Writer: Tom Taylor  Artists: Juann Cabal  Editors: Nick Lowe  E.I.C: C.B. Cebulski   Crawlspace Staff: Chi-Town Spidey  Crawlspace E.I.C:  Brad Douglas

Recap:  Peter Parker with the mask on and off, has been taking advice from Fred Rogers by partaking in a series of helpful good deeds throughout his neighborhood.  He later finds himself in a jar of pickled peppers when he’s shocked to see two super powered kids that were hiding in his room after his neighbor (Leilani, who was protecting them) was kidnapped by stronger than average goons.  How do you like dem apples?  Also in the second story of this book,  Peter and his true love, Mary Jane where spending some alone time not knowing that Aunt May has gotten some tests done at the Maria Wheelock Cancer Center because she found a lump!    * Also Debra Whitman turned out to be a Skrull.

The Story:  Wilson Fisk is on the phone and is very upset.  He approved of a plan that was less than lawful and because it wasn’t kept silent (meaning there was damages and witnesses) he used his mayoral powers to clean it up and was sure to give the person on the other end of the phone, an earful.  Meanwhile, back at Peter’s place, hiding out in Peter’s room, the two “orange kids” are munching away on some apples while Spider-Man tries to figure out HOW he was going to take care of these two kids and find their mom who was kidnapped, so he calls a friend, Johnny Storm.  Marine, from apartment 71 stops on by to inform Peter that the police haven’t arrived and has a humorous encounter with Peter’s room mate, Fred Myers aka: Boomerang.  She informs Peter there is a suspicious person (the same super powered goon) outside watching the building.  Once Johnny arrives to babysit, Spider-Man takes off to fight the goon who just happens to be orange faced too!  They both fight, but “carrot top” manages to escape by putting civilians in harms way.  Spidey of course saves the day and meets Shari Sebbans, the wife of the man and mother to the daughter that Spider-Man saved on the bridge in the first issue and she just happens to be a detective.  Small world!  Shari runs the license plate of the getaway car for Spidey and then he swings away to the location the car is registered to.  Spider-Man doesn’t hold back fighting this guy the second time, but to his surprise Marine, from apartment 71 shows up and completely lays the goon to the ground.  She reveals herself to be “The Rumor”!

Analysis:  I’m glad we are not getting two stories in one book.  Taylor has already set up the plot and subplot in issue number one and now it’s just good story telling the rest of the way.  I found this issue to be VERY AMUSING.  Like, I was laughing my arse <-Brad Filter) off!  Taylor seems to understand the importance of Spider-Man being funny.  Situations arise for Peter to interact in a humorous way, because that is in his character.  Spider-Man’s humor isn’t about “getting attention” or being the butt of every joke to the rest of the marvel universe.  It’s his default clever way of handling what is being laid out before him.  Tom Taylor gets that.  Taylor doesn’t need to watch the latest pop culture hit TV show or the latest fad on social media to work Spidey’s humor into that.  Taylor is writing Spider-Man how he should be.

The buddy relationship of Johnny Storm and Peter Parker is there.  Very humorous in many ways.  Spider-Man webbing up the face of the goon so he doesn’t see Torch coming in through the window.  Just imagine, your minding your own business, you look up for a second and BAM!!  Webbing all over your face.  When Spidey explains the kid situation to Johnny, he automatically thinks the kids are his.  Don’t be surprised, he did marry a Skrull.  Speaking of those kids, they know and LOVE the Human Torch which hurts Spider-Man’s ego a bit, but it’s all good.  Spidey does make a very logical good point, how is a burning man flying through the window considered “Discreet”?  I know this is a comic book, but it’s good that Taylor is putting some logic into this book and making it very humorous at the same time.

There’s a new sheriff in town!  Detective Shari Sebbens makes her appearance I have a feeling she’s going to follow in the footsteps of Jean Dewolff, Lieutenant William Lamont, Captain George Stacy,  Jefferson Davis and Yuriko Wataabe.  Does anyone else feel like she resembles a bit like Detective Terri Lee from the Spider-Man 90’s Cartoon?  Spider-Man saved her family or “her world” as she puts it.  Which I can totally understand.  My wife and kids are “my world”.  Spidey doesn’t really have a good track record when it comes to budding up with someone from New York’s finest.  Still, very curious on how this goes.

Marine, from apartment 71 is a superhero called “The Rumor”.  Okay, I didn’t see this one coming!  Like not at all!  Bravo to Tom Taylor for pulling that out of the hat.  New characters always have me leery, but I’m willing to give this a try since Taylor seems to be following Marvel’s “Fresh Start” direction.  An old lady that knows everything that’s going on in her building, gossips about it with the code name called “The Rumor”.  CLASSIC!  Surely there’s some of you our there that know a person that’s just like that!  So we don’t know much about the super kids and the goon that Spidey fought and The Rumor defeated.  They both seem to be linked somehow.  No substance on where the mother is either, I’m guessing in the warehouse that Spidey went to, but we’ll have to see next issue.

I also like to point out that Spider-Man kicks arse <-Brad filtered) in his own darn <- Brad filtered) book!  Many of our panelist on the Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast has addressed it.  Yes, Human Torch showed up, but only to babysit.  Yes, new character “The Rumor” delivered the final blow to the orange faced goon, but it wasn’t like Spider-Man wasn’t ready.  Spider-Man fought back and fought hard.  The help he received was more like a “look out” and a “lifeline” he wasn’t aware of.

I did have a few issues with this book though.  Rather have Spidey fighting his own villains that we know of.  There is a slew of new characters coming into the mix and I rather not be too invested in that.  It bugs (I made a funny) me.  Of course I may be getting ahead of myself here, this could lead to a Spidey villain that is working behind the scenes and hopefully we’ll know more about what’s going on with Aunt May next issue!  Big bomb shell like that left in the first issue and now we gotta wait a little bit more.  Solic’s did show something will happen in issue number 5.  Also, Mary Jane didn’t show up in this issue.

I would be a fool if I didn’t mention the artwork, because DAAAAAMN!  Juann Cabal did a great job with good coloring done by Nolan Woodard!  I mean look at this splash page!

Good to know that this series, so far, is in good hands with Cabal and Woodard! 

Final Grade: B

* Okay…Debra Whitman isn’t really a Skrull.  Just getting a rise out of fellow Crawlspacer Dark Mark.  He called MJ a bag of flour (Clone) and that’s the thanks I get when I covered for him on reviewing ASM.  Why he chose Debra Whitman over Mary Jane Watson is BEYOND me!

Speaking of our favorite red head.  New Feature for Chi-Town’s Breakdown called Mary Jane Moments.  We all know that Mary Jane is my favorite supporting character in Spidey’s world so I thought I would highlight all MJ Moments that are in the issues that are being reviewed.