Secret Invasion: Spider-Man #3 Review

Can Jackpot survive the danger of Menace and defeat the SSS, all by her lonesome?
Will Rocket Robertson’s street racing skills save the DB! crew from peril?
Where’s Spider-Man disappeared to and will he be back?
Does Dexter Bennet actually have a human side?

All this and more answered in this issue from the Marvel House of Ideas!

Hooray

SECRET INVASION: SPIDER-MAN #3
Brand New Secret Invasion, Part 3
WRITER: Brian Reed
ARTIST: Marco Santucci
INKS: Pennington, Meikis and Olazaba
COLOURS: Cox, Soto and Kalisz
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher

PLOT:
Jackpot and Menace are duking it out over New York on his Goblin Glider, before Jackpot tries to take off Menace’s mask and they both fly into a billboard. Several blocks away, SSS is attacking the DB! crew (in Rocket Robertson’s car) because “I know one of you is Spider-Man!”. Sure you do. Betty tries to do some investigative repoting in the middle of this assault and gets picked up by SSS, before they swerve into a car park. Bennett gets out and argues with SSS and saves Betty’s life by convincing the Skrull that Betty couldn’t be Spider-Man. At least somebody has some damn sanity in this series.

Suddenly, Jackpot and Menace crash land right on top of SSS, saving the DB! crew, while Menace limps away secretly, avoiding capture. Eventually, SSS gets back and fights Jackpot for a while and she figures out that the fiend might be vulnerable to ice. He tricks him into a freezer (after slipping because of her badly designed costume) and locks him in there. The day is saved thanks to “teamwork”.

Later, Spider-Man meets up with Jackpot and they discuss the events and the DB! posts its apology towards Jackpot. Peter Parker finally shows up at the Coffee Bean and all is right with the world.

LIKES:
-The art was actually pretty good this issue. Must be the inkers and colourists because the artist is the same
-One or two funny lines in this issue
-The series is over. That’s good enough for me.
-We see a human side to Dexter Bennett

DISLIKES:
-Still some glitches in the dialogue
-I was sick of SSS by the end of the first issue
-Rocket Robertson. Why do that?
-No point to Menace in this series, just a bit of filler
-The recap page annoyed me again
-SPOILERS!

THOUGHTS:
Hey, it didn’t suck. It is an improvement, so I can’t be completely critical of the issue, even though it was still below average. The art was a step up and so was the writing. Vin Gonzales said maybe two lines in the whole issue, so yeah it worked.

BUT, before I get too complimentary of this issue, it more or less ruins the ending of Secret Invasion. Yeah. That annoyed me quite a bit. The recap page spoils Secret Invasion too, because this issue was released around the same time as Secret Invasion #4 and it ruins Secret Invasion #5-8. Dammit to hell.

SERIES CONCLUSION:
Shameless tie in. That it what this book is. No more and maybe a little bit less. It made a generic story and used the BND characters to give them a little bit more limelight. Even though they star in a book that comes out three times a month. The villain was really uninspired and I couldn’t care less about Jackpot saving the day.

However, there is one saving grace in this book. Dexter Bennett. He is actually shown to be something more of a jackass in this issue and we finally get some characterisation. He shows that he wants to be professional and would like everyone else to be like that too. This may not be how he is shown in Amazing Spider-Man but hell, I liked it.

BEST LINES:
Yeah I was surprised too.

ROBBIE: Dang. He finally did it. He killed my car.

HARRY: I swear, every summer it’s one big event or another going on around here.

These made me laugh. So sue me

IF THIS SERIES WAS A MOVIE, IT WOULD BE:
Dude, where’s my star character?

OVERALL:
2 webheads out of 5

Big improvement on the last two issues, but still below average. Maybe it could have gotten even better, but now it’s over. Good riddance I say. Now take your “Rocket Robertson” and go to the bargain bin.