Superior Spider-Man #16 – Review

Dan Slott (Writer), Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba (Artists), Edgar Delgado (Colorists)

The Story: Phil Urich really gets what’s coming to him as Otto manage to manipulate a situation to his advantage.

The Review: For critics, it’s always easier to talk about great or horrible comics. When it’s in one of those two extremes, it’s surprisingly easy to say what works well and what truly doesn’t. The point is to be objective, of course, yet there will always be a touch of subjectivity when anyone talk about a cultural product, whether they want to or not. What’s harder, though, are the average comics, those that are competent, yet did not really leave a huge impact on the critic himself. When dealing with a middle-tier comic in terms of quality, it becomes a bit tougher to balance the good with the bad in a coherent manner.

This issue is a pretty good example of this, as it moves along nicely, shows some scenes that are well done, yet doesn’t go out of its way to really bring any ”wow” factor. Here, Slott conclude his Hobgoblin story competently, putting some pieces in place for the future of his title, yet a lot of what happens here just isn’t that impressive.

There are some good parts here, starting with the way Otto is written as a mastermind, featuring his villainous methods as being rather entertaining. He is manipulative, arrogant and this comes as fun as his interaction with Robertson, the Avengers and the general public shows just how cunning he can be in terms of how he appears to everyone.

Superior Spider-Man #15 – Review

Dan Slott (Writer), Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba (Artists), Edgar Delgado (Colorist)

The Story: Phil Urich’s life seems a bit more difficult now that the Kingpin is gone. Who knew?

The Review: Long-term writing can be messy sometime. As a writer can plan ahead in order to provide many major moments and development for his title, there will always be some times when things will be a bit duller. With moments of transitions between the larger events in a title, there are seeds to be planted in order for the readers to have moments to enjoy, like an unending cycle of payoff and setup that make comics come to life. Putting some tease and hints of certain plot points, however, really isn’t on the same level of possible satisfaction as the eventual payoff that may come out of it.

Knowing that, it does not come as a shock that considering the latest issue of Superior Spider-Man, one filled with many surprises and twist, this issue comes as a bit less exciting. It is hard to top Spider-Ock leading an assault on a Japanese pagoda in Hell’s Kitchen, of course, but the follow-up is perhaps a tad disappointing considering how they continue such a massive act from the previous issue.

It is a smart decision in some manners to see how several people react to such a big event in New York City, yet Slott never really commit to this angle along the issue as we are treated to a continuation of several plot points, with not all of them being connected organically. We see how the cops react to Otto’s new army and his storming of the Kingpin fortress, how some of the people close to Peter see the fact that he is spending much more time as Spider-Man as we see how he might put aside his life in order to dedicate himself to the role of Spider-Man. It’s a nice touch to see Otto struggling with multiple tasks at the same time, seeing things in a different light as he compares himself to Peter Parker, yet it’s so lightly covered that it’s kind of a shame.

Daredevil: End of Days #7 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack (Writer), Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz (Artists), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The Story: Ben Urich follows some more leads for the mystery behind the Mapone mystery and the secret of the newer Daredevil.

The Review: If there is one character that I always love to see Bendis write, it has to be Ben Urich. I do love how he always seems to go out of his depths in search of a story, while he seems to be always relatable and just plain interesting. This is a man that always get involved in the adventures of Daredevil, throughout the happy times, but mostly through the harder perils of the life of Hell’s kitchen protector.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #16.1 Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Marquez (Artist), Justin Ponsor (Colorist), Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: At first glance this is kind of a strange move from Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. The book’s technically still in the midst of the Divided We Fall/United We Stand storylinebut has taken the decision to drop a Point.One issue just before the crossover draws to a close. This is most likely down to editorial requirements so that Spider-Man and the Ultimates ship their conclusions to the event in the same month, but no matter; even when this creative team are dealt a logistical curveball they still manage to smash it out of the park.

Essentially this issue follows The Daily Bugle’s Betty Brant, hot on the trail of Spider-Man’s secret identity for an article which she hopes will propel her to stardom. She starts with a close inspection of the footage of Miles’ climactic fight with his Uncle Aaron when she stumbles across five important little words: “You are…just…like me.” Betty recognizes this as one of the most decisive moments in this new Spidey’s mythology and sets out to discover the truth behind the character’s origin. Betty first digs into Uncle Aaron’s history as costumed thief The Prowler, and then uncovers a major find while scouring his abandoned apartment for clues – this in turn leads to some minor revelations regarding Oscorp’s role in how our hero received his powers. Some final snooping on Miles and his family seems to fill in the remaining blanks. At its heart this story is a procedural drama about one journalist’s quest to land the biggest scoop of her career, and even with Spider-Man himself barely making an appearance it’s still a thoroughly engrossing read.

I’m not quite sure how Bendis does it. He’s been writing this title for well over 10 years but still seems to approach each issue like it’s his first, always brimming with energy and enthusiasm. While he’s been known to make a habit of composing his scripts a little on the talk-heavy side, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man benefits the most from this practice with a series of convincing back-and-forth exchanges between Brant and her often-reticent cast of contacts. With the Police she’s sweet and charming while with her source at Roxxon she’s a hard-nosed manipulator who’s quick to resort to blackmail to get the information she needs. The book’s best moments see her butt heads with J Jonah Jameson over the veracity and/or need for this story. Here’s where that decade-plus history on the book really comes into play. Bendis has crafted the Bugle’s Editor-in-Chief into a character whose history with Spider-Man is deep and rich, a man who’s learned the hard way what it means to put the story before the person it affects. In my mind he almost steals the show from Brant, but both are wonderfully handled here.

Wolverine #20 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writing), Renato Guedes (pencils), Jose Wilson Magalhaes (inks), Matthew Wilson (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Someone’s trying to start a war between the Hand and the Yakuza and naturally, Wolverine and Melita find themselves caught in the middle.

The Review:  This issue serves as a nice little cross-section of several of the things that have worked well in Jason Aaron’s tenure on Wolverine.  You’ve got balls to the wall action, Logan’s unique way of fumbling through a romantic relationship, and Aaron’s twisted brand of humour.  While the result doesn’t re-invent the wheel, it does lead to a really fun time that would have you thoroughly entertained for the entirety of its 22 pages and will give you a laugh on several occasions.

Personally, I really appreciated the mish-mash of genres present here, which in itself is another hallmark of Aaron’s run, which has seen him tell a wide variety of Wolverine-related stories.  You’ve got comedy, action, horror characters, crime drama, and ninjas all mixed up together into a potent and quick combination that feels like what a Wolverine comic should be.

Key to this mixture was Aaron’s bringing back a couple of his best Wolverine-related creations: the Buzzard Brothers.  I’d forgotten how absolutely hilarious these guys are.  It’s the twisted sort of stuff that could only come from the Jason Aaron who brought us Ghost Rider.  They’re caricatures straight out of Deliverance and the Hills Have Eyes and while horrific, are also great for a laugh.  They get several great lines and now, having gotten a power upgrade that seems to have made them nearly unkillable, they’re more over-the-top and slapstick than ever.  Seeing these guys show up in the middle of a Kingpin/Yakuza crime drama is mind-bending good fun and while you’d think it’d be jarring, I found myself just sitting back and enjoying the insanity.

And really, the action scenes in this month are just as nutty and over-the-top as the Buzzard Brothers themselves.  We get ninjas, asteroid busting sniper rounds (seriously), and Wolverine doing all manner of bad things to the unkillable Buzzards.  It leads a comic that moves at an incredibly brisk pace that never leaves the reader bored or adrift.

Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man #1 – Review

By Brian Reed (writer), Marco Santucci (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks)

The best word to describe this series? Obligatory.

I’m a fan of Brian Reed (love his Ms. Marvel work) and I actually have been enjoying Brand New Day. But this book serves as nothing more than to tell fans, “Hey, Brand New Day is part of the Marvel Universe!”. And then Brian Reed goes on to prove it.

The Skrulls attack New York and the Daily Bugle staff is caught in the middle of it. Spider-Man isn’t even in this book because (surprise, surprise) he’s in the Savage Land with the rest of the Avengers! This seemingly leaves Jackpot around as the only person who can save the day. The story is pretty silly and all the events seem trite or forced. Without its flagship character, the book is souless, because let’s be honest, the supporting cast isn’t enough to carry this book. If I wanted stories about newspaper reporters and Skrull invaders I’d just as well read Frontline – which I am – which is a superior book.

This book adds nothing to the overall Secret Invasion storyline, nor does it have a compelling plot. Save your money. Avoid this one or just wait for the trade if you must. I’m sure the real Spider-Man will show up eventually. (Grade: D)

– J. Montes

Amazing Spider-Man #554 – Review

By Bob Gale (writer), Phil Jimenez (pencils & inks), Andy Lanning & Danny Miki (inks), Jeremy Cox (colors)

Wow, this was a very unexpected issue. With the last two “Brand New Day” arcs, the stories lasted three issues. And while Bob Gale’s run is ending after three issues, the story isn’t over! Another thing that’s changed is the tone. There’s a few running gags still going, but overall, the humor has been toned down and with more attention going towards the plot(s).

Spidey’s bad luck (or the Parker luck, if you will), is the star of this episode. Already on the run from the law for not being registered and being accused of murder, Spidey’s now blamed for assaulting a mayoral candidate, murdering drug dealers, burning down a building, and well, you get the picture. Despite all this, Peter’s keeps his spirits high. He gets a nice check from the Daily Bugle, enjoys a night out with his friends, and even visits J. Jonah Jameson in the hospital (as Spider-Man), which leads to one hilarious scene.

As I said in my review of last issue, I’m not a big fan of The Freak. However, this issue goes into the concept and science behind him. Basically, every time The Freak is inflicted with a mortal wound, he goes into a cocoon like stasis. When he reemerges from it, he becomes immune to whatever might have killed him prior. So if he “dies” in a fire, he’ll be immune to fire when he comes back from his cocoon. It’s a fascinating concept that will most likely pay dividends down the line, story wise.

While the story line isn’t wrapped up this issue, it does a good job touching on all the underlying stories, while giving us a hint of things to come. Bob Gale is to be commended for working things out. I’m actually interested to see where this story with The Freak goes now. And Phil Jimenez wraps up his run with another issue of stunning visuals. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes

Amazing Spider-Man #553 – Review

By Bob Gale (writer), Phil Jimenez (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks), Jeromy Cox (colors)

Bob Gale brings us another dense issue of Spider-Man! Like the previous issue, Gale packs the book with narrative and dialogue while Phil Jimenez fills each page with glorious panel work. You’re definitely getting your money’s worth, reading wise, but is the issue good? It’s a bit of a mixed bag.

I wouldn’t say the book’s boring or lacking on the humor front. I’m just not really sure if I like “The Freak” or not. He’s a pretty silly, ugly villain, and I find it hilarious that he’s got the dirtiest mouth in the Marvel Universe. But humor aside, he’s completely forgettable and not iconic in any sense. I mean, he’s basically this half human, platypus zombie looking thing – what’s so scary about that? And his powers? He can track Peter’s scent and he’s got super human strength and webbed hands. Webbed hands?! Who the heck thought of this concept?!

Now, if you can not be too distracted by this guy and just read the story for what it is, you’ll be plenty entertained. The opening panel will make you laugh out loud. Hell, the way the cops act throughout this book is pretty darn ridiculous. As soon as The Freak shows up on the scene, Officer O’Neil almost instantly shoots him in the head! What’s up with him not being suspended or put on leave while an investigation takes place?! Like I said, it’s ridiculous, and yet funny as hell.

There’s other plot points touched upon like Jameson finally getting a copy of the Daily Bugle, DB finally calling Peter by his proper name, and Carly’s father running for mayor, but most of this issue is centered around The Freak, his transformation, and his revenge against Spider-Man. I really can’t give anymore accolades to Phil Jimenez. He’s a stunning artist – perfect for Spider-Man. I don’t know if he designed The Freak or not, but I suppose Jimenez is drawing him as well as he can.

As the last page begs the hilarious question: Does Marvel hate politicians so much that they’re going to kill another? We’ll find out next, week! The book is still fun, no doubt about it. But it’s very hard to overlook the book’s one glaring flaw: The Freak. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes