“She could’ve replaced me. Ages ago!”
Ever since the “All-New Marvel NOW!” relaunch of The Amazing Spider-Man after The Superior Spider-Man, there’s been one question which has been teased over the past three issues: who is other woman that was bitten by the radioactive spider? Well, this latest issue provides an answer, but in doing so, also makes you ask another, even more important question: why should you care?
WRITER: Dan Slott
PENCILER: Humberto Ramos
INKER: Victor Olazaba
COLORS: Edgar Delgado
LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ellie Pyle
EDITOR: Nick Lowe
THE STORY: As the scientists at Parker Industries test some experimental net to capture Electro, Peter gets a priority alert from the Avengers. Leaving Anna Maria to cover for him, Peter, as Spider-Man, aids the Avengers during their fight against Exterminatrix and the Mindless Ones as depicted in Original Sin #2. At the moment the Orb unveils the Watcher’s eye and bombards the heroes with hidden secrets from their past, Spidey sees images of the girl who was also bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave him his own powers. The girl, Cindy Moon, had difficulty controlling her powers, and Ezekiel Sims offered to help her before securing her inside his specialized room. Spidey also realizes that when Julia Carpenter during the end of “Spider-Island” (as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #673) mentioned someone else could take his place as Spider-Man, she was talking about Cindy.
Spidey, thanks to his vision, finds the hidden bunker at Ezekiel’s office building where Cindy is being kept, recalling how Ezekiel also planned to do the same for him.. As he makes his way to where Cindy is being held, an automated video recording of Ezekiel starts to explain to Spidey about Cindy. Before the recording can tell Spidey why he’s kept Cindy imprisoned, Spidey angrily destroys it. Cindy overhears the commotion over the two-way PA system to her room, and Spidey tells her he’s come to free her, having seen in his vision the key-code to unlock the door. Cindy, however, tries warns Spidey that if he unlocks the door, Morlun will find her. So when the door opens and Spidey tries explain that Morlun is dead, Cindy attacks him, saying Spidey has now “killed [them] all.” And “far, far away” in an ornate palace, Morlun is able to pick up Cindy’s scent, referring her as “the Spider-Bride” and the “Spinner at the Center of the Web,” and that “the Great Hunt begins.” Meanwhile over Parker Industries, Black Cat is secretly photographing the “anti-Electro” countermeasures, and, wanting to have a better understanding of how they work, kidnaps Sajani Jaffrey to make her explain the countermeasures in detail.
As Cindy attacks him, Spidey observes that while he’s stronger than her, she’s much faster and her spider-sense is even better than his, as she’s able to dodge his webbing with ease. Spidey reassures Cindy that Morlun is dead, and she’s overjoyed at her new-found freedom. After being reminded by Spidey that she can’t go bounding around New York in her “civies,” Cindy uses her organic webbing to make herself as costume and calls dubs herself Silk. Silk then swings off, with Spidey following her, noting that his spider-sense is actually drawing him towards her. They arrive at Cindy’s childhood home, only for Silk to see that her family no longer lives there. Spidey comforts her, and Silk asks him how long Morlun has been dead. When Spidey makes an offhand remark that Morlun has died more than once, Silk realizes Morlun could come back. She attacks Spidey again, and he learns that she can make her organic webbing have barbed tips. As she pulls Spidey toward her, their spider-sense begins to overwhelm them both, and, overcome with sudden passion, both Spidey and Silk kiss and make
out.
THOUGHTS: When Amazing Spider-Man #3 (2014) revealed that Ezekiel was the one who put Cindy, aka Silk, in the “windowless room” in order, he claimed, to protect her, I considered this an intriguing revelation that, for the first time, made me genuinely interested in her as a character. After reading this issue and finding out more about Cindy, and what the direction Dan Slott appears to be taking with her and Peter as it relates to “Spider-Verse,” I now wish to retract my earlier statements. Because based on what I read here, things are not looking good in any of those departments. At all!
It’s not just because the foundation behind Silk involves a maladroit and illogical retcon shoehorned into Spidey’s origin, or that, despite being bitten by the same radioactive spider, she somehow has different powers and abilities than Spidey, or even that she’s another love interest for Peter who also just so happens to know his secret identity; it’s because, based on how Slott presents her in this issue, Cindy Moon comes across as one of the most blatant examples of a “Mary Sue” I have ever seen in a comic book, more than Carlie Cooper ever was. If you think I’m being a bit hyperbolic, let me tick off all the ways:
Having a surname taken from a celestial body, in this case the Moon? Check.
Having a back-story which reveals a coincidental connection between the protagonist no matter how tenuous or nonsensical it actually is? Check.
Having a tragic past, in this case being taken from her parents by Ezekiel, then imprisoned and cut off from the outside world for thirteen years in a blatant attempt at creating sympathy designed to tug on the reader’s heartstrings? Check.
A beautiful young woman whose life was “ruined” because of her otherwise amazing super powers, who just wants to have a normal life like everyone else? Check.
Is established as a “chosen one,” in this case the real “center of the web,” the one who could have taken Spidey’s place, and the catalyst for Morlun to start hunting down various Spider-Men and Women across the Marvel multi-verse? Check.
Not much of a personality to speak of other than what she can do, and that her overall role is just to advance the plot? Check.
That what personality we are given tries to present her as being inherently good, innocent, and pure as the wind-driven snow in spite of the story not actually showing anything which proves she is actually good, innocent, or pure as the wind-driven snow? Check.
Wears a skimpy outfit that not only makes her look like a ninja but is made to be all the more revealing by the fact she’s literally wearing webbing, and thus is technically leaping, crawling, and swinging around naked? Check. (NOTE: As a point of clarification, we do see her wearing short shorts and a halter top prior to her spinning her costume. But the way Ramos depicts Cindy as Silk, and how Olazaba and Delagado do the shading and lighting effects respectively, makes it look in several panels that she isn’t actually wearing anything under her makeshift duds.)
Has better speed, agility, reflexes, and spider-sense than Spidey; can shoot webbing from her fingertips that she can–without any real explanation–change its destiny at will; and, despite Spidey’s own martial arts training from Shang-Chi as established by Slott himself, is also capable of holding her own against Spidey simply because she watched countless videotapes of him in action? Check, check, and check.
And even though they have just met each other, both Spidey and Silk, thanks to their spider-sense, develop a mutual and almost instantaneous physical, emotional, and sexual attraction to one another? Oh my goodness, a most definite check! Bonus points for how Spidey and Silk are instinctively compelled to mate after a fight scene.
And how much do you folks want to bet that, unlike Peter Parker who has various analogues and doppelgangers from other realities, Cindy here will not because the spider-totem god chose her as the “spider-bride” and thus makes her even more special? At lease Slott didn’t go the obvious route in making Silk into a villain, but in hindsight, I would actually prefer that compared than what we’re apparently getting here.
All of this would be somewhat tolerable, however, had this been a more organic development. But because Silk is so obviously tied into Original Sin and the upcoming “Spider-Verse” event based on how hurried these developments are, Cindy Moon isn’t so much of a character than she is a two-dimensional walking plot-device, an object for the titular hero to fall for and protect from the big bad unstoppable supernatural killing machine. Sure, you can point out how Slott links Silk to both J. Michael Straczynski’s “Coming Home” and Slott’s own “Spider-Island” stories which proves he had her in mind for some time, but this also makes this particular issue all the worse because of the way he chose to bring her into Spider-Man’s overall story. And once “Spider-Verse” is completed, what purpose would Silk serve beyond that story arc? It certainly would be easy to think that Silk, in other to permanently defeat Morlun and “save the Web of Life” that she must make a heroic sacrifice, thus giving Spidey even more angst to deal with because the woman who was his true destiny is dead and gone. A bit presumptuous, I admit, but after this issue, it sure doesn’t seem that implausible.
In addition, Peter seems to have taken the same “stupid pills” Doc Ock dealt out to the Avengers, Mary Jane, and rest of the supporting cast in Superior Spider-Man because, as even Silk points out more than once, he comes off as a total idiot. We have an apologetic Spidey going out of his way to explain how Doc Ock took over his body, oblivious to a major battle going on around him. We have Spidey so hell-bent on freeing Cindy—for the most noble of intentions to be fair—that he refuses to listen to any explanation for why she’s been placed in the Ezekiel’s isolation room, even from Cindy who, based on how Spidey is now convinced Ezekiel has lied to him all along, would be a more reliable. Worst of all, we have a Spidey who doesn’t even consider the possibility that, because Morlun died twice before, he could come back a third time. (NOTE: although, as pointed out by Anonymous Jones in the comment section, this would technically make it the fourth time Morlun has returned) until Cindy points this out to him. And the only reason for all this sudden shortsightedness and obtuseness on Spidey’s part is, just like Silk herself, done merely to advance the plot.
If I do have some positive things to say about The Amazing Spider-Man #4 (2014), it’s that the subplot involving Parker Industries and Peter’s development of super-villain countermeasures is far more natural. Sajani Jaffrey’s ever-growing impatience over Peter’s frequent absences and seeming dereliction of duty to towards his company is both justified and understandable from her perspective, given how much of a financial risk she’s invested as Parker Industries’ vice-president and co-founder. Thus, her reaching the point where she’s contemplating quitting altogether makes perfect sense, although I suspect that, now that she’s been abducted by the Black Cat, she’ll now see the “wisdom” in Peter’s decision to develop a super-villain prison. And speaking of which, I suppose we should also be grateful the now villainous Black Cat only appeared for one scene this time around, even though it’s a certainty the next two issues will give her much more attention.
Another plus is that, with a cursory glance, Humberto Ramos’ art looks visually appealing in some place, enhanced even more so Olazaba’s inks and Delgado’s colors. Unfortunately, as it par for the course with Ramos, it’s also inconsistent. For every wonderful imagery such the montage in which Spidey becomes inundated with flashbacks of Cindy’s past, the two-page spread of Spidey following Silk as they both swing through the New York City skyline, or the close-up of Cindy in tears when she learns her family has moved, we get more images of Spidey and others seeming to have the tensile properties of Stretch Armstrong, along with some astonishingly bad overlapping of characters as a means of creating perspective. In other words, it’s typical Ramos, both it’s good and bad.
I’m sure some of you will disagree with my analysis about this issue. After all, the idea there someone else besides Peter bitten by the radioactive spider carries a lot of potential, and you can see how this new character connects with the upcoming greater story involving various “spiders” being hunted. But no matter how much potential you have or how many narrative building blocks being set in place, execution still matters, and for me, The Amazing Spider-Man #4 suffers tremendously from a rushed, haphazard pace, focusing on a character who, in spite of her promise, ends up being uninspired addition to the comics compared to the hype surrounding her. Dare I say it, but I believe Silk, after just one issue, is already on her way to becoming this year’s Alpha, only easier on the eyes and, of course, much more sympathetic—a character (if you can call her as such) who will, at best, be regarded as an overrated footnote in Spider-Man history. Given how we’ve only seen little of Silk and don’t really know the full extent she’ll play in Spidey’s life or in the upcoming “Spider-Verse,” I’m willing to concede that I might be premature. Then again, disappointment will do that to you.
D-
NERDY NITPICKS:
- So Ramos, on the cover of this issue, depicts the radioactive spider biting Cindy on her upper wrist. Yet, as we see in this issue and in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014), the spider bites Cindy on top of her foot just below the ankle. Which makes the cover even more puzzling since Ramos was the one who illustrated both issues. And speaking of Cindy…
- In my last review of Amazing Spider-Man, I entertained the possibility that the reason why we didn’t see Cindy’s face kept being hidden in spite of being a new character whom neither Peter or the reader ever met before was because the spider bite caused the lower half of her face to mutate. Well, in this issue, her face is revealed and…she looks completely normal. Which, again, makes me ask a simple question: why even bother keeping Silk’s face hidden from the reader if she’s a new character we never met before? It’s not as if keeping her face hidden makes her any more mysterious.
- For those who want a better explanation of how The Amazing Spider-Man #4 (2014) ties with the Original Sin mini-series other than Spidey getting images from the Watcher’s over-sized gouged-out eyeball, Spidey, as he tries to explain to everyone who will listen that Doc Ock took over his body, has just joined the fight with the other heroes and told about the Watcher being murdered and the theft of the advanced alien weaponry he stored in his home. One problem—Original Sin #1 showed Spidey already teaming up with Thing, and later Captain America, Wolverine, and Nick Fury, before the battle with the Mindless Ones, Exterminatrix, and the Orb in Original Sin #2. And based on the dialogue in both of those issues, he was already told about the Watcher’s murder and the theft of the weapons beforehand as well—including seeing a Mindless One commit suicide with the Ultimate Nullifer. Oops!
- And further evidence that the new Madame Web, Julia Carpenter, is the worst psychic in the Marvel Universe? “The Web will reweave itself and another Spider-Man will take your place.” Except Cindy is a woman, and therefore, by definition, is not a Spider-Man. Also, why is Spidey focusing all his anger towards Ezekiel not telling him about Cindy? Shouldn’t he be just as angry at Julia for not telling him about Cindy, as well? After all, there was nothing to stop Julia from telling Peter about Cindy long before this point.
- Remember that psychic blindspot created by Dr. Strange that not only erased all knowledge that Peter and Spidey were the same but also erased any and all evidence that Peter and Spidey were the same, including video footage? So how does Cindy still know that Peter is Spider-Man? (NOTE: as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #2) More importantly, how can Ezekiel’s video-recorded message to Peter still exist when it addresses him by name and refers to him being Spider-Man?
- So Morlun is capable of literally smelling and identifying “totems” he has never met from across the reaches of time and space now? Also, considering the same radioactive spider bit both Peter and Cindy, and that, because of the radiation, this made Peter an “impure” Spider-totem, then shouldn’t Cindy also be an impure Spider-Totem as well? Um…I guess this is one of those “It’s magic! You don’t have to explain it,” moments?
- “When I think of all the money I coulda saved on Spidey suits over the years [using webbing to make my own costumes.]” Um…you do remember, Pete, that your webbing, both mechanical and organic, dissolves in an hour and thus wouldn’t make for a practical costume, right? And you certainly didn’t seem all that keen on wearing that “web-diaper” during Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014), as I recall. Oh great…that means Spidey covering up his naughty bits was actually foreshadowing Cindy using her own webbing to make herself a costume, wasn’t it?
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@47 @48. Let’s agree to disagree, then.
@45: “Humberto Ramos’ art” and “poor illustration” should be synonymous by now.
Yes. The word “immortal”, by its very definition, means, “not able to die.” Of course, what gets called “death” in the silly world of the MU is more like transmigration or simple morphing.
Marvel can’t even keep track of who’s dead half the time. In The Incredible Hercules a few years back, Janet Pym was dead, in some sort of cosmic casino, playing a reincarnation-slot-machine in the hope of coming back. And then, in Avengers, she was not dead, but actually trapped down in the Microverse, fighting a warlord.
If you come back with your memories, you didn’t die,. I know it happens a lot in MU, which is why death has also no meaning there.
@44 Depends on how their immortality works. I was obviously talking about the kind of immortal that CAN die, but come back; hence being functionally immortal, rather than literally so. Which is what Morlun APPEARS to be, anyway.
Forgive me if someone in another thread has already mentioned this, but can someone explain to me the cover here? Specifically, is Peter supposed to be grasping his bitten hand in pain (which I assume is the intent behind that illustration), or is he rubbing his hands together like an evil scientist? The facial expression makes me think it’s the latter, but I’m very confused by it. A friend I showed the cover to said, “Why does Peter look angry?” Is it just a poor illustration?
@37 An immortal can’t be killed, violently or otherwise. You other conjecture, doesn’t make more plausible that he/they would beg, to not be “killed”.
@6 and 16. You’re all assuming Cindy said Mr. Parker, but I believe I wrote in the comment section of issue #2’s review, it could have been Anna Maria saying Mr. Parker. It’s not uncommon for a writer to use part of a sentence from one conversation and seamlessly continue it in another conversation in the next panel.
Wait, nevermind, it’s being brought up HERE, so there wouldn’t be a callback to it AFTER Superior Spider-Man has already happened… unless this is another hint that Otto isn’t completely gone, which might mean that, if he comes back, Slott would make Peter accept Otto being Spider-Man with the circumstances being that Peter would trust him not as a last resort, but out of genuine respect for Otto. So the ideas are either: The gender was wrong and it really is Silk, my theory that Peter and Cindy are supposedly going to have a son, or SpOck happens again, but this time with Otto somehow having a body for his own, rather than stealing Peter’s again.
I thought of something else: What if Julia’s prophecy was meant to foreshadow Superior Spider-Man? Or does that not mix the idea of the web “reweaving” itself?
If Peter and Cindy aren’t threats to each other, then their spider senses wouldn’t be tingling.
I thought Madame Web wasn’t allowed to divulge the future.
Wouldn’t it be odd if Carpenter said Spider-Woman?
The one thing I don’t like about current Spider-Man comics is how rushed everything in. Look back to the original issues – you have developed stories, long text boxes, and if something needs explaining, there’s a flashback. Sure the reader is given a bullet that this relates back to the Coming Home story-line, but I thought it odd Spidey just concluded where Cindy would be held. I just didn’t get a sense of development there.
And since when are we relying on the cover to explain the story? How about a previous cover with MJ when she didn’t appear in the issue. This seems par for the course.
I too am not sold on the whole, the radioactive spider bit two people before dying.
Wasn’t Morlun first attracted to Spider-Man, even though he was bitten by a radioactive spider? So it makes sense that he would be attracted to Silk to be consistent, but really he should not be attracted to either.
I might not be as comic savvy as the rest of you guys so forgive me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that the reason for all of the plotholes being overlooked is because of the effects of Age of Ultron. Whose aftermath probably gave the writers the power of handwaving any discontinuity and just blaming every inconsistency on that as a sure fire excuse. Either that, or Dan Slott’s not even trying to make a good story anymore.
The whole idea of a new character infected by the same radioactive spider makes me think of one thing: was ‘The Thousand’ part of regular Spidey-continuity? Did Carl King steal and eat the damned thing after it had gone around biting two (or more) people?
@36 Immortals may not fear death for its permanent consequences, but they might as well be startled on reflex by the possibility of being violently killed. Deadpool comes to mind.
Unless, ofc… Morlun isn’t a single being. If JMS’ stuff about totem-hunters is something they’ll pick up, a whole race of identical psychos could be running around. You could get away with the issue of their remembering previous encounters by saying they have a hive mind or something, and maybe the one we’re seeing now can universe-hop and be OP because he’s the Morlunmaster!
@35 I wouldn’t go to his first appearance, to get an understanding of what he is now. It makes no sense that he was so afraid and begging for mercy, when Spidey had him on the ropes, just before “dying”, if he knew he was coming back. And I don’t buy it that he didn’t.
So what is Morlun exactly, some sort of immortal demon? I remember reading his original appearance, but I don’t recall if they ever explained him. I know he hunts and “eats” people who are connected to mystical beings. But is he a spirit?
I gather he only goes after the animal-themed people. I suppose they’re weaker. The Juggernaut works (sort of) for mystical entity Cytorrak, but you don’t see Morlun hunting Juggernaut. Juggy would crush him.
@#33 Ozymandias — Exactly! After all, didn’t he make his spider-man costume out of old, used gym clothes as a way of saving money? Very good point, Ozy.
Not only webbing himself a suit would not be practical, but he’s always been complaining about how expensive the stuff is. Just another try at being funny, flushed down the toilet.
BTW, it occurred to be another possible outcome for Cindy, in that due to whatever happens in Spider-Verse, she somehow loses her spider-powers once Morlun is defeated. Then Spidey is able to find out what happened to her family and helps to reunite her with them, thus giving the character a happy ending.
@29 – Yup, Samson’s been dead a few years now. And he was one of my favourite Hulk supporting characters, too, especially when Peter David was writing him. A seriously underutilised character, with a unique angle (The “Super-Shrink”). What a waste.
@29 – “…Wait, Samson is dead?!? Aw, man, he was one of my fave Hulk supporting characters!”
Wait five minutes. He’ll “get better.” 😉
@29 I can see the coping angle working.
…Wait, Samson is dead?!? Aw, man, he was one of my fave Hulk supporting characters!
You know, Peter’s lighthearted and cheery attitude after what happened to him would seem to anyone who knew the truth to be a brittle façade to mask what must be serious, SERIOUS trauma/PTSD. Anna Marie should be watching him like a hawk, considering she knows he has superpowers and would be legitimately dangerous if he were to suddenly snap (this on top of learning that the man she fell in love with was a notorious supervillain using another man’s body as a meat puppet, and now that man no longer exists, leaving (from her perspective) a totally different man walking around wearing his face who has no romantic feelings for her (poor girl). Sajani ought to be suspicious too, even if she doesn’t know what Anna Marie knows, given how Peter was acting when Doc Ock was in the driving seat and how he’s acting now. Hell, the Avengers (dumb as they are under Slott’s pen) should be monitoring Spider-Man more closely, whilst been supportive and showing understanding/sympathy, given many of them have had their minds/bodies swapped/controlled. If anybody’s been keeping with Mark Waid’s Daredevil run, they’d know that Matt Murdock’s acting more jovial and swashbuckling was his defence mechanism to cope with the endless tragedies he’s endured, coming after the Shadowland debacle during which his mind and body were co-opted by A FREAKIN’ DEMON. In fact, a big plot point was Foggy Nelson’s fear that Matt was having a(nother) nervous breakdown. By the rules of common sense and logic, Spidey ought to be having continuous psychological assessment and therapy (I’d suggest Ashley Kafka or Doc Samson, but of course, they’re both dead now. Thanks, Marvel. I suppose if you want a go-to mental health professional that leaves that Cornelius Worth guy who was the Sentry’s psychiatrist, or Gus Grim from the recent New Mutants series, or even Doctor Faustus or Karla Sofen/Moonstone… on second thought, no, not those two.) But, as always, Dan Slott continues to completely disregard the rules of normal human behaviour in favour of the stories he wants to tell and to ramp up false drama or tension, with the full support and blessing of Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso.
#22 – Yes, because having a lover and an unborn child die wouldn’t “age” him, right? Just like having his mind and body utterly violated like few others before or since wouldn’t “age” him? Dammit, Marvel!
Marvel doesn’t want Peter having a kid at all with anyone.
@24 – I don’t think we have anything to worry about. I’m predicting that the end game will be a few dead Spider-People, Moulun dead (again) and Peter spouting some speech about responsibility. I don’t see anything status quo changing coming out of Spider-Verse. As Stillanerd stated, Slott would never let Peter have a child with anyone.
After reading all these insightful well thought out comments this makes me fear for what the end game of spider-verse is now!!!!! Please all mighty god or gods make it go away!
Oh, it doesn’t have to be something like Cindy gets pregnant. It could just be something like a future is shown, or a prophecy is mentioned, and Peter simply learns that he and Cindy are to have a child EVENTUALLY. The child doesn’t have to actually be conceived, I’m just saying that Spider-Verse is going to tell us that such a child may exist at some point or another.
@#18 Phantom Roxas — Oh, if Cindy winds up getting pregnant by Peter at some point, then that’s a 100% guarantee she’s going to be killed off. Because remember, Marvel editorial has been consistent in pointing out that Peter having kids “ages him.” Which is why Jim Shooter rejected Bill Mantlo’s idea that Peter would get someone knocked-up, presumably having Black Cat be the mother of his child since they were in a relationship at the time; and why it was ruled that when Peter would reclaim his identity and Spider-Man mantle from Ben Reilly, Mary Jane could no longer be pregnant; and why Joe Quesada rejected JMS’ original idea for Sins Past that Peter would be the father of Gwen’s children instead of Norman Osborn.
I read through this in the store and it was horrible, completely reinforced my decision to drop ASM until Spider-verse. I hate the Spider-Totem stuff, and I’m disappointed that it’s the only thing from JMS run that writers seem to have used post BND. Aunt May knowing Peter’s secret identity is a bad idea that makes the character unrelatable, but Spidey being part of some sort of psychic-animal conspiracy is completely relatable.
This issue is also a pretty perfect example of how events totally screw up ongoing storylines in books. That tiny sequence with Black Cat did nothing to advance that plot and was pretty much a waste of panels. Slott could just have easily put up a white page with the text “The Black Cat/Electro story is still happening, but not right now because of the mega event”.
@4 – “A Slott created character is a super awesome, mega amazing, way better at everything than even the protagonist character who is too totally awesome for the book and even the protagonist.” – Don’t forget that she’s one of Slott’s female characters, so she must be sexually attracted to Peter for no reason. So she’s pretty much the most AWESOME!! Slott character ever.
@#18 To paraphrase Christopher Daniel-Barnes’ Spidey : “This starting to sound like a bad fanfiction plot!”
@Phantom Roxas
I swear to god, if you turn out to be right…
WOW… I knew that the spider biting someone else would be bad considering how poorly he integrated the retcon just because he expects “A lot can happen in a split” to explain everything as though it serves to allow people to suspend their disbelief, but seriously? Is this supposed to be about how Cindy embraced Ezekiel’s training, and thus she reached a potential that Peter never could have? Hey, guess what, Slott? You could do that with literally ANYONE who has served as a spider totem, but no. You decided that Original Sin was the perfect opportunity to get to have Peter’s supposed successor show u-
Oh God.
I think I realized what Julia meant when she said that a new Spider-Man will take Peter’s place. She wasn’t referring to Cindy. She was suggesting that Peter and Cindy will have a son, and HE will become the new Spider-Man. The reason that they’re having this spontaneous romance is because their child will somehow be the greatest Spider-person who ever lived.
man, what a weird issue.
> peter parker was supposed to be mature at this age, but he’s acting like an idiot. what the heck???
> peter was so angry that he didn’t even want to find out why ezekiel kept cindy imprisoned for so long, so he destroyed the video recording. smart move, dimwit.
> silk just met face to face with spidey in this issue … and for some ‘spider-sensible’ reason they’re making out? what??
so much plotholes in this issue. like stillanerd mentioned in his review, slott is trying to bring another mary sue love interest in amazing spider-man. now i really want slott to leave this title ’cause he’s messing it up!
btw stillanerd, great review!
@#6 & Stillanerd: good call on the mention of “Mr. Parker” in issue 2, I had completely forgotten about that. Still, I got the impression in this issue she didn’t know much about him…..maybe the mind wipe worked on her for some reason? Or maybe she only knows his name and not much else.
“#1Daniel says:
Great review. This issue is just more classic Slott: plot holes and characters acting stupid to further the (often silly) plot.”
Spot on.
Wake me up when Slott is off the book please…
He writes like it’s a slapstick cartoon network kids saturday tv show, powederpuff girls anyone?!
if they get together this quick would think their is a betrayal coming.
@#13 Anonymous Jones — Thanks, AJ. No wonder I didn’t remember that Black Panther story. 🙂
@#10: Morlun was ressurrected to kill off the Panther God so it would demoralize Wakanda and make it easily conquerable or whatever. D-Lister Man-Ape was killed and then T’Challa’s sister (who had never been heard of before Hudlin’s run) and witch doctor sent Morlun to Limo or some such. I’ve REALLY tried to erase everything that I read from Hudlin’s Panther run fom my brain. It was just god-awful.
You know what, just let Peter and Carlie get back together! It’s better than the Peter/Cindy romance we’re getting here! Even Carlie, as indifferent as I was about her, was admittedly a Mary Sue, but at least she quit while she still had a character! Silk…. Sigh, I’m trying to like you. I’m really trying.
@#2 Anonymous Jones — Ah, I forgot about Morlun’s appearance in Black Panther, AJ. Made the necessary correction and gave you credit for it. Although, perhaps you can remind me, did Morlun also die in that Black Panther story, as well?
@#3 Big John — I actually do agree with you with regards the promise that Spider-Verse will definitively address those lingering unanswered questions about Morlun and JMS’ Spider-Totem concept. That’s why, as I said in my review for Amazing Spider-Man #3 (and also stated on the upcoming podcast which reviews that issue and Amazing Spider-Man #1.3) that Silk and her ties with Ezekiel seemed intriguing. And I agree also that I very well could be wrong about my assumptions regarding Silk’s future role in Spider-Verse and I’m open the the possibility future issues will change my mind about her as a character. However, as I implied in the review, potential is one thing, presentation is another, and in my humble opinion, my first impressions of Silk as a character are, for the time being, rather soured. Hopefully, Slott will redeem her in my eyes for next time.
@#5 cubman987 — 1. That’s a good point; however, Anonymous Jones pointed out, Amazing Spider-Man #2 showed us a flashback in which Cindy, while watching a videotape of Spidey fighting Electro, address Spidey as “Mr. Parker.” 2. You’re also correct in pointing out that Cindy isn’t technically naked under her web costume because she’s wearing short shorts and a halter top underneath. However, take a look at how Ramos’ depicts her after she’s in her Silk costume, especially in the two-page spread where she’s swinging around with Spidey. It sure looks like her clothes have mysteriously evaporated during the process. 😀 Still, both of those points are valid so I’ve edited in some notes for clarifications sake. Thanks for pointing those out.
@#8 QuilSniv — Thanks, QuilSniv.
@#3
Marvel will keep Slott on Spider-man if for no other reason than to piss us off.
This girl’s powers and abilities are better than Spidey’s in every way… and Ezekiel hid HER instead of Peter. Makes perfect sense.[/sarcasm]
I think even Linkara would have a hard time justifying the magic going on in this issue.
Also, I have a feeling that Silk will be basically Carlie Cooper all over agin, just to hook Peter up with yet ANOTHER love interest to break up with and make the single every man again. Then again, it could be jumping the gun, so I’ll wait my turn again to see how Slott tries to pull a Shamaylan twist.
Spot on review, Stillanerd, can’t wait to see your opinions on LtC 1.4 and ASM 5!
So is there some type of petition or kickstarter fund we can start to get slott off the book after spider-verse? After this new oh so sympathetic, gorgeous, relatable, amazing new character Cindy moon I’m convinced he plans to one day actually kill off Peter Parker and spider-man and desecrate this book and make it the amazing silk-man (woman) with Anna Marie as her sidekick and Petro as her love interest.
@#5: The flashback at the start of issue 2 has Silk watching a Spidey vs Electro fight and she identifies Spidey as “Mr. Parker.”
Huh, I actually liked this issue and think Cindy/Silk has some potential to be a good character, it got me somewhat excited to see what is coming up next. Or maybe I’m just glad this wasn’t another issue of Black Cat trying to become a vicious murderer……
Also a couple of points about your review that are a little off:
1. This issue never claims that Cindy knows that Spider-man is Peter Parker…she only ever refers to him as Spider-man and it’s seems she doesn’t know much about him when she makes the comment about him not understanding what she’s going through (you’ve certainly got a point about the Ezekiel video though, maybe the whole web of life thing trumps the wipe?).
2. Complaining about the costume being skimpy I suppose is fair, but to suggest she is basically naked is wrong both because silk is in fact a type of clothing and as evidenced by the very picture posted in this review she is wearing clothes underneath the webbing.
Wow. What a shock. A Slott created character is a super awesome, mega amazing, way better at everything than even the protagonist character who is too totally awesome for the book and even the protagonist.
I don’t think Slott is capable of making a character with any humanity or flaws. All the established characters are fools and idiots, and all the characters he creates are awesome and without flaw.
@#1 I don’t think Spider-Verse will be Slott’s last issues. emender mentioned in an interview that he swapped Green Goblin for Hobgoblin in his AXIS event because the Spidey-Office had plans for Norman. While this could be a different creative team’s plans, I think it more likely that they’re Slott’s.
@stillanerd: Wow. I had an entirely different experience reading this issue. It promises to tie up an annoying plot thread that lingers from “The Other” (how did Morlun come back?). It referenced one of my favorite Spidey-stories from my absolute favorite Spider-Creative Team, including an old favorite supporting cast member (“Coming Home” by JMS & JRJr, Ezekiel Sims). In light of these things, I am now actually interested in where Slott is going with Silk, if it will be in line with the aforementioned story. It paved the way for the next Spider-Event. And, although I still find the character assasination of Felicia Hardy deplorable, I am interested to see what develops of Sajani’s kidnapping. And, respectfully, I don’t think it’s fair to trash Silk’s character for developments that haven’t even been made. I mean, you’re the reviewer, and, just watch, all those things you’ve predicted will end up coming true and then I’ll be right there with you complaining about their predictability. But let’s wait and see. I, for one, found this to be the most readable issue of ASM since the relaunch.
The big potential qualm I have about Silk is in regards to the kiss with Peter at the end of the issue. It might not go where I think it’s going, but I REALLY hope that this doesn’t lead to another post-OMD sexual escapade. We already have 6 women that Peter has been with (to my memory: Betty Brant, Felicia Hardy, Mary Jane, Michele Gonzales, Carlie Cooper, & Anna Maria) and that’s just 5 too many for me.
Really, Slott? I mean, seriously? Just straight to the forced make-out session in her first actual appearance in the comic?
‘Nerd, this will actually be Morlun’s third return. He showed up (and was killed) a few years ago in Reginald Hudlin’s awful Black Panther run.
Great review. This issue is just more classic Slott: plot holes and characters acting stupid to further the (often silly) plot.
The end of spider-verse will hopefully be a jumping off point for him.