The Stop Button
blogging by Andrew Wickliffe
Category: Spider-Man
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Someone is mind-controlling upstanding citizens and making them commit daredevil bank robberies in broad daylight. While New York’s finest detectives–cigar-chewing Michael Pataki and his nitwit sidekick Robert Hastings–are on the case, they soon get some valuable assistance from Spider-Man! This television movie–a pilot for a series–introduces Nicholas Hammond as the hero. He’s a vaguely annoying,…
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Spidey Zine, a fan made “little comic collection” from Hannah Blumenreich, is wonderful. Some of the strips run a couple pages, some run longer. Blumenreich identifies the adorable and the admirable in Peter Parker. Reading Spidey Zine, you totally understand why Betty Brant went for him back in Amazing #7. Yeah, a bit of warning–Spidey…
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I remember when Kraven’s Last Hunt came out. I was eight or nine. Marvel advertised it something fantastic. I was a regular Spider-Man reader, but mostly from collections and it wasn’t like there were a lot of collections in the late eighties. Almost thirty years later and I still can’t think of a better Spider-Man…
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So does Slott successfully conclude his Spider-Man 2099 thing? Define successful. It’s not a terrible issue. It’s definitely one of the better ones with Spidey 2099 in it, probably because there’s none of his annoying narration and he’s treated like a buffoon throughout. Otto loses the spotlight even more, however. And for some inexplicable reason,…
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Well, it’s definitely better than last issue but it’s still one of Slott’s weaker efforts on Superior. He’s got a big time travel story and it’s boring; referring to Back to the Future in the issue’s story title and then delivering a bunch of plodding exposition. It’s like he’s promising something good next issue, not…
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When the Goblin Underground scenes are the best thing in the issue, it’s obviously Slott is running into some problems with Superior. At least there’s some bickering between the Goblin King and Hobgoblin… it’s kind of amusing. Otherwise, the only good thing in the issue is Otto showing off for his lady friend at a…
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I really don’t like the whole Goblin Army thing. It’s a little much, to say the least. Slott plays it tongue in cheek–which Ramos’s pencils just encourage–and it feels silly instead of scary. It’s like a Joker thing out of Batman, only repurposed for Spider-Man. Otherwise, the issue’s got some decent moments in it. Slott’s…
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I think with so many Spider-Man issues a month, sometimes Slott gets too disposable with the single issues. There are usually two Superior, I think, then a bunch of others, right? This issue is on the right track again though. Slott opens with the fallout from Otto taking out Shadowland, with maybe the only weak…
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Umm. Couple things. First, Slott doesn’t have Otto narrate this issue. Maybe the first Superior without some insight from him. Second, Marvel never resolved that “Shadowland” crossover? Wasn’t it like five years ago? Otto–with an army of spider-robots and spider soldiers–cleans up the Shadowland compound this issue. Apparently Kingpin has had a fortress in New…
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It’s weird how Slott let Gage handle the script on this arc. It’s got some of the biggest changes to Superior since it started–a new page in Otto’s relationship with Jonah, a secret base (and lab) for Spider-Man–one would’ve thought Slott would want to be more hands on with it all. The issue’s pretty good,…
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Gage (and the plotting Slott) put Otto in an interesting place. Given the standard superhero trope of having to save one person or another, Otto apparently goes from the villain himself instead of bothering to save anyone. Apparently, as it’s the hard cliffhanger. Otherwise, some of the issue goes to Jameson, who decides to hunt…
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Giuseppe Camuncoli and John Dell make Otto look so positively condescending it’s wonderful. He only has a couple scenes outside his Spider-Man adventures, one with Anna and then one with his boss. I didn’t pay attention to the credits so I didn’t realize it was Christos Gage scripting from a Slott script; a lot more…
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Very interesting issue. With Otto freed of Ghost Peter, he makes some different choices–first is prioritizing responses to crimes and crises (which Slott addressed earlier in the series but not as directly) and, second, how he’s going to spend his Parker time. Without the old Peter Parker memories, Otto’s scenes with Aunt May completely different.…
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Whew. There I was, having to take back some negative comments about Slott’s pacing last issue and how well he sold the story overall… and now I’m validated. This issue reads in something like two minutes, maybe three if you take a bathroom break. Otto zooms down into his own mind to fight the collected…
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Well, Slott recovers this issue. Big time. He must have watched “ER” too–all you need to make something touching is a sick child, add a megalomaniac like Otto being touched by said sick child? One’s sympathies for the story and its characters go through the roof. There’s also the big Avengers fight, which is funny…
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This issue Ghost Peter discovers he can influence his old body and also make enough noise to distract Otto. Sadly, Slott uses that trick three times at least this issue to save someone from Otto’s wraith. Well, maybe twice with the third just being a little wink. But it’s not a particularly good issue. In…
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Been a while since I read an Humberto Ramos comic. Between steel fortitude and Slott’s writing, I didn’t get sick. The issue continues the “Spidey is going too far” theme, with Mayor Jameson setting Otto loose on some superpowered Internet pranksters. There’s also the stuff with Otto and his tutor, which is wonderful. The Jameson…
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I guess I didn’t realize it before, but “Brand New Day” Peter Parker is supposed to be unbelievably good looking. Otto lucked out in the bod department, apparently. This issue features a really nice scene where Otto has dinner with his “tutor,” a very charming woman who happens to be a little person. Ghost Peter…
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Well, I’ll eat my rotten onions right off–I miss Stegman. Giuseppe Camuncoli takes over on pencils (John Dell on inks) and it’s not a good move. There are lots of regular people scenes this issue and Camuncoli draws them like it’s an absurdist comedy. He also draws Spider-Man in Batman postures, which works out, but,…
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Slott’s starting to edge in on Batman territory here. The Vulture is using children to commit crimes, strapping them into flight harnesses and sending them out. Otto loses it and almost kills him, horrifying Ghost Peter and the police lady. I can’t remember her name. It might be Carlie or something; it’s goofy, whatever it…
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I’m liking Stegman less this issue. Something about him reminds me of Todd McFarlane; he’s busy without content, just a lot blockier than ol’ Toddy. Luckily, I’m liking Slott’s writing a lot more this issue. Ghost Peter has a big role here, basically narrating Otto’s narration. Only Ghost Peter can only know what Otto’s narrating,…
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Once one gets past the entirely goofy brain-swapping detail, Superior Spider-Man is a hoot. Dan Slott’s success at it comes from his refusal to play too much into Doctor Octopus all of a sudden being a good guy. Otto isn’t out to beat the new Sinister Six because it’s the right thing to do, he’s…
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Was Jim Shooter paying himself by the word, because I don’t think I’ve ever read more exposition in a comic book. It’s terrible exposition too, but I suppose the sentences are grammatically correct. For the most part. But what I can’t figure out is the artwork. The combination of John Buscema on pencils and Joe…
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It’s too bad this one doesn’t work out better, but at least it fails in an interesting way. Superman and Spider-Man simply can’t work together. It’s not so much the problems with them not matching powers—Lex Luthor zaps Spidey with some red Kryptonite powers to even the odds at one point—it’s the characters themselves, they’re…
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This issue, one of Marvel’s smorgasbord of one shots, is actually a Steve Gerber tribute issue. The feature is Howard the Duck (meets Spider-Man) and the backup is Man-Thing. Not sure why Marvel didn’t advertise it better, other than they missed a good memorial period by two years. Stuart Moore does a fine job on…
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Lot of Ditko homage on the last pages, even with the filmic–especially for the eighties–pacing of Peter suiting up in the red and blue. It’s sort of a weak finish to a great issue. Most of the issue–except some ill-advised attention on Hobgoblin (providing the action)–is Mary Jane telling Peter all about her life. DeFalco…
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Well, I’ve finally found something Bill Mantlo can write–little old ladies. This issue is mostly about Aunt May and her mysterious behavior. Turns out her pre-Ben Parker boyfriend is back and sending her love letters and causing these very distracting walks down memory lane. Of course, New York’s in different shape than it used to…
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Oh, those young toughs, how dare they break up a date between Peter Parker and… Jack Monroe (Nomad). Seriously, they’re on a date. They meet in an alley, beat up some threatening toughs, then head to see Rio Bravo together. All while Nomad is supposed to be delivering art to Steve Rogers. Unfortunately, it’s a…
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I knew I liked these eighties Spider-Man issues. It just took DeFalco a while to bring it around (though it could all be the nostalgia talking). What’s important about this issue isn’t the beginning, which cops out of the previous cliffhanger and then strangely sends Black Cat off to Neverland instead of resolving a new…
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What a cliffhanger! Mary Jane reveals to Peter she knows he’s Spider-Man! All with some weak Ron Frenz faces. I actually liked most of Frenz’s work this issue, when he was doing the action stuff–the fight between Puma and Spider-Man had some nice moves and it worked. But when Peter gets back to Mary Jane…
The Stop Button 