With Coda (along with Highest House and Isola), I now have three very different, but excellent fantasy series to read and enjoy. I’ve been enjoying Si Spurrier’s writing for a while now, and this may well be his best work yet. His characterization sings, his dialogue is fantastic, and he’s building a highly interesting world with some rather dark aspects but which is not mired in darkness. In fact, it’s somewhat cheery in tone, even with its healthy undertone of cynicism.
The artwork is lovely, though perhaps a little light on the blacks in places, leaving it looking a little flat at times. The coloring is very pretty, but doesn’t usually help distinguish figures from backgrounds, which only adds to the flatness of the artwork. Other than that, though, I have no complaints about the book.
If you're looking for some high fantasy without the stuffiness that usually comes with high fantasy, you need look no further than Coda. Even with my minor complaints I give it a solid A.
Been enjoying the point one issues of Spider-Man that celebrated his 50th anniversary. I feel like they were a lot better than anything Slott's ever written, mostly because we see the return of great writers like Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco.
Here's my review of two of them:
Peter Parker Spider-Man #156.1: Old Haunts
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man, Marvel published multiple "point 1" issues for all the Spider-Man titles (including the new Ultimate Spider-Man with Miles Morales). And appropriately enough, one of Spidey's greatest writers was invited back to tell a special little tale. Initially, I didn't realize it was him. I thought it was just another Dan Slott story. But as I read on, I noticed that the mood was a little darker, the focus a lot more on the characters' relationship with each other, and that very natural, realistic dialogue they have with each other. That's when I realized, "Wait a minute, this isn't Slott's work," and then I quickly referred to the credits page again. There he is, one of my favorite Spider-Man writers of all time, Roger freaking Stern.
Looking back, I remember not having a firm grasp on just why I love Stern's work so much. I could never come up with a strong reason. It's not till now, after reading this, that I realized what it is: Roger Stern's Spider-Man reminds me A LOT of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Spider-Man.
One of my favorite kinds of story that I love to see the webslinger get involved in is fighting gangsters and non-superpowered thugs, not just because Spidey's a street-level hero, and not just because it forces the writers to get creative with these villains with normal human strength (preventing them from losing too fast by having them come up with brilliant strategies), but also because it was so compelling to see Spidey getting involved in something very grounded and relatable: fighting criminals we see on the news everyday. The fact that crime itself is a social problem that will never go away makes it even more engaging to see how he handle these perpetual criminals who will always be out there ruining somebody's life.
This was often what Lee and Ditko's stories felt like when they featured very grounded criminals like The Enforcers, The Big Man, and The Master Planner, not some colorful supervillain in spandex (not that there's anything wrong with those). And by the time Stern came along, he introduced the Hobgoblin, another realistic villain who isn't some crazy megalomaniac like Norman Osborn trying to conquer the world, but a criminal going after a very common but realistic desire: money.
This issue is no different as it's about Spidey fighting a pair of thugs trying to take advantage of foreign workers... which makes me love the story so much. Foreign. Workers. Being taken advantage of. It's a very simple and straightforward concept, and yet because of this little detail, it makes the story so much more interesting. Of course I want to see my favorite superhero get involved in a real world problem!
As a 50th anniversary story, Stern also revisits the same waterfront building where Spidey confronted his uncle's killer, resulting in a melancholic and somber reflection on how long it has been, and how much Peter has grown since the incident. It's not unusual for an anniversary story to reflect on Uncle Ben, and while the story is a little blend, I greatly enjoyed that Stern focused quite a lot on the plight of these Spanish workers without a proper work permit, letting you know that it's not just another petty robbery we're dealing with here. It's Stern's ability to provide these little details on the problems of ordinary American citizens (foreigner or otherwise) that keeps me interested in his stories till the very end. He doesn't just focus entirely on creating plot-threads for the future or come up with some fancy gimmick like Slott; he focuses on the real world that Peter Parker and you and me live in.
I'm so glad I was able to read this. It's a bittersweet reminder of what we've lost in the Spidey writing team.
Final Rating: Footnote: Shout out to John Romita Jr. for his cover art. I've always loved his art during Straczynski's run. Another legend we'll dearly miss.
The Sensational Spider-Man #33.1 / 33.2: Monsters!
While not among my top three writers, I've still enjoyed DeFalco's run of Spider-Man. He was one of the senior editors and writers on the team who gave us some rather ambiguous anti-heroes like The Rose (a underused character who's the son of Kingpin) and Puma (a spiritual being with an honor code as interesting as Kraven's). Next to Roger Stern (and Ditko of course), he was perhaps the third person in running who also explored that street-level side of Spidey fighting against the mob. He also had a strong grasp on the multiple plot-threads that led to some very intriguing plot-twists and reveals that felt a lot more natural than many of Slott's gimmicky twists. I particularly enjoyed his take on the Hobgoblin and setting up Flash Thompson as the fall guy when Hobby's identity was supposedly revealed. He was an excellent editor as well who worked alongside the many greats like Peter David and, of course, Stern himself. But I'm digressing too much in this review with my fanboying over DeFalco. God, I need to reread his run again.
This story has a lot of good things going for it. For starters, it's topical, touching on yet another real world problem; this time, illegal immigrants shipped from Russia and Pakistan forced into prostitution and slavery. I'm really not surprised this was DeFalco's work. He's known for such gritty storylines that touch on relevant topics. This kind of story can distract from the story if the spotlight is shed on the social problem itself than the characters, but I feel like it's not a problem here as the characters still have meaningful development to keep them from being just observers reacting to a horrific crime.
For example, there's the other good thing about this story, Carlie Cooper, whose return I much despised after Spider-Island. But for some reason, reading DeFalco's take on Cooper and her detective work makes her grow on me! And looking back, I might have been too harsh on Cooper. As could be seen here, she can make an interesting supporting character as a significant ally of Peter who's also part of the police, something we haven't seen in a while (I don't really count Watanabe since her role in Spidey's life has often been minor compared to Carlie and, of course, Jean DeWolff). I don't know why it's taken me until now to really appreciate Carlie's CSI skills, but it might have something to do with how Carlie's always berating Peter about something, an annoyance that's still visible in DeFalco's story here, albeit in small doses.
There's one lapse in logic that feel more like a nitpick in the big picture, like how the immigrants managed to survive the fall within the cargo container when it's dropped from at least three stories high (a fall that destroyed the container, but leaving the immigrants intact). I usually don't criticize too much on these points UNLESS the story is boring and unentertaining (like "No Turning Back" that I reviewed recently). Here, DeFalco's writing keeps me distracted enough that such trivial points barely bother me.
The second issue is also a little weaker, but it doesn't ruin the story for me. What I don't really like is how the story just ends without Spidey being involved in taking down the main villain. On the other hand, it feels appropriate. The entire story is meant to convey Carlie's frustrations about the limitations of the law and how complete monsters like Vorski gets away with manipulating the system to his will while innocents screwed over by the system (the immigrants) are punished, so it's only fitting here that the hero doesn't get to catch the bad guy. And besides, Vorski does get his just desserts at the end, which is satisfying.
I love the analogy DeFalco use regarding monsters of the literal and figurative form, the Vulture and Spidey being the former, and Vorski the latter. Such strong parallels is yet another display of DeFalco's writing, as he's always been able to ensure his stories embody specific themes throughout their entirety. This isn't easy. Themes can be an effective way to send a meaningful message to your readers, but many writers I know (Slott included) are more interested in weaving multiple plot-threads for future stories than focus on a specific theme in the present one (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but can often dilute the impact of the writing). I particularly like how Spidey is a little more violent in this story, further conveying the theme of how Spidey has a little monstrous side to him. Now, Vorski is obviously the real monster here, but such parallels to show the length of which Spidey is willing to go to in pursuit of justice makes for a compelling read.
As a Spidey anniversary story, it does seem an odd choice to focus on such a heavy story, touching on a very significant subject that can distract the readers from Spider-Man himself. But I can't say I hate it either, because this is a very good story nonetheless. It's not often that Spider-Man stories tackle the human condition and the state of our society, but when it does, it feels very appropriate. I've often said that the defining trait of Spider-Man is that he's one of us, an average everyman. It's only fitting that he fights the same social problems that we are troubled by in real life. I only wish more writers like Slott could learn from this.
Zeb Wells is back! Thank god. But he's leaving this book (for Robot Chicken) after this issue! Oh noes! We've seen how terrible this book has been without him...
That being said, this was another great one by Wells. As always, his focus wais on the characters' introspection, or in this case, Aunt May and Peter expressing the pain they still feel, and how Ben's grooming has helped the latter grew into the great man he is today. There are about two and a half pages where May is describing how Peter would remember the pain of losing his loved one for a long time, and how he would go out of his way to prevent the death of others because of it. This short monologue was placed over scenes of Peter's life as Spidey over the years, including flashbacks to Gwen, Norman in his Goblin suit, and a nice shot of Spidey crawling out from the mud when he was buried alive by Kraven in my favorite Spider-Man story, "Kraven's Last Hunt". It's a great scene that honors Spider-Man in the best way possible, summing up his moral character, strength, pain, and perseverance in a few panels.
A few trivial things did annoy me a little bit, like how Peter ended up repeating "It's my fault, you know" at the end. I think it's appropriate for Peter to feel guilt over Ben's death, nothing wrong with that, but it's that kind of dialogue like that can make Peter come off as whining and self-loathing to certain people. I kinda wish Zeb didn't include that second "It's my fault".
But that's a minor complaint. I always welcome these very personal and somber stories. It's just too bad that, with Wells' departure, such fascinating introspection might disappear altogether from this book. Oh well.
Final Rating:
Avenging Spider-Man #14-15
Back in the day, reading a strange tale like this in Marvel Team-Up, I wouldn't have minded or have any qualms about it. I remember I had a lot fun with them back then too, and I wouldn't focus on plot-holes and whatnot as much as I do today.
This story did bring out that carefree side of me back into surface, when comics can be silly and even stupid as long as we have a little fun. And hey, it's dinosaurs! I love dinos! Who doesn't? Oh right, Spidey (he confessed himself in here).
The art by Gabriele Dell'Otto is really nice. The detailed sketches really amplified how scary the dinos look, especially with the addition of that blood spewing from Devil Dinosaur's jaws. I like that the dinos don't look cartoonish in spite of how insignificant the story is; makes it fun for a fan like me who prefers my dinos intimidating. Almost reminds me of that Dino Crisis comic I once read.
Final Rating:
Amazing Spider-Man #698: "Day in the Life"
There's also ASM #698, the first part of "Dying Wish" that I really liked. The plot-twist was cleverly done. I thought Slott was going to suddenly revert Spidey's status quo to a lone wolf again for the sake of nostalgia, but damn, he got me good this time, I'll admit.
I read a bunch of BPRD. These are pretty good BPRD investigations that take place before Hellboy joins the team. The teams are dealing with a series of vampire occurrences; they were really enjoyable reads. The other good thing is you don't need to have a giant knowledge of hellboy/BPRD.
I read a bunch of BPRD. These are pretty good BPRD investigations that take place before Hellboy joins the team. The teams are dealing with a series of vampire occurrences; they were really enjoyable reads. The other good thing is you don't need to have a giant knowledge of hellboy/BPRD.
BPRD 1946, 1947, 1948, & Vampires
Plus you get some fantastic artwork by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon!
The Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy
In my previous review for "Dying Wish", I mentioned that I liked the idea of a darker Spidey, just not the way Peter's death was handled. In these first five issues of SSM, Slott has somewhat placated whatever qualms I had with the end of ASM by providing a very satisfying beginning. As Spock promised in #700, he has upped his game here by utilizing his scientific intellect to his full advantage. Whether it's crafting various inventions to counter against the specific weaknesses of a new and mediocre "Sinister Six" in the first issue, re-configuring one of their members (The Living Brain from the campy but classic ASM #8) into becoming his personal assistant, or just his very useful "spider patrol-bots" that helped free up time for his non-spider life, you have to admit that he is doing a better job than Peter ever did.
And it's not just his inventions either. Spotto also utilized various tactics that Peter has never done before, like calling the police for back-up, or just listening in on the Sinister Six's plans so that he could stop them ahead of time. These are very effective tactics that made Peter look like a dumbass for not coming up with them in the first place. Even "Ghost-Peter", a Peter Parker apparition taking the form of Spotto's subconsciousness (I think), agreed that he should've thought of those tactics. I hope that after Peter Parker returned later on, he would've remembered all these tactics and put them to good use, or his death would've been a huge waste.
Then there's the more ambiguous improvement: his extreme version of "heroism". But for all the complaints Spider-fans might have regarding this, you can't deny that this insertion of ambiguous morals have paved way to some very engaging storytelling, forcing the readers to think about whether if "the ends justify the means" has some validity. I think this became particularly true in #4 and especially #5 with how Spotto dealt with Massacre, a mass-shooter who's still relevant today, what with a school shooting occurring just a few days ago. I'm sure lots of people would have loved to see a lowlife killer like Massacre get his just desserts. Superheroes were described as an effective escapism for when we need a hero when there was none during dark times. Perhaps The Superior Spotto became the modern, more twisted version of this analogy.
In fact, all of this bears a great resemblance to Death Note and its equally complex argument about morality and justice. This spells great things for the "Superior" book. I'm intrigued to see how far Spotto's superior reign could go as judge, jury, and executioner. Light was taken out by a dumb kid when his vigilantism was just getting interesting in Death Note, let's hope Spotto gets to insert his "brand of justice" over the next 28 issues a lot more than Yagami ever did within those 108 chapters.
Finally, there's the most important part of Spider-Man: his sense of responsibility. Once again, Spotto improved on this particular aspect when he told himself he also had responsibility to his family (or May Parker anyway, whom Otto fell madly in love with), which is (sort of) a callback to the older and wiser Peter Parker in the ASM #700 back-up story, "Spider-Dreams" by J.M. DeMatteis, when he too regretted not focusing more on his responsibility to MJ and his children. Feels like the Trump administration all over again. You might not like the his character (and for some people, his writer too), but you have to admit he's right sometimes.
While it might seem like Slot was writing Spotto to be some perfect Gary-Stu, that's not exactly the case. He did backpedal on his supposed responsibility to May when his ego was affected by Max Modell and Uatu, both of whom questioned his credentials as a doctor. Just a small reminder to us that this man isn't the heroic Peter Parker you remember. For all his perfection and superiority over Peter, Spotto's arrogance might just be his Achilles' heel, aside from his little value for human life.
Unfortunately, when displaying Spotto's flaws, this was where his writing began to feel awkward. Firstly, there's #5, where Spotto didn't seem that keen on making Massacre his top priority and instead settled down for a dessert at his classmate's home, a new supporting character named Anna Maria Marconi who has a condition of dwarfism. I have two problems with this: 1) Her introduction disrupted the intense momentum of #5 when Otto was trying to hunt down a mass murderer whose every minute of existence hits close to home for readers, and 2) Dan Slott's reasoning for introducing such a character troubles me.
Look, I have nothing against Marvel's "diversity" movement. I don't give a crap. I'm a Chinese, and I know Asian-Americans don't receive the same level of equality as many either. So go do your diversity thing, whatever. What I do have a problem with is what Slott has said about Peter Parker's taste in women, that he's a superficial chauvinist who only values the outer-beauty of women... a statement that's so wrong on so many levels. And then you have this coincidence of Slott, who finally got to play with his baby, Superior Spotto-Man, suddenly introducing this potential love interest who might not be considered your typically attractive character by the average reader. If any one else had introduced her? I would've been fine with it. It's an interesting development. But not when it's Dan. Dan's involvement in this just puts me off.
Furthermore, the way their relationship developed felt so forced and contrived. When conversing about how their teacher got the theory of unstable molecules wrong, Anna easily accepted Spotto's explanation on how it's part of the building blocks of the universe with infinite possibilities (as opposed to a fabric that mimics its environment). While Spotto might have been right (for all I know), his explanation still made unstable molecules sounded like a stupid comic book plot-device, and I'm annoyed that Anna didn't at least have some initial doubts. The mimicry theory at least sounded more plausible to me. It seemed like Slott's was so eager to get these two together, as if Spotto was some self-insert fanfic author avatar of his and he's playing out his fantasy of being with his idealized woman embodying "inner beauty".
Now I could overlook Anna, seeing as how her problem had more to do with Slott's social media remarks than the actual writing. My bigger gripe is with the second awkwardness that displayed Spotto's flaws: his sleaziness. That's right! It's The Superior Pervert-Man! Staring down MJ's bosoms and thinking of doing all kinds of crazy stuff to her body! Woo hoo! Look kids! Comic books! Be sure to pick one up where the iconic superhero known to children all over the world is perving on a woman while making Peter Parker look like a worthless cuck! Sure, he broke off with her after #2, but not because he was worried about something as trivial as a lack of consent on MJ's part to have sex with someone whom she didn't know wasn't Peter Parker, oh no, but because he calculated that with Peter and MJ's chaotic history, they wouldn't work out together, like it's some mathematical equation that could never be solved. Yeah, that's sure a lot better than just agreeing on a consensual relationship with someone! With the recent #MeToo movement, writing like this would never fly without irreparable backlash from women everywhere.
In hindsight, I think the real reason Slott broke Spotto up with MJ was either because 1) he thought she was one of those women whom Peter only went out with because of her hot supermodel status (as opposed to her patience and tolerance after the death of Gwen), or 2) he wanted to ship Anna and Spotto together ASAP. Neither reason says good things about this book and Slott's iffy ideas about romance.
Buuuut my tirade is over. Aside from the "romantic" side (Dr. Evil air-quotes) of the book, I've enjoyed the other aspects of the "Superior" title so far. I just wish Slott would wise up and show why Peter Parker was the better Spider-Man all along at the very end of the book when he finally made his return, throw in some meaningful statement how Peter's integrity made him a better person than Otto or some heartfelt sentiment like that. I don't know. If Peter's gonna return at all, at least make him look good again. Don't just slap a lazy platitude on him just because you loathe the character.
Final point: let's go back to Ghost-Peter. While some might have argued that his existence disrupted the flow of dialogue - which I agree - I liked having him around, though it's mostly because I still can't get over his death rather than actual storytelling qualities. In spite of him being merely Marvel's blatant attempt at placating those who hated #700, his role can become significant when his views are paralleling with Spotto's violent worldview, especially in #5 when he commented that Massacre, having gained human emotions at the very last minute, might have a chance at redemption in prison. I wish Slott could've used him more effectively like this instead of just making him Spotto's Jiminy Cricket.
Final Rating:
The Spider-Man side of the story is good so far, and it's fun seeing Spidey cut loose on the criminals. But it's not so fun seeing the real Peter Parker, the guy whom we've been following through the ages, get reduced to a joke and a cuck. The sexual innuendos are also unwelcomed. In spite of what you might say, children still read Spider-Man. They probably didn't even know any better to be aware that a sociopath had taken over the mind of their hero.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Superiority Complex Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 - #19
There was a running joke back then that, despite the fact that "Superior" was Dan Slott's baby, Chris Yost was writing SpOck much better than the original creator himself. Starting from Avenging Spider-Man #15.1, Yost demonstrated that spectacularly. I'm a man who loves introspection, no matter how pretentious they might be, and Yost has plenty of those to spare in here. The entire trade is chock-full of internal monologue, ranging from SpOck's reflection on his feelings towards Peter's former superhero teammates to his fascinating struggle between the persona of Otto and Peter (though the split-personality trope is a tad cliche).
His remarks regarding other heroes often include amusing criticisms of their inferiority, and Yost has made SpOck's egotism far more evident than the "Superior" title, reminding us that this is a bad guy here under Spidey's guise, not the real Peter we've known and loved. While Slott was busy trying to make SpOck look good and awesome, Yost spent a lot of time making fun of him and turning him into a clown - which is always a high-point for me, SpOck being humiliated. He's either stuck babysitting instead of getting the big time mission in #17, or the X-Men just wouldn't take him seriously in #16. Karma is sweet.
Still, as on-point as Yost's characterization might be, I still have a bit of trouble buying that SpOck just suddenly had a change of heart out of the blue. He tried to fry the entire Earth not long ago, and here in Avenging #18, he's suddenly concerned about the fate of a mere city state, New York itself, a petty two million people compared to the world's population. Add to that, he's even worried about Thor dying? It just doesn't add up for me in spite of all the brilliant character study Yost has done here.
And there was much brilliance indeed, especially in #19, where Marco Checchetto got to really flaunt his talent. While it might have featured yet another dream sequence (a cliche we'll see yet again in the dreaded Superior #9), Marco's use of effective framing and symbolism dispelled the banality easily (not to mention his very gritty and rough sketches that provided a gloomy and surreal atmosphere). If you need a picture of SpOck's schizophrenia painted out for you, #19 is the ideal example. What truly made this sequence stood out was that it added a layer of character growth for SpOck, showing that he's weak and sniveling as Otto Octavius, but he's much stronger as an amalgam of Otto and Peter's persona. And it even got me interested in its obscure and off-beat guest-star, the Sleepwalker (whom some described as "Neil Gaiman's Sandman done right")!
It's a shame that Yost wouldn't be able to participate in writing Superior, because I love his writing so much more. He's not busying himself with making Peter Parker look inferior or setting up Otto with "non-typical attractive women" to prove some fatuous point; he's focused on the only thing that matters, the actual story!
Final Rating: Great stuff by Chris Yost. Be sure to pick it up to show your support.
Footnote: Shout out to the cover-art here by Paolo Rivera. Much like Yost's writing, there's also great use of symbolic imagery here as the cover-art of classic ASM issues are spread across Otto's tentacles to show SpOck's reflection on his past tussle with Spider-Man.
Weapon X #18 - Nice bit of metatextual fisticuffs between Sabretooth and Omega Red, essentially a commentary about what poor characterisation Omega Red has received over the years.
Black Panther #1 - Blistering Daniel Acuna art. And a strong jumping on point. Maintains a mystery over exactly who our Black Panther is here and when this is happening. And I always mark out for a correctly proportioned Rigellian.
Doctor Strange #390 - Donny Cates wraps up his short but strong run on the title as Spider-Man pops round to give Stephen a pep talk and have a conversation with a spider. One of those rare proper transition issues where the outgoing writer smoothly sets the table for the next writer.
Moon Knight #195 - Paul Davidson joins as artist for this arc as the comic takes another visual turn, this time into 2000AD/Deadline territory, as a group of academics attempt to fuse their personalities with disastrous results. And Marc swears off fighting weirdos, which lasts all of 5 pages.
This is one of those "I'm compelled to review this book immediately rather than wait 'till the end of the week" moment, but the difference being, it's spurred on by a more positive comic this time rather than one of Slott's frustrations. This review on one of Nick Spencer's titles also feels timely since his run on Spider-Man is coming up soon enough.
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #2
I'll be honest - I don't read spin-off books. In fact, I only read Spider-Man. Venom spin-offs, Carnage spin-offs, Arana, Black Cat, whomever, I've never read them, because they either a) aren't written well enough to attract me, or b) they feature characters I'm just not invested enough to care about. And the problem is, I care about very few characters outside of the good ol' webslinger.
This book, however, is making a strong case to change my mind. I felt like dropping it after #2 because of a lack of time in my life, even though I'm REALLY enjoying the humor and character writing here. So far, Superior Foes has been a parodic but nonetheless clever perspective on an ordinary day in your average super villain's life. In spite of being goofy, in spite of the protagonists constantly getting humiliated and indignified, I actually care more about these villains than I do about SpOck. Yep, I'm talking about SpOck again in a review for a book that's practically unrelated to Superior Spider-Man, because you know why? Because I'm trying to figure out why I'm having such a great time reading anything other than The Superior Egomaniac! Even Superior Team-Up has been just mildly more enjoyable than the main title.
And reading this, I think I have the answer. Take a look at how Spencer fleshed out these characters. He took the time to let readers spend time with Frederick Myers (Boomerang) in very mundane moments (meeting a lawyer, having a villain meeting, having dinner at a fancy restaurant), and even though ol' Freddy constantly came out looking like a loser, we still grew closer to him, and his problems were far more relatable than any of SpOck's thus far. Why was that? Because Slott hadn't been exploring SpOck's personality and fleshing him out. He's too busy trying to show just how effective SpOck was, how much better his precious antihero was, lording his giant ego over any who still missed the ineffectual Peter Parker. The Superior title was crammed full of plot-threads about goblin scheming against SpOck or petty criminals getting murdered or brutalized. It left very little time for character analysis and introspection - such interesting characterization was all shoveled to both the Team-Up books by Chris Yost and especially this book by Spencer. With all the overdramatic mumbo jumbo going on at Superior, this intriguing character study is a much-needed breath of fresh air for me.
With that said, I'm really looking forward now to what Spencer will bring to the table in his upcoming run. When I began reading this issue, I merely had the impression that Spencer can be very effective at humor, and his wit was certainly sharp in this issue (Beetle playing Plants vs. Zombie on her phone and Boomerang's amusing thought bubbles were the high points), but I wasn't quite sure if too much of that would get old since some of the best Spider-Man stories had dramatic, emotional and some fairly serious elements. However, by the end of it, I would say he has a very strong grasp on making characters relatable. Similar to how James Gunn made the world fall in love with members of The Guardians of the Galaxy (a bunch of no-namers), Spencer has done something similar here with the D-lister villains, and that's no small feat to be scoffed at. I still need to see Spencer handle something with a little more depth and maybe something that would make me cry before I could give my full approval, but at this point, I can say I'm finally looking forward to reading Spider-Man again.
I was going to give this three stars because the plot is thin here - well, more like non-existent. The backstory of Silvermane was kinda boring and dulled the sharp wit we've seen in previous issues, and the issue mostly consists of Boomerang (Fred Myers) meeting up with the original Beetle (Abner Jenkins) and entering Super Villain Anonymous. There's just not a lot of happening here, or substance. I read the Spiderfan.org review by Cody Wilson (a big supporter of The Superior Spider-Man title, a total opposite of myself) and I was almost inclined to agree... Almost.
Look, if you go into this book expecting "substance," you're tripping. This is a comedy book. It's been established from the very first issue that it's a spotlight on the mundane lives of D-lister villains. If you're expecting some gimmicky over-dramatic plot chock-full of fight scenes, go read Superior Spider-Man or one of Slott's drivels, I don't know. What Nick Spencer did here was great.
I needed a good laugh after Slott's Superior Humdrum-Man, and Superior Foes seems to be antidote I needed. Spencer continued to deliver some pretty clever jokes here. That Silvermane story I called "boring"? By the end of Fred's narration, I actually kinda liked the story of the kid trying to build a robot; it was cute and quirky, and maybe even a little heartwarming. The panel where Silvermane's disembodied head (in the flashback sequence) was trying to contact his people while also trying to consume a candy? Hilarious. And of course, there's the Super Villain Anonymous. God, that's brilliant. A bunch of loser villains trying to reform. That panel where the therapy group came to hug each other and the reference to Fight Club were the icing on the top. It's kinda dumb, but dumb in a good (and more importantly, fun) way.
In the last two issues, I felt like the book had a "Reservoir Dogs" kind of tone going for it, just a bunch of criminals that the audience could come to like, trying to get by. Remember that scene in Reservoir Dogs where the gang was just hanging out at a coffee shop having a mundane conversation? Yeah, this book is like that entire scene. And I think it could have worked as a serial too, just an episode each week looking in on how these hard luck villains are struggling to get their next meal. It's quirky and amusing, not to mention low-budget.
I still haven't dropped this yet because I'm still mildly intrigued to see what other fun things Spencer could pull out to entertain us. As to the existence of flaws,it's like I said, the Silvermane story's kinda dull in the beginning, but that's about it. Another good job by Spencer. At this point, I'm almost completely sold about Spencer's upcoming run of Spider-Man. I might not even mind if his entire run is just going to be "a day in the life of Peter Parker" if his ASM is going to be anything like Superior Foes, especially if the quality of this book is consistent 'till the very end.
Final Rating:
I might do a review for each issue of this book. I don't know. I'll see. I'm really enjoying reading it so far (more than SSM; I know I keep repeating this), so I might have more things to praise about it in the future.
This is amazing stuff. I haven't been this entertained by a Spider-Man book in a VERY, very long time, probably prior to One More Day. Hell, probably prior to the '90s Spider-Man! Granted, this is a Spider-Man spin-off, but it still counts.
Once again, not a lot of significant events unfolded this issue. Boomerang rescued his friends gang from going to prison, got hooked up with a bartender, and learned that the Shocker knew about his deal with the Chameleon. There's a snail pace with this book due to Freddy's narration and a lot of introspection about feelings and perspectives, but in spite of those factors (or perhaps because of them), the issue rarely felt boring. Very often, there's either some clever or witty line that would make me giggle, or I would learn something interesting about Fred's personality or point of view.
That said, I do kinda wish we get to see the perspective of someone else for a change. Maybe switch to a different villain every three or four issues.
Reading this issue and seeing the (adorable) thought bubbles really reminds me of the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. Both had their thoughts conveyed to us through cartoonish thought bubbles, featured heavy narration, and have an overall frivolous and goofy tone. Yet only one of these worked for me. Why? When I saw the first episode of Ultimate Spider-Man, I was immediately turned off, because that wasn't the Spidey I grew up with. Spider-Man isn't Deadpool. Maybe Superior Foes works better because these are insignificant D-listers who were already uninteresting before, so any improvement you apply to them has to be more entertaining than what came before. And most definitely, it has to do with Nick Spencer's brilliant handling of characters, making them relatable and likable. But I think the biggest factor has to do with timing.
Currently, I'm reading Spider-Man books in a chronological order, meaning that I'm reading the same line-up of books people did five years ago when they were released. That means that I'm reading Superior Spider-Man, Superior Team-Up, and Superior Foes at the same time. And because of the "serious" (not to mention controversial) tone SSM was having, with its constant barrage of violence and murdered/battered criminals or Goblin schemes, Superior Foes' arrival brought a more traditional feeling of joviality that wasn't as ubiquitous in Spider-Man books for a long time (maybe after Big Time ended, but I dare say maybe even before Slott's run began). It's certainly more optimistic than the cynical SSM, and therefore provided its readers with the feel-good stories that we needed.
It also really helps that Boomerang is filling the role of an Average Joe that's absent without the real Peter Parker around. Here, we witness Freddy trying to get smooth with the bartender (but falls flat on his face), but he ends up getting a date after all, and this tender exchange (along with his complaints about his gang betraying him) humanizes him in a very down-to-earth manner I haven't really felt in SSM in spite of Anna Maria's presence. Of course, there's the hilarious punchline at the end regarding Shocker that reminds us that this is still a criminal, but the delivery of the joke is so brilliant that it (ironically) becomes freaking hilarious than a disturbing scene like many of SpOck's actions. Just when we thought there's some humanity left in Freddy, just as his heartwarming speech about the importance of friendship comes to an end, he backstabs Shocker. It's comedy gold.
Freddy's glib tongue also continues to amplify the comedy in this issue. His conversation with a big-timer like Chameleon, for example, goes to show how non-serious the book is. The Boomerang managed to make the Chameleon look insignificant (and almost non-threatening) by comparison, with the latter acting like some two-bit cliche mob boss you see in a heist movie. The pop culture references to Orange is the New Black and Breaking Bad accentuate this tone further. The book is almost becoming a (Brad Birdian) parody of other super villains (like how Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol parodied other spy movies). I guess that might be the real reason after all why the self-mocking tone works better for Superior Foes than it did for the USM cartoon. But would it work for Amazing Spider-Man in the future, this constant bombardment of fooling around? Guess we'll just have to see.
If there's a gripe, it's that I didn't get the Philly joke, which was probably a very hilarious in-joke for those who do. The other complaint is the two typos, but that's on Letterer Joe Caramagna and editor Tom Brennan for not double-checking.
Blackwood #1 by Evan Dorkin and Veronica and Andy Fish feels a lot like Lev Grossman’s The Magicians novels, just without the sex and with milder language. It’s a bit outside the box for Dorkin. Blackwood is not a humor book. It doesn’t have the warmth and charm of Beasts of Burden. And I wouldn’t say it’s Dorkin’s best work, but it’s a good start to a story that should get much more interesting as the story expands.
After two brief scenes (three pages in total) which hint at the coming doom, we jump to the new batch of students arriving at Blackwood College for orientation. It also serves as the readers’ orientation, as we learn about the school and the characters as the students do. It’s a nice, organic way to establish the setting and develop the characters as the story progresses. The first half of the issue is fairly slow, which is fine. Once we get a feel for all the players, though, things start picking up.
While the writing is pretty enjoyable, the artwork is the real star of this show. I liked Veronica Fish’s work on Spider-Woman and Archie, and she’s gotten even better here. There’s a looseness in her inking that gives her work a lot of energy, and she does a great job of balancing her blacks and separating foreground elements from the backgrounds, which makes for a very pleasant reading experience. Andy Fish does the layouts, and his pacing and camera movement is on point. This is a story you could read without any dialogue and still understand the basic storyline.
Blackwood is a four-issue miniseries, presumably only the first of several if sales warrant. So far so good. I give this issue a strong B+.
Batman: White Knight This was a great read. Bravo to Sean Murphy. I’d be surprised if anything beats this to Limited Run in the 2018 awards. Hope for more.
The Man of Steel #1 was more or less what I was expecting. We’ve got a new big bad for the series I didn’t really care for, and a new supporting character who could be interesting. After Bendis’ build-up, what I was really wanting to see was a lot more of the Daily Planet (having worked at a newspaper and all), and there were a fair amount of Planet scenes, just not the depth I was hoping for. I’m feeling like we’ll have to wait until the relaunch of the ongoing series to get that. But, after all, it is only the first issue, and there were plot points that had to be introduced and advanced.
That said, the pacing was pretty brisk (though not exactly action-packed), the dialogue felt right for Superman, and the Ivan Reis artwork was perfectly fine. As someone who’s not particularly a Superman fan, this issue didn’t get me excited for the rest of the story (though the upcoming artists have already taken care of that), but it didn’t feel like a waste of money either. This issue was all about estblishing plot and tone—mission accomplished. I give it a B-.
This is just a general question about format for anyone who has read Wednesday Comics. I’ve never read it. Do I go with the issues or the HC? The HC is like 10 bucks more, and I am not sure which way to go (also I consider myself more of a reader than a collector). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Batman: White Knight This was a great read. Bravo to Sean Murphy. I’d be surprised if anything beats this to Limited Run in the 2018 awards. Hope for more.
Ditto, such a great book. Apparently he's going to announce another Batman project at NYCC so the speculation is a sequel. Here's hoping.
This is just a general question about format for anyone who has read Wednesday Comics. I’ve never read it. Do I go with the issues or the HC? The HC is like 10 bucks more, and I am not sure which way to go (also I consider myself more of a reader than a collector). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
I haven't looked at the hardcover, but for me, I liked the experience of the original issues - it was very much the same experience of getting the Sunday comics as a kid. From a tactile and muscle memory standpoint, the originals were awesome!
This is just a general question about format for anyone who has read Wednesday Comics. I’ve never read it. Do I go with the issues or the HC? The HC is like 10 bucks more, and I am not sure which way to go (also I consider myself more of a reader than a collector). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Personally, I would go with the issues. The issues were printed at 14" x 20", while the hardcover was printed at 11" x 18". For most of the stories the size difference won’t be a significant issue, but for a couple, particularly Ben Caldwell’s “Wonder Woman” strip, you’ll really be glad to have the larger size. Just keep in mind that the single issues don’t have a cover—they’re basically folded just like a newspaper—so you may find storage to be a problem. They do use a fairly heavy stock of paper though, so they won't just crumple on you. Also, the hardcover uses glossy paper rather than the uncoated stock of the single issues. I find the uncoated stock of the single issues to be a bonus, but your mileage may vary.
This is just a general question about format for anyone who has read Wednesday Comics. I’ve never read it. Do I go with the issues or the HC? The HC is like 10 bucks more, and I am not sure which way to go (also I consider myself more of a reader than a collector). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Personally, I would go with the issues. The issues were printed at 14" x 20", while the hardcover was printed at 11" x 18". For most of the stories the size difference won’t be a significant issue, but for a couple, particularly Ben Caldwell’s “Wonder Woman” strip, you’ll really be glad to have the larger size. Just keep in mind that the single issues don’t have a cover—they’re basically folded just like a newspaper—so you may find storage to be a problem. They do use a fairly heavy stock of paper though, so they won't just crumple on you. Also, the hardcover uses glossy paper rather than the uncoated stock of the single issues. I find the uncoated stock of the single issues to be a bonus, but your mileage may vary.
Thanks for the feedback! I can’t wait to spread these things out on my dining room table!
I read a bunch of BPRD. These are pretty good BPRD investigations that take place before Hellboy joins the team. The teams are dealing with a series of vampire occurrences; they were really enjoyable reads. The other good thing is you don't need to have a giant knowledge of hellboy/BPRD.
BPRD 1946, 1947, 1948, & Vampires
Plus you get some fantastic artwork by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon!
This is just a general question about format for anyone who has read Wednesday Comics. I’ve never read it. Do I go with the issues or the HC? The HC is like 10 bucks more, and I am not sure which way to go (also I consider myself more of a reader than a collector). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
The hardcover. It is easier to read and includes two short stories that were not published. I loved Wednesday Comics issues, and the hardcover is on my table. The HC is really big, but it's also really nice.
The hardcover. It is easier to read and includes two short stories that were not published. I loved Wednesday Comics issues, and the hardcover is on my table. The HC is really big, but it's also really nice.
Wait till you get my age, and then try reading that Wonder Woman story. You might change your tune. :)
I forgot they put the two one-pagers in the collection.
Amazing Spider-Man #800 - Not quite Slott's swansong, but definitely the conclusion to his run. While it was nice to get a lot of the artists together, they don't necessarily gel in one issue and you're kind of left wishing you got more of whoever your favourite was (luckily for me, I get that next issue).
That aside, a great ending to the best run on Spider-Man since Roger Stern's. And there's still an issue to go. And if the epilogue on this issue is anything to by, a likely spin-off too.
Hopefully Slott's Iron Man will similarly tap into all the Iron Man stuff I like in the same way his Spider-Man did.
Comments
The artwork is lovely, though perhaps a little light on the blacks in places, leaving it looking a little flat at times. The coloring is very pretty, but doesn’t usually help distinguish figures from backgrounds, which only adds to the flatness of the artwork. Other than that, though, I have no complaints about the book.
If you're looking for some high fantasy without the stuffiness that usually comes with high fantasy, you need look no further than Coda. Even with my minor complaints I give it a solid A.
Here's my review of two of them:
Peter Parker Spider-Man #156.1: Old Haunts
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man, Marvel published multiple "point 1" issues for all the Spider-Man titles (including the new Ultimate Spider-Man with Miles Morales). And appropriately enough, one of Spidey's greatest writers was invited back to tell a special little tale. Initially, I didn't realize it was him. I thought it was just another Dan Slott story. But as I read on, I noticed that the mood was a little darker, the focus a lot more on the characters' relationship with each other, and that very natural, realistic dialogue they have with each other. That's when I realized, "Wait a minute, this isn't Slott's work," and then I quickly referred to the credits page again. There he is, one of my favorite Spider-Man writers of all time, Roger freaking Stern.
Looking back, I remember not having a firm grasp on just why I love Stern's work so much. I could never come up with a strong reason. It's not till now, after reading this, that I realized what it is: Roger Stern's Spider-Man reminds me A LOT of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Spider-Man.
One of my favorite kinds of story that I love to see the webslinger get involved in is fighting gangsters and non-superpowered thugs, not just because Spidey's a street-level hero, and not just because it forces the writers to get creative with these villains with normal human strength (preventing them from losing too fast by having them come up with brilliant strategies), but also because it was so compelling to see Spidey getting involved in something very grounded and relatable: fighting criminals we see on the news everyday. The fact that crime itself is a social problem that will never go away makes it even more engaging to see how he handle these perpetual criminals who will always be out there ruining somebody's life.
This was often what Lee and Ditko's stories felt like when they featured very grounded criminals like The Enforcers, The Big Man, and The Master Planner, not some colorful supervillain in spandex (not that there's anything wrong with those). And by the time Stern came along, he introduced the Hobgoblin, another realistic villain who isn't some crazy megalomaniac like Norman Osborn trying to conquer the world, but a criminal going after a very common but realistic desire: money.
This issue is no different as it's about Spidey fighting a pair of thugs trying to take advantage of foreign workers... which makes me love the story so much. Foreign. Workers. Being taken advantage of. It's a very simple and straightforward concept, and yet because of this little detail, it makes the story so much more interesting. Of course I want to see my favorite superhero get involved in a real world problem!
As a 50th anniversary story, Stern also revisits the same waterfront building where Spidey confronted his uncle's killer, resulting in a melancholic and somber reflection on how long it has been, and how much Peter has grown since the incident. It's not unusual for an anniversary story to reflect on Uncle Ben, and while the story is a little blend, I greatly enjoyed that Stern focused quite a lot on the plight of these Spanish workers without a proper work permit, letting you know that it's not just another petty robbery we're dealing with here. It's Stern's ability to provide these little details on the problems of ordinary American citizens (foreigner or otherwise) that keeps me interested in his stories till the very end. He doesn't just focus entirely on creating plot-threads for the future or come up with some fancy gimmick like Slott; he focuses on the real world that Peter Parker and you and me live in.
I'm so glad I was able to read this. It's a bittersweet reminder of what we've lost in the Spidey writing team.
Final Rating:
Footnote: Shout out to John Romita Jr. for his cover art. I've always loved his art during Straczynski's run. Another legend we'll dearly miss.
The Sensational Spider-Man #33.1 / 33.2: Monsters!
While not among my top three writers, I've still enjoyed DeFalco's run of Spider-Man. He was one of the senior editors and writers on the team who gave us some rather ambiguous anti-heroes like The Rose (a underused character who's the son of Kingpin) and Puma (a spiritual being with an honor code as interesting as Kraven's). Next to Roger Stern (and Ditko of course), he was perhaps the third person in running who also explored that street-level side of Spidey fighting against the mob. He also had a strong grasp on the multiple plot-threads that led to some very intriguing plot-twists and reveals that felt a lot more natural than many of Slott's gimmicky twists. I particularly enjoyed his take on the Hobgoblin and setting up Flash Thompson as the fall guy when Hobby's identity was supposedly revealed. He was an excellent editor as well who worked alongside the many greats like Peter David and, of course, Stern himself. But I'm digressing too much in this review with my fanboying over DeFalco. God, I need to reread his run again.
This story has a lot of good things going for it. For starters, it's topical, touching on yet another real world problem; this time, illegal immigrants shipped from Russia and Pakistan forced into prostitution and slavery. I'm really not surprised this was DeFalco's work. He's known for such gritty storylines that touch on relevant topics. This kind of story can distract from the story if the spotlight is shed on the social problem itself than the characters, but I feel like it's not a problem here as the characters still have meaningful development to keep them from being just observers reacting to a horrific crime.
For example, there's the other good thing about this story, Carlie Cooper, whose return I much despised after Spider-Island. But for some reason, reading DeFalco's take on Cooper and her detective work makes her grow on me! And looking back, I might have been too harsh on Cooper. As could be seen here, she can make an interesting supporting character as a significant ally of Peter who's also part of the police, something we haven't seen in a while (I don't really count Watanabe since her role in Spidey's life has often been minor compared to Carlie and, of course, Jean DeWolff). I don't know why it's taken me until now to really appreciate Carlie's CSI skills, but it might have something to do with how Carlie's always berating Peter about something, an annoyance that's still visible in DeFalco's story here, albeit in small doses.
There's one lapse in logic that feel more like a nitpick in the big picture, like how the immigrants managed to survive the fall within the cargo container when it's dropped from at least three stories high (a fall that destroyed the container, but leaving the immigrants intact). I usually don't criticize too much on these points UNLESS the story is boring and unentertaining (like "No Turning Back" that I reviewed recently). Here, DeFalco's writing keeps me distracted enough that such trivial points barely bother me.
The second issue is also a little weaker, but it doesn't ruin the story for me. What I don't really like is how the story just ends without Spidey being involved in taking down the main villain. On the other hand, it feels appropriate. The entire story is meant to convey Carlie's frustrations about the limitations of the law and how complete monsters like Vorski gets away with manipulating the system to his will while innocents screwed over by the system (the immigrants) are punished, so it's only fitting here that the hero doesn't get to catch the bad guy. And besides, Vorski does get his just desserts at the end, which is satisfying.
I love the analogy DeFalco use regarding monsters of the literal and figurative form, the Vulture and Spidey being the former, and Vorski the latter. Such strong parallels is yet another display of DeFalco's writing, as he's always been able to ensure his stories embody specific themes throughout their entirety. This isn't easy. Themes can be an effective way to send a meaningful message to your readers, but many writers I know (Slott included) are more interested in weaving multiple plot-threads for future stories than focus on a specific theme in the present one (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but can often dilute the impact of the writing). I particularly like how Spidey is a little more violent in this story, further conveying the theme of how Spidey has a little monstrous side to him. Now, Vorski is obviously the real monster here, but such parallels to show the length of which Spidey is willing to go to in pursuit of justice makes for a compelling read.
As a Spidey anniversary story, it does seem an odd choice to focus on such a heavy story, touching on a very significant subject that can distract the readers from Spider-Man himself. But I can't say I hate it either, because this is a very good story nonetheless. It's not often that Spider-Man stories tackle the human condition and the state of our society, but when it does, it feels very appropriate. I've often said that the defining trait of Spider-Man is that he's one of us, an average everyman. It's only fitting that he fights the same social problems that we are troubled by in real life. I only wish more writers like Slott could learn from this.
Final Rating:
Avenging Spider-Man #11
Zeb Wells is back! Thank god. But he's leaving this book (for Robot Chicken) after this issue! Oh noes! We've seen how terrible this book has been without him...
That being said, this was another great one by Wells. As always, his focus wais on the characters' introspection, or in this case, Aunt May and Peter expressing the pain they still feel, and how Ben's grooming has helped the latter grew into the great man he is today. There are about two and a half pages where May is describing how Peter would remember the pain of losing his loved one for a long time, and how he would go out of his way to prevent the death of others because of it. This short monologue was placed over scenes of Peter's life as Spidey over the years, including flashbacks to Gwen, Norman in his Goblin suit, and a nice shot of Spidey crawling out from the mud when he was buried alive by Kraven in my favorite Spider-Man story, "Kraven's Last Hunt". It's a great scene that honors Spider-Man in the best way possible, summing up his moral character, strength, pain, and perseverance in a few panels.
A few trivial things did annoy me a little bit, like how Peter ended up repeating "It's my fault, you know" at the end. I think it's appropriate for Peter to feel guilt over Ben's death, nothing wrong with that, but it's that kind of dialogue like that can make Peter come off as whining and self-loathing to certain people. I kinda wish Zeb didn't include that second "It's my fault".
But that's a minor complaint. I always welcome these very personal and somber stories. It's just too bad that, with Wells' departure, such fascinating introspection might disappear altogether from this book. Oh well.
Final Rating:
Avenging Spider-Man #14-15
Back in the day, reading a strange tale like this in Marvel Team-Up, I wouldn't have minded or have any qualms about it. I remember I had a lot fun with them back then too, and I wouldn't focus on plot-holes and whatnot as much as I do today.
This story did bring out that carefree side of me back into surface, when comics can be silly and even stupid as long as we have a little fun. And hey, it's dinosaurs! I love dinos! Who doesn't? Oh right, Spidey (he confessed himself in here).
The art by Gabriele Dell'Otto is really nice. The detailed sketches really amplified how scary the dinos look, especially with the addition of that blood spewing from Devil Dinosaur's jaws. I like that the dinos don't look cartoonish in spite of how insignificant the story is; makes it fun for a fan like me who prefers my dinos intimidating. Almost reminds me of that Dino Crisis comic I once read.
Final Rating:
Amazing Spider-Man #698: "Day in the Life"
There's also ASM #698, the first part of "Dying Wish" that I really liked. The plot-twist was cleverly done. I thought Slott was going to suddenly revert Spidey's status quo to a lone wolf again for the sake of nostalgia, but damn, he got me good this time, I'll admit.
Final Rating For This Issue Alone:
BPRD 1946, 1947, 1948, & Vampires
The Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy
In my previous review for "Dying Wish", I mentioned that I liked the idea of a darker Spidey, just not the way Peter's death was handled. In these first five issues of SSM, Slott has somewhat placated whatever qualms I had with the end of ASM by providing a very satisfying beginning. As Spock promised in #700, he has upped his game here by utilizing his scientific intellect to his full advantage. Whether it's crafting various inventions to counter against the specific weaknesses of a new and mediocre "Sinister Six" in the first issue, re-configuring one of their members (The Living Brain from the campy but classic ASM #8) into becoming his personal assistant, or just his very useful "spider patrol-bots" that helped free up time for his non-spider life, you have to admit that he is doing a better job than Peter ever did.
And it's not just his inventions either. Spotto also utilized various tactics that Peter has never done before, like calling the police for back-up, or just listening in on the Sinister Six's plans so that he could stop them ahead of time. These are very effective tactics that made Peter look like a dumbass for not coming up with them in the first place. Even "Ghost-Peter", a Peter Parker apparition taking the form of Spotto's subconsciousness (I think), agreed that he should've thought of those tactics. I hope that after Peter Parker returned later on, he would've remembered all these tactics and put them to good use, or his death would've been a huge waste.
Then there's the more ambiguous improvement: his extreme version of "heroism". But for all the complaints Spider-fans might have regarding this, you can't deny that this insertion of ambiguous morals have paved way to some very engaging storytelling, forcing the readers to think about whether if "the ends justify the means" has some validity. I think this became particularly true in #4 and especially #5 with how Spotto dealt with Massacre, a mass-shooter who's still relevant today, what with a school shooting occurring just a few days ago. I'm sure lots of people would have loved to see a lowlife killer like Massacre get his just desserts. Superheroes were described as an effective escapism for when we need a hero when there was none during dark times. Perhaps The Superior Spotto became the modern, more twisted version of this analogy.
In fact, all of this bears a great resemblance to Death Note and its equally complex argument about morality and justice. This spells great things for the "Superior" book. I'm intrigued to see how far Spotto's superior reign could go as judge, jury, and executioner. Light was taken out by a dumb kid when his vigilantism was just getting interesting in Death Note, let's hope Spotto gets to insert his "brand of justice" over the next 28 issues a lot more than Yagami ever did within those 108 chapters.
Finally, there's the most important part of Spider-Man: his sense of responsibility. Once again, Spotto improved on this particular aspect when he told himself he also had responsibility to his family (or May Parker anyway, whom Otto fell madly in love with), which is (sort of) a callback to the older and wiser Peter Parker in the ASM #700 back-up story, "Spider-Dreams" by J.M. DeMatteis, when he too regretted not focusing more on his responsibility to MJ and his children. Feels like the Trump administration all over again. You might not like the his character (and for some people, his writer too), but you have to admit he's right sometimes.
While it might seem like Slot was writing Spotto to be some perfect Gary-Stu, that's not exactly the case. He did backpedal on his supposed responsibility to May when his ego was affected by Max Modell and Uatu, both of whom questioned his credentials as a doctor. Just a small reminder to us that this man isn't the heroic Peter Parker you remember. For all his perfection and superiority over Peter, Spotto's arrogance might just be his Achilles' heel, aside from his little value for human life.
Unfortunately, when displaying Spotto's flaws, this was where his writing began to feel awkward. Firstly, there's #5, where Spotto didn't seem that keen on making Massacre his top priority and instead settled down for a dessert at his classmate's home, a new supporting character named Anna Maria Marconi who has a condition of dwarfism. I have two problems with this: 1) Her introduction disrupted the intense momentum of #5 when Otto was trying to hunt down a mass murderer whose every minute of existence hits close to home for readers, and 2) Dan Slott's reasoning for introducing such a character troubles me.
Look, I have nothing against Marvel's "diversity" movement. I don't give a crap. I'm a Chinese, and I know Asian-Americans don't receive the same level of equality as many either. So go do your diversity thing, whatever. What I do have a problem with is what Slott has said about Peter Parker's taste in women, that he's a superficial chauvinist who only values the outer-beauty of women... a statement that's so wrong on so many levels. And then you have this coincidence of Slott, who finally got to play with his baby, Superior Spotto-Man, suddenly introducing this potential love interest who might not be considered your typically attractive character by the average reader. If any one else had introduced her? I would've been fine with it. It's an interesting development. But not when it's Dan. Dan's involvement in this just puts me off.
Furthermore, the way their relationship developed felt so forced and contrived. When conversing about how their teacher got the theory of unstable molecules wrong, Anna easily accepted Spotto's explanation on how it's part of the building blocks of the universe with infinite possibilities (as opposed to a fabric that mimics its environment). While Spotto might have been right (for all I know), his explanation still made unstable molecules sounded like a stupid comic book plot-device, and I'm annoyed that Anna didn't at least have some initial doubts. The mimicry theory at least sounded more plausible to me. It seemed like Slott's was so eager to get these two together, as if Spotto was some self-insert fanfic author avatar of his and he's playing out his fantasy of being with his idealized woman embodying "inner beauty".
In hindsight, I think the real reason Slott broke Spotto up with MJ was either because 1) he thought she was one of those women whom Peter only went out with because of her hot supermodel status (as opposed to her patience and tolerance after the death of Gwen), or 2) he wanted to ship Anna and Spotto together ASAP. Neither reason says good things about this book and Slott's iffy ideas about romance.
Buuuut my tirade is over. Aside from the "romantic" side (Dr. Evil air-quotes) of the book, I've enjoyed the other aspects of the "Superior" title so far. I just wish Slott would wise up and show why Peter Parker was the better Spider-Man all along at the very end of the book when he finally made his return, throw in some meaningful statement how Peter's integrity made him a better person than Otto or some heartfelt sentiment like that. I don't know. If Peter's gonna return at all, at least make him look good again. Don't just slap a lazy platitude on him just because you loathe the character.
Final point: let's go back to Ghost-Peter. While some might have argued that his existence disrupted the flow of dialogue - which I agree - I liked having him around, though it's mostly because I still can't get over his death rather than actual storytelling qualities. In spite of him being merely Marvel's blatant attempt at placating those who hated #700, his role can become significant when his views are paralleling with Spotto's violent worldview, especially in #5 when he commented that Massacre, having gained human emotions at the very last minute, might have a chance at redemption in prison. I wish Slott could've used him more effectively like this instead of just making him Spotto's Jiminy Cricket.
Final Rating:
The Spider-Man side of the story is good so far, and it's fun seeing Spidey cut loose on the criminals. But it's not so fun seeing the real Peter Parker, the guy whom we've been following through the ages, get reduced to a joke and a cuck. The sexual innuendos are also unwelcomed. In spite of what you might say, children still read Spider-Man. They probably didn't even know any better to be aware that a sociopath had taken over the mind of their hero.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Superiority Complex
Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 - #19
There was a running joke back then that, despite the fact that "Superior" was Dan Slott's baby, Chris Yost was writing SpOck much better than the original creator himself. Starting from Avenging Spider-Man #15.1, Yost demonstrated that spectacularly. I'm a man who loves introspection, no matter how pretentious they might be, and Yost has plenty of those to spare in here. The entire trade is chock-full of internal monologue, ranging from SpOck's reflection on his feelings towards Peter's former superhero teammates to his fascinating struggle between the persona of Otto and Peter (though the split-personality trope is a tad cliche).
His remarks regarding other heroes often include amusing criticisms of their inferiority, and Yost has made SpOck's egotism far more evident than the "Superior" title, reminding us that this is a bad guy here under Spidey's guise, not the real Peter we've known and loved. While Slott was busy trying to make SpOck look good and awesome, Yost spent a lot of time making fun of him and turning him into a clown - which is always a high-point for me, SpOck being humiliated. He's either stuck babysitting instead of getting the big time mission in #17, or the X-Men just wouldn't take him seriously in #16. Karma is sweet.
Still, as on-point as Yost's characterization might be, I still have a bit of trouble buying that SpOck just suddenly had a change of heart out of the blue. He tried to fry the entire Earth not long ago, and here in Avenging #18, he's suddenly concerned about the fate of a mere city state, New York itself, a petty two million people compared to the world's population. Add to that, he's even worried about Thor dying? It just doesn't add up for me in spite of all the brilliant character study Yost has done here.
And there was much brilliance indeed, especially in #19, where Marco Checchetto got to really flaunt his talent. While it might have featured yet another dream sequence (a cliche we'll see yet again in the dreaded Superior #9), Marco's use of effective framing and symbolism dispelled the banality easily (not to mention his very gritty and rough sketches that provided a gloomy and surreal atmosphere). If you need a picture of SpOck's schizophrenia painted out for you, #19 is the ideal example. What truly made this sequence stood out was that it added a layer of character growth for SpOck, showing that he's weak and sniveling as Otto Octavius, but he's much stronger as an amalgam of Otto and Peter's persona. And it even got me interested in its obscure and off-beat guest-star, the Sleepwalker (whom some described as "Neil Gaiman's Sandman done right")!
It's a shame that Yost wouldn't be able to participate in writing Superior, because I love his writing so much more. He's not busying himself with making Peter Parker look inferior or setting up Otto with "non-typical attractive women" to prove some fatuous point; he's focused on the only thing that matters, the actual story!
Final Rating:
Great stuff by Chris Yost. Be sure to pick it up to show your support.
Footnote: Shout out to the cover-art here by Paolo Rivera. Much like Yost's writing, there's also great use of symbolic imagery here as the cover-art of classic ASM issues are spread across Otto's tentacles to show SpOck's reflection on his past tussle with Spider-Man.
Black Panther #1 - Blistering Daniel Acuna art. And a strong jumping on point. Maintains a mystery over exactly who our Black Panther is here and when this is happening. And I always mark out for a correctly proportioned Rigellian.
Doctor Strange #390 - Donny Cates wraps up his short but strong run on the title as Spider-Man pops round to give Stephen a pep talk and have a conversation with a spider. One of those rare proper transition issues where the outgoing writer smoothly sets the table for the next writer.
Moon Knight #195 - Paul Davidson joins as artist for this arc as the comic takes another visual turn, this time into 2000AD/Deadline territory, as a group of academics attempt to fuse their personalities with disastrous results. And Marc swears off fighting weirdos, which lasts all of 5 pages.
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #2
I'll be honest - I don't read spin-off books. In fact, I only read Spider-Man. Venom spin-offs, Carnage spin-offs, Arana, Black Cat, whomever, I've never read them, because they either a) aren't written well enough to attract me, or b) they feature characters I'm just not invested enough to care about. And the problem is, I care about very few characters outside of the good ol' webslinger.
This book, however, is making a strong case to change my mind. I felt like dropping it after #2 because of a lack of time in my life, even though I'm REALLY enjoying the humor and character writing here. So far, Superior Foes has been a parodic but nonetheless clever perspective on an ordinary day in your average super villain's life. In spite of being goofy, in spite of the protagonists constantly getting humiliated and indignified, I actually care more about these villains than I do about SpOck. Yep, I'm talking about SpOck again in a review for a book that's practically unrelated to Superior Spider-Man, because you know why? Because I'm trying to figure out why I'm having such a great time reading anything other than The Superior Egomaniac! Even Superior Team-Up has been just mildly more enjoyable than the main title.
And reading this, I think I have the answer. Take a look at how Spencer fleshed out these characters. He took the time to let readers spend time with Frederick Myers (Boomerang) in very mundane moments (meeting a lawyer, having a villain meeting, having dinner at a fancy restaurant), and even though ol' Freddy constantly came out looking like a loser, we still grew closer to him, and his problems were far more relatable than any of SpOck's thus far. Why was that? Because Slott hadn't been exploring SpOck's personality and fleshing him out. He's too busy trying to show just how effective SpOck was, how much better his precious antihero was, lording his giant ego over any who still missed the ineffectual Peter Parker. The Superior title was crammed full of plot-threads about goblin scheming against SpOck or petty criminals getting murdered or brutalized. It left very little time for character analysis and introspection - such interesting characterization was all shoveled to both the Team-Up books by Chris Yost and especially this book by Spencer. With all the overdramatic mumbo jumbo going on at Superior, this intriguing character study is a much-needed breath of fresh air for me.
With that said, I'm really looking forward now to what Spencer will bring to the table in his upcoming run. When I began reading this issue, I merely had the impression that Spencer can be very effective at humor, and his wit was certainly sharp in this issue (Beetle playing Plants vs. Zombie on her phone and Boomerang's amusing thought bubbles were the high points), but I wasn't quite sure if too much of that would get old since some of the best Spider-Man stories had dramatic, emotional and some fairly serious elements. However, by the end of it, I would say he has a very strong grasp on making characters relatable. Similar to how James Gunn made the world fall in love with members of The Guardians of the Galaxy (a bunch of no-namers), Spencer has done something similar here with the D-lister villains, and that's no small feat to be scoffed at. I still need to see Spencer handle something with a little more depth and maybe something that would make me cry before I could give my full approval, but at this point, I can say I'm finally looking forward to reading Spider-Man again.
Final Rating:
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #3
I was going to give this three stars because the plot is thin here - well, more like non-existent. The backstory of Silvermane was kinda boring and dulled the sharp wit we've seen in previous issues, and the issue mostly consists of Boomerang (Fred Myers) meeting up with the original Beetle (Abner Jenkins) and entering Super Villain Anonymous. There's just not a lot of happening here, or substance. I read the Spiderfan.org review by Cody Wilson (a big supporter of The Superior Spider-Man title, a total opposite of myself) and I was almost inclined to agree... Almost.
Look, if you go into this book expecting "substance," you're tripping. This is a comedy book. It's been established from the very first issue that it's a spotlight on the mundane lives of D-lister villains. If you're expecting some gimmicky over-dramatic plot chock-full of fight scenes, go read Superior Spider-Man or one of Slott's drivels, I don't know. What Nick Spencer did here was great.
I needed a good laugh after Slott's Superior Humdrum-Man, and Superior Foes seems to be antidote I needed. Spencer continued to deliver some pretty clever jokes here. That Silvermane story I called "boring"? By the end of Fred's narration, I actually kinda liked the story of the kid trying to build a robot; it was cute and quirky, and maybe even a little heartwarming. The panel where Silvermane's disembodied head (in the flashback sequence) was trying to contact his people while also trying to consume a candy? Hilarious. And of course, there's the Super Villain Anonymous. God, that's brilliant. A bunch of loser villains trying to reform. That panel where the therapy group came to hug each other and the reference to Fight Club were the icing on the top. It's kinda dumb, but dumb in a good (and more importantly, fun) way.
In the last two issues, I felt like the book had a "Reservoir Dogs" kind of tone going for it, just a bunch of criminals that the audience could come to like, trying to get by. Remember that scene in Reservoir Dogs where the gang was just hanging out at a coffee shop having a mundane conversation? Yeah, this book is like that entire scene. And I think it could have worked as a serial too, just an episode each week looking in on how these hard luck villains are struggling to get their next meal. It's quirky and amusing, not to mention low-budget.
I still haven't dropped this yet because I'm still mildly intrigued to see what other fun things Spencer could pull out to entertain us. As to the existence of flaws,it's like I said, the Silvermane story's kinda dull in the beginning, but that's about it. Another good job by Spencer. At this point, I'm almost completely sold about Spencer's upcoming run of Spider-Man. I might not even mind if his entire run is just going to be "a day in the life of Peter Parker" if his ASM is going to be anything like Superior Foes, especially if the quality of this book is consistent 'till the very end.
Final Rating:
I might do a review for each issue of this book. I don't know. I'll see. I'm really enjoying reading it so far (more than SSM; I know I keep repeating this), so I might have more things to praise about it in the future.
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #4
This is amazing stuff. I haven't been this entertained by a Spider-Man book in a VERY, very long time, probably prior to One More Day. Hell, probably prior to the '90s Spider-Man! Granted, this is a Spider-Man spin-off, but it still counts.
Once again, not a lot of significant events unfolded this issue. Boomerang rescued his friends gang from going to prison, got hooked up with a bartender, and learned that the Shocker knew about his deal with the Chameleon. There's a snail pace with this book due to Freddy's narration and a lot of introspection about feelings and perspectives, but in spite of those factors (or perhaps because of them), the issue rarely felt boring. Very often, there's either some clever or witty line that would make me giggle, or I would learn something interesting about Fred's personality or point of view.
That said, I do kinda wish we get to see the perspective of someone else for a change. Maybe switch to a different villain every three or four issues.
Reading this issue and seeing the (adorable) thought bubbles really reminds me of the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. Both had their thoughts conveyed to us through cartoonish thought bubbles, featured heavy narration, and have an overall frivolous and goofy tone. Yet only one of these worked for me. Why? When I saw the first episode of Ultimate Spider-Man, I was immediately turned off, because that wasn't the Spidey I grew up with. Spider-Man isn't Deadpool. Maybe Superior Foes works better because these are insignificant D-listers who were already uninteresting before, so any improvement you apply to them has to be more entertaining than what came before. And most definitely, it has to do with Nick Spencer's brilliant handling of characters, making them relatable and likable. But I think the biggest factor has to do with timing.
Currently, I'm reading Spider-Man books in a chronological order, meaning that I'm reading the same line-up of books people did five years ago when they were released. That means that I'm reading Superior Spider-Man, Superior Team-Up, and Superior Foes at the same time. And because of the "serious" (not to mention controversial) tone SSM was having, with its constant barrage of violence and murdered/battered criminals or Goblin schemes, Superior Foes' arrival brought a more traditional feeling of joviality that wasn't as ubiquitous in Spider-Man books for a long time (maybe after Big Time ended, but I dare say maybe even before Slott's run began). It's certainly more optimistic than the cynical SSM, and therefore provided its readers with the feel-good stories that we needed.
It also really helps that Boomerang is filling the role of an Average Joe that's absent without the real Peter Parker around. Here, we witness Freddy trying to get smooth with the bartender (but falls flat on his face), but he ends up getting a date after all, and this tender exchange (along with his complaints about his gang betraying him) humanizes him in a very down-to-earth manner I haven't really felt in SSM in spite of Anna Maria's presence. Of course, there's the hilarious punchline at the end regarding Shocker that reminds us that this is still a criminal, but the delivery of the joke is so brilliant that it (ironically) becomes freaking hilarious than a disturbing scene like many of SpOck's actions. Just when we thought there's some humanity left in Freddy, just as his heartwarming speech about the importance of friendship comes to an end, he backstabs Shocker. It's comedy gold.
Freddy's glib tongue also continues to amplify the comedy in this issue. His conversation with a big-timer like Chameleon, for example, goes to show how non-serious the book is. The Boomerang managed to make the Chameleon look insignificant (and almost non-threatening) by comparison, with the latter acting like some two-bit cliche mob boss you see in a heist movie. The pop culture references to Orange is the New Black and Breaking Bad accentuate this tone further. The book is almost becoming a (Brad Birdian) parody of other super villains (like how Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol parodied other spy movies). I guess that might be the real reason after all why the self-mocking tone works better for Superior Foes than it did for the USM cartoon. But would it work for Amazing Spider-Man in the future, this constant bombardment of fooling around? Guess we'll just have to see.
If there's a gripe, it's that I didn't get the Philly joke, which was probably a very hilarious in-joke for those who do. The other complaint is the two typos, but that's on Letterer Joe Caramagna and editor Tom Brennan for not double-checking.
Final Rating:
After two brief scenes (three pages in total) which hint at the coming doom, we jump to the new batch of students arriving at Blackwood College for orientation. It also serves as the readers’ orientation, as we learn about the school and the characters as the students do. It’s a nice, organic way to establish the setting and develop the characters as the story progresses. The first half of the issue is fairly slow, which is fine. Once we get a feel for all the players, though, things start picking up.
While the writing is pretty enjoyable, the artwork is the real star of this show. I liked Veronica Fish’s work on Spider-Woman and Archie, and she’s gotten even better here. There’s a looseness in her inking that gives her work a lot of energy, and she does a great job of balancing her blacks and separating foreground elements from the backgrounds, which makes for a very pleasant reading experience. Andy Fish does the layouts, and his pacing and camera movement is on point. This is a story you could read without any dialogue and still understand the basic storyline.
Blackwood is a four-issue miniseries, presumably only the first of several if sales warrant. So far so good. I give this issue a strong B+.
That said, the pacing was pretty brisk (though not exactly action-packed), the dialogue felt right for Superman, and the Ivan Reis artwork was perfectly fine. As someone who’s not particularly a Superman fan, this issue didn’t get me excited for the rest of the story (though the upcoming artists have already taken care of that), but it didn’t feel like a waste of money either. This issue was all about estblishing plot and tone—mission accomplished. I give it a B-.
I loved Wednesday Comics issues, and the hardcover is on my table. The HC is really big, but it's also really nice.
I forgot they put the two one-pagers in the collection.
That aside, a great ending to the best run on Spider-Man since Roger Stern's. And there's still an issue to go. And if the epilogue on this issue is anything to by, a likely spin-off too.
Hopefully Slott's Iron Man will similarly tap into all the Iron Man stuff I like in the same way his Spider-Man did.