Spider-Man: City at War #4 Review

“My arms can give up. My legs can give out. But my brain will persevere. We’ll throw out the old, tired meat…”

As Spidey and MJ try and stop Mr. Negative and his bomb, something sinister is going on with Dr. Octavius. Can Peter help the good doctor before it’s too late?

WRITER: Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum

ARTIST: Michele Bandini

COLORIST: David Curiel

LETTERER: VC’s Travis Lanham

COVER ARTIST: Clayton Crain

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Eduard Petrovich; David Nakayama (Sinister Six-Rhino Variant)

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Nick Russell

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Martin Biro

EDITOR: Mark Basso

SPIDER-MAN created by STAN LEE & STEVE DITKO

STORY: As Otto Octavius perfects the interface for his prosthesis, Spider-Man and MJ are trying to stop Mr. Negative from releasing The Devil’s Breath, a biochemical weapon, at Grand Central Station. Our heroes prevail and Mayor Osborn takes credit on the news, infuriating Otto. When the Silver Sable agents who were transporting Devil’s Breath to a more secure location are attacked, Spidey calls MJ, suspecting the worst as to who could be behind it. Peter and MJ meet at Otto’s lab and Peter’s fears are confirmed-Otto’s interface has led to madness and he is behind the theft. At Times Square, Otto releases The Devil’s Breath on the crowd below, intent on showing the world how horrible Osborn really is.

THOUGHTS: Crain’s cover once again captures an iconic moment from the game. Although this issue never reaches that point of the story, Crain still makes his interpretation memorable, showing Peter in a far more injured stated than the game it is based on. This is Spidey at rock bottom, surrounded by his enemies with no way out. If you haven’t played the game, check out the E3 2108 Showcase video on Insomniac’s YouTube channel. It’s a thing of beauty, ending in the moment this cover depicts.

Each issue has put a spotlight on a particular character so far and this time it’s Doc Ock’s turn. Instead of picking up on the cliffhanger from the last installment, we dive into Ock’s state of mind to kick things off. Across different iterations, there has always been an element of tragedy in the doctor’s origins and it is no different here, although this one is certainly up there amongst the most tragic.

Otto’s body is rapidly deteriorating at rapid speed. He’s developed four arms that will be able to take over when it fails so his brilliant mind can still invent and do whatever tasks he needs. Hallum gives great insight into Otto’s plight, his thoughts on his failing body, and the importance of his mind. Not only has he developed something to allow him to continue to work, but he’s come up with a spiffy outfit, too. The story doesn’t cover it, but I had to wonder if designing the advanced suit for Spidey spurred this on. It’s certainly a nice, but tragic, parallel as Peter and Otto begin their collision course.

Hallum has the unenviable job of trying to adapt and condense such a massive story. Sometimes he succeeds and sometimes it feels like a near miss.  For example, the reader is left to assume that at the end of last issue Spidey showed up, took out the henchmen and somehow wound up on the subway with Martin Li, who had transformed himself into his Mr. Negative persona. If you’ve played the game, it’s easy to take that leap, but it may lead to disappointment with those unfamiliar.

I did feel that he deftly wove the disarming of the weapon by MJ in with Spidey’s fight with Mr. Negative, quickly cutting back and forth. In the game, these are two separate elements, with Spidey’s battle taking place after the Devil’s Breath has been disarmed and Spidey has taken out all the thugs. Here, Hallum creates a sense of tension as Spidey has to deal with talking MJ through how to deactivate it at the same time as fighting for his life. It almost leads to disaster for the two!

Bandini really shines in this scene, replicating classic moments, but adding his own. He really knows how to draw the advanced suit well, having no trouble with its complicated lines. It always looks good. The train derailment also gets truncated for more precise storytelling, sacrificing the Spider-Man 2 reference, but Bandini sells it as it goes screaming through the New York underground, on its way to crashing out into the streets above.

Even when he isn’t the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn is still the villain of the story. As mayor, he delivers a speech, reassuring voters that the threat of Mr. Negative is over, not so subtly reminding the populace that he’s made things safer. However, it’s Norman that caused Martin Li to seek revenge and it’s Norman, combined with mental alteration caused by Otto’s intracranial implant, that leads to the birth of Doctor Octopus. Bandini provides a marvelous two page spread of Otto’s anger overtaking him, with a flashback in-between each tentacle detailing how he came to loathe Norman so. It’s a quick and effective way to explain the turn he takes towards villainy.

Wisely not excised is Peter and MJ’s text conversation, post Grand Central wrap-up. Hallum sticks closely to the source material, capturing the anxiety Peter has about his tenuous relationship as best he can without the vocal styling of Yuri Lowenthal. As in the game, their relationship is a big part as they try and find a way back to each other. This may be Otto’s issue, but that doesn’t mean we lose sight of Marvel’s best couple. In fact, they get a new scene all to themselves as Peter fills her in on what Otto has been up to as they investigate his lab once Peter gets suspicious of Otto’s behavior.

Due to how this issue is plotted, readers miss out on the Raft escape, even though it is depicted on the aforementioned issue’s cover. Hallum skips over it, going straight from the new Peter/MJ in the lab scene to Otto releasing Devil’s Breath over Times Square. It’s a big shame because not only is it one of the most exciting parts to play and watch, but you miss out on the shocking (for Peter) reveal of Doc Ock gathering the Insomniac version of the Sinister Six. I get it. We’ve only got six issues to tell this story, but it’s still a bit disappointing. At least we still have the cover, I suppose.

Four issues in, and I’m feeling a bit restless with this title. The art is certainly capable and Hallum brings some nice unrevealed moments, but with the Velocity miniseries on the horizon, I find myself anxious to get to the new material in this “Gamerverse”. If you’ve yet to play the game, this is a fun way to get the abridged version, but for those who’ve experienced this story the way it was originally intended, sometimes the comic leaves you wanting more.

MY GRADE: C+

JAVI’S HUH?: So, Otto’s okay with Osborn continuing his experiments on children? You don’t wanna blow the whistle on that, buddy? I know he could be implicated and his last name is Octavius, not Ratius, but, c’mon, Otto! Have a heart!