Man, I loved this!

It's the story of a friendship. Ever since the early days of Marvel Comics, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) have been friends. These five chapters tell how that friendship matured from an uneasy rivalry to best buddies status. It's also an exploration of past eras in the Marvel Universe. It plunks you back into 1964, 1969, 1974, 1983, and finishes in 2005 (the date this series was published). We get to see why villain Paste Pot Pete changed his name to the Trapster, Johnny and Pete taking a joyride in the Spider-Mobile, hi-jinks at the Coffee Bean, etc.

The writer, Dan Slott, is now the writer of the semi-monthly Amazing Spider-Man. He gets what makes Marvel special, and is able to use events from the past to inform the present. The final chapter shows how Spidey became part of the Fantastic Four family. Since the recent events of the death of Johnny and his replacement by Spidey in the FF, this series takes on special resonance and emotional impact.

Fun, funny, and touching all at once. You can't go wrong with this one. ( )