J. Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato's Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 8: Sins Past collects Amazing Spider-Man nos. 509-514. Sins Past is one of the most controversial Spider-Man stories of all time, not just in recent memory. It begins with Peter receiving a letter that Gwen Stacy wrote prior to her death. When he visits her grave to think, two shadowy figures attack him. After recovering the second half of the letter and some DNA, Spidey discovers that these two are the children of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn, born in France during the events of Amazing Spider-Man nos. 119-120. Peter must deal with this shocking revelation while trying to save Gwen's children, who Norman Osborn raised and trained to kill Peter Parker and Spider-Man if Osborn should die. The story is certainly one of the more daring for this time period and retcons a beloved character, but it's not necessarily as bad as most remember it. Straczynski based his Spider-Man stories on the relationships between Peter, Mary Jane, Aunt May, and other side characters. This shocking revelation led to some action sequences, but worked well to create emotional drama for the characters to confront and process. That said, the flashback of Gwen Stacy sleeping with Osborn is an unnecessary full-page sequence. If that had been omitted or described differently, the story would likely not get as much hate as it does currently. For those who enjoyed Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man, this fits in with the character-driven stories he developed during the 2000s. Also, Deodato's art was a nice departure from the exaggerated caricature style of John Romita, Jr., who illustrated most of the previous Straczynski Amazing Spider-Man stories. ( )

A touching and powerful story in which Gwen Stacy's two children, whom she kept the fact of secret from Peter Parker until her death, come back into Peter's life, full-grown due to a genetic flaw in their make-up, determined to kill Peter and Spider-Man, whom they blame for their mother's death. Peter also learns that Mary Jane knew of their existence, and kept the secret from him. All in all, a story fraught with monumental potential for life changes for all concerned. Good artwork from Mike Deodato Jr., too. ( )