Written by Nick Spencer
Art by Steve Lieber
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Published by Marvel Comics
I’ll be honest here, when this book was announced I wasn’t sure what to make of it. A book about Spider-Man’s foes, but what story would it tell? What approach would it take? How would are main characters be depicted? Well, after reading issue #1 I have to say, I pleasantly surprised. I thought the book would focus on the bumblings of these foes as they fail in every way to kill Spider-Man, but instead what we got was a very clever take on the look at the day to day life of Boomerang. In the same way that we see Peter Parker, and now Doc Ock, balance heroism with a job, girls, paying bills and what not, that’s what we get here, from the villain’s point of view.
Boomerang fails miserably at a heist, he goes to jail, and he asks “friends” Shocker and Overdrive to look after his pets. They get pissed off trying to buy bird food and end up robbing a pet store and a little girl for her new puppy. It’s pretty hilarious and quite refreshing. Boomerang’s monologues are written perfectly and delivered on some clever laughs. Then the whole book comes around and it turns out everything isn’t what it seems. It was quite a brilliant turn of events, just when you are lulled into a story about character exposition; the story does a 180 on us and introduces a super-villainy plot. My hat is off to Spencer for bringing together great dialogue and a slick plot disguised as just another villainous day in New York.
The art is done pretty well here, especially with the use of facial expressions to help sell the more subtle moments of the book, which is pretty much everything leading up to the plot twist in the end. One thing that I really took notice of was the way Spider-man was penciled and colored, he looked a lot more like Amazing Spider-Man rather than Superior Spider-Man, and I actually really dug that. Maybe it’s because a part of me does miss Petey and his blue/red costume, but either way it was nice to get a glimpse of Spidey like that.
Overall Superior Foes Of Spider-Man’s first issue was a lot of fun to read, which is something I dig about certain comics. The story is on point and the art is great. Fans of Spider-man will definitely enjoy this book, especially since the way it is written feels so familiar, but from the villain’s point of view instead. I am definitely awaiting the next issue!
4 out of 5 nerds
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