Spectacular Spider-Man #11
“The
Lizard’s Tale”-Part 1 of 3"
Writer: Paul
Jenkins
Penciler:
Damion Scott
Inker: Rob
Campanella
PLOT:
Dr. Curt Connors is a tortured soul.
He is facing a tough phase of his life in which he has lost
his wife to cancer, his believes he son blames him for not saving
her, he is battling a bout of Depression, and lets not forget that
the being known as the Lizard lives within him, ready to come out
when Curt loses his temper. The
only thing going for Curt is the possibility of getting a research
grant, and he informs Peter Parker of his good fortunes, to what
Parker replies, “everything turns out ok”.
Too bad that when Curt does not get the grant, his Lizard
persona comes out, he lashes out at his competitor for getting the
grant, and blames Parker because everything did not turn out ok.
Peter finds out where the Lizard is heading, and he tries to
calm him down as Spider-Man. The
Lizard eventually turns back into Curt Connors, but not before a
great deal of property damage and possibly human casualties.
LIKES:
- I dig Damion Scott’s pencil.
Still exaggerated art, but the action scenes were a lot
crisper. Best art was during the Richardson Institute explosion
with the Lizard jumping away.
- Dr. Connors’s transformation physically and emotionally to the Lizard was amazing. Great job by Jenkins and Scott.
DISLIKES:
- There were some continuity
flaws such as the age of Connors son as well as the fact that
Connors knows that Peter is Spider-Man.
- Big John’s appearance has been dramatically changed since his last appearance.
RATING:
3 webheads out of 5. This
is another strong start to a story arc by Paul Jenkins.
Hopefully the ending will be as good as its start.
Reviewed by
AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)
Spectacular Spider-Man #10
“Countdown”-Part 5 of 5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher
PLOT: Has
Spider-Man revealed his secret identity to the world in order to
save the Palestinian Prime Minister??? Well, not exactly.
Instead he infuriates Doc Ock by revealing another Spider-Man
mask. He
uses this opportunity to distract Ock, while Big John, aka The Kiwi
Kid, videotapes the prime minister’s rescue and feeds it to Time
Square so the world can see that the prime minister is safe.
Doc Ock is not a happy camper, and he and Spider-Man go at it
all out. Doc Ock is
crazier and more lethal than ever before, and he is no longer taking
any prisoners. After a
very intense fight, Spider-Man doesn’t hold back and pummels the
doctor into submission, leaving him and his broken arms to the
police. Somewhere, Big
John is forgotten by Spider-Man and left in the rain.
LIKES:
- Great fight sequences between
Spider-Man and Octavious. I
don’t think I’ve ever seen Spider-Man give somebody a
whoopin’ like that/.
- The redesign of Doctor
Octopus includes customizing each of his arms with artificial
intelligence so that they can think for themselves.
DISLIKES:
- The
great cliffhanger of last issue was a HUGE letdown when Spidey
revealed another mask underneath.
From Otto’s expression of “No…your face!”
What have you done?”
I figured that it would have been something good or
creative. This is
not what I expected.
- Some
of Jenkins jokes seemed forced and not very humorous.
Example: the whole “Pulling an Otto” exaggerated
laughter by Spider-Man was lame and old.
- Ramos
= Weird looking Spider-Man
RATING:
3 webheads out of
5. The fight scenes
were fun, but in the end, it wasn’t the Blockbuster ending I was
hoping for. Jenkins
seems to be losing some steam, and hopefully he can pick it up again
with the upcoming Lizard two parter coming up.
Reviewed by
AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)
Spectacular
Spider-Man #09
“Countdown”-Part 4 of 5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher
PLOT: Doc Ock continues to
hold the Palestinian ambassador captive in his childhood home.
He goes into detail about the intense trauma he suffered as a
child that still affects him to this day.
He then leaves the ambassador strapped to a bed with timed
explosives. With the time
Otto set for Spider-Man to be unmasked, Peter ponders what he should
do with MJ. Spider-Man
goes and enlists the help of his neighbor, Big John aka The Kiwi Kid.
John is all too happy to help Spider-Man and dresses up in full
uniform. Spider-Man
places John on top of a telephone pole with a camera and takes off to
Time Square. Detective
Garret, working with Israeli Secret Services informs the NYPD to clear
the sewers underneath Time Square.
As the time draw nears, a media circus and huge crowds gather
for the unmasking. Spider-Man
makes it to Time Square, and Octavious crashes through a few moments
later. He promises to
release the ambassador after the unmasking.
Spider-Man obliges and takes off the mask.
Doc Ock screams, “No…your face!
What have you done?”
LIKES:
- One
of the best cliffhangers that I have seen in a while.
I can’t wait until the next issue.
- Jenkins
does a wonderful job in going into details about Otto’s past.
The death of his father is quite moving.
- Ramos’s
flashback sequences are absolutely fabulous.
It adds another level to the story telling.
The scene after Otto’s father’s death, when Otto is
holding his toy trucks is amazing, especially the shadows in the
wall that subtly makes the toys look like his mechanical arms of
the future.
DISLIKES:
- Too
bad that Ramos’s flashback art is not what he regularly uses.
Spider-Man looks awkward and silly in many panels.
- Spider-Man
mentions Kiwi Kid to Big John, but the only people who know that
inside joke are John’s neighbors and more specifically MJ and
Peter. Good thing Big
John isn’t bright and won’t put two and two together.
RATING:
4 webheads out of 5. A
good issue leading to the climatic events of the final part of
“Countdown.” Jenkins
has us guessing on what will happen next.
Reviewed by
AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)
Spectacular Spider-Man #08
“Countdown”-Part 3 of 5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher
PLOT: Doctor Octopus takes
over the airways once again. This time with his new hostage, Hayyan
Zarour, the Palestinian ambassador who is spear heading the peace
movement. Doc Ock makes
his demand for the safe return of the ambassador: Spider-Man to unmask
himself in Time Square. Peter
Parker finds himself in quite a predicament, and goes off in search of
some help in Central Park. The
help turns out to be Detective Neil Garret, who has helped Spidey in
the past. It seems,
though, that this time he has no useful information.
As they are finishing up their conversation, Israeli Secret
Service officers and helicopters surround them.
They ask Spider-Man to assist in the rescue of the Palestinian
ambassador. They were
able to pinpoint the general location of Ock and the hostage, but want
Spider-Man to diffuse the situation without any casualties.
Peter ponders the offer as he watches the Mideast conflict
flare up again.
LIKES:
- Some
great character moments. Specifically
the conversation Peter has with May about revealing his secret
identity and the ramifications it will have on his friends and
family.
- The
Palestinian ambassador has a purpose other than being a powerless
hostage. He is fiery,
challenging, and direct with Doc Ock, and will not be making this
operation simple.
- One
thing that Doc Ock has retained from the past is his
unpredictability. You
never know what this guy is thinking, which makes him a very
dangerous foe. *Of
course those sharp tentacles help as well*
DISLIKES:
- There
wasn’t much action in this book.
There was a lot of setting up for the final two issues.
- There
has been too many news show reporting on Spider-Man events in the
city, in which JMS is also guilty of.
I guess it would be realistic in the age of 24-hour news
coverage, but I don’t think it should be in almost each
storyline.
- Ramos’s
Spider-Man has more of a pencil neck than Ultimate Spider-Man, who
is sixteen. As much
as I try to keep an open mind and enjoy it, I just can’t get
used to it. I really
want to like, especially since Herrera is a fellow countryman, but
I don’t. His art is
intriguing and fresh, but it just doesn’t fit with Spider-Man in
my opinion.
RATING: 3 webheads out of
5. We are at the half
waypoint of this arc, and I am hoping the action picks up a couple of
notches. Will Spider-Man beat Doc Ock? Of course he will, but how will
he do it this time is the question you should all be asking.
Reviewed by
AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)
Spectacular Spider-Man #07
“Countdown”-Part 2 of 5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher
PLOT: Peter is licking his
wounds from his latest encountered with the revamped and reinvigorated
Dr. Octopus. MJ helps
Peter with a severely dislocated shoulder while they talk about the
events of the night before. Doc
Ock returns to his troubled childhood home.
He has flashbacks of his abusive father and then redirects his
attention on the current proprietor.
Peter goes of swing around as Spider-Man, when he hears Doc Ock
speaking on the radio and talking about a crime he is about to commit
at a museum. He claims to
have hostages and priceless artifacts in which he is willing to return
for a great sum of money. As
Spider-Man approaches the museum, he encounters a great deal of small
arms fire. He is able to
dodge bullets and find his way inside the museum.
When he pounces on Doctor Octopus, he finds that he has jumped
on a dummy resembling Ock. He
finds a whole that is drilled in the middle of the museum floor that
leads underground. When
he goes through the tunnel, he finds that it lead to the Palestinian
embassy. Doc Ock used the
hostages as a diversion to get through the Palestinian embassy to
kidnap the ambassador who is critical to the peace process.
Spider-Man reflects on the demand Doctor Octopus made of him in
the previous issue.
LIKES:
- The
story is really picking up. Jenkins
does a good job in fooling us into thinking that this was just
another Doc Ock ploy to get cash fast, as other writers have done
in the past. Octavious
has always had bigger motivations than money.
- Humberto
draws a very sensual, but not overly sexualized MJ.
- We
get some insight into Otto’s childhood, and get glimpses on what
has made him the sociopath that he is.
DISLIKES:
- Doc
Ock’s trench coat. It’s
not the coat that bothers me that much, but the fact that it
covers most of his face. Ock
is known for his fabulously funny facial expressions, which we now
lose.
- Ramos’s
bullets look too much like raindrops.
Also, after so much fire on a large crowd of civilians and
policemen, nobody gets hit. Not
too realistic.
RATING: 3 webheads out of
5. The story is getting
more and more interesting, but the art really drags down the overall
enjoyment of the book. Hopefully
we can see more of the black and white flashback panels we saw in the
Venom arc. Ramos really
excels at that.
Reviewed by
AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)
Spectacular
Spider-Man #06
“Countdown”-Part 1 of 5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Wayne Faucher
PLOT: After a typical day of web
slinging, Spider-Man arrives home to find his apartment being
ransacked by his neighbors, who are there caring for Flash fun while
Pete is away. After some
fun and games, Flash shows a sign of life, even if it only is a twitch
of his thumb. Later that
evening, Peter takes Flash out to a café in Greenwich Village when
they run into MJ. After
some slight conversation, the two agree on a date for the following
day. While all this is
going on, Doc Ock plots his next move in the long chess game he has
had with Spider-Man. He
also uses this time to change his image and up his power ten fold.
It is not later on that night that the new look Dr. Octopus
confronts Spider-Man and informs him that he wants Spider-Man to
reveal his identity to the world in Time Square.
Spidey refuses this request and a tussle begins.
Spider-Man, realizing that Doc Ock has the edge, decides to
escape to fight another day.
LIKES: Humberto Ramos’s rendition
of MJ is great. I also
continue to marvel at some of his three dimensional backgrounds with
all the great angles. Very
cool stuff indeed. After
a long absence in the last five-issue story arc, it is also nice to
see MJ back in the picture.
DISLIKES: I really, really don’t
like Ramos’s redesign of the Green Goblin and especially Doctor
Octopus. These are
classic characters that have been very popular for many reasons
including their costume. By
taking that away and changing them that drastically, I feel it takes
away from the character. Its
like the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
I also know that villains do improve their equipment from time
to time, but increasing their power ten folds is a bit ridiculous.
Finally, I was really dissapointed in Spider-Man cutting, and
running. I never figured
Spider-Man as someone who would run away from a fight.
It makes him look cowardly.
Reviewed by AC-WEB
(Ariel Chaidez)
More
Reviews
Spectacular Spider-Man #1-5