PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #304 REVIEW

Writer:  Chip Zdarsky

Artists: Adam Kubert

Editors:  Nick Lowe

E.I.C:  C.B. Cebulski

Crawlspace Reviewer: Chi-Town Spidey

Crawlspace E.I.C: Brad Douglas

Peter, Teresa, and Jameson meet their deadline and arrive back at the present time.  It’s not “their” present time though.  It’s the alternate reality that they were just in, future.  Things don’t look good.  Spidey fights a patrol robot called the “Octocops” that tries to arrest them, Teresa sees a tower that has the name Parker on it.  All three investigate and meet alternate Peter who is all grown up and married to Gwen Stacy.  Alternate Peter and his wife explain to the three, after alternate Peter heard how difficult and miserable his life would be if he continued to be Spider-Man, he quit,  that “supers” are illegal, Norman Osborn has “gone straight” and Harry Osborn is the President going for his second term.  Everyone knows this world is messed up and alternate Peter confronts his wife about how dangerous it is to help “The Resistance” with Parker Tech.  Gwen helps our three time travelers meet the resistance which is comprised of Iron Heart, Dr Strange, and Captain America.  The only way to fix this is to bust this version of Dr Doom out of prison, so Spider-Man crawls in all stealth mode but gets ambushed by Ben Grim, The Thing, in a symbiote costume…because that’s a thing now and days.  Peter does the typical thing we’ve all seen Peter do in the last ten years, have the other heroes fight Venom-Thing while he runs off to meet this version of Dr. Doom. 

Not to sound like a broken record, but…I TOLD YOU SO.  See?  Peter and company DID screw up the time line by breaking every time traveling rule in the book.  Zdarsky even acknowledges that in “Previous in” page.  THAT being said..this book was actually okay.  Not as fun as 302 but still enjoyable.  I like how Zdarsky focuses more attention on “alternate Pete” than the one we’ve been reading.  You definitely see a different kind of Peter Parker.  This one is actually more gown up than our present day Peter.  Spider-Man No More.  We see what happens when he sticks to that, no pun intended and we see who alternate Peter decided to marry….Gwen Stacy.  I shriveled at that because I’m a huge fan of Peter and Mary Jane, but let’s continue.  Gwen is played more like “Alternate Pete’s” moral compass or conscious if you will.  Despite not knowing what happens to her in the OTHER timeline, she continues to fight on to what she feels is right and guides her Peter to that.  Whether he likes it or not…spoiler alert, he doesn’t like it.

So there’s this new movie that’s coming out called Venom.  There are SO many comics out right now that deal with Venom and symboites.  Venom-Verse, Symbiote-Station, Venom-Mart, Venom-Cola, Symbiote Cruise lines!!  It’s become some sort of THING..

….ssaaaaayyyy, there’s an idea!!!
George has been triggered.  😀

Another welcome to this book is that Adam Kubert is back.  I really enjoyed his art and glad he’s back for this issue.  Not much else on Teresa Parker character.  She’s just along for the ride and helping her brother as much as she can…which she’ll come to realize is all the time!  What would be a great character development is for Teresa to get Peter and Mary Jane back together after all this time travel mess is dealt with.  Zdarsky has stated that he’s is free to do whatever he wants in this book and my suggestion would be a great opportunity for all three characters to develop!

Coming to the thing I didn’t like in this book…the main character himself.  Peter Parker aka Spider-Man.  I really want to root for this guy but he really needs to take a cue from his alternate double ganger and simmer down, NOW!  Jumping into a situation figuring he has EVERYTHING under control.  “Easy as Pie”?  Really?  REALLY?!  IS IT?!

Every time Peter stats “I have an idea”, I automatically think back to the show Perfect Strangers.
Larry: “Balki, I have..”
Balki: “Oh God.”
Larry: “..a plan.”

Even when fighting Venom-Thing, he leaves that to the other heroes to find “Alternate Dr. Doom”.  Can’t fight his own battles, but he sure can screw up time can he?