Spencer is the hardest working writer in the business, folks, as we get yet another week of Spider-Goodness with no end in sight (I can’t see December from here, but I can hear it as my wife watches the Hallmark Channel while I write). So what are those lovable scamps, the Order of the Web, up to this week? Keep reading to find out!
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Story Title: Fallen Order part 2
Writer: Nick Spencer & Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Federico Vincentini
Colorist: Marcio Menyz
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher (Wow! I think this is the first time I changed this portion of the template!)
Cover Artist: Marcello Ferreira and David Curiel
Asst. Editor: Tom Groneman and Lindsey Cohick
Associate Editor: Kathleen Wisneski
Editor: Nick Lowe
Published: November 4, 2020
Remedial ASM 101
Kindred is Harry Osborn and Norman wants to make up and be friends after Sin-Eater cleansed him. Mary Jane has just returned to New York. Sin-Eater sins are now possessing the Order of the Web! Dr. Strange is pissed that Spidey stole the Hand of Vishanti from him. There you go – all caught up!
The Night-Before Cram
Sin-Eater is alive and wakes up in the garden surrounded by the few Sin-Minions who didn’t get caught. They show him a video of the EOotW attacking New York. Sinny has a moment of reflection and all he sees is a grade-A loser, but he vows to continue to serve Kindred, even if Kindred wants nothing more to do with him. Dr. Strange shows up at Black Cat’s house (her neighbors must be Lois Lane not to figure this out) and demands the Hand back. Felicia forces him to take her with him to rescue Spidey. The EOofW almost killed Mary Jane (by accident?) when they wrecked her car. Thankfully, she was being stalked by Norman Osborn who saved her and her driver. We end with Sin-Eater vowing to take out Morlun next to prove his worth.
What Passed and Failed
PASS – The News Scroll – I think this is a clever way of tying in this shared universe. By the way, what Moon Knight did (besides handing each of the Avengers their rear end) could have some impact on Last Remains.
FAIL – Not showing the EOotW kick New Warriors’ butts across New York – That would have been fun to watch.
Analysis
Morlun – Well, if anyone can take him back to his original status as a pretty cool villain, then perhaps Spencer can? I’m not terribly excited for this return, though if this is just a villain fight, I might could get into it. I guess I was wrong about not needing to worry about the Morlun sign in Spider-Man’s subconscious. By the way, if you can’t remember, Morlun was last seen being taken away by the police in Spider-Geddon. I think. Really rather unmemorable story, that one.
Sin-Eater’s Back – Meh. His minions lost their power. Does Sin-Eater still have the powers he stole?
No Spider-Man – I’m not at all upset that this issue has no Spider-Man in it. They made it very clear in the last .LR issue that these were going to focus on what is going on where Spider-Man is not. That said, this issue felt like it had little to keep it together. We jumped around to several characters and just didn’t have a traceable storyline. I am not sure that one is needed, mind you, but I left the book thinking, OK. Nothing really happened, even though quite a bit did – 1. Sin-Eater is back and now going after Morlun, 2. Black Cat Dr. Strange about to team-up, and 3. Mary Jane being rescued by Norman puts her in his debt, so that’s how they will work her being his mediator with Kindred.
EOotW – Not sure what they are doing. Random acts of violence to sully the Spider-name I guess?
Misleading Covers
That is one cool looking Demon Miles and I was so looking forward to seeing him in the story. Just didn’t quite get there.
Extra Credit
Let’s hear what you think Morlun’s role in all of this is going to be. Is he going to be a Vermin-type inclusion or do you think there is a bigger reason?
Final Grade
B-
What’s Next?
Nick Lowe has asked people to let the Spider office know how they are doing by sending an email to spideyoffice@marvel.com and to make sure you mark it “OK to print”. If you get published, make sure to draw our attention to it!
‘Nuff Said!
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Sin-Eater shooting Kindred. Whoa! I hadn’t thought of that one! Nice speculating, Jack!
I don’t think there will be a love triangle between PP/BC/MJ, but I might be wrong.
If one of the Webinars have to go, I agree – Madam Web! I still think it is odd that she was trying to force the Order to intervene and make Spider-Man not save Norman, but when he threw Norman out of the sub, she was like, “Do you know what you’ve done?” Let’s just kill her.
Evan, maybe there is still a door yet to be opened so Ezekiel is still just waiting to be let loose!
I thought we were done with Sin-Eater and didn’t like despite what Kindred just did to him, he still delusional and wants to be loyal to Kindred. That’s crazier than Norman during the aftermath of “Gathering of Five” I want to see Norman/Mary Jane, Kindred/Spidey, and Strange/Black Cat stories.
Web of Order is more background and I really wish Sin-Eater and Morlun wasn’t apart of this.
Morlun? Gee, I guess I wasn’t that far off when I joked that maybe Ezekiel was behind that door at Ravencroft.
I wonder — if Sin-Eater shoots Harry, would Harry be cleansed? Is that why Sin-Eater needs to still be around?
I hope they get rid of the Big Valley Space Vampires, with Pa and Aunt Joelle and Brother Clem and the like. I preferred to think of Morlun as some 1800s-era aristocrat cursed with immortality. But Slott made him a Space Vampire with an interdimensional super-sniffer nose.
So it’s fait to say Spencer wants us all to forget about Amazing Mary Jane#6 and the witness protection thing, seeing as MJ could not possibly be on a promotional tour if that were still in play. MJ’s back to come clean to Peter, but finds her a pawn in a cleansed Norman’s campaign to redeem Harry, all while Felicia volunteers to help Strange save Spidey. I smell some future drama for the Peter/Felicia/MJ trinity.
With Morlun involved, the idea that one Spider or more could potentially die is rearing it’s head again. Obviously it won’t be Jess, Miles or Gwen…Anya or Julia maybe? Julia hopefully, she’s been pretty useless as a Madame Web.
I was glad to see Sin Eater still around, it would have been a bit anti-climactic if he’d just disappeared after Kindred disposed of him. Morlun’s appearance was the real surprise, though I suppose it shouldn’t have been, given how much these last few issues have been leaning into the JMS-era. I’m thinking we’re going to get a pretty good action scene out of this, he’ll probably be disposed of afterwards, with Sin Eater using his powers for the rest of the story. In a way, I kind of like the idea of seeing him be a bit-player in a story much bigger than him, he was always built up as the ultimate threat in previous stories, seeing him in a more minor role might be a nice change of pace.