MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: SPIDER-WOMAN #16 REVIEW

You can talk all you want about superheroes and their dark origins, tragic histories, and messed up childhoods. But I think Spider-Woman and her family take the cake with this one. Her brother is now Aeternum, a full-fledged super-villain with his new girlfriend… who have their sights set on Spider-Woman and Rebecca. This is a dangerous family affair, where nobody will leave unscathed. But at the heart of all this conflict is a very human and personal concern… the need of a daughter, not to be fixed, but to just simply have her dad. At the end of the day, this arc is a solid morale lesson and story for families, opening our eyes to what truly matters in life. Most of the time, being happy is not necessarily being able to fix all the problems in the world, but it really is just having your loved ones around you, showing and spreading the love.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

SPIDER-WOMAN #16

STORY BY: Karla Pacheco

ART BY: Pere Pérez

MAIN COVER BY: Jung-Geun Yoon

VARIANTS BY: Nabetse Zitro, Rob Liefeld

• Aeternum threatened Jess’ family. Now Jess is fighting back…WITH her family.
• Someone in the Drew clan suits up for the first time! Who could it be?!
• Don’t miss the high-octane conclusion to this action-packed arc!

FAMILY FIRST!

PROS:

• Obviously, the main attraction here is Rebecca becoming a strong and mighty superheroine, stepping up bravely against her evil father. Was she able to succeed in the end? I think it is a big YES, since she was not only able to put a stop to their sinister plans, but she was also able to make her dad realize that she did not need fixing at all in the first place. It was a violent epiphany, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
• Rebecca was an exciting character to follow, in just the span of an issue, seeing her dark past fuel her motivations for today as a hero, but also seeing her succumb to aggression and her own violent tendencies, which Spider-Woman had to cool down. The difference between attitudes also shows with Rebecca’s annoyance at Spider-Woman’s jokes. On one hand, Spider-Woman tells Rebecca to watch her language and use witty remarks instead when fighting the bad guys… and Rebecca in turn asks if making bad jokes is really part of the job. We all know it is, right? Like… duh.
• The back-to-back splash pages of actions were just an awesome treat for the readers and really a gift for those who decided to stick around to the very end of the arc. The past few issues already made a mark with the Hollywood-style action and chase sequences, and this installment is able to carry the momentum until the finale. I am looking forward to the next storyline full of ninjas!
• After all the blood, sweat and tears, it was heartwarming to see Rebecca still show some heart and forgiveness to her dad and his girlfriend. Yes, maybe she did realize that there was genuine concern and love in their hearts and minds, twisted by their own ambitions. But it just shows you how much room there is for a person to forgive and move on from whatever personal issues one may have had in the past.
• It’s so amusing reading Spider-Woman, not only as a mom, but now as a full-time auntie. It comes with the age, I guess, but it still amazes me how comic book readers really get to grow up with these characters and see them evolve, develop, and mature both in their roles as superheroes and as individual human beings.

CONS:

• Perhaps the big baddie was taken down a bit too easily, but I do understand that at the core of this book is not a fist-fight but a story of family woes.

FINAL GRADE: A+

Overall, this series has been so consistent from start to finish. I am excited for the upcoming arcs, and I want to see how Spider-Woman and Rebecca work together moving forward. They already make an interesting and intriguing dynamic duo, so it will be a joy witnessing them find their place in the Spider-Man family, and in the larger Marvel Universe environment.