It’s back to Big Time as usual now that Spider Island’s over, despite that this new story contains plenty of reminders. We’ve seen a lot of new takes on old villains lately, so it’s no surprise we’re hearing from Vulture again. This time he seems to have his own vulture posse going, in an issue that’s a little light on content but offers up potential for an intriguing new mystery.
Words by Dan Slott
Pencils by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inks by Klaus Janson
Colors by Frank D’Armata
Letters by Joe Caramanga
There’s an elephant in this comic I simply must address. There’s no obvious place to insert this into a review, so I’m going to get it out of the way first thing, short and sweet: I did not appreciate the “occupy Spider-Island” joke. This is not related to my personal feelings on that particular protest movement, which I’m not going to divulge here because obviously a Spider-Man review isn’t the place. That’s my whole point: neither is a Spider-Man comic. It’s fairly clear that this joke represents one prevalent view about the protests, and regardless of whether I agree with that view or not it’s something I would really prefer not to read about in my super hero tales; I want to escape from reality and big issues in this stuff, not be reminded of it. But that’s quite enough about that. I just thought it was lame and it left a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the issue.
Let’s talk about something happier: The amazing Spider-Man is the world’s greatest super hero. Boldly appearing overtop of the book’s title, that proclamation made me smile, as it really emphasizes the aspect of the Big Time era that I have actually been enjoying. Spider-Man is a great hero, certainly the greatest for me, and he deserves to be recognized as such. Of course a figure like him should and will always draw controversy, and Slott’s making sure to remind us that not everyone is going to suddenly love Spidey just because he’s finally gotten some legit recognition. But the spider-comics feel like a celebration of the character lately, and that’s something I’m absolutely into. With a legacy like his, he absolutely deserves that superlative header, and I hope it’s going to keep showing up on future covers.
Yep. That’s me. Licensed Avenger.
Annoying joke notwithstanding, it’s a pretty amusing and highly believable notion that young people are flocking to New York City in the wake of Spider-Island hoping to get some spider powers of their own. I have to admit that I’d be tempted myself. Who hasn’t wanted to try web slinging every now and then?
Unfortunately the representation we’re given of these youngsters is not terribly relateable. Mitchell (soon to be Michael), a stereotypical “goth” kid, is obviously a Misguided Youth. Since he has black clothes, tattoos, gauged ears and an edgy haircut, his response to Randy Robertson’s offer of help from Youth Outreach Unlimited is “what a tool.” It’s a little too perfect for me that he is picked to become a member of the Vulture Goth Squad by similarly adorned young people with an angel theme: they change his name to Michael so that he will fit in with Lucifer, Gabriel, and… “Angela Death.” I can’t make this stuff up; apparently only Dan Slott can. Really? “Angela Death?” There’s a point where campy overflows into pure stupid, and this is it.
So far, this team steals stuff, and they do it from high rise locales what with the whole flying bit. There’s also been a rash of dead kids who fell from great heights, and presumably all looked like extras from a Rob Zombie video, which the police assume must all be jumpers. There’s a hilarious scene where Carlie tries to convince her chief that one such body wasn’t a suicide, and when she points out that he’s too far from the only structure he could have jumped from in the area, she gets chewed out. It’s a fact of virtually all fiction: if high-ranking police officers are jerks, then they are also stupid and treat any smart officer’s thoughts with outright contempt. If they aren’t jerks, then they are smart. It’s what I like to call the Die Hard Rule.
Meanwhile Peter’s looking into these crimes himself, and he’s arrived at the conclusion that the perpetrators could be Spider Island victims he missed. I’m a little baffled on that one, since anyone he missed should be a giant spider right now. Unless… wait a minute. Is Slott trying to tell us that Peter’s been sharing toothbrushes with more folks than we thought?!
Seriously though, what I do like about this mystery and its potential, despite a few nonsensical elements (and really, love it or hate it, we should all expect that from Slott stories by now), is that we might get to see Peter and Carlie work together on this in a way that makes sense, gives the characters credit, and treats Carlie like a real character instead of an editorial force. It would have been a much stronger approach to this character to have her put the secret identity together first, then have her start working with Peter, and then start to create some romantic tension if that was where they wanted to go and readers liked it. But what’s done is done, and I’ll be interested to see if, now that last issue delivered us a highly warranted and well executed break up scene, I and the other Carlie haters can start to warm up to her a little as she and Peter tackle a case together with his secret out.
I’m far less interested in the two pages we got of the Phil Urich barbarian Hobgoblin, Kingpin, and the “inside man” at Horizon, Tiberius Stone. It was probably building up to something that’s going to play into this story later on, but it’s so brief and disconnected from the last issue that I just found it distracting. I remember when we used to focus on one story per issue, and I kind of miss that strategy. Nevermind that I hate fire sword bat-wing Hobby in the first place.
Didn’t need spider sense to see THAT coming!
As a general rule, I’m usually not huge on the way that Slott writes Peter, but I think he often writes a great Spidey. This issue’s encounter with the NYPD really shows why. Slott’s good at quips, which is sometimes surprising given that he also comes up with stuff like “Angela Death.” I smiled when he asked what he was in trouble for: “Not getting shot?” and I chuckled at, “what’s it look like? I’m voiding your warranty.” But I laughed my ass off at the panel to the left there. That’s probably my vote for Slott’s best line of spider dialogue yet, and reminds me of some of the classics from the Spectacular Spider-Man TV series.
Art-wise, I think Camuncoli does a perfectly decent job. I was hoping for a bit more Caselli, because I really think he’s quite possibly the best artist to touch ASM in recent years, but I’ll take this “Ca-i” artist and I won’t find anything to complain about. I don’t find much particularly distinctive about his style, but I do greatly appreciate his skill at rendering action scenes. The encounter with the spider-patrol is extremely well portrayed, creating a firm sense of space with each panel, and his poses for Spidey as a combatant are fluid and dynamic. What I really want at this point is some stability: give me a good artist for a few straight arcs, please! If it’s Canuncoli, that’s fine with me. If it was Caselli, that’d be even better. But pick someone who does it well and stick with them. Having a good artist who sticks around for a while is a really important part of keeping a story engaging over several weeks, at least for me.
Whether the artist stays the same or not, there’s potential for a good story here. Some people aren’t too keen on the Vulture, and he’s certainly not one of the more interesting Spidey rogues as a character, that’s for sure. But sometimes you just need a villain with his own place in the character’s mythos, and a good story to go along with him. As an opening, we didn’t get anything spectacular here but it had some enjoyable moments and nothing that bothered me too severely. But Slott will need to pick up the pace, and deliver a lot of solid action and plot twisting to keep this arc going strong as it progresses.
Pros:
- Terrific Spidey quips, one of Slott’s strong points as an ASM writer.
- Solid art from Camuncoli that shines during the action scene.
- Plenty of potential set up for a more interesting Peter-Carlie scenario and hopefully a decent Vulture story.
- “Occupy” protest joking. Keep those politics out of my comics, please!
- The Vulture Goth Squad… especially “Angela Death.” It actually hurts my brain to write it.
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Very nice variant based on the Thor vs Silver Surfer cover.
@17 JD… all valid points, and I agree he does come off as more liberal leaning. Although I think Peter beating someone to death with his bare hands is a bit different than the use of the death penalty. That would have just been murder on Peter’s part, and sure the death penalty is murder in a sense, its not just one person committing the act. It involves a trial by a group of people, and is not a decision usually reached lightly. I don’t think we should look to comics and fictional characters to help us decide who to vote for. As I said, it’s akin to the celebrity using his/her fame to influence people, and more people need to start thinking for themselves instead of looking to other people. I also agree that it’s only invasive to those people who disagree with it, and I obviously disagree with some of those sentiments so it makes it stand out more. Others will just read over it and be like ‘well said Spidey’ and move on. It’s sort of like all the sexualization going on in the comics or the crude shots.. I don’t find those nearly as offensive as some people so I tend to just gloss over it and mark it up to the male dominated comic book industry and fanhood, but anybody that is against that will be more likely to have it stand out to them.
If I misunderstand or misrepresent what they stand for, its because they don’t seem to have a clear message they’re putting out there yet. I accept that it’s against corruption, that’s fine. (Then what’s so corrupt about Spider-Island then and why make the joke? Is it because people won’t let these teens in and the cops are hording the spider-powers?) But if that’s what they’re against, then get a clear voice to come out and state that this is what you are protesting against and how you would like to change things. Just sitting around in drum circles, clogging up parks and fighting against police isn’t getting anything accomplished. I support people’s right to peacefully assemble… key word peacefully… and to express their opinion, I just feel like they’re not getting anything accomplished and it’s turning into a big pissing contest between the protesters and the cops or other people that are trying to keep them in line. Also, you lost me with the college sports comparison. I dislike spoiled college athletes almost as much as politicians 🙂
I think it’s kind of unfair to label the “great power” line as liberal. Anybody, republican or democrat, has the same capacity to use their power responsibly or to use it poorly. I don’t see that as a political statement in the least and more of just a guideline you should try to live your life by no matter what side of the fence you are on. I think more politicians need to adapt that philosophy because there are people on both sides that abuse their position of power. And this is part of the problem with injecting politics, you then have people trying to claim people or ideas for their side and I personally don’t like people trying to claim Peter as left or right. He’s a hero for everybody. Peter being against big corporations and sticking up for the little guy, sure that may be more of a political statement, but the fist-bump and the Obama issue, in my opinion, were purely creator influenced decisions and not necessary.
As far as this comic… that’s a pretty sweet alternate cover 🙂
#10 – I agree that a ham-fisted reference like the fist-bump can be annoying, and I get the desire for escapism, but for me part of the appeal of Marvel over DC is that Marvel exists in a ‘real’ world. Spider-Man lives in NYC, not Metropolis or Gotham City, and real-world issues seep in. When writers deal with those real-world issues, they can’t help but inject their own politics because the central question of “What would a hero do now?” gets answered in the same way as “Who am I going to vote for?”. It comes down to what you think is right and wrong. If Frank Miller, for example, had written ASM #122, Peter probably would have beaten Norman Osborne to death with his bare hands. I don’t think that Gerry Conway set out to make an anti-death penalty story, but in having Peter give a speech in which he says killing Norman would make him as bad as the Goblin, he made a political statement. After that, it just becomes a matter of how invasive the message is, and it’s usually only invasive to those who disagree with it or if it’s wildly out of character.
Re: Occupy. I think you’re misunderstanding or misrepresenting what they stand for. I can only speak for my local (Denver/C. Springs) Occupy movements. There’s no hypocrisy in using corporate items because it’s not an anti-corporate protest. It’s anti-corruption. To draw a sports parallel, the Occupy movement wouldn’t be protesting if Alabama had an 11-win football season and played for the National title. They’d object to the fact that Alabama paid athletes under the table and illegally recruited them. And they’d further protest the NCAA for dragging its feet on investigations because Alabama draws so much revenue for them.
Re: Peter Parker’s politics. Obviously, Marvel’s not going to alienate a large part of its fanbase by labeling him one way or another, but the “with great power comes great responsibility” ethos is certainly liberal. It stands in direct opposition to the Ayn Randian philosophy that dominates today’s Tea Partiers. There are more specific examples, of course. May belonging to the Gray Panthers, the fist-bump, Peter/Spider-Man always being at odds with law-and-order conservative J. Jonah Jameson, the Obama issue, and the fact that Peter always seems to represent the poor and powerless against large institutions.
14 – I gave it a B and said it had some good stuff going for it but wasn’t great. I’m not sure where the confusion lies, but if there’s anything unintentionally ambiguous about what I wrote please point it out and I’ll keep it in mind in the future.
I haven’t read the issue. What was the “Occupy” joke?
@Erik – Yes, but did you like the comic?
@11 Erik- I know what you meant, I was just commenting on the stereotype. I would know, I’m dealing with a friend who needs some guidance.
& no problem at all Brian. I am always pleased when something I wrote can generate worthwhile discussion.
For the record, I don’t want to get into a great deal of talk about occupy because this just isn’t the place for it, but the joke in the comic was more than a reference. Read the whole two page spread in the context of what’s going on in New York City right now, and it’s pretty clear that this is more than a one-off reference to current events, keeping in mind how the crowds of kids vs. authority figures are represented. That’s why I don’t like it.
#3 Iron Patriot: I may have expressed it poorly, but that was sort of my point – I was poking fun at the stereotype that the Mitchell/Michael character represents.
As always, thanks to everyone for your thoughts. Comments make it worth doing this!
@8 JD… just because writers have done it time and again doesn’t mean they should do it. It’s just a personal preference on my part is what it comes down to. I realize that just because I find it annoying, doesn’t mean it’s going to change anytime soon. They don’t do it enough to ruin my favorite hero so I can look over it. Like I said, this one reference didn’t bother me as much cause it wasn’t too horribly slanted, but when they do things like have Wolverine and Spider-Man fist bump at the expense of a former president, that comes off as more the writer injecting his own personal beliefs, and that is what’s obnoxious to me. It’s like when a rock singer gets on stage and tells his audience full of impressionable youths that they need to rebel against whoever is in office. Politics and religion are two very touchy subjects and there’s a reason people say you shouldn’t talk about them in public. I hate labels and even identifying people as left and liberal or right and conservative, the two party system is killing America. People are too quick to identify themselves as purely one side and automatically disbelieve whatever the other side is saying, even when their side does the exact same thing. But what makes you think Peter’s always leaned to the left, not that I am disagreeing. Again, it comes down to who is writing him and their beliefs, in my opinion, and we all know the arts is a very liberal field for the most part. Has Marvel ever come out and said Peter is a democrat? I don’t believe they have (I could be wrong).
@9 pickwick.. I’m sure that’s a fine message, but it seems like 99% of the “99%” aren’t aware of it and just partaking in the movement just to be part of the scene and stir shit up, kind of like the people celebrating and chanting ‘USA” outside the White House when Osama was shot… Just my opinion. I don’t see this movement as being beneficial to anyone and it just seems like there would be better ways to handle this then camping out in private parks for two months, disrupting the people around them that just want to go about their daily lives like they should be doing. Rallying against cops and then complaining about police brutality doesn’t solve anything either. All, of course, while using their fancy iPhones and cameras, eating free chipotle and drinking Starbucks… all things that have come about because of corporations and big business.
Sorry for hijacking the comments thread with this topic Erik, but it is interesting to talk about more ‘serious’ things outside of the comic world with fellow fans
I’m with J.D.; though I imagine this could turn debatable- Peter is an odds on safe bet for being a liberal fellow. And since OWS is at its core a bi-partisan movement (or should be in a world where the media didn’t work to create divisions) I don’t see the reference as being that controversial. After all, wanting government out of bed with corporations and big business is a message I honestly can’t see why Republican or Democrat would be against. But, lest I be accused of getting all political (like it’s a bad word) I will now shut up on that subject. But on the subject of people reading comics to escape the real world . . . well, I don’t get that either. If comics en masse avoided real world events, I reckon they’d be the only art form that does. Frankly, I don’t think they’re that unique (he says lovingly).
#1,2,5 🙂 – Spider-Man has a long history of injecting real-world current events and politics into its pages. Vietnam, drugs, Bernie Goetz, the Gray Panthers, 9/11, not to mention philosophical views on law and justice. Spider-Man has consistently been a hero of the left since his inception. If you’re looking for an apolitical hero, you’re looking to the wrong guy.
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/video/spidermania050407
Great review. One thing about boring vilains tho: just one story done right can make them great. 3 years ago, the rhino was probably seen as just a super strong, super stupid thug. Now things have change with just 2 comics.;)
Dude, I couldn’t tell if you actually liked the comic or not.
@4 Matisleonhart… to avoid getting into political rants… the occupy movement is still a very politically-based cultural event that certain groups of people feel strongly one way or another about. It’s not like he’s making a Lady Gaga joke or other insignificant cultural reference. I for one do not care for this Occupy movement and am tired of reading or hearing about it, and the last place I would expect it is in my Spider-Man comics. And sure this isn’t as heavy handed as the jab they took at Bush back during the American Son story arc and it was just in passing, but it’s still bringing politics into a fictional world which people use to try and escape the depressing and upsetting realities they see around them.
I felt the “Occupy Spider-Island” joke came off as more of a current events cultural joke which is something Marvel is know for doing alot of then anything political.
World’s Greatest Superhero- That’s great. You hit upon my biggest pro for Big Time: Things are finally starting to get better for Peter and Spider-Man. I hoped that at the end of Spider-Island, Spidey won’t be hated by everybody and Peter won’t be back to some bum, taking paparazzi pictures and crap like that.
Misguided youths don’t always wear black and have piercings. Just sayin’.
Done, nice review. I agree on Vulture, was never a big fan of him, but I think this angle of him running a gang could be interesting. Not sure why they all need to be Goth though, but whatever. I really hope Angela isn’t actually fooling around with Toomes cause that’s pretty pretty fowl… bird humor. Agree with the rotating artists, would love a consistent look to the comic by someone besides Ramos.
I haven’t read past the first paragraph yet but I just want to say I am your biggest fan now for pointing out the Occupy Spider-Island comment. I actually forgot about that but I was super annoyed by it when I read it. One of my biggest complaints at the beginning of Fear Itself was injecting the real world politics. It’s super obnoxious… it’s bad enough I have to hear and read about this nonsense constantly all day, I don’t want to be reminded of it in my comics… by ‘nonsense’ i mean politics and stuff like this in general… ok, back to the review