Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #299

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #299 (with review’s thoughts)

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artists: Adam Kubert & Juan Frigeri

Colorist: Jason Keith

C.Artist: Marcos Marin

Editor: Nick Lowe

Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

Plot:

The issue starts off with Black Panther talking to Peter’s “Sis” Teresa Durand. T’Challa basically offers Teresa “Wakanda Protection” until they find a way to get those Avengers secrets out of her that are currently riding her bloodstream like A-Class rollercoaster at Six Flags.

It’s comics, people…just roll with it. Think CHUCK and the intersect. Basically the same principle..

T’Challa presses to issue to insures Teresa complete protection, she must follow him to Wakanda itself. “Half Bro” Spidey isn’t too fond that idea, feeling that T’Challa is using this as a way to extract those secrets out of his little sister to obtain them for himself. This of course leads to an argument and then a fight. As Spidey and Black Panther go toe to toe, Hawkeye swoops from he sky to obtain Teresa to take her back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Of course Teressa doesn’t want anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. and fights back. Spider-Man sides with his sister and informs Hawkeye that he’s being played by The Gray Blade which is S.H.I.E.L.D. rough division that is after Teresa because she stole all the classified data on all the world’s superheroes! Yep, she knows all of Steve Roger’s barber shop quartet names and phone numbers.

Spidey and Teresa make a get away, MCU Falcon style and webbing up the Clint’s quinjet windshield. Landing near a roof, Spidey buddy Uatu calls stating that he and “The Mason” are still at his lab that was recently destroyed and he doesn’t want to leave. As Spidey and Teresa head on out to knock some sense into Mason head we cut away to Jonah and Betty Brant being lead to the Tinkerer’s “secret lair”. A shop called “Mr Fixit”…okay, that’s clever. Shocker, in full costume, wearing s trench coat over his costume…ya know to conceal his identity…*rolls eyes*..shows to the two reporters a secret stairway that will have insight (hopefully) in exposing The Gray Blade.

Meanwhile, The Tinkerer’s brother doesn’t want to leave, despite warning brought on by Uatu stating that it’s too dangerous to be here. Mason Kindly responds to his friend, then Spider-Man jumps him amping up that warning by 10. Mason responds back, not too Kindly.

After that argument, Mason believe he has found a way to help Teresa. Going to a medical lab and having her go through a blood transfusion that will get that collected data out without killing her. Breaking new report on the monitors show that Avengers are fighting against super villains who have amped up their suit, thanks to the Tinkerer. Spidey tells Mason to take Teresa to the lab to fix her up and swing out to join the fight.

The Avengers are fighting the villains and having a hard time, since the villains have amped up suits that seem to counter act everything the heroes throw at them. Then out from the ground comes the Tinkerer in his new, giant, Hero Slayer, suit. Which looks like an updated version of Krang suit from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Spider-Man arrives and strikes a hero pose to attacks the Tinkerer, Vision who is near by suggests that phasing through him will distrupt the machine’s ability, but before he can do that, The Tinkerer sends a signal that sends the Hero’s and all there gadgets falling to the floor and unable to move. Pinning down Spider-Man and ready to kill them all.

Cut scene to Jonah and Betty looking inside a lab only to discover and get caught by Mason who is actually another robot constructed by the Tinkerer and makes his reveal out of Rabo-Bro like a Total Recall movie effect.

Thoughts: It’s good to see Spidey in his old costume now that Parker Industries was destroyed and all suits obtaining to it burned to the ground. I’m still not buying how Peter is outside his character in a lot of ways. Leaping without thinking quipping out bad puns. Mason reveal was good and it’s good to see Spider-Man at odds due to his rouge gallery with amped up suits. So that’s a plus. Still not buying this Teresa-Durand-Peter’s-Half-Sister thing. Seems really off and weird to me.

Pros:

• Art was good
• Villains being villains
• Reveal at the end

Cons:

• Peter isn’t the character I know and grew up with. Leaping in without thinking and the really force bad puns. I get Spidey has to be funny, he seems he’s trying too hard.
• I don’t like the half sister thing. I just don’t.

Grade. GRADE: D