The more things change the more they stay the same is how the saying goes right? Well that phrase works exceptionally well for the recent story arc that ran through Spider-Man. Mephisto changed a great deal when he made a deal with Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker, and those changes have been playing out in every issue of the book ever since.

The biggest change was the return of Harry Osborne in my opinion. Harry was very much dead and had been for quite some time. Somehow in the middle of Peter’s deal with the devil Harry came back to the land of the living. It has been hinted at that Peter is aware of Harry’s being the Green Goblin at some point which brings back one of the best dynamics in comics. Two guys who are best friends and mortal enemies at the exact same time.

In the series New Ways To Die, the dynamic between Harry and Peter is thrown a curve when Harry’s dad Norman makes an appearance with the Thunderbolts in tow. If you haven’t been reading all you need to know is that Norman has been the leader of the Thunderbolts for quite some time, and his alter ego has been somewhat kept at bay until now.

The last major player to make a comeback in this series is Eddie Brock, who has been ‘cured’ of his cancer by Mr. Negative otherwise known as Martin Li. In this story Eddie Brock becomes a new character called the Anti-Venom. It’s a pretty interesting choice on Dan Slott’s part and a cool way to bring the Brock character full circle, and he’s not the only one.

The new Venom (who is the old Scorpion) still has a mad on for Spider-Man which of course gets him into trouble. It’s when he’s looking for Spider-Man that Venom runs afoul of Anti-Venom. Somehow the procedure to cure him of the cancer he had created a reaction with the latent bits of symbiote to form something new. Something new that is a threat to both Venom and Spidey alike.

The story thus far works because Eddie Brock is still trying to do the right thing which I thought was cool, it would have been too easy to bring him back a villain especially since his very presence causes Peter’s powers to blink out. Something about Anti-Venom’s physiology allows him to counteract different types of ailments, including radiation. It’s just never over for Eddie Brock, here’s hoping that this change lasts for a while.

While this is going on the Thunderbolts are closing in on Spider-Man who is himself closing in on Norman Osborne. The best thing about this series is the classic Spider-Man banter and just generally great dialogue. Slott did a great job capturing the character and his supporting cast, this book makes a strong case for why ending the marriage was a good thing. I’m not sure this story would have worked with MJ sitting at home worrying, or even worse being put in danger again. No, there was so much going on in this story that I completely forgot about MJ and her own super heroics going on in that god awful three part Secret Invasion series.

The big mystery (if there is one) in this story is: Who is Menace? The most obvious answer is Harry Osborne, but if it is I got a hunch that even he doesn’t know he’s running around as a villain. Menace factors into the story early on in a pitched battle versus the original Goblin himself. It’s here that we get the first real strong hints that Menace and Harry are one in the same.

If you like action this book has plenty, with Spidey facing off against Venom, Anti-Venom, the Thunderbolts, and even Bullseye. John Romita Jr. does the honors with the pencils and proves once again why he’s my favorite artist in all of comics. The panels are vivid and big just the way I like it.

I don’t want to give too much away considering that all six issues are still out there for you to pick them up. Suffice to say that New Ways To Die takes full advantage of what was done in Brand New Day while managing to enhance a lot of the plot going forward. Why does Norman not remember that Peter is Spider-Man? How did Harry Osborne come back? All these questions are brought to light in this series. They aren’t quite answered, but you know that if you stick with the series then all will be revealed.