Spectacular Spider-Man Vols 4 and 5: Disassembled and Sins Remembered

Volume 4: Disassembled
by Paul Jenkins, Michael Ryan, Humberto Ramos and more
collects Spectacular Spider-Man #15-20

Issues 15-16 tell the two-part story "Royal Flush," featuring Captain America foe Ana Soria, AKA "Spider Queen," a woman who's able to control folks with the "insect gene," which Spider-Man apparently has. It's an extremely straightforward story, one that could be told in the (kid-friendly and now defunct) "Marvel Adventures" imprint of Marvel.

Well, it would be extremely straightforward, if not for the fall-out from Peter's forced kiss with the Spider Queen, leading to some tension between him and MJ for the next arc, and a terrible, horrible, no-good very-bad transformation for Peter.

That first kiss was all part of Ana Soria's plan to reshape Manhattan into a world of insect drones. Predictably, it doesn't work out, and I can't help but feel this was only a re-hash of another "Peter almost undergoes infidelity" story, similar to 2003's "Peter kissed the bug lady Shathra" in J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr's Amazing Spider-Man. But worse, and, combined with Stan Lee's "Peter almost becomes a Spider" story from Amazing.

Somewhat redeeming is the process of Peter's transformation. Superhero action almost becomes superhero horro, as you see the little details from Peter transform, and how the world around him reacts. The dog across the street, who never liked him to begin with, now barks at him even more than usual. A smart detail to convey Peter's transformation, almost like Jeff Goldblum's transformation in The Fly (1986), one of my favorite sci-fi movies. I will never forget the scene where his fingernails fall off. Yeesh.

All in all, a re-hash of earlier, better stories.

Volume 5: Sins Remembered
by Barnes and Eaton
collects issues 23-26

So, back in 2004, the Spider-teams revealed that Gwen Stacy had an affair with . . . her murderer, Norman Osborn, and bore two children out of it, Gabriel and Sarah.

The less said about it, the better. But they had to wring four issues out of the fallout, where Peter visits Sarah in her home, Paris, after she's taken to the hospital for a potential suicide/overdose. You know, the girl who's rapidly aged to her twenty-somethings (it's kind of like progeria?) and looks just like Gwen Stacy, the love of his life. In, you know, the city of love, Paris, away from his wife in Manhattan.

What could go wrong?

The story once again deals with infidelity, and is kind of a crime/mystery/family drama. It's just unfortunate they had this material to deal with, an ugly retcon of a dearly-loved character's history. There's no denying that Sarah's a bombshell like her mother, but it's way too weird knowing that we're expected to expect this amorous tension between Peter Parker and Sarah. God no.

Paul Jenkins isn't a bad writer, and I don't think Sara Barnes is either, but these were way off the mark. A forgettable volume 4 followed up by a wish-you-could-forget volume 5. I'm willing to believe in Spider-Men that can shoot webs out of their hands. But not a guy who will go to Paris and go on dates with the girl young enough to be his daughter, but just so happens to look like his dearly-departed high school sweetheart. Yeesh.

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I'm Feeling a Little Hungry Today. . .

Thanks Hobby! And Happy Pi Day! Courtesy Hobgoblin, and Amazing Spider-Man #651.

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The Amazing Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl

by Dan Slott and Ramon Perez

"Learning to Crawl" was released in those weird Marvel-numbered "1.X" issues, which made it a really easy reason to simply overlook and to continue picking up the "main" series, Amazing Spider-Man. It really seems like a variation on an old concept: folding the satellite Spider-titles into the main title, now published weekly, if your wallet can handle that kind of thing. But now it's, "hey look, it's the main title with these different numbers. So now you can buy more main Spidey, and give us more money!" What an idea.

Anyways, as for the story itself: I really, really liked it. It's billed as "the chapter you never knew about the story you know by heart," expanding on the first 60 days of Peter Parker's life with his alter-ego, Spider-Man. Dan "the Man" Slott shows off his Spider-knowledge here, perfectly conveying the teenager that Peter was in Amazing Fantasy, in a modern way in 2014. The secret he feels he has to keep from his Aunt May, the need he feels to honor his Uncle Ben, the responsibility he has to protect his classmates, makes so much sense like you always knew it was there, but just discovered.

Peter has just "landed" in his room in the Spider-Man costume, and tells his Aunt "Don't come in!" when...

When you're a teenager, you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and it's a struggle that we get to see through Peter, and reflected to the foil here, "Clayton Cole." Clayton is a teen genius (teenius?) just like Peter, but never learned the responsibility that Peter did. When he's one of the first to see Spider-Man in the wrestling ring (in a nod to modern sensibilities, Clayton is the one who "made Spidey viral," by posting his footage on the web!), he's determined to put on a mask and make a name for himself as well, as the sound-based costumed character, "Clash."

SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't go so well, and causes Peter to question ever putting the mask on. There's a touching, hilarious moment with Aunt May at the end that serves as a "retcon" for why Spider-Man jokes all the time. Believable if you want, and if you don't, well, no big deal.

There's no doubt about it: Dan Slott just gets Peter Parker. He gets what makes him tick, and this is the perfect showcase for it. Back then, when Slott was a "breaking" author, he penned a four-issue miniseries about Spider-Man and the Human Torch, highlighting four different times in their relationship together. It was a story that was half-nostalgia/tribute, and half-just damn good storytelling about these characters we've grown to love. Learning to Crawl is no different.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Ramon Perez does a wonderful job of re-creating the world of 1960s' Peter Parker, in a modern manner. He "riffs" off of Steve Ditko's 9-grid pages in the early issues of Amazing, blowing them up for action scenes or slicing them apart for longer scenes. I really love his layouts, and below is an example two pages.

Peter goes to school counseling for his recent school behavior, and learns to "code switch," so to speak

Having a sound-based costumed character in a soundless medium format means you can do some fun stuff with conveying that sense. Clash's gadgets allow him to take sound from the environment and amplify them as a weapon, and here's what it looks like:

Clash and Spider-Man brawl in the Daily Bugle office

Couldn't help myself -- here's one more layout from issue 1.1:

Peter performs for the world -- not because he wants to, but because he has to.

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Serials: Daredevil #598, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #41, Spider-Man/Deadpool #27

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #42
by Slott, Smith, Pallot, and Weber
"Bury the Ledes," back-up story "Spider-Sense & Sensibility," and gag page "The Many Costumes of Spider-Man"

It's a throwback to classic Spider-Man as we see Fancy Dan and the Enforcers! They're part of a larger story involving Daily Bugle reporter Betty Brant, her deceased husband Ned Leeds, and an underground mob plot about the (falsified) Battle of "Blood Creek."

Spider-Man plays more of a side character her, where Betty takes the main stage. "Blood Creek" was her husband's story, before he passed away, and so events happen to spur Betty on to finish his life's work. The whole thing comes off as a traditional, play-it-safe, Spider-Man crime story. No character development here, but it's not needed. Slott would be great as an animated series writer for this reason. He's very good at weaving plots together and teasing storylines early. The characters don't need to develop so much as their situations change.

Following is a shorter story about Peter's birthday, and his spider-sense. It has a very charming way to convey spider-sense that makes it worth the read alone.

Capping off the annual is a page of Spider-Man's costumes -- a fun way to look back at years of Spider-Man, and Dan Slott's 10 years there!

Daredevil #598
by Soule, Garney, Milla
"Mayor Fisk"

Man, talk about decompressed! Everybody walks around New York City and contemplates Muse's new art (remember him?) on city buildings, until he makes one of the Punisher.

Cue next issue, except, well, now you have to wait a month. It helps that Ron Garney is back on, but there's a disturbing amount of pages where there's a massive panel of nothing. . . did I really need a half-page of the back of Wilson Fisk's head? Could you have picked a better angle to

At least when Bendis decompressed his stories, he had oodles of dialogue to focus your eyes on. Here it's just tracts of unused space.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #27
by Thompson, Bachalo, and Hepburn
"Area 14" part 1

Reading this issue along with Daredevil just shows me how they're worlds apart. Thompson hands in a creative script that challenges the reader to take multiple reads to "get" it, utilizing both artists to jump back and forth between two different scenes that build on each other, technically and emotionally.

Those last few pages make Deadpool a sympathetic character in a way I've never seen before. Both Bachalo and Hepburn are perfectly suited for this style of storytelling, injecting their visual humor into each page, despite having utterly unique styles. They really squeeze the story out of each page, and this would make a great jumping on point for anyone. (So would last issue!)

This is the best comic book I read this week, if not the best comic book I pick up monthly.

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Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 3: Here There Be Monsters

by Paul Jenkins, Damion Scott, and Paolo Rivera
collects Issues 11-14 of the 2003 series

This is actually my second reading of this TPB. I bought it at a convention for dirt cheap, and then bought it digitally, also for dirt cheap. Issues 11-13 is a Lizard story titled "The Lizard's Tale," while 14 is a standalone story with paints by an early Paolo Rivera. Man, check out that cover. So creative. So energetic.

I guess it took my two readings for me to "get" the story of "The Lizard's Tale." I didn't like the art much then, and I still don't favor it now. It's far too manga-influenced and exaggerated for what I now understand is -- get ready for it -- a crime noir take on the Lizard.

This story's got it all from the genre: a man on the edge, an ineffective hero, a hard-boiled cop. And most importantly: an unreliable narrative. Curt Connors comes to Peter in a plea for help and faltering attempts to hold the Lizard persona at bay. He can't get over the death of his wife, and it's doing a number on his psyche and his son Billy. But you're never quite sure who's in control: the Lizard or Curt, and Curt's account of a mysterious explosion at a rival's laboratory doesn't exactly ring true to Peter. The transition from Issue 11 to 12 will make you double-take, and it's a clever use of an unreliable narrative.

SPOILER: Peter finds out that Curt was in control the whole time, and using the persona of the Lizard to enact his deeds of revenge, to feed his inner id and need for rage. It's a nasty retcon that throws an otherwise tragic character under the bus -- and while some might disagree with it, I think it's genius. I believe it, and it's relatable. Everybody has this reptile brain that tells them ugly things, but we live in a civil society, and we want to keep that civil society. When Curt makes this reveal, he's telling us that it was him all along, a very human answer to a typically superhuman comic book. His transformation into the scaled monster was merely a reflection of the ugliness inside him. It's only when his son innocently calls for him that he snaps out of it, and willingly turns himself into the police. In fact, Spider-Man had nothing to do with bringing Curt to justice, and he's a bystander to Curt's downward spiral.

Sometimes that's how life is. It just happens and you can't do anything about it. No amount of punching or wisecracking will solve your problem, and even when you win, you lose. This was a twist for the Lizard that came out of nowhere -- and it could have used a different artist to match the tone. The colors should have been more muted, and the anatomy should have been more realistic. That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this story for its deceptive take on an old character.

Issue 14 is an untitled one-shot from the perspective of Joey, a New Yorker who has cerebral palsy. His parents let him outside so he can watch the city, and as it turns out, he's one of Spider-Man's biggest fans. It's a pensive slice-of-life kind of story that Paul Jenkins does a good job with, telling us about his life and the sacrifices his family makes for him to help him. While he can watch Spider-Man zip around the city, there's a monster watching him -- Morbius, the Living Vampire!

Spider-Man's been tracking Morbius down, and when the two meet on the rooftop, a brawl ensues -- and Joey has a front-row seat to it.

Predictably, Spider-Man wins, ending the action of the issue, but then Spidey does something unpredictable. He unmasks before Joey so he can see his face.

There's a lot in that moment to take in. When Peter puts on his best smile, Joey sees the man behind the mask, and he learns that there's a sadness behind that. It's so much that Joey even says he feels sorry for Spider-Man. This is the kind of point that Jenkins tends to get back to. For all his high-flying adventures, it sucks to be Spider-Man. And when Joey finds out, so do we.

BONUS PAGE:

Damion Scott draws the hell out of this page. I love the second panel there of the lizard. at the same time that you see Spider-Man falling down, he's crawling down. You have to re-orient yourself from Panel 1 to Panel 2, which makes for a fun read.

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Serials: Unbeatable Squirrel Surfer, Spider-Man: Threat Level Red Pt 1

Amazing Spider-Man #794
"Threat Level: Red Pt 1" by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, and Stuart Immonen

Now that "Venom, Inc" is over, Spider-Man can get back into the swing of things, pun. . . not intended. Immonen and von Grawbadger make the visual indication that we're back in Spidey's world, not Venom's world, and I mean the "Spidey" part too. Peter Parker hasn't unmasked in several issues, choosing to focus on his Spider-y life, and in this issue, the focus is on one villain from yesteryear: Zodiac, the man who assembled the Zodiac Key and understood a year's worth of happenings in the world.

Zodiac breaks out of his prison with 1 hour left in his year's worth of knowledge, so Spidey's on the clock to beat him. . . and beat him he does, with a twist! You don't need to know much about Zodiac beyond the intro blurb, so it results in a solid done-in-one issue with a neat and tidy "A" story, and a shocking "B" story on the last page.  Spoiler alert: Wouldja believe. . . Norman Osborn and the Carnage symbiote?

This is gonna be a good one.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #28
"The Forbidden Pla-Nut, Pt 2" by Ryan North and Eric Henderson

That cover is after John Buscema's cover on Silver Surfer (1968) #4. But for most people, it's really their first introduction to that iconography. I think Unbeatable is the closest you can get to a modern Marvel comic. There's lots of callback to the larger Marvel universe, with threats of Galactus and Squirrel Girl teaming up with the new Doctor Strange, and there are these cute little annotations from the writer on the bottom of most pages. It's usually a little joke that expands on the page itself.

When we first saw the "surfer hunks" from last issue, I knew that there was something off, and it pays off here: turns out these guys are scam artists who go from planet to planet, heralding the (false) coming of Galactus and promising that they can ward them off in exchange for material goods. Squirrel Girl doesn't like people who take advantage of others, so she unknowingly gets in a tangle with. . . Norrin Radd, the true Silver Surfer!

Unbeatable is one of Marvel's most consistent, consistently fun comic books. While it modernizes established Marvel mythology, it plays with them in a way that evokes the free-spirited optimism of the silver age.

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Serials: War Machine-off and Captain America's Rock-Fu

Captain America #697

by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Matthew Wilson

People talk about decompression in comics -- the act of stretching out a single storyline across multiple issues, but Captain America is doing the opposite: I guess the term would be. . .compression. Each issue since Waid/Samnee have taken over contains a stand-alone story, umbrella'd by the larger story of Captain America visiting an America that moved on without him. In today's issue, Captain America gets kidnapped by Kraven, the Hunter, and has to compete in a game against him. . . the prize: Captain America's life!

There's a nice twist near the end of the story with an unexpected cliffhanger. A very classic cape comic elevated by the cartooning from Samnee.

HIGHLIGHT: LEOPARD SUPLEX

Question: There was one bit that I didn't understand. When Cap and the other captive David Cotter get caught in a mudslide, Cap looks behind him before diving to save David. Why does he look back?

New Super-Man #19

"Day in the Life of a Shanghai Reporter," by Mariko Tamaki and Brent Peeples

Conveniently, this takes place directly after New Super-Man Volume 1: Made in China, and I just finished that trade!

This story is about a day in the life of Laney Lan, the Chinese analogue to Lois Lane. She reports for Primetime Shanghai, nails an action scene between the JLC and an interview with the New Super-Man over noodles. There's a slew of family secrets in this issue, one having to do with New Super-Man's *true* mother (gasp!), and the affair that Laney's father is having, overseas in America.

Overall a quiet issue that serves as intrigue for a larger story.

Punisher #220

"Punisher: War Machine Part 3," by Matt Rosenberg and Guiu Vilanova

And you thought last issue had a high body count. Rosenberg and co. up the kill scenes from here, making issue 220 the action piece of the storyarc. Frank doesn't spare any second killing ne'er-do-wells who are part of General Petrov's military regime. There's a whole page of him killing the guys running four separate concentration camps. It ain't pretty.

Turns out, Petrov has his own men in War Machine Armor, resulting in a War Machine-off in the second half of the comic. The designs make it a little difficult to distinguish Frank from the rest of the War Machines, but serviceable. Frank's "banter" with the armor A.I. makes for a entertaining reading experience that'll keep me coming for the title.

Venom, Inc. Omega

by Dan Slott, Mike Costa, Ryan Stegman, and Gerardo Sandoval

If ever there was a video-game plot, this is it. It's an over-sized issue spent on making a big bad villain bigger (literally) and badder, and only through combined teamwork and other gimmicks do our heroes overcome him. The focus is on Flash Thompson, repeatedly told that he is a hero by Spider-Man: the goal seems to be writing him into a superhero role once more, as the Anti-Venom. I just don't see why it needed a crossover with two separate one-shots, and a Stay Puft Marshmallow Venom.

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Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth

or: Spider-Man and Doc Ock reenact 50 Shades of Grey

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #'s 682-687, Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth #1, and Avenging Spider-Man #8

by Dan Slott, Stefano Caselli, and more

Over the course of ten years, writer Dan Slott has shared an embarrassment of riches with Spider-Man summer blockbusters. There was Spider-Verse, a worlds-spanning tale about Spider-Men (and -women, -robots, -cats... you get the picture) from different universes and their natural predators, "The Inheritors." You had Spider-Island, an epic about what happens when Manhattan gained all the powers of a spider, without the lessons learned from an Uncle Ben.

Point being, he's got a lot of ideas, and Ends of the Earth is another one of them. It's about a dying Doctor Octopus, who in a bid to leave an honorable legacy, convinces the world's legislators to use his "Octavian Lens," a series of orbiting octahedral robots that could save the planet from global warming. All he asks for is help from every nation to complete his satellites, and a memorial to honor his contribution to society (and cash and exoneration for the people that helped him, the Sinister Six).

Otto's Octahedrals orbiting Earth

Issues are spent questioning Otto's true intentions, the will-he-won't-he of saving the world from global warming. But Spider-Man knows in his gut that Otto is up to something, recruiting the help of the Avengers and later Black Widow and Silver Sable, to run hits on Otto's global satellite factories. They go to the "ends of the Earth" destroying these things and getting into the occasional superhero fight. There are great action movie moments where Spider-Man introduces some new tech of his that helps him take down the Sinister Six -- innovative variations on old fights that we've seen before.

The dynamic between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus in particular is taken to a whole new level for me. Dr. Octopus is a brilliant person, and there's a page with a Stefano Caselli-drawn Stephen Hawking -- Stephen Hawking -- confirming that the Octavian Lens (later called a shield) truly would repair the ozone layer and stave global warming. For several issues, Spider-Man seems like a bully, parading around the world with his entourage and blowing up Otto's factories. Just check out this scene of Spider-Man, "acidboarding" a captive Sandman.

Rest assured, Spider-Man tells us in a thought bubble that he wouldn't go so far as to kill. . .

There are so many brilliant moments in this comic, you'd be better off reading it yourself. Spidey yelling "Avengers Assemble" after a page of donning the various pieces of his new costume. The Sandman defeating Captain America by using an ice pellet. Here's one, where it's really Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli's riff on Amazing # 33's Spider-Man lifting the rubble. Doc Ock has Spider-Man trapped in his arms, while his robots will complete their lens sequencing in space. Out of his supplies and unable to get to Ock's Abort button, Spider-Man realizes that he can't gadget his way out of the situation, and that he doesn't need to:

The greatest gadet in his arsenal. . . was his heart ALL ALONG.

After six issues of seeing cool Spider-tech, it was refreshing to read this moment here. For the comic book event, it was rare to see Spider-Man unmasked, and the focus was far more on the Spider, rather than the man. Dan Slott has a fundamental understanding of Spider-Man, but at times I think it's too fundamental that it lacks emotional resonance. We get it -- Spider-Man is wracked with guilt over the death of people close to him because of Spider-Man. That doesn't mean he needs to go through a whole storyarc of how "no one dies" around him. We get it -- Spider-Man uses jokes to relieve the tension when he's fighting a supervillain. But it gets to the point of bullying when it comes to Doc Ock, a dying man who simply wants to save the world. It got to the point where I sympathized more with Otto, than with Spider-Man.

For the way it strings the reader along with exciting moments and the tension of Doc Ock's true intentions, this is a great comic event. There's this part of me that really does want to believe that Otto will save the world. It comes off as earnest, when he mentions that no amount of money would have worth to him, in the amount of time he could spend it. When he requests money for his comrades, but a university for himself, you really do believe him. But ultimately, we learn the truth (spoiler below):

Some people just want to watch the world burn. For Otto, he needed to leave a legacy -- to gain notoriety as a mass murderer worse than all of history's murderers combined. What a disappointment. I think there's room in a Spider-Man story for the upheaval of the superhero-beats-villain trope, and all the previous issues had primed me for it -- a Spider-bully, a villain seeking to reform in his final days of life. While it wasn't exactly how I wanted it to pan out, I can only say that it was intentional -- to tease the reader for an otherwise-typical, but now unexpected reveal, so my kudos go to Slott for going as far as he did with the tease.

There's a focus on Silver Sable, a longtime Spider-Man ally from the comics of the '70s ('80s?), but rarely visited otherwise. Avenging Spider-Man #8 is something of a postscript, honoring Silver by looking back at one of their first adventures together -- it's a solid character piece from the point of view of Spider-Man that builds an emotional investment, albeit retroactively.

Ends of the Earth left Otto in The Raft, a prison for super-villains, which teased the events of his takeover of Peter Parker's mind and body in the excellent, Superior Spider-Man saga. Check it out!

Amazing Spider-Man: Died in Your Arms Tonight
Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth

Superior Spider-Man #1

Superior Spider-Man Volume 1: My Own Worst Enemy

Superior Spider-Man Volume 2: A Troubled Mind

Superior Spider-Man Volume 3: No Escape

Superior Spider-Man Volume 4: Necessary Evil

Superior Spider-Man Volume 5: The Superior Venom

Superior Spider-Man Volume 6: Goblin Nation

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Serials: Wheelchair Spider-Man, Spider-bully, and more

Venom, Inc. Pts 4 & 5

Amazing Spider-Man #793 & Venom #160

by Dan Slott, Mike Costa and Ryan Stegman

The sooner you realize that this Spider-Man isn't sympathetic, the better. The "Spidey-as-bully" dynamic that's been introduced here takes on its own life, as Spidey performs the bidding of ??? Price, the villain of this Venom, Inc. crossover, robbing a truck and brutally beating on some regular people. I've already forgotten Price's first name, simply because he's just not that memorable. But his whole deal is that he's making a run for the five mob families of New York with a symbiote he's stolen from Maniac, a supporting character from Flash Thompson's Venom days.

There's enough continuity here that you'd be better off with this story if you were a Venom fan. I've been curious but have never dived into those myself. But if anything, Eddie Brock/Flash Thompson are the protagonists of this story, rather than Peter Parker, who plays nothing more than a henchman -- a henchman who still says "Yoiks."

After Spidey is cured in Amazing, the motley crew of Felicia, Eddie, Flash, Andi, and Peter take on Price's gang of Venoms. Venom #160 comprises of the battle, which is nice, because we don't have to contend with the weird depictions of pet Venom, or annoying Spider-snark. The action scenes are fun to read, and there's a bit of characterization with Flash and Eddie when they're pinned down in a firefight.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #'s 25 & 26, "Arms Race" Conclusion & "Oldies Pt 1"

by Robbie Thompson, Chris Bachalo & Scott Hepburn

Well, if you didn't get enough of Spider-Man, here's his team-up book with Deadpool! This title is a humor/buddy comic, with the absurd elements coming from Deadpool, and Spider-Man playing the part of the straight man. Easily, it works and, it's refreshing to see a Peter Parker that's not constantly cracking a joke. He's more than a comedian, after all.

I haven't been following this series at all -- but with Wheelchair Spidey gracing the cover of #26, I couldn't help myself. Wheelchair Spidey. Issue 25 is the conclusion to "Arms Race," while Issue 26 is the start of "Oldies". It's easy to get confused at the tail end of an arc, but I put some extra effort into it, and Chris Bachalo's pencils didn't make it seem like a chore. I'm of the opinion that any story works in media res, so the story worked for me. Also: laser sharks and Hellcow.

Hellcow was a creation of Steve Gerber and Frank Brunner's, in an old Howard the Duck comic. She was originally a prize-winning milk-producing cow, until Dracula feasted on her blood in the absence of human's, turning her into a vampire cow capable of flight and superbovine strength. Apparently, from her wiki page, she's been co-opted into Deadpool stories. Hellcow.

Issue 26 begins the "Oldies" storyarc, a story in which Peter and Wade are now among the elderly, and share the same senior home. There's some great inner monologuing from Peter, who's given up the webs as a paraplegic, paired with a ladykiller Wade who's shacking up with a different woman (cougar?) every day.

Issue 26 was all I needed to know that Robbie Thompson understands both of these characters and how to play them off of each other. Scott Hepburn's pencils capture the emotions of a man past his prime, but not his expiration date. There's a silent three-page sequence where Peter finds a thief, that's very powerful. Kudos to both the writer, for letting the art breath, and the artist for weaving together a strong set of scenes. His use of shading for action is an exciting break in otherwise static images, and he uses them well. Thompson doesn't take shortcuts, filling in the details of the backgrounds for set panels, and emphasizing emotions in background-less panels. Further kudos to the colorist, who establishes this tone of the senior home with dry, realistic colors -- and then splashing bright yellow to tie in with the superheroics. It's a blend of the mundane with the extraordinary, comic relief with pathos. This is a well-done comic book on all fronts, and I'm in for next month!

Here's the scene referenced, for your enjoyment:

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Serials: Batman #37 and Venom, Inc. Pt 3

Batman #37

Super-Friends, part 2

Tom King concludes his two-part slice-of-life story on how Batman breaks the engagement news to Superman and Lois Lane. In this one, they go on a double date, but with a twist: it's superhero night at the carnival in Smallville, so the two pairs must cross-dress. . . that is, Bruce dresses up like Superman, and Lois dresses up like Catwoman and so forth.

What, you were thinking of Batman in a catsuit? If only we were so lucky!

He grounds the superheroes in an uncanny way. Where their caped identities are by far the dominant egos of their lives, Tom King humanizes them in a way that makes them relatable. It's like following the lives of your favorite royal celebrity. If they ate toast, you'd want to know where they got their toast from.

Venom #159

Venom, Inc. Part 3

Parts 1 and 2 didn't make for much of a story. Part 3 gives you at least a look at how Eddie Brock feels now that his symbiote is severed from him. In the weirdest way, Eddie Brock is the person to ground the story, where Spider-Man and the others are supporting characters. I don't collect Venom regularly, but that seems appropriate in a Venom comic, but not necessarily a Spider-Man story.

Again the plot moves forward, but with little story to make it mean much.

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Superior Spider-Man Finale: Goblin Nation

Unbelievable! Today we conclude the Superior Spider-saga! Catch up here!

Amazing Spider-Man: Died in Your Arms Tonight

Superior Spider-Man #1

Superior Spider-Man Volume 1: My Own Worst Enemy

Superior Spider-Man Volume 2: A Troubled Mind

Superior Spider-Man Volume 3: No Escape

Superior Spider-Man Volume 4: Necessary Evil

Superior Spider-Man Volume 5: The Superior Venom

Superior Spider-Man Volume 6: Goblin Nation

Superior Spider-Man Volume 6: Goblin Nation
Collects Superior Spider-Man #27-31 and Annual #2

by Dan Slott, Christos N. Gage, Humberto Ramos and Javier Rodriguez

The Goblin King (aka, the Green Goblin, aka, gobby, aka Norman Osborn) discovers the Superior Spider-Man's true identity! And what he does next you WON'T see coming!

I sure didn't. Every issue is a roller-coaster through New York City. When Otto refuses to become the Goblin's "second-in-command," the two of them wage a war with NYC as the battleground. It's such a great character moment from Otto, because I honestly didn't know how Otto would react. And the way he did explained so much about him. He's adopted his new identity as Spider-Man in the truest sense by challenging his greatest enemy, the Green Goblin. And he does it so arrogantly:

NEVER! You underestimate me, Osborn!

I WAS Doctor Octopus. Now I am something FAR GREATER!

I AM SPIDER-MAN! I WILL free my city from your grip! And this shall be MY FINEST HOUR!

It's Otto's affirmation of his self, now that he is Spider-Man. He truly believes in it, and he truly believes in himself. His assertion of "something far greater" is a call-back to that prelude story to Superior, "Dying Wish." When the dying Dr. Octopus promised to do something great. . . who knew that it would be as Spider-Man? Who knew that he would dramatically reduce crime, help his Aunt May walk without a cane and let Flash walk again after the amputation of his legs, start a new company, get a PhD, and find a new love? Otto's world was threatened with death, and now he's filled it with life. It took a heinous act against Peter Parker to do it, but he's lived up to the legacy of Peter; in a way, it's an all-new Spider-Man story for a different world. Otto was Peter, and Peter served as Uncle Ben, bestowing on him the lesson of great power and great responsibility.

Gobby puts that lesson at risk through numerous trials. He blows up the homes that Otto formerly occupied, unleashes the Spider-Slayers created by Alchemax and J. Jonah Jameson, and he creates death scenarios for each civilian that Spider-Man has rescued, including his Professor from ESU, and yes, his girlfriend.

It's after a close call for a little girl, where Otto hesitates to save her, that ghost-Peter takes over and gives up his advantage to save the girl. In a way, Peter redeems Otto for his hesitation, and in that moment Otto realizes that he's not the right Spider-Man for this crisis. For love, Otto gives up his identity, his very self, to return Peter back to his body.

The story concludes how you'd expect it to. But it's in the way you get there that's interesting. If you've been following my read-alongs up to here, I encourage you to pick up the trade and read it for yourself.

A special note: this is the conclusion, but not the end. As a comic book, there has to be a next issue (continued in Amazing!), and while there's a satisfying conclusion, there are numerous hints to a future storyline. Liz Allan and her son, Normie, part of a Goblin conspiracy? And what of Anna Maria, now that the Peter she loved. . . is dead?

As a medium, the comic book is unique in that it's serial. Some comics end, like Fables or The Sandman. But super-comics are different. We're reading about the same Peter Parker that's been slinging webs since 1963! Superior was a nice diversion, and while it stands alone as its own story, there's always another story to tell. It seems that Slott always has ideas to share, so while he's got 'em, I'll read 'em.

BONUS PANELS:

This being the Superior conclusion, there's huge, widescreen spreads with an emphasis on action. It's great! Here's a two-page spread where Peter's infiltrated Otto's mind, in an attempt to get out of the "Mindscape."

It's a trippy sequence where Peter must relive key moments in Otto's life and literally empathize with Otto.

Here's a wicked two-page spread, where the Goblin comes through on his promise to destroy the Superior Spider-Man's -- and Otto's -- legacy.

Some meta-commentary, when Peter-as-Spider-Man asks Spider-Man 2099 for help in fighting Gobby:

An Amazing reboot followed Superior, in 2014! Read about it in Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1: The Parker Luck.

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