There’s nothing like the holiday season, and its attendant shopping, travel, insufferable parties, rotten fruitcake, family gatherings, family arguments, family recriminations, family embarrassment, and, well, family, that makes the heart yearn for summer blockbuster movie season.

And Hollywood knows this. This is why they spend millions on new Christmas movies (not that I begrudge Tim Allen a living), on funnelling It’s A Wonderful Life onto every second-rate expanded cable channel in America from Thanksgiving until about Valentine’s Day, and its why your local oldies radio station alternates playing Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime and Bing Crosby’s White Christmas from the day after Halloween until the smile on the face of the clerk at your local convenience store begins looking suspiciously like a silent prayer for the sweet release of death.

They want you to feel that level of despair so that, when they give you a tease of the big, explodey action of the summer flicks, you become disproportionately excited over the idea of big sun, long days, and starship captains blowing up bad guys.

And in that spirit, the first teaser trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness has been released… along with a little something extra for people in a country where Christmas is a time you spend with your boss instead of your family. Those lucky motherfuckers.

Editor’s Note: Hey Amanda – have I done the “Amazing Spoiler-Man” gag for a spoiler warning yet? No? Jesus, how the fuck have I left that one on the table? No, I’m not gonna do it NOW, I gave it away already! I’ll just tell people that this review is loaded with spoilers. Right after I pour another whiskey.

Here’s the problem with hype: ever since The Amazing Spider-Man #699 was available in stores yesterday morning, Dan Slott’s Twitter feed has been ablaze with cries of “Oh God! You bastard! That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen!” and “I threw up when I saw IT,” and “Follow me for slutty cam vids!” Okay, that last one might have been from Twitter pornbot Diane’s Slot, but that’s beside the point.

The point is, if all you have to go on it the online hype, you would think that Amazing Spider-Man #699 was a bloody slugfest in the final battle before the book goes tits up in favor of Superior Spider-Man at the end of the month, but that’s not the case. Make no mistake: that moment that people are shrieking about is in the book. And it is… yeah, we’ll go with the adjective “disturbing.” But I won’t spoil the moment here, because despite the hype, it isn’t germane to the story. Which is actually a pretty solid middle part to a story that Marvel promises will “change Spider-Man forever,” or at least until three months after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 shows up in movie theaters and reminds people that there’s money in the character the way he’s always been.