PART TWO OF OUR FLASHBACK SERIES! The final chapter of the Spectacular Spider –Girl is NOW. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL #4 (of 4)
WRITTEN BY: Tom DeFalco
ART BY: Ron Frenz
INKS BY: Sal Bucemea
BACKSTORY: See this one for more.
STORY: May comes home with Peter KO-ed, he comes too before revealing why he was using the Wild Card ID. (It was to keep
Mayday out of the Mob War) MJ’s injuries are revealed to the two, because of April’s epic punch of her last issue. Peter tells May where he got the costume from (that’d be Normie Osborn.) and was keeping the secret from her. Mayday feels responsible, because she put her family in a no-win situation, and caused April to breakdown.
Mayday out of the Mob War) MJ’s injuries are revealed to the two, because of April’s epic punch of her last issue. Peter tells May where he got the costume from (that’d be Normie Osborn.) and was keeping the secret from her. Mayday feels responsible, because she put her family in a no-win situation, and caused April to breakdown.The New Warriors (a MC2 Super team of American Dream, Buzz, DarkDevil, Ladyhawk and the Green Goblin [Ironically, Phil Urich]) team with the police to serve Silvo the warrant for his arrest. Hobby has upgraded and things good for bad to much worse. Man Mountain fights it out with Castle, before Black Tarantula tells him what he wants to know. Tarantula then gives him his vast resources in New York City, making him the Kingpin of Crime. Meanwhile the Battle commences and Hobgoblin gets the upper hand. Finally, there is resolution between Silverback and Punisher, where they die at the same time. Hobgobin is getting the upper hand on the heroes, before Mayday joins the fray. This leads to Hobby throwing the Warriors down, leading May to have to save them. This leaves her open for a fatal attack by Kingsley, but she’s saved by Mayhem, who kills Roderick. In classic Parker fashion, May gets the atta boy, but feels like she failed.
THOUGHTS: After 4 issues, we finally get the resolution that is needed. While April represents the ‘edgy, hard lined anti-hero’ and May represents the classic do-gooder, it feels like she’s placed here to deal with the Hobgoblin, and finally after over 25 issues of appearances, Roddy is finally the one loose end that is dealt with. While I doubt that we’d never see him again, he is written almost pitch perfect here. I have loved his appearances here in this and the previous two series. He’s the major baddie that Mayday has needed for years. I’m really sad that this ended because like any good story, I wanted more.
However, we have one more issue, so we’ll get to the eulogizing later.Peter sometimes aggravates me. He can’t seem to grasp that May is capable of doing her job as Spider-Girl, and I thought we got past this in the previous two series. It seems like a tired plot and that is the one knock on this storyline.
Man Mountain Marko… as the head of the Crime world? I like it. It shows that there is contant progression in the Spider-Girl world.
AS for the Punisher… I’ve not mentioned him a lot in these past two reviews. While I found him a focal point in the first two issues, I find his sub-plot the least interesting. As for his final fate: there is no better way to go out. The odds are against him, and he knows that the only way to finish his mission is to give his life for it. It is very poetic and well done.
Artwise, Still great. I have nothing really to say other than that. Sal and Ron were two peas in one pod and they are great.
3.5 out of five Webheads.
I hated the sucky anti-climatic ending the Hobgoblin got as Kingsley should go out fighting either Spider-Girl or her father-not her shit clone that nobody cares about. It sucks how they made him kick everyone’s ass and then get stabbed so easily. Plus the series should have ended with the final defeat of the Hobgoblin and not May facing her clone in the one-shot that followed after. The one good thing is that if they ever decide to bring Kingsley back in the MC2 Universe, it could easily be explained that he used a dupe that April ended up killing as we all know decoys are Kingsley’s MO. Anyways, just my rant as a Hobgoblin fan.
I was the biggest Spider-Girl fan around and while the final issue that wrapped everything up was well written. I do miss May “Mayday” Parker quite a bit. It’s amazing just how this series was pretty much sent to the end piece just to get Arana as Spider-Girl, which failed now once, but three times, but at least Tom DeFalco, Ron and Sal were able to end the series on a high note and a satisfying ending.