Scarlet Spider #12 review

After the craziness of Minimum Carnage has dominated this book for the past two months, it’s time to return to business as usual with a new solo issue of Scarlet Spider. Click to read more to find out if we’re treated to a return to form!

“The Man in the Presidential Suite”

Writer: Chris Yost

Pencils: Reilly Brown

Inks: Terry Pallot

Colors: Andres Mossa

Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Stegman & Garcia

Editor: Tom Brennan

THE STORY: Kaine is threatening to leave Houston because of what happened with Carnage and just head to Mexico as was his original plan. After he drunkenly passes out, his friends Aracely, Donald, and Wally are informed by hotel staff that Kaine must vacate the presidential suite he’s been staying in because the Belgian Ambassador has it reserved. Downstairs, some men dressed as Santas are trying to rob the vault where some diamonds are being kept, and they take Kaine’s friend Annabelle hostage. Annabelle, being very smart, tells the Santa holding her that the man in the presidential suite has a LOT of money, and they should pay him a visit. That Santa does, and seeing Annabelle in danger brings Kaine out of his stupor. He takes down that Santa and then the Scarlet Spider pops out into the lobby to take out all the rest. As Kaine realizes this is where he belongs, a letter that had been lost is being delivered to the front desk for K. Parker from J. Carpenter…

MY THOUGHTS: OH THANK GOD, WE’RE BACK!!!! After slogging through six parts of Minimum Carnage, I could not ask for a better return to form than Scarlet Spider #12. It’s got everything I want in a Scarlet Spider issue: great humor, great badassery, great art, great use of the supporting cast, Kaine’s character on full display, and just the right brand of off-beat.

Having the Scarlet Spider beat up some Santas in his December issue is a fun idea and follows a tradition of such stories in Marvel comics featuring “darker” heroes.

You may remember last issue, Scarlet Spider #11, was credited as Reilly Brown & Khoi Pham for the art, and I didn’t find the art to be up to the usual high standards of this comic. I posited that it may be because of the specific division of labor on the art between the two, whatever that may have been, and I think I was probably correct. Obviously if you look back at my Scarlet Spider #7-9 reviews you know I’m a big fan of Khoi Pham’s art on this title, and now with this issue Reilly Brown takes over the art duties by himself and I’m happy to report the results are similarly excellent. Brown’s art has the sort of “cartoony” yet clean, clear, and still realistic style that is right at home under a cover by Ryan Stegman and continues seamlessly from the work of Khoi Pham. For a book that’s on its third artist in its first year, the visual tone has stayed remarkably consistent and I assume we have the steady hand and sage decision making of editor Tom Brennan to thank for that. It would have been easy for this book to have ended up going all over the place in terms of its look when new artists came in, but Brennan has consistently chosen very solid artists that go together incredibly well. That’s an editing talent not seen all that often these days, and not celebrated nearly enough.

And I have to specifically compliment the amazing page (pictured to the right) where Scarlet Spider pops out of the elevator and fights the Santas. This is just an incredible looking layout with a lot of energy and really gets its job done with a lot of flair and style. This page stood out to me and really announced Reilly Brown as a hell of a superhero artist.

We also get a lot of great character work here for Kaine and his friends. Kaine is justified in thinking he needs to leave and forget this hero business, but it’s great to see him turn around after he gets his hero moment at the end of the issue. And it seems like a particularly perfect time for Andres Mossa’s very bright, vibrant colors  on the Scarlet Spider suit to pop out of the elevator. It makes a very clear, bold statement that this is who Kaine is. And I really loved Donald’s line, “We need you. Not some super hero, we need YOU. You’re a little rough around the edges. For Houston, that makes you perfect.” Which, of course, comes right before Santa crashes through the hotel room door and is made to hate his life by Kaine.

There is another tease about Aracely in this issue, too. She’s been hanging around since issue one as a little bit of a mystery, seemingly mentally connected to Kaine and knowing what others are feeling. She’s very much this series’ River Tam character, and I mean that as a compliment. Well, this issue we see her actually influence someone else’s emotions rather than just reading them. She tells one of the Santas that he’s scared, stares at him, and he becomes terrified, collapsing on the ground and screaming. Just who/what is Aracely? One whole year of issues later, and I’m still just as interested as I ever was.

And it’s so, so nice to see the humor on display in this issue. From Aracely’s insistence that Kaine pay the swear jar to her telling Kaine to ask that the hotel manager never let any Belgians stay there, ever (so he’s not kicked out of his presidential suite by the Belgian Ambassador) in repayment for helping with the robbery. Chris Yost has always been really great at these characters’ dialogue, and now that the series is no longer bogged down by Minimum Carnage, we get one of the wittiest issues yet, as if he’s been saving it up the whole time.

GRADE: 5 Santas out of 5. Whenever I’m thinking of grading something, I always make myself come up with a reason to give you that an issue has lost a point or even a half point. I could come up with none for this issue. It’s simply a great comic and a faith-restoring return to form after a lack-luster crossover.