other author. I have never known an author who can put the protagonist in impossible situations and still find reasonable ways for him to succeed, and in this book, Butcher does it over and over again. As an extra bonus, we get to learn more about the Rhino and there is a guest spot by Dr. Strange. You don't even need to be a fan of Spider-Man to really enjoy this book.

This is a pretty good Spider-Man story with the villain being Mourlun. He is usually not my favorite villain but in this one he is okay. Also we have a little sub plot bout Mary Jane getting her own little car to get around NYC for her acting gig. Overall it's not bad and I enjoyed it a lot.It's worth reading for fans of the wall-crawler. Check it out!

I say this as someone who likes both Jim Butcher and Spiderman, this is a little awkward. Sometimes Butcher seems to get Dresden-itis, where everything he writes wants to be Dresden, and this is a definite victim.The most authentic-feeling bits involve a sorcerer in a city. The rest *exist*, but couldn't pull me in.If you want to read Butcher, he's really good by a few books into Dresden Files, by the second book of Codex Alera, and on book 1 of Aeronaut's Windlass.

If you're a fan of the Dresden Files, you'll already know Jim Butcher likes to pepper his urban fantasy with lots of pop culture references. Here he gets a chance to immerse himself fully in the Marvel genre, and he has a great time with it. Spider-Man is a good fit for him and in Darkest Hours, he's also a grown-up. The Hollywood versions, endlessly remade and rebranded, would have us believe he's an eternal teenager; trapped forever as a relentlessly smart-mouthed kid, but here we get to take a peek at what he might be like as an adult. He still has all his superhero gifts and obligations, but he also has a wife, a day-job and a bunch of mundane, real-world responsibilities as well.Half the enjoyment of this book stems from watching him figuring out how to juggle saving the city with keeping his job, and the rest comes from the classic, villain-of-the-week style plot; full of twists, turns, complications and cool cameos. It reads like JB had a lot of fun writing it, and I definitely had a lot of fun reading it. If you're looking for something weighty and soul-searching, better go elsewhere, but if you're in the market for something light and hugely entertaining, try this. It made me laugh out loud way more than once, and left me smiling.

I'm not really into comic-book novels. Many of them are churned out by working writers rather than artistic ones. Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours, however, is written by Jim Butcher, the creator of the popular Dresden Files series so I gave this one a shot.Peter Parker has a bad week as he juggles substituting for gym class with battling ancient life-sucking deities. As if teenagers undermining his authority as a teacher wasn't bad enough the Ancients want him for lunch. Mary-Jane also struggles with her driving lessons and preparing for the lead in Hamlet. Look, this ain't high art, it ain't even high drama. Other reviewers have commented on Spidey doing detective work and unraveling the mystery of the Ancients with the Black Cat/Felica Hardy, but there is little to no intrigue here. It's a very flat, straight-forward novel with no epic moments and nothing to make it stand out from the pulp-trash genre it belongs to.I did enjoy reading from Peter Parker's point-of-view and his narration was sarcastic and amusing, it's just a shame it tells such a low-octane story. I can't recommend this as anything other than a quick trash read. Sorry.

Spider-Man: Coming Home was simply one of the most enjoyable stories I ever read. J. Michael Straczynski introduced such freshness and a new outlook on the lives of both Peter Parker and his alter-ego, by introducing new concepts regarding Spidey's origin, making Peter a high-school teacher to help kids where his alter-ego can't, an awesome new villain called Morlun, a sense of realism and first-class, new humour to the stories.In the main continuity of Marvel Comics, follow ups consisted of the Ezekiel saga and The Other: Evolve or Die. But there was a lot of stuff that we still didn't know about Morlun. And that's where this novel comes in.Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours takes place sometime after the end of the Ezekiel saga but before the events of The Other. And this is the point where Peter Parker's life is going great and trouble is naturally just around the corner. Or rather corners. The Rhino is back in town to cause havoc, the Black Cat is also back (to MJ's dismay) and Morlun's relatives have turned up, coming after Spidey for vengeance and a snack.Unlike Spider-Man novels of the past, The Darkest Hours doesn't have an `adventure' feel to it. This is more like a detective novel, with Spider-Man and the Black Cat extensively researching the lethal race of the Ancients (to which Morlun and his relatives belong) in order to find out how to stop it before it's too late, but that's very good. It makes a nice change from the usual format of `Wham-bam! Stopping the evil supervillain and his diabolical scheme' and also provides a perfect opportunity to extensively cover some great revelations about Morlun and the Ancients.Unfortunately, The Darkest Hours does suffer from the lack of a real plot, and also suffers because of some lacklustre villains. The Ancients present here, Mortia, Thanis and Malos, are pretty shallow in comparison to Morlun, lacking the qualities that made him so appealing, which is quite odd given that they're all from the same race as he is. You would've fought Jim Butcher could've made them all just as fascinating as JMS had made Morlun. Because Butcher does an absolutely fantastic job with providing an extensive background and history for the Ancients race, writing about their nature, motives, reasons and abilities.Jim Butcher has done his homework here, and you can tell. Everything that's written here ties in perfectly with what JMS wrote in his stories, and is both faithful and respectful to what he did for Amazing Spider-Man. A secret look at just how big a monster Morlun was (told by his former, long-suffering slave, Dex) also adds more depth and fascination to the character.What makes this book worthwhile is the writing. Even though this takes place after the end of the Ezekiel saga (and Spidey says it himself that he's done with the totemic possibilities regarding his origin), Butcher has written this novel in a way that allows Morlun and the Ancients to be used outside the Ezekiel saga and still maintain their greatness.Another quality that Butcher's writing adds is the fact that it's written in first-person. This is Peter Parker telling the story as it happens, and it's simply great to hear in Peter's own words how he feels about the situation he's in. Whenever he's expressing his fear/haunted memories of Morlun, how he's going to survive this mess he's in, describing the action, what he thinks of this and that, and so on, you really do believe that it's Peter Parker speaking to you. His humour, compassion and desperation come across flawlessly.Character and interaction are everywhere in this story. For instance, Butcher has got all the other supporting characters down to a tee. The Mary Jane/Black Cat interaction is portrayed as it should be, both friends but still somewhat rivals over their love for Peter. Their relationship is also intensified and somewhat resolved because of the events that happen here, making for great moments that are not in the least bit irritating.The Spider-Man/Black Cat team-up and friendship has also been perfectly captured, and the guest appearance of Doctor Strange is justified by what goes on here and ergo, most welcome. One of the most pleasantly, surprising things about The Darkest Hours is the Rhino. While one of the elite in the wall-crawler's rogues' gallery, and a favourite of mine, I don't recall the Rhino being written this well before. He plays an important role in the story and you really come to sympathise with him over what happens to him, why he became a criminal and what it cost him. His interactions with Spidey, MJ and the Black Cat are also superbly done.The fights are well written and full of realism, there are some quite shocking twists, and ala JMS, the author also writes some nice sub-plots for Peter Parker's life, such as helping a student at school, and MJ acting in a new play. It's similar, but different from what we've seen in the comics, therefore adding a great touch that all in all, helps build toward a satisfying conclusion.While Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours cannot be called a perfect novel, it is nonetheless a novel of exceptionally high quality. It's a real treat to read because it has almost everything a great Spidey story needs. Characterisation, interaction and revelation. Highly recommended.

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I was expecting a graphic novel. Turns out, it's only a novel - which isn't a problem at all, I am an avid reader. Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors, and Spider Man has long been my favorite superhero. The combination is amazing.I want to go pester Jim to write more Peter Parker!

If you are fan of spidy and jim butcher, this is a must to !! I wait for long to let this read for an special time, and when I take it, I just read it in two week! Very ver funny to read.En español, es jim butcher al puro estilo, y ademas si eres fan de spiderman ... es algo que no puedes dejar escapar! yo lo reserve para una ocasión especial, y no me defraudo para nada! me lo leí en dos semana! fue muy divertido de leer ademas con continuidad en el universo maverl!!!

The book is good, if you like books like the Dresden Files, which I do. And since I have been a Spiderman fan since my days as a kid, I enjoyed the book very much.