the plot: When Peter Parker encounters a cat that's the target to two AIM hired assasins, it's up to him to rescue the cat that's actually a genetic time-bomb.

the review: This issue, with Peter saving a large, smelling cat from the well mannered assasins Mr. P and Mr. Q, is very interesting. Not for the story itself, which is rather straight forward, and thankfully has some sembalence of explantion, but for the fact that it's a decent book. This after two years and over fifty issues that at best were good and at worst bird cage lining. It's becoming much more apparent as we progress through Howard Mackie's second stint as a writer of a single book that his writing skills suffered terribly writing two and often three monthly Spider-Man books.

Over the past few months I've seen a second coming for Mackie. He appears to have become refocused in his writing, determined to answer questions that have gone unanswered and focus on smaller, less spanning stories. Witness his two part Spider-Slayer src last year as opposed to some of his other multi-part stories from 1999. Or his single issue stories in this and the last issue. New life has been breathed into his work and we as readers benefit emencly.

Granted some readers harbour deep-seated resentment towards Mackie for some of his work on the relaunch run, with good reason. Others have simply dropped the books completly, planning to return for J. Michael Straczynski's upcoming run. With that last issues of Howard Mackie's Spidey run approaching and the steady improvement in things I'd like to see him return later maybe for an annual or a mini-series. He works well when not under pressure.

On the art side John Romita's pencils are solid as always, little problem there. It is of note that this issue was actually the last regular Mackie/Romita Spidey issue, since Romita is taking a two-issue break in preparation for his Hulk run and Scrazynski's debut issue. No doubt Romita is aware of the expected popularity of that issue and is taking time to have his work look it's best.

Well, despite the odd size changing the cat displays, this was a solid issue by the team of Mackie and Romita, and a allright farewell paring for this five year team.

Amazing Spider-Man #27 gets *** out of *****

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