I reviewed Amazing Spider-Man #700 recently. If you haven’t read Amazing Spidey 700 or my review of it, then check it out before reading this review.
Superior Spider-Man #1 is the first hard core look at the new Spider-Man controlled by the Otto Octavius. Will he be a better or even Superior Spider-Man compared to Peter? Will Spidey become the newest Anti-hero with Doc Ock in control?
Credits:
The Superior Spider-Man-Issue # 1
Marvel Comics
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letters: VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Price: $3.99
Plot: (Major Plot Spoilers)
Otto Octavius now lives in the body of Peter Parker. Otto’s body died with Peter’s conscious stuck in him. Now Doc Ock will live life as Peter Parker and as the Superior Spider-Man.
The issue starts off with a familiar scene. Over the years, we have witnessed Peter visit various graves. Most often, we have seen him visit the grave of Uncle Ben. But this time he visits the grave of Otto Octavius. This is strange since Otto is visiting his own grave where his body rests.
Peter/Otto is monitoring the police frequencies. He hears the Science Building is under an attack from Super-villains He dons the Spidey uniform and shows up at the scene. He discovers the villains are referring to themselves as the new “Sinister Six”.
The new Sinister Six has several “B” list Spidey villains. The consist of the Shocker, Speed Demon, Override (in the Big Wheel), Boomerang, Beetle, and The Living Brain. Spider-Man is shocked by the new Sinister Six since Otto was always the center of the Sinister Six. He ridiculed each of them and fights against them. Speed Demon gets the best of him and Spider-Man takes off. He saves a police officer in the process. He strikes Boomerang with claws against the chest and tears his skin, which Spider-Man wouldn’t normally do.
Otto/Peter is a real jerk. He treats his co-workers horribly. He acts like he is better than everyone else. He spends his date with Mary Jane starring at her chest.
Spider-Man does set a trap for the new Sinister Six. He uses his scientific mind to turn the tables on them. He severely beats Boomerang and is about to kill him. A blue ghost (maybe Jedi Ghost) of Peter Parker stops Otto from killing Boomerang. The blue ghost Peter declares that he will find a way back to be in control.
Review:
Art:
There are things about the art I really loved. There are other things I thought were good but not anything Spectacular (or even Amazing). Then there were a few things that just bugged me about the art.
The first page of this comic was fantastic with the image of the Peter (Otto) standing over the grave was great. I love the art on page five that has the webs around Spider-Man. The webs look like Doc Ock’s mechanical arms which is a great visual.
The “Big Wheel” driven by Overdrive was a bit of awesome nostalgia with a modern update. I absolutely adore the mad scientist look of Peter (Otto) when he is at Horizon Labs- he even has his chest puffed out. The Blue Jedi Like Peter Parker ghost was fun.
I dislike most of the images of the villains except for the Big Wheel/ Overdrive. Many of the fight scenes were overcrowded. The villains looked like they were drawn by someone being rushed. Shocker and Boomerang don’t look quite normal. The Living Brain looks clunky.
I hate how Speed Demon is drawn with the lightning all around him. He is not the Flash from DC. He never had lightning previously around him. He should be drawn like he was previously- with a ton of lines and sometimes multiples of himself.
Story/Plot:
I enjoyed the overall story and plot of this book. It is interesting to see how a previous super villain handles both the life of a Major Superhero. I did enjoy how he attempts to balance his new superhero life and his private life when Peter struggled doing this. Otto was a pompous jerk and that has not changed with his new life. I will be interested in seeing where it goes from here.
My REVIEW:
Either this is the first comic book I have read with the new Marvel AR or it is the first time I have paid attention to it. It did enhance my experience. It was really KOOL to see Dan Slott and hear his opinion. The letters page was fully embedded in the Marvel AR and we saw Dan’s reaction to people’s reaction to the news of Peter dying.
I loved Big Wheel return. Two of my favorite Spidey villains of the 70s were Big Wheel and Rocket Racer. Nostalgia goes a long way for me.
I am not sure what to think about Peter coming back so soon. I knew it wouldn’t take long to show Peter was not fully dead. But I never imagined he would come back in the first issue of Superior Spidey. The dead Jedi look was pretty KOOL.
Overall, I really liked this book. I am hopeful this will continue to build into something great.
Grade: B
