Plotted by Dan Slott
Written by Christos Gage
Pencils by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Colors by Antonio Fabela
Published by Marvel Comics
Like everyone else, I was nervous that Doc Ock would be the man rocking the Spidey suit going forward. Slowly but surely those fears were put to bed as Ock proved to indeed be a Superior Spider-Man. With issue #13 Otto Octavius kicks down the doors, grabs you by the neck and rubs your face in his Superior Spider-Man-ness. I tweeted it, but let me reiterate here, this issue knocked my damn socks off! Out loud and very vocal ‘whew!’s came on the heels of reading more than a few different pages.
First off, Slott and Gage have turned Spider-Man into that badassed anit-hero that defines characters like Wolverine, and I loved every damn minute of it. The way he went after Smythe the Spider-Slayer so relentlessly was nothing short of pure awesomeness. Even though his mask covers his facial features you just know that Spidey is making one of the most ‘concentrated on the task at hand’ faces in the world. Nothing was shaking him from his target, not even the lives of civilians hanging in the balance, and I loved how that threw Smythe for the biggest life-ending loop ever. Ock’s end game to save his friends and still take out Smythe? Brilliant. The way he holds it over JJJ’s head in the end, a straight up masterpiece. JJJ thinks he’s dealing with a more anti-hero Spider-Man, but he’s dealing with a villain in a Spider-Man costume, and that moment lets you know it. How long have we been waiting for Spidey to own JJ?! I guess all it took was for a villain to take over. And oh damn, whats going on with Connors and JJ? Could we have a new bodyguard here?
On the art side things my hat is way off to Camuncoli and Fabela. This issue in particular is gorgeous!! The colors are so vibrant making every page stunning. Camuncoli’s pencils are sharp and straight to the point. At first I thought I would miss Humberto Ramos after Amazing Spider-Man, but Camuncoli and Fabela are filling those shoes more than expertly. How about that “To the death!” splash page, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor!
Overall this is easily my favorite issue of Superior Spider-Man. This book hits on every single level, from the story to the action to the art; it is an all around winner. If you haven’t been reading Superior I suggest that you go back two issues and then read the hell out of #13. I can’t wait to see where this goes next, it seems like Ock has some huge plans in store for New York City.
5 out of 5 nerds
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
Nerd Comments