I read a great number of Marvel Comics when I was a kid. Okay, I'll admit it, I read them well into adulthood and only gave up because of space issues (I could keep my book collection or comic collection and books win that one easily). And although I was more a fan of The X-Men and Captain America than Spider-Man I believe I probably read a few hundred Spidey comics.

Okay then now to read a Spider-Man adventure in print rather than in pictures. Will it work> Comics, being a predominantly visual medium, are colourful and action packed and present their stories in a very immediate fashion. Novels require a certain commitment; they take time. So can a superhero tale work in this medium.

Well, of course it can. All it takes is for the writer to write a good story. And Keith R.A. DeCandido really delivers the goods in this book - this is great stuff.

Peter Parker is a high school teacher, and as such he is used to his students being smart-Alecs or ignoring him altogether. One of them turning green and gaining super-strength is a little out of the ordinary. This is just the first instance of people in New York gaining super-powers, all seemingly linked to a new drug that's hit the market –Triple X.

Triple X is being sold to give the ultimate high, the only downside being an extremely high mortality rate due to the drug being a version of ecstasy dosed with gamma radiation.

And so Spider-Man, this time working with the N.Y.P.D., needs to find the source of the drugs before any more people die.

This is superbly well written, and stands up as a novel a great deal more than you might believe a superhero novel could. The characterisations feel right, Spider-Man / Peter Parker is well presented, complete with wise-cracks, and Mary-Jane and May Parker feel true to their comics equivalents.

So to the plot – we the typical superhero slug-fest is not really going to make a good novel. "Spider-Man hit him, he hit Spider-Man, Spider-Man hit him again". Not very interesting is it. So the drug story line here is a wise choice on the part of the author, bringing in just the right amount of traditional Spidey-foe to complete the mix.

Added to this are lots of wonderful supporting elements in this tale. In particular the interaction between Spider-Man and the police officers is excellent, ranging from devoted fans to very negative. But it's the reason why some officers dislike the "costumes" that makes this work so well. We're not talking about the irrational hatred exhibited by Jonah Jameson (Daily Bugle editor), this time there is logic to their feelings – but you'll have to read the book to find out what this is, I'm not going to spoil the surprise here.

I was hoping to enjoy this novel when I picked it up, and I was not disappointed. It's good stuff. A good first taste of this Marvel comics range – now for the next one.

Synopsis
When Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, he became much more than the shy, introverted high school student he had always been. Now possessed of the proportionate strength, speed and agility of a spider, he sought to use his newfound abilities to achieve wealth and fame. But after his beloved Uncle Ben was murdered, the grief-stricken youth soon realized that with great power comes great responsibility. Now Peter wages a one-man crusade against crime...in the costumed identity of the amazing Spider-man! In DOWN THESE MEAN STREETS, a new designer drug with physically-altering side effects is sweeping through the streets of New York, leaving law enforcement completely helpless and utter chaos and destruction in its wake. As Spider-man stumbles onto the terrifying truth behind the origin of the drug, must he once again confront one of the most diabolical enemies he has ever faced?