Amazing Spider-Man Vol 5 #4/805 Review: The Bogenrieder Perspective

Because we didn’t know Spencer could get funnier.

And now we do.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 5 #4 (Lgy #805)

“Back to Basics, Pt 4”

Writer: Nick Spencer

Pencils: Ryan Ottley

Inks: Cliff Rathburn

Colors: Laura Martin

Editor: Nick Lowe

Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

Plot:

So the African hunting expedition guy trips over a log and it’s obvious that he’s gonna get necked by Kraven. Meanwhile, we learn who reactivated the Tri-Sentinel: Mendel Stromm, the Robot Master. (Ha! Cobwebs is paying off, Dark Mark!) However, given that he’s been in a slump recently, he might not really be the Robot Master anymore. (I mean, he used a subreddit to find a killer robot. He could just… go outside?) Doesn’t help that, for one, the Life Foundation’s computers are old and can’t read the instructions to the Tri-Sentinel on a CD. (Who cares if it breaks the timeline, it’s funny.)

What exacerbates the problem is that a reckless Spider-Man has seized control of the Tri-Sentinel, and has been using it to fight crime, complete with a terrible paint job! He defeats Stegron, (George: REEEEE!) Hydro-Man (No one REEE’d) and Cyclone. (This one is supposed to be dead.) All the while, despite the rampant terror and destruction, he’s getting to go on talk shows and get endorsements. Peter, meanwhile, is overly responsible and gets arrested for trying to pay somebody else’s meter. (That’s actually a law, I looked it up. They actually enforce it, too.) But after a pep talk from Aunt May and watching Spidey sell himself out as a glorified Uber, he confronts Spidey, who in the heat of the argument admits that he doesn’t know Uncle Ben before webbing Peter up and leaving.

Back at Doc Connors’ Lab, it’s revealed the rats they were using had died, due to their genetically incomplete makeup. Peter becomes sad. (Duh.) As Robot Master also becomes a sad man, he is approached by Mysterio’s mysterious benefactor, who in a show of faith gives him a Master Mold that begins crapping out a fleet of Tri-Sentinels.

Thoughts:

Mmmmm, yes. I’m liking what I’m seeing here.

What passed? Almost everything. What failed? Almost nothing. What does that mean? I dunno, let’s talk about this comic.

Starting off with the art, Ryan Ottley is getting better and better with each issue. The level of detail he puts on characters while still maintaining a very clean style is very appreciated, as too much “noise” on a picture (One of the few things I dislike about Stuart Immonen’s art) can get too distracting. The Tri-Sentinel, in particular, looks stunning, and the war paint that Spidey puts on it could have been crude; but no, Ottley puts detail into that as well. I love artists who go the extra mile when it comes to the little extra details, and I’m glad that Ottley will be the main artist and coming back when Ramos finishes his arc.

Writing-wise, I’m still loving how Spencer is going to the bottom of the barrel and using all of these old and obscure villains that nobody else would do besides him. We got… let’s see… Robot Master, the Tri-Sentinel, Looter Stegron, Hydro-Man and Cyclone all in one issue! And none of it feels forced! And if that wasn’t enough, we got a friggin’ Master Mold! Even if it’s not a villain that usually hangs around Spider-Man’s corner of the MU, it’s still oozing 80s and 90s and I love it. (And it didn’t really stop it from appearing in Remender’s Secret Avengers.)

There’s also the subtle angle (That later gets unsubtly bashed in with a sledgehammer) that shows that Peter and Spider-Man are something of “two sides of the same coin.” I know this was touched upon in the last issue and seems repetitive, but it’s nice to see Peter having to come to terms that being Spider-Man is a necessity in his life. He has the responsibility right now, and just the responsibility; the power is a balance to keep him from going overboard in his responsibility.

The same can be said about Spidey as a separate entity; sure, being a hero and getting all sorts of endorsement deals and appearances at basketball games without a double life is great. But what happens when it stops being fun? As fun as this comic can get, it’s not afraid to ask those really rough and uncomfortable questions about people with too much power and no compunction about using it with poor judgment. It very much felt like Spencer was taking more shots at Slott’s run, and possibly also making jabs at the worst parts of Iron Man. (Which would make sense, since Peter sadly spent the last few years running around as diet Iron Man.) At the same time, Spidey also makes a good point that Spidey never lets himself have any real enjoyment of being a hero; he’s always sabotaging good things that happen to him (A hint to the marriage, perhaps?) for the moral high ground.

I also really liked the conversation between Peter and Aunt May. While Aunt May isn’t necessarily given a lot to do in the relaunch (The most she does is give Peter a check and reveal she’s been gambling online.) she does get a good conversation (Not to mention implying she’s aware Peter’s Spider-Man) and steers Peter in the right direction. She makes a very good point that Peter has been putting everybody else before himself; he deserves to be selfish every once in a while (Though it’s phrased a lot better than using a negative word like selfish) and find his own happiness. (There we go, that’s better.) It’s an element that Peter has been missing for a while, and it makes for a very human moment in this comic involving a guy with Spider-powers hijacking a giant robot.

One of the things that disappointed me was a lack of MJ. It didn’t kill my interest that she didn’t appear, but her consistent appearances so far have made me a lot more inclined to read the comic. (Though she’s apparently appearing in a more prominent role later on in the Ramos arc, so that’ll be nice.)

Another thing that bears repeating is that I have yet to see more of Boomerang, and have that storyline of “My Supervillain Roommate” (I’d watch that show) expanded upon. And RDMacQ made a very good point in his comment for my review the last issue about how we’re getting something better. Yes, that is very true; however, I’ll continue my insistence that this plotline gets more use because this is the plotline that we were advertised in both the FCBD issue (Those things being loose and sometimes outright false commercials be damned.) and in interviews for Spencer’s run. So while I don’t mind that we’re getting this surprisingly thoughtful and insightful character study of Peter, I would like to see the plotline that I was hooked on and bought the first issue for expanded on a little bit; it’s what was advertised, I just want what I was promised. It’s a small complaint that I’m aware is going to be addressed on, but it could easily become a large problem if it keeps going unaddressed.

Overall? Still a very solid read. Spencer and Ottley are firing on all cylinders, and they’re making one of the best comics on Marvel’s lineup. Buy this book if you aren’t already because you’re missing out on some great stuff.

Hell, I’ll even buy the trade just to prove my point. And that’s the single best endorsement I can give this comic right now.

Final Grade: A