Craig’s Critique: Amazing Spider-Man #34 (Legacy #928): “Paul On The Run”, or “The Lonely Grave of ‘Sergei Kravinov’.(1)”

It’s the penultimate chapter in the “Sinful Spider-Man” saga.  Who will Spidey target next?  Will “Kraven” get out of his grave?  Will Queen Goblin show up after disappearing for the previous issue?  Will we get any “Sinful Peter Parker” scenes of him interacting with his supporting cast? (I really want to see this new Peter on another non-date with Michele)  Let’s see!

(Did JRJR draw the faces normally and then slice them up and move the pieces, or did he draw it like this from scratch?  I know nothing about how drawing comics works.)

CREDITS

Writer:  Zeb Wells

Artist:  Patrick Gleason

Colorists:  Marcio Menyz

Letterer:  VC’s Joe Caramagna

Variant Cover Artists:  WHY DO I KEEP THIS HERE?  I DON’T CARE ABOUT VARIANTS

 

PREVIOUSLY IN AMAZING SPIDER-MAN …

The Sinful Spider-Man, now infected with Norman Osborn’s sins, was not taking his new situation well (or he was handling it great, depending on your point of view).  “Kraven” was the literal personification of the Gob “I’ve made a huge mistake” meme, realizing that he was now the hunted, not the hunter.  Spidey tracked him down, injected him with something, chased him into the park, taunted him, and then chased him into the sewers where the injection lured Vermins(2) to attack him (oh, because of Kraven’s Last Hunt, now I get it).  “Kraven” is overwhelmed by the mischief(3) so Spidey (brutally) beats them up, buries “Kraven” alive in a coffin, leaving him with a shotgun (badass move).

 

SUMMARY

Hey, remember Randy and Janice?  Well, she is visiting her father (aka Tombstone), who is still in the hospital.  Randy is visiting her, but she’s still upset that (a) his first instinct when shots were fired at their wedding was to protect his family and not hers, (b) he’s been avoiding her, and (c) he’s petitioning the mayor to crack down on crime.  How dare he!  But they’re interrupted by an alarm – someone turned off Tombstone’s ventilator, almost killing him.  Randy sees a laughing Spidey swinging away but isn’t sure what it is.

(According to Google, Bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation is the standard method for rapidly providing rescue ventilation to patients with apnea or severe ventilatory failure.)

MJ and Paul – everyone’s favorite couple – are enjoying a movie night at home (I assume they’re still staying at Aunt Anna’s, although they are watching a giant TV which I doubt Anna would have) when Norman bursts in.

(Are these Jeff the Shark slippers?  Paul must have bought them for her.  He’s so thoughtful.)

Norman tells MJ and Paul that they’re in danger and need to get off the island.  He covers for Peter and says that “someone” is trying to make Peter look bad by hurting people he may hold a grudge against.  Paul suggests they take the bridge, but Norman – realizing that anyone infected with his sins would think it ironic to be on a bridge with someone they hated – tells them to take the tunnel.

(I literally LOL’d at the silent looks MJ and Paul give each other.  MJ:  “Someone Peter might have a grudge against?”  Paul:  “Yeah, that would be me.”)

Meanwhile, “Kraven” is still buried alive (get used to this for this issue).  Spidey left him some matches (how considerate), and he realizes his only escape may be the rifle Spidey left with him.

(The closeup shots of “Kraven” really work well.  Being trapped in a small container, especially a coffin buried 6 feet down, has to be high up on lots of people’s fears.)

Norman sits in Anna’s house (assuming this is where MJ and Paul were), waiting for Peter to arrive.  Unfortunately for him, he does.

Joker Interrogation Scene - The Dark Knight (2008) Movie CLIP HD - YouTube

(Kill Bill and now The Dark Knight?  I don’t know whether to tell Zells to stop watching movies, or to watch more.)

Spidey asks Norman where Paul is.  Norman says that this isn’t like Peter, and Spidey replies …

(Spidey says so much in this issue by actually saying so little.  Also, love the layout of their faces here.)

Meanwhile, “Kraven” is (surprise) still in the coffin, and in a rare bit of self-reflection, admits that he doesn’t have a mother, or anything.

(Remember the 1990s Clone Saga when clones would constantly mope and say “I’m just a clone”?)

While “Kraven” kicks at the coffin to get out, Spidey tells Norman that the only reason he “tolerates his existence” is because he knows that Norman will show his true colors again someday, and then he’ll get the chance to do what he should have done to him years ago.  But he decides not to wait that long and gives Norman the beating that readers have said he should have given him ever since this “good Norman Osborn” storyline started.

(The reaction we’ve wanted from Peter for a long time.)

Norman admits that he showed no mercy to Gwen and that he lives in hell because of it (aw, poor Norman) and pleads with Peter not to let “him” do this to him.  We see Spidey struggle against the sins for the first time (with the face of the Goblin over his shoulder), but he can’t overcome it.

(Add Spider-Man No Way Home to Zells’ movie list for this story.)

Spidey tells Norman that he enjoys hurting the people that hurt him and lists his future plans:  throw Otto into a nuclear reactor, feed Eddie his own brain, and toss Paul off a bridge (no, not Paul!).  And the thought of MJ using her new powers to try to save Paul …

(Oh, so this was why they had Norman rip off part of Spidey’s mask earlier.)

Hey, remember Queen Goblin?  This story suddenly does.  She’s hanging around “Kraven”s wrecked home, lamenting that while Norman’s sins are gone from her, she’s still the Queen Goblin.  She knows that “Kraven” is paying the price for their failed plan, and because of guilt – or a desperate belief that she’s changed – she’s going to do something about it!

(“My new boyfriend’s plan to save me failed.  I know – I’ll just sit in this chair in his wrecked home and think about my life.”)

“Kraven” is (you guessed it) still in the coffin.  Still trying to dig his way out.  Still refusing to use the rifle.

In Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004), Uma Thurman didn't suffocate while being buried alive, because they had to keep the side of the coffin open so the camera man (or woman!) could

(Representation of “Kraven” still trapped in his coffin)

Meanwhile MJ and Paul are stuck in traffic trying to get away when they hear loud BOOMs behind them and see cars flying into the air.(4)  She turns around and sees an image I did not expect to see in this story.

(What am I looking at?  Did Spidey stop off at Oscorp and build this thing?  If I didn’t know better I’d say he was wearing the symbiote and it was growing these wings for him.  And what is that thing on his back?  Is that the “Sinful Bug”?)

Spidey is flying, throwing Spidey-Bombs at the cars, and dropping mechanical spiders that are attacking MJ, Paul, and other civilians.  But suddenly Spidey is hit by someone, knocking him to the ground.  Who could it be (now)?

Back to “Kraven”, who is surrounded by darkness (metaphor!) – likely the dirt from his (pumped up) kicks has filled his coffin.  But he hears a sound, and we see something reflected in his eye coming down to him …

(Seriously, the composition of some of these panels is great.)

We see Spidey wondering who knocked him down, and “Kraven” being pulled out of the grave … who could these people be?

Surprise!  It’s 2023’s favorite “it” couple! (5)  Queen Goblin is the one that attacked Spidey, and “Kraven” has been pulled out of the grave by Norman – using the Spear of Destiny!

(LOL at the smiling Goblin faces on this weapon.  Also, I’m sure Zells tried to find a way to have her say “If this be not your destiny.”)

(I knew before reading this issue that Norman would likely team-up with “Kraven” to stop Spidey and reverse this, but this was still satisfying to see.)

 

INITIAL RESPONSE

I did not like the first issue of this story.  The idea of Norman’s sins being a tangible thing that can be transferred to an object – and then a person – is ridiculous to me.

So while I don’t like how this started, I love where we got to here.  I shouldn’t like this story – it’s not a “Spider-Man” story.  Spidey is the antagonist.  This is not what I want from a Spider-Man story.

And yet I do like this.  It’s awesome.

What has happened to me?

 

WHAT I LIKED

The cover.  I know, I/we usually joke about how the cover influences Brad’s grade for an issue, but this is a great cover.

The art is great.  Not just the quality – which is great – but the choice of perspectives and layouts of certain panels – some of which I mentioned in the recap.  The tightness of being inside the coffin with “Kraven”, how little we actually see of Spidey in certain scenes – all those choices are great.  The art elevates this story.

I love how … effective the Sinful Spider-Man is compared to regular Spidey.  “Kraven” put these sins in him and his “father” buried him in the ground?  Set Vermin after him and bury him in a coffin!  Tombstone tried to kill him multiple times?  Break into his hospital room and unplug his ventilator!  Paul stole his girlfriend from him?  Throw him off a bridge!  And his list of what he plans to do to Doc Ock and Eddie?  Chef’s kiss!  I don’t agree with his actions, but this shows what a threat Spider-Man would be if he just decided “the hell with rules and society” and do what he deemed “needed to be done” by whatever means necessary.

Frinkiac - S06E05 - HMM... I DON'T AGREE WITH HIS "BART-KILLING POLICY" BUT I DO APPROVE OF HIS "SELMA-KILLING POLICY."

(Me grudgingly admitting that Sinful Spidey knows how to get things done.)

Say what you want about “good-guy Norman”, but he tries his best to save Peter because these are his sins and the spear was meant for him.  He doesn’t fight back against Peter when he could because he blames himself for what has happened to Peter.  And he realizes that teaming up with “Kraven” is the best way to put Peter back to normal.

The use of two voices for the internal thoughts(6) of Norman, “Kraven” and Spidey worked great.  I loved the second voice for each being the “You’re deluding yourself, here’s the harsh truth!” voice.

This is a story where Spider-Man isn’t the protagonist – I guess it’s Norman?  So I shouldn’t like this.  But I liked how Spidey is used as the antagonist.  And he’s not randomly villainous – he’s methodical and effective.  He gets things done!

 

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Not much.  I know – this is a shock to me too.

Simpsons Ever Hated GIF - Simpsons Ever Hated Ive Become Everything Ive Ever Hated - Discover & Share GIFs

(Don’t worry, I’m sure this story will have a disappointing conclusion – and aftermath – and I’ll be back to not liking this run.  Right?)

Still don’t like that Norman’s sins are transferable, but that’s not a fault with this specific issue.  But it’s a big part of how we got here to this issue, so I have to acknowledge it.

It looks like we’re only going to get to see the Sinful Spider-Man and not the Sinful Peter Parker.  After the first issue I was hoping we’d get to see the new Peter interacting with his supporting cast out of the costume and how he would treat them.  While I did not like the Superior Spider-Man run, at least it spent lots of time with Otto acting as “Peter” and not just as “Spider-Man”.

While Spidey with the wings when he attacks MJ and Paul is a cool visual, it took me out of the story a bit.  He’s been menacing enough with just the normal black costume.  If this was Spidey taken over by the symbiote then him suddenly forming wings would make more sense.  But this is just his normal black suit.  Maybe he couldn’t webswing to the Holland Tunnel?  But he’s already been so effective so far, he didn’t need to build wings and equip Spider-Bombs to go after Paul.  I mean … it’s just Paul, not Thanos.

(Pictured:  Paul and not Paul)

WHAT THIS ISSUE MEANT OVERALL

It’s the penultimate issue, meaning this story should be wrapped up next issue, which feels too quick.  It’s like this story just started and just as I was liking it, it’s going to be over?

Also, I realized something as I was writing this review … am I starting to like “Kraven”?  Being buried alive seems to be just what the character needed to face his own mortality and origins – how he is not his “father”, or even the son of the original Kraven.  I still don’t like him, but I don’t dislike him as much as I did when this story started, which is something I never thought I would say.

 

GRADE

A-

I’m really tempted to give this an A, but this story still happened because of the whole “Norman’s sins are a tangible and transferable thing”, which as I mentioned last time, I don’t like.  Other than that, I loved almost everything in this issue.  What is happening here???

 

LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS, WE GET STACKS AND STACKS OF LETTERS …(7)

I don’t usually discuss the letters page, but the Crawlspace’s own Bruce Wechtenhiser got a letter printed in this issue.

Also, there was a letter from a reader from Mexico who says MJ is being disloyal to Peter by being in a relationship with Paul, asking for One More Day to be reversed, and pointing out that – as a Mexican – he found Wayep’s portrayal to be offensive.  Lowe had the usual responses (i.e. “the fans that want the marriage back are not the monolith they say they are”) but I both rolled my eyes and fell out of my chair when I read his response about MJ, trying to use Dr. Zhivago of all things to justify it.

(Everyone knows someone who reads a book and then constantly mentions that they’ve read it in every conversation, just to remind you that they read it.  That’s what this feels like.)

 

NEXT TIME, IN AN ALL-NEW ISSUE OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN …

Queen Goblin vs. the Sinful Spider-Man.  Norman teams up with “Kraven”.  And MJ stuck in the middle (with Paul).

 

FOOTNOTES

(1)  Anyone else remember Kill Bill, specifically when Uma Thurman was buried alive in a coffin?  It feels like Zells sure does.  I also watched a YouTube reaction video for it recently, so this coffin scene was fresh in my mind.

(2)  Vermin was given the ability to grow clones out of his body (like Gremlins) and there are a bunch of him now.  This happened in Hunted (or as everyone is now calling it, “The Vermin Clone Saga”).

(3)  According to Google, a collection of rats is called “a mischief”.

(4)  So … Spidey killed a bunch of civilians here, right?  He’s either throwing cars into the air himself or causing explosions that throws them into the air, but these aren’t empty cars.  There are probably at least a dozen deaths here.

(5)  Sorry, Chasm and Hallows’ Eve – you’re yesterday’s news.

(6)  I miss thought balloons.

(7)  Any Canadian readers recognize this jingle from the Switchback TV show that used to be on CBC?  Oh right, I’m old, never mind.

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24 Comments

  1. @Dark Mark

    I didn’t think QG would take the sins back after the previous issue, but after her one page of introspection in this issue, I think that’s where this is going. She is going to do it either to save “Kraven” (who I feel she only got together with to get the sins out of her, but now she kind of likes him), or she realizes that Spider-Man is a good person and should not have the sins, so she willingly takes them back. Still not sure why she would not choose to transfer them to Norman though.

    “It would feel like there was little point to all this.”
    Still not convinced Peter is going to have any repercussions from this – I assume he will be depressed but then Rek-Rap will show up and cheer him up and he’ll forget all about his sinful escapades.

    I think (well, I hope) that the point of this is real changes to “Kraven” and QG. I was only half-joking during last weekend’s podcast that being buried alive was the best thing to happen to “Kraven” and that his introspection was like therapy. I’m hoping he’s different after this experience. Same with QG – maybe having the sins removed but she’s still unchanged will make her reflect on who she really is.

  2. @Hornacek – Queen Goblin takes the sins back? Now that you say that, I bet that’s right. I hope not. It would feel like there was little point to all this. She is at a spot now where she needs to decide who she is. These sins have unlocked something in her. Where does she go from here? Kraven87 is shaken. Where does he go from here? Let’s have then go of together to figure that out for a later story and put these stinking songs in Paul or something. But I bet you are right about it. That’s how they are going to mess up this ending.

  3. @Dark Mark

    “I am torn about one thing – I like a fast pace story that is over in a few issues. I want it compressed and packed. However, this seems like a wasted opportunity. Spider-Man as villain? Have Spider- Man pop into about six other books where heroes try to stop him and he kicks livings snot out of each and every one of them. This could be especially effective with any hero that has slighted Peter or any of Spider-Man villains that are showing up in other titles.”

    Agreed. Just as this story was getting good, it’s going to be over in the next issue? And I’m disappointed that we didn’t see the Sinful Peter trying to navigate through his civilian life and interact with May, Jonah, Randy, etc. Looks like it’s only the Sinful Spidey though.

    “It seems obvious that Norman is going to have to take these sins back to get them out of Peter, but with them mentioning that in this issue, I now think it is a bit of fancy mis-direction.”

    If it was going to be Norman I think there would more of a buildup, and the Marvel advertising wing would have spoiled it for us weeks ago with talk about “the Green Goblin is back!” in upcoming issues. I am starting to suspect that Queen Goblin is going to take the sins back into her – she seemed introspective in this issue where she was hanging around “Kraven”s home. Perhaps she’ll decide it’s better for her to have the sins than someone as good as Spidey.

    “Great review as always, Craig!”

    Thanks!

  4. I’m late to the party here, but I finally got a chance to read the review and all the comments. I am torn about one thing – I like a fast pace story that is over in a few issues. I want it compressed and packed. However, this seems like a wasted opportunity. Spider-Man as villain? Have Spider- Man pop into about six other books where heroes try to stop him and he kicks livings snot out of each and every one of them. This could be especially effective with any hero that has slighted Peter or any of Spider-Man villains that are showing up in other titles. Ah well. Ill take the compressed story and stay happy. I’m at A+ and A+. I’m seriously doubting this is sustainable, but am certainly hoping it is. And I hope that this furthers a distrust of Spider-Man in other heroes – with a certain standouts like FF and Miles.

    It seems obvious that Norman is going to have to take these sins back to get them out of Peter, but with them mentioning that in this issue, I now think it is a bit of fancy mis-direction. Who else may take the sins? Paul? Could Paul become the next Goblin? Possible. Mary Jane? Doubtful, but it may just be worth it to see Chi-Town break down in tears. Rek-Rap? Certainly worth it to hear the podcast lose it over that.

    Great review as always, Craig!

  5. @Paul Penna

    The sad truth is that Gold Goblin is a satellite title (mini-series) and more people read ASM than GG, so Zells can completely disregard what happened in GG and say that the Norman story in ASM is “the main story”.

    Not so sure if you can take a glider and strap it onto your back and use it as a jetpack. But that’s just as believable as anything else.

    Not sure if I like Mephisto’s motive to erase Spider-Girl from existence as the reason he got rid of the Spider-marriage, but it’s a credible reason for him going after the marriage in OMD, which JMS/Quesada never gave us in that story, and no one else ever did in the years since. But even with that, I don’t think that reason improves OMD at all. Giving Mephisto a logical reason for doing what he did doesn’t change the fact that it’s a terrible story written horribly.

    Plus, of all the people that will defeat Mephisto in the future, it’s *Spider-Girl*? Not Dr. Strange, Dormammu, Silver Surfer, Warlock, Blackheart, etc. Before the end of Spencer’s run if you asked me “Who do you think will eventually defeat Mephisto in his final story?”, if you had given me a hundred guesses I wouldn’t have gotten to “Spider-Girl” before running out of guesses. Seems very random.

  6. These past two issues have been well written and overall have been a great story. However, the big problem here is that this premise was already explored in Gold Goblin, and in a way that was much more interesting.

    In fact, Gold Goblin ended with Queen Goblin trying to give the sins to Peter, after he stops her returning them to Norman. And to stop this, Norman murders Kafka, showing him take a realistic first step down the path back to his sins.

    This story resurrects Kafka and gives the sins to Peter. It pretty much undoes the end of Gold Goblin, and I worry we’ll get a much less interesting ending where Norman “heroically” takes back his sins, rather than the story Gold Goblin set up where, as the man who committed those sins, Norman would gradually go bad again over time, squandering the chance at redemption that was given to him.

    I’d prefer an interesting exploration of the darkness inside Norman Osborn, rather than magic making him into a villain again.

    And yeah, I know I’m being a pessimist, but I’m afraid I don’t trust the creative team here. There have been some great ideas in this run, and great writing, but some truly heinous moments too, along with quick underdeveloped resolutions.

    As for Peter’s wings, they’re just the glider he’s been using previously, right? Painted black and worn as a backpack instead. The design matches the one he’s been riding.

    As for the talk in the comments about Spencer and One More Day, at least he revealed Mephisto’s motive was to erase Spider-Girl, rather than wanting to merely erase the marriage because Peter and MJ’s love was so perfect. I dislike some elements of that story, and parts just don’t make sense when considering how the events originally played out in the comics, but OMD was certainly addressed and improved.

  7. In fairness to Sinful Spidey, the thought of him throwing Paul off a bridge also makes me smile.

  8. @edgelesspigeon

    Even as I was reading it and thinking “Spencer is talking about OMD here” I still did not think it was going to be reversed in his run. But I was hoping it would be addressed, as in “Peter would be aware that it happened”. That would be a satisfying (and believable, based on what I expect from Marvel) first step towards someday, in the future, reversing it. Just to have Peter know that it happened and remember all of it would have been huge.

    But no, at the 11th hour we get a massive swerve and suddenly it’s *all* about Sin’s Past. Huh?

  9. @Hornacek

    I’m in total agreement about Spencer’s goals for the Kindred storyline. I do think he intended address “Sins Past,” but “Sins Past” IN ADDITION to “OMD.” But I think Sarah and Gabriel Stacy were meant to be mindless hosts for Dead!Harry, not antagonists with agency. The penultimate issue, “Amazing Spider-Man” #73 states this, with “Sarah” literally saying “Sarah is gone. She was always just a vessel” and recounting to Mary Jane the origins of the Stacy twins and referring to them as SEPARATE PEOPLE (“he,” “she,” “they”), in a manner of speech that indicates it happened to somebody else. And then next issue, the last issue, suddenly it’s all “we” as if no, it’s really not Gabriel and Sarah and not just their empty husks.

    And there’s so, so, so many other clues and foreshadowing that indicate it’s Dead!Harry. But no, we can’t undo the most hated storyline in Spider-Man history. We’ll just pull a bait-and-switch, the fans won’t know the difference. It’s insulting.

  10. @edgelesspigeon

    “And of course the end of JMS’ and Nick Spencer’s runs before Wells (I know nothing’s been confirmed with Spencer, but I’d eat my hat if editorial interference didn’t change the ending).”
    I think this is a given. All you have to do is look at the middle part of the Kindred story where there many references of “there is something wrong with Peter Parker’s soul” to see that Spencer was working towards – at the very least – addressing One More Day. To get to the last (?) issue and suddenly it’s all about Harry’s soul and addressing Sin’s Past? Shenanigans!

    “I’m morbidly impressed that Marvel keeps insisting that, no, the majority of Spider-fans don’t want MJ and Peter back together, no really.”
    I LOL’d at Lowe in the letters’ page saying that the group that wants the marriage back “is not the monolith they claim to be”. Sure, Lowe – sure.

  11. @edgelesspigeon

    My sentiments exactly. This latest attempt is their worst one yet and it lacks the benefit of an overall, arguably good run. Couple with the offense of how they handled Kamala, offense of the use of Wayep and mesoamerican culture, Paul’s entire “character” (I think he’s an asshole and uncharismatic), and too much misery. I don’t think I want them to do any romance at all until editorial gets a change of hands. Especially since they don’t want to give focus on other parts of Peter’s life.

  12. Both this and the previous issue were pretty good, a marked improvement over most of this run. Whether this promises better things to come, or a brief respite in quality, remains to be seen, though sadly I’m not optimistic. I don’t entirely blame Wells for this. There’s just too many editorial strictures on Spider-Man. Peter and MJ are separated by editorial mandate, then whatever plans Wells had for Kamala were scuttled by her being transferred to the X-Office… And of course the end of JMS’ and Nick Spencer’s runs before Wells (I know nothing’s been confirmed with Spencer, but I’d eat my hat if editorial interference didn’t change the ending).

    I’m morbidly impressed that Marvel keeps insisting that, no, the majority of Spider-fans don’t want MJ and Peter back together, no really. Just ignore how every attempt to set up Peter with another woman since “OMD” have gone over like a lead balloon (Michelle Gonzales, Norah Winters, Carlie Cooper, Silk, Mockingbird, Rebecca London). Or how previous attempts, the Clone Saga and the Mackie-Byrne era, to have a single Spider-Man worked.

  13. @Michael

    Didn’t we also get solicits after the Kamala death issue that said MJ would be suffering the after effects of losing her children, and all we got was a brief mention in the annual and a couple of pages of her and Paul in therapy?

    Solicits are nice, but sometimes they overpromise a lot.

  14. @Hornacek- the solicits for issues 37 and 38 make it clear Peter will be pretty depressed in those issues about his actions in this story.

  15. @Hermit9O

    “This issue was pretty good even if I don’t like the run overall.”
    That kind of sums up my feelings too.

    “I do wish we could’ve seen Peter interact with some of his supporting cast, especially Paul and MJ. Really let Peter tell his honest feelings of everything and get a good character moment. But alas, this run isn’t interested in Peter’s life beyond him suffering as Spider-Man with half baked drama going on.”
    Agreed. I wanted some scenes of Sinful Peter trying to walk through his civilian life and see how he would interact with everyone. Would Peter have tried to act normal and fit in, or would he have been “himself” and freaked everyone out?

    “they would’ve still put Peter in the wrong and not hold anyone else accountable for what’s happening except for Norman.”
    I’m worried that after this story is over either Peter will not remember anything, or he’ll be told “none of what you did was really you” and not think any more about it. I want him to say “Those feelings, that’s how I really felt, it’s just I never had the ability to express them in actions” and have to deal with the ramifications of what he did while he had these sins. But like MJ’s need for therapy after losing her children, it’ll probably be mentioned once (if at all) and then forgotten, with Peter all better immediately.

    “And I know of the commenter from Mexico on Twitter and I think Lowe’s response to him is, as always, not welcoming or reassuring if ever.”
    It’s worth noting that in Lowe’s response to him, he addressed his points about MJ and “the monolith” wanting OMD reversed, but he never addressed how someone from Mexico found the portrayal of Wayeb as offensive.

  16. This issue was pretty good even if I don’t like the run overall. I do wish we could’ve seen Peter interact with some of his supporting cast, especially Paul and MJ. Really let Peter tell his honest feelings of everything and get a good character moment. But alas, this run isn’t interested in Peter’s life beyond him suffering as Spider-Man with half baked drama going on. Lowe, as always, is trying to justify a story that would be better under a different editor. But I also feel like it’s for the best as they would’ve still put Peter in the wrong and not hold anyone else accountable for what’s happening except for Norman. In a lot of ways, so much of this run would be elevated if it had more focus on what would be Wells’ strong suit. And I know of the commenter from Mexico on Twitter and I think Lowe’s response to him is, as always, not welcoming or reassuring if ever.

  17. @Michael

    “Re: Spider-Man throwing the cars in the air-it’s possible to survive a car being thrown in the air without permanent injuries. I have to wonder if at the end of this storyline, we’ll get a line of dialogue ‘Miraculously no one was killed or permanently injured’.”

    I literally just watched The Good Son tonight where Macaulay Culkin throws a dummy off a bridge onto a highway and causes about a dozen vehicles to crash, and later on the news it says there were only a few injuries and no one was killed.

    So the lesson seems to be that according to movies and comic books, car accidents aren’t that dangerous.

  18. @herbiepopnecker

    Lowe strikes me as the kind of guy who joins a book club and instead of reading the book, he watches a film adaptation of it and then shows up and tries to fool everyone.

    Wait, this is something George did on Seinfeld.

  19. Re: Spider-Man throwing the cars in the air-it’s possible to survive a car being thrown in the air without permanent injuries. I have to wonder if at the end of this storyline, we’ll get a line of dialogue “Miraculously no one was killed or permanently injured”.

  20. @Evan Berry

    “Wow, that was quite a review!”
    Yes, I think I need an editor.

    “I’m just confused as to why Peter would take the time to construct a themed glider and bombs”
    It’s like when Doc Ock kidnapped Norman and time was of the essence, so after Spidey finished working on the old tentacles to attach them to himself … he took the time to paint them red and let them dry? I really wanted Spidey to show up and Ock say “You’re too late, I killed Norman 30 seconds ago.” and Spidey looked at his painted tentacles and say “You know, if I hadn’t taken the time to paint them, I probably could have been here in time.

    “not to mention ignore collateral damage like that.”
    Yeah, up until now his revenge on people has not any collateral damage. But suddenly with Paul he’s ok with blowing up a bunch of cars on a busy highway?

    “And, it’s been established for some time now (I guess) that it’s Norman’s sins that make him evil. But he must have been evil before he committed his sins, or else he wouldn’t have committed them, right?”
    From what I remember of the end of Spencer’s run, Norman was going broke, was approached by Mephisto and offered a deal with the devil. Once he took that, he became evil. Or something like that. I was so disappointed with how the Kindred story ended (not Spencer’s fault) I blocked most of it out.

    “I guess ‘Kraven’” should have just broken the spear in half and burned it (like Grey’s Sports Almanac), and then everyone would be happy and safe.”
    Once that spear was imbued with the sins, it became a “magic” spear and could not be destroyed while it contained the sins. Yeah, that’s what I’m going with. Also, “Kraven” didn’t have a hoverboard.

    “Incidentally, that is my favorite picture of Puddin’ so far!”
    I keep trying to get a picture with her paw on the comic, but as soon as I try to place it there, she wakes up and moves away.

  21. @Chi-Town Spidey

    I agree that I don’t want to read about an evil Spider-Man either, but (a) this is just a 4-part story, not Superior which we knew was going to go on for at least a year, and (b) I’m not sure I’d say he’s “evil” here. He’s only going after the people that have wronged him.

    Then again, I did point out how dozens of bystanders were probably killed when he threw bombs at the cars on the road. So maybe he is being evil. But as Dax once said to Sisko, “You know, sometimes I like it when the bad guy wins.”

    The only part of Three Men and a Little Lady I remember is Tom Selleck (the architect) on the phone to his company saying “We are building a 36-story building, you cannot have a bathroom on every other floor.” I must have saw that clip a thousand times – I feel like it was in the trailer or a commercial for that film that played all the time when that film was coming out.

  22. Wow, that was quite a review! I’m just confused as to why Peter would take the time to construct a themed glider and bombs, not to mention ignore collateral damage like that.

    And, it’s been established for some time now (I guess) that it’s Norman’s sins that make him evil. But he must have been evil before he committed his sins, or else he wouldn’t have committed them, right? We’re not talking about gluttony and sloth here. I guess “Kraven” should have just broken the spear in half and burned it (like Grey’s Sports Almanac), and then everyone would be happy and safe.

    Incidentally, that is my favorite picture of Puddin’ so far!

  23. Thanks for catching me up, Craig!

    I’m sure the issue was “interesting” to read, maybe even worth the grade given how it was written and the artwork. However, I don’t want to read an evil Spider-Man, so I’ll pass. If you need another reason on why I’m passing, look no further than Nick Lowe trying to use Dr. Zhivago of all things to justify MJ’s actions and re-actions.

    Allow me to take a page out of Zeb Wells playbook and reference a movie quote/scene from Three Men and A Little Lady in response to that. “What a Crock!”

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